Lehenga Choli

Lehenga : A long skirt which reaches upto the ankles. Usually has embroidery or some other work on it. Also spelled as Lehnga / Lehanga / Lengha. Lehengas is a Indian traditional (yet a designer lenghas worn even by modern Indian women) garment worn originally by Indian women from the state of Rajasthan. The designer lehenga is actually a long skirt made in such a way that it is flat but loose and comfortable all the way up to the knee. Below the knee it is pleated and flowing. It is tied at the waist with draw strings. A 'choli' or short blouse which comes up to the top of the skirt is worn on top.

Chaniya or chania cholis, Ghagara or ghagra cholis, sharara cholis are sister dresses of lehenga cholis for weddings. These dresses are perfect costumes for bridesmaid dresses.

Dupatta

Dupatta / Chunari / Punjabi "Chunni" is a long scarf that is essential to many South Asian women's suits. Some "dupatta suits" include the salwar kameez, the trouser suit, and the kurta. The dupatta is also worn over the Hindu outfit of lehenga or ghaghra- choli. The dupatta has long been a symbol of modesty in South Asian dress. It is traditionally worn across both shoulders. However, the dupatta can also be worn like a cape around the entire torso. The material for the dupatta varies according to the suit: cotton, georgette, silk, chiffon, and more. The other names for dupatta are chunri, chunni and orna [mainly in Bangladesh](sometimes shortened to 'unni' by many Gujaratis).

There are various modes of wearing the unsewn dupatta. When not draped over the head in the traditional style, it is usually worn with the middle portion of the dupatta resting on the chest like a garland with both ends thrown over each respective shoulder. When the dupatta resting is worn along with the salwar-kameez it is casually allowed to flow down the front and back.

The use of the dupatta has definitely undergone a metamorphosis over time. In current fashions, the dupatta is frequently draped over one shoulder, and even over just the arms. Another recent trend is the short dupatta often seen with kurtas and Indo-Western clothing. Essentially, the dupatta is often treated as an accessory in current urban fashion. Nevertheless, the dupatta remains an integral part of Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani clothing.

Stylish party wear salwar kameez, stunning celebrity wear anarkali salwar kameez with contrast color embroidered dupatta are available in the market.

Sleeveless tunic length pure georgette kameez is embellished with resham, kadana and stones co-ordinated with crepe churidar and georgette dupatta, Pure georgette kameez with gota and pitta work co-ordinated with net churidar and georgette dupatta and much more latest fashion wear salwar suits are available.

Churidars

Churidars, or more properly churidar pyjamas, are tightly fitting trousers worn by both men and women in South Asia and Central Asia. They are a variant of the common salwar pants. Salwars are cut wide at the top and narrow at the ankle. Churidars narrow more quickly, so that contours of the leg are revealed. They are usually cut on the bias (at a 45 degree angle to the grain of the fabric) which makes them naturally stretchy. Stretch is important when pants are closefitting. They are also cut longer than the leg and finish with a tightly fitting buttoned cuff at the ankle. The excess length falls into folds and appears like a set of bangles resting on the ankle (hence 'churidar'; 'churi': bangle, 'dar': like). When the wearer is sitting, the extra material is the "ease" that makes it possible to bend the legs and sit comfortably. The word "churidar" is from Hindi and made its way into English only in the 20th century. Earlier, tight fitting churidar-like pants worn in in India were referred to by the British as Moghul breeches, long-drawers, or mosquito drawers.

The churidar is usually worn with a kameez (a form-fitted overshirt) by women or a kurta (a loose overshirt) by men, or they can form part of a bodice and skirt ensemble, as seen in the illustration of 19th century Indian women wearing churidar with a bodice and a transparent overskirt. Traditionally attired Kathak dancers, from northern India, still wear churidar with a wide skirt and a tight bodice; when the dancers twirl, the leg contours can be discerned -- as can be seen in many Bollywood movies featuring Kathak dancing.

Kurta or Kurti (Kameez)

The shirt, kameez or qamiz, takes its name from the Arabic qamis. A kurta (or kurti, for a shorter version of the kurta) is a traditional item of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India,Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by both men and women. It can be worn with a dhoti, loose salwar pants, churidar pants, as well as jeans, a tight-fitting variant of the salwar. Kurtas are worn both as casual everyday wear and as formal dress.

Western women often wear inexpensive imported kurtas as blouses, usually over jeans. These kurtas are typically much shorter than the traditional garments and made with a lighter materials, like those used in sewing kameez. Imported kurtas were fashionable in the 1960s and 1970s, as an element of hippie fashion, fell from favor briefly, and are now again fashionable. South Asian women may also wear this Western adaptation of South Asian fashion.

Formal kurtas are usually custom-made by South Asian tailors, who work with the fabric their customers bring them. South Asians overseas, and Westerners, can buy them at South Asian clothing stores or order them from web retailers.

A traditional kurta is composed of rectangular fabric pieces with perhaps a few gusset inserts, and is cut so as to leave no wasted fabric. The cut is usually simple, although decorative treatments can be elaborate.

The sleeves of a traditional kurta fall straight to the wrist; they do not narrow, as do many Western-cut sleeves. Sleeves are not cuffed, just hemmed and decorated.

The front and back pieces of a simple kurta are also rectangular. The side seams are left open for 6-12 inches above the hem, which gives the wearer some ease of movement.
The kurta usually opens in the front; some styles, however, button at the shoulder seam. The front opening is often a hemmed slit in the fabric, tied or buttoned at the top; some kurtas, however, have plackets rather than slits. The opening may be centered on the chest, or positioned off center.

A traditional kurta does not have a collar. Modern variants may feature stand-up collars of the type known to tailors and seamstresses as "mandarin" collars. These are the same sort of collars seen on achkans, sherwanis, and Nehru jackets.

Salwar

Salwars are pleated at the waist and held up by a drawstring or an elastic belt. The pants can be wide and baggy, or they can be quite narrow and made of fabric cut on the bias. In the latter case, they are known as churidars. The kameez is usually cut straight and flat; older kameez use traditional cuts, as shown in the illustration; modern kameez are more likely to have European-inspired set-in sleeves. The tailor's taste and skill are usually displayed not in the overall cut, but in the shape of the neckline and the decoration of the kameez.

When women wear the salwar kameez, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck. For Muslim women, the dupatta is a less stringent alternative to the chador or burqa . For Sikh and Hindu women (especially those from northern India, where the salwar kameez is most popular), the dupatta is useful when the head must be covered, as in a temple or the presence of elders. For other women, the dupatta is simply a stylish accessory that can be worn over one shoulder or draped around the chest and over both shoulders.
Modern versions of the feminine salwar kameez can be much less modest than traditional versions. The kameez may be cut with a plunging neckline, sewn in diaphanous fabrics, or styled in sleeveless or cap-sleeve designs. The kameez side seams may be split high up to the waistline and, it may be worn with the salwar slung low on the hips. When women wear semi-transparent kameez (mostly as a party dress), they wear a choli or a cropped camisole underneath it.

The Shalwar kameez is sometimes known as "Punjabi suit," in Britain and Canada. In Britain, especially during the last two decades, the garment has been transformed from an everyday garment worn by immigrant South Asian women from the Punjab region to one with mainstream, and even high-fashion, appeal.

Salwar Kameez

Salwar kameez (also spelled shalwar kameez and shalwar qamiz) is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia. Salvars or salwars or shalvars are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the bottom. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak) are left open below the waist-line, which gives the wearer greater freedom of movement. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the garment is worn by both sexes. In northern India, it is most commonly a woman's garment.

Indian Fashion Wear Dresses

India is a great land of culture and heritage with wonderfully weaved together so many people of different castes and religion. Different people have different tastes, fashion likes and dislikes. Indian fashion is greatly influenced by their background and culture of it's people. India is well known for its garments and classic fashion styles all around the world. Indian women wear traditional Indian dresses, the men in India can be found in more conventional western clothing like shirts and trousers.

The various fabrics and textures, Indian hand made cloth all fascinate the tourists. The ‘Indian sari' for women is a renowned way of dressing it portrays elegance and beauty. The Indian sari is a cloth, which ranges from 7 to 9 yards, which is wrapped around the petticoat, pleated and neatly tucked and draped around the blouse. Indian Fashion Designers combine Western trends with Indian touch, creating garments which are truly outstanding. The India fashion week is a much awaited fashion event which helps showcase latest trends & works of Indian dress designers.

Indian dresses always have a demand in the international fashion market because of its unique and outstanding styles and types of garments.

Indian Fashion

Indian fashion is continuously changing as fast as a breeze... Fashion in clothes or costumes, fashion in accessories, fashion in jeweleries, fashion in dresses, fashion in designs, fashion in makeup...

Though Indian fashion grows so fast, it successfully make a combo of western and traditional look called as Indo-western which became latest fashion trend.
Latest Indian traditional fashion includes fancy sarees, designer wear dresses, celebrity wears, bridal latest fashion lehenga cholis, Anarkali salwar kameez.

Latest Indian western fashion varies with long skirts, stylish T shirts or blouses or tunics, fashion wear jeans, capris, three fourth jeans, cargos and many more... and Latest fusion fashion wear Indo-western dresses include Jeans or three fourth capris and kurtis or tunics.

Indian dresses always have a demand in the international fashion market because of its unique and outstanding styles and types of garments.

While the saree is considered sensuous attire, the other commonly worn Indian garment is the salwar kameez.