Indian Wedding Fashion - Clothing & Jewelry

Wedding day is a special occasion in an individual's life. This day is special for not only for the couple , but also the whole family of both the bride and groom, as well as the relatives and friends. No wonder, since time immemorial wedding fashion is about the most expensive clothes, along with the jewelry. The bride is dressed to look like a queen.




According to Hindu philosophy and mythology the Gods and Goddesses also attend the wedding. This adds to jubilation attached to a marriage. No wonder brides-to-be spend months together searching for the perfect wedding dress. Not only her, but even her family members and closest friends spend a long time searching for what they should wear on the wedding day.




It is not limited to just the bride, well even the groom is particular about what he is going to wear on the wedding day. He is also aware about his clothes and accessories. Like in case of the bride this extends to his immediate family and friends. Such excitement exists in both the houses.

Jute Crafts from India

Indian jute handicrafts are famous all over the world. Skillled artists craft many items of daily practical use from jute fibre. Jute items are gaining popularity because it is the cheapest known natural fibre and is 100 per cent eco-friendly. Jute is used cheifly to make sacks and coarse cloth. The fibres are also woven into curtains, chair coverings, scarves, area rugs, and backing for linoleum.
West Bengal is the home of jute handicrafts from India. Craftsmen here create innumerable utilitarian items made from jute. A wide range of home decor and furnishings like cushion-covers, beautiful and colorful, jute floorings, table-covers, tea cozies etc, are also made from jut, Garments made out of woven jute fibre are gaining popularity. Jute fabrics are decorated with tie and dye, embroidery and blcok printing. Jute is also used for making baskets, mats and beautiful toys.

The Silk Sarees of Southern India

The silk saree of southern India are a class by themselves. They use heavy lustrous silk and broad borders and elaborate pallus, with contrasting color combinations, which result in harmonious color blends. Traditionally the patterning is part of the woven fabric and not an extra weft. The checks and stripes are woven into the warp and weft. The delicate buds known as mallimogu, jasmine buds, form a part of the weave itself and accentuate the texture, and are woven into the body of the silk saree in contrasting colors.
Kancheepuram, Tanjore and Kumbakonam, which are the important pilgrim centres are also important textile centres of Tamil Nadu. Sangareddy and Dharmaswaram in Andhra Pradesh, Kolegal and Molkalmoru in Mysore are also famous silk weaving centres.
Tanjore specialised in weaving the all over gold work sarees used for weddings and for offering to temples. These carried rich broad borders in gold work and pallus with patterns derived from temple griezes.

Salwar Kameez - The Decades-Old Indian Attire

salwar kameez has been a part of the Indian attire for decades. Even in the 40's Salwar was visible on the Indian horizon. Though women were more prone to be seen in the 'wrapparel' other modes of dresses were also part of the Indian Fashion culture.
The reason for the popularity of the saree was and is mainly the fact that the country is economically not very sound. The pro rata income has been one of the lowest in the worls. The saree was an apparel which could be wrapped around by any female member of the household. Sisters, mothers and daughters could drape the some saree on different occasions. Thus one garment could be used by several members of a family. This was one of the main reasons for the popularity of the saree.
The basic saree comprised of six metres of cloth of different makes. Designs and borders were added to this wrapparel to enhance its appeal. In the north the Chunari Saree, featured repeatedly in the ancient paintings, made their appearance. Though saree was the main apparel for women, other modes of attire were also taking shape. The Salwar Kameez was also apparent on the Indian scene.But the salwar was confined to only certain locales, loke the chunari choli which was retricted to Rajasthan and Kutch, the salwar stayed within the confines and boundaries of Punjab.

Indian Dresses & Clothing

Every region community, caste and religion has its own preferred textile and style of dressing. Until quite recently, one could tell by the clothes they wore where people came by the clothes they wore where people came from and to which community they belonged. Cotton shawls with distinct geometric designs for each tribe are made in the metric designs for each tribe are made in the states of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura. In Rajasthan, Gujarat and tribal communities of Andhra Pradesh, women wear ankle-length billowing skirts decorated with embroidery and tiny mirrors. In northern India, after the influence of Islamic culture, stitched pyjamas and kurta, or knee-length shirts, are worn by men and women. In eastern and sourthern India, where the climate determines light clothing, women wear sarong like clothes wrapped around the lower body. Saris are woven fabrics, usually 5 metres long worn by women, each region having its destinct styles and textures. men wear dhotis or single piece clohtes wound around the lower torso in a variety of styles. A favourite tourist purchase is the collarless 'Nehru' jacket.


Very fine cotton is grown in Gujarat and peninsular India. Camel hari wool is used in Rajasthan to make colorful shawls and household items. The finest woolen shawls come from Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, the priceless Shahtush representing the top end of the range.

Silk is a relatively new materila in India. Some tribal commuities in Assam, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh use raw silk to make shawls and other clohtes. Rough and unevenly spun by hand, it has a characteristic textured look. There is a legend that silk was originally smuggled into India from China, but it was introduced on a large scale by the French in Karnataka between the 17th and 18th centuries. The silk weavers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu favour bright colors, with contrasting borders and woven motifs. Silk brocade is produced in the area of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. During the weaving process, tiny shuttles introduce gold and silver motifs into the fabric.