THE SARI STORY:- CULTURE AND

EVOLUTION
Of simplicity and sophistication. Of finesse and femininity. Of Sarees, What Chishti calls the “magical
unstitched garment”. In Sanskrit, the term “sari” means “strip of cloth”. A saree is basically a long
piece of unstitched cloth draped over the body in various styles. The origin of the drape or a garment
similar to the sari can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, which came into being during
2800–1800 BC in north west India.

Ancient Indians considered stitched cloth to be impure. Thus so as to keep a careful balance between
belief and tradition/modesty, these swaths of fabric that enveloped one from head to toe came to be
a staple in the Indian Woman’s wardrobe.

The Mughals were perhaps the most prominent rulers of india and contributed to every sphere of
india’s cultural fabric. So much so that The saree that we see today came from the Mughal period.
They brought in traditional embroidery, rich embellishments and intricate patterns/designs, thus
developing a dazzling variety. People began imitating their lavish fashion styles that led to the
change. One could distinguish between a Hindu and a Muslim woman based on her style of draping
sari. While the Hindu women wore saris with pleats, on the other flip Muslim women wore Persian
inspired loose trousers with long tops (today famous as Salwaar Kurta) with a shorter, thinner, scarf-
like fabric covering the head called the Dupatta. Kadambari Devi, the sister in law of Rabindra Nath
Tagore was the first one to introduce the draping of sarees with pleats during the post-mughal era.
sarees have taken different forms of designs, colors and draping, to establish a pattern that we see
today.

While with the transfer of powers to the British, came a transformation in the draping of a
traditional Indian sari. They thought Indian women’s finer, more diaphanous saris were excessively
titillating and immodest. So, Indians were met with the ‘blouse’ and ‘petticoat,’ which were worn
under the Indian sari.

indian traditional saree in post-Independence India underwent the influence of Bollywood movies
and some major experimentation with fabrics, patterns, weaves and drapes. Nutan, Madhubala and
Nargis all wore diverse varieties, and Indian women, for the first time, had the opportunity to adopt
their style. Yet, during the period of the 1970s-1980s, once again saris went through yet another
metamorphosis. The basic muted monotones of weaves and dark traditional colours as bold,
flamboyant and colourful prints were no longer in the run. Rather, with the inspiration of on-screen
styles worn by actresses, printed saris emerged gradually that were easily accessible at different
price points to all Indian women. Saris in the 1990s saw a return to their original variability and
sheerness. With the rejection of their opaque patterned saris, Indian saris saw a shift in favour of
these single-coloured flowing variants with a hint of sensuality.