Clothing - fun part!

The Wedding Attire….Are you in?!  

Men:

It’s a dhoti and button-down shirt for you.  Called “veshti” in Tamil, it’s a rectangular piece of cloth (usually silk) made famous outside India by Mahatma Gandhi.  Here’s a short humorous video: What’s a dhoti?!  Yes, they really fold them up short like that...   Exactly how they are folded varies a bit geographically, but it doesn’t really matter.   You’ll get extra credit points just for wearing it, regardless of how you tie it.  You’ll want light colored shorts to wear under and possibly a belt.  We will help you put it on properly, don’t worry!  And if you try it and hate it, no big deal.  Bring some pants as a backup option.

Well known Indian actor happily models a dhoti

Other traditional men’s wear:

The less dressy version is a lungi.   You’ll see people wear this on the streets in Coimbatore. It’s the cotton version, made into a tube, and worn basically the same way. NPR teamed up with a guy from Prabha’s State Tamil Nadu and made a bunch of Indian culture videos.  Watch him teach a Japanese tourist how to wear a lungi here.

Dhoti - Prabha and his mama (uncle) - short and long. 

Sarees - Thilaga (Prabha's sister) and mami (aunt)

Salwar Kameez - Jen

Women:

You get to wear a sari (saree).   This is one long piece of cloth wrapped to create a skirt and then wrapped over the shoulder.  It’s worn over a separate blouse top.  Many saris come with extra fabric intended to be taylor-made into the matching blouse.  Taylors are plentiful, very reasonably priced, and turn things around quickly.  Just like for a dhoti, there are many different styles of folding and draping - thus there are also different length saris; don’t worry about it. You will wear a skirt undergarment (like a slip) with a tie string closure (not elastic) under it and into which you fold the sari fabric.  If you feel too uncomfortable in it, no worries!  Try it anyway and bring a dress backup with you to India just in case.  Here’s a friendly Wilbur video on how to wear a sari.

Shantha (Prabha's mom) is seen here pulling off a glamorous sari look along with Anjali

Other traditional woman’s wear:

Half Saris: I don’t know what this is, but it’s easier to wear.  Often teenage girls will wear this instead of saris or younger children’s attire.

Lehenga (or lehenga choli) is more North Indian.  Generally for fancier occasions, it’s a blouse (often a crop top blouse) and skirt with a dupatta (scarf).

Salwar kameez - easier/faster to put on and move around in.  It’s basically a shirt and pants suit. They come in varying lengths, but all are longer than traditional western shirts….think dress with slits up the side. Pants can be very loose or tight-like (although they wear their pants longer than we would and aim to have wrinkles at the ankles; great for those of us with short legs!!!).  Almost always, women will also wear a dupatta (scarf) that matches the color of the pants, either around the neck and hanging down the back or over one shoulder.. These can be casual every-day wear or dressier.  You’ll see most women on the streets either in saris or in salwar kameez.