Clothes

I’m sure you’re all curious about Indian clothing, so here’s the scoop!  The most iconic, traditional women’s clothing in India is the sari.  It’s just a short blouse (yes, midriff exposed) that clasps in the front and a long piece of fabric that is wrapped around the waist and thrown over the shoulder.  I do have a sari and I’ll put a picture up as soon as I have one of the other girls in the house show me how to wrap it; I guess it’s an intricate process.

The most popular type of outfit that Indian women wear is called a salwar kamis, casually referred to as “suits.”  It’s comprised of a tunic, pants, and a scarf (called a dupatta).  They can be very casual or very dressy.  Traditionally, the pants are very loose (this is the “salwar” style), but it’s in vogue to have tight pants (called pajama style) that scrunch up around your ankles.  Younger women will also wear regular leggings under a tunic.  Two-colored, sheer dupattas like the one I'm wearing in the picture seem to be in style.  Dupattas look pretty, but they tend to get in the way--just one more thing that can fall in the toliet.  You can buy these outfits ready-made, or buy the material and have a tailor make it for you.  Suit material is sold in pre-matched sets, so it’s easy and fun to buy since you don’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out with fabrics will match well.  It’s pretty difficult to find the tunics with real buttons (versus decorative buttons), so I’ve had them tailored with closures in the front so that I can nurse Oliver.  It’s pretty inexpensive to have custom-made clothing; I’ve found tailor close by who does a nice job and it costs between $4 and $6 to have a salwar kamis made, depending on the complexity.  It’s really fun because you can basically design your own suit by choosing the shape of the neckline, how far the back of the neckline dips on your back, if you want detailing on the tunic with fabric from the pants, etc.  Check out the picture of me in a salwar kamis with tight pants, which I call oompa-loompas.

I’ve been surprised by the number of women who wear western clothing.  About half of the women at the office wear jeans and a blouse every day.  I wish I had a pair of jeans with me.  It’s ironic that although you see midriffs of sari-wearers and salwar kamis can expose a good part of the upper back, bare legs and sometimes even shoulders will make everybody turn.  It’s a good idea to always drape a dupatta over your shirt as to not draw attention to your boobs if your shirt is relatively tight or low-cut.  I was also under the impression that saris were more commonplace, but generally I only see older women or poorer women wearing them on an everyday basis.  I’m excited to wear mine—all I need is a wedding invitation!