Clothing in India

Women's clothing in India varies widely and is closely related to local culture, religion and climate.

Traditional Indian clothing for women are the saris or the salwar kameez and also gaghra cholis (lehengas). Saris are a graceful elegant clothing. Ones made out of silk are the most elegant and lots of people love them. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is one of India's fashion capitals. In some village parts of India, traditional clothing is worn. Women wear a sari, a long sheet of colorful cloth with patterns. This is draped over a simple or fancy blouse. This is worn by young ladies and women. Little girls wear a pavada. Both are often patterned. Bindi is part of the women's make-up. Indo-western clothing is the fusion of Western and Subcontinental fashion. churidar, dupatta, gamchha, kurta, mundum neriyathum, sherwani are among other clothes.

The traditional style of clothing in India varies with male or female distinctions. This is still followed in the rural areas, though is changing in the urban areas. Girls before puberty wear a long skirt (called langa/paawada in Andhra) and a short blouse, called a choli, on top of it. Teenage girls wear half-sarees, a three piece set consisting of a langa, a choli and a stole wrapped over it like a saree. Women usually wear full sarees.

A saree or sari is a female garment in the Indian subcontinent.^[1] A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. There are various traditional style of Sharee like Sambalpuri Saree from East, Kanchipuram from south, Paithani from West and Banarasi from North. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff.^[1] The sari is usually worn over a petticoat (ghagra has short sleeves and a low neck and is usually cropped, and as such is particularly well-suited for wear in the sultry South Asian summers). Cholis may be "backless" or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with a lot of embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a half-sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist.

The shalwar kameez is the most popular traditional dress for females. It consists of loose trousers (the shalwar) topped by a long loose shirt (the kameez). It is often mispronounced as "punjabi suit" or simply "shalwar" / "churidaar" in Southern India. It was introduced by the Muslims and originates from the Islamic era or old Iranian culture. It is very common in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is always worn with a scarf called a dupatta, which is used to cover the head and drawn over the busom. This dress is worn by almost every teenage girl in lieu of western clothes. The salwar kameez is most common in the northwestern part of India. Many actresses wear the Shalwar Kameez in Bollywood movies.

The women of Rajasthan and Gujarat often wear colorful swirling skirts called lehenga, paired with a short bodice called a choli. If they must cover their heads, they do so with bright veils called odhani. Popular among unmarried women other than salwar kameez are Gagra choli and Langa oni.