A lehenga-style sari is a modern garment introduced in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

that blends elements of the traditional

sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...

and lehenga choli. A lehenga-style sari is normally to long. To wear one, unlike a sari, one does not have to form pleats but may simply tuck and drape. Like that of a traditional sari, the lehenga-style sari is worn over a

petticoat A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British Engl ...

(inskirt; ''pavadai'' or ''langa'' in the south, and ''shaya'' in eastern India, Lehenga in western India), along with a

blouse A blouse (blau̇s, 'blau̇z, ) is a loose-fitting upper garment that was worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women, and children.The Concise Oxford English Dictionary It is typically gathered at the waist or hips (by tight hem, pleats, parter ...

called the choli, which is the upper garment. The styleMohapatra, R. P. (1992) "Fashion styles of ancient India", B. R. Publishing corporation, of

choli A choli (Hindi: चोली, Urdu: چولی, gu, ચોળી, mr, चोळी, Nepali: चोलो ''cholo'') (known in South India as ''ravike'' (Kannada: ರವಿಕೆ, Telugu: రవికె, Tamil: ரவிக்கை)) is a blou ...

mostly resembles that of the choli of a conventional lehenga or

ghagra choli Ghagra choli (also known as lehenga choli and locally as chaniya choli) is a type of ethnic clothing for women from the Indian Subcontinent, notably in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Pu ...

. Sometimes conventional blouses are also matched with lehenga-style sari. The choli is mostly of a halter neck style, deep neck, or backless style. As with choli worn with the sari, these cholis are also embellished with

kundan Kundan, meaning pure gold, is a traditional form of Indian gemstone jewellery involving a gem set with a gold foil between the stones and its mount, usually for elaborate necklaces and other jewellery. History Origins of Kundan jewelleries in ...

, beads, mirrors, etc.

Embroidery and embellishments

Various types of embroidery patterns are used for a lehenga-style sari. Bagh, chikan, kashida,

kasuti Kasuti ( kn, ಕಸೂತಿ) is a traditional form of folk embroidery practised in the state of Karnataka, India. An exhibition of Kasuti work is reported by Kasuti work which is very intricate sometimes involves putting up to 5,000 stitches b ...

, kantha, sozni, shisha, and

zardozi Zardozi or zar-douzi or zarduzi (from Classical Persian زَردوزی ''zardōzī'', literally "gold embroidery"; fa, label=Modern Persian, زَردوزی, translit=zarduzi; hi, ज़रदोज़ी, tg, зардӯзӣ, ur, زردوزی ...

are some of the commonly practiced types of embroidery in the lehenga-style sari. Bagh is a special kind of embroidery done by women in Punjab to be worn during festivals and weddings. Bagh embroidery completely hides the base fabric and is a very heavy kind of embroidery.

Kashida Kashida or Kasheeda ( fa, کشیده; "extended", "stretched", "lengthened") is a type of justification in the Arabic language and in some descendant cursive scripts. In contrast to white-space justification, which increases the length of a lin ...

is a Kashmiri embroidery type. This is very colorful and depicts Kashmir in its patterns. The other most famous embroidery on lehenga-style saris is the

kantha Kantha also spelled kanta, and qanta, is a type of embroidery craft in the Bangladesh and eastern regions of India, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha. In Odisha, old saris are stacked on each other and hand-stit ...

work and kasuti work of Bangalore. Embellishments used in lehenga-style saris' patterns include silver embroidery, golden embroidery, metal beads, real pearls, wood beads, glass beads, mirror work, lace work, Kundan, sequins, glittering stones, and zardozi. Mostly rich fabrics like

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

georgette Georgette is a feminine given name, the French form of (''Geōrgia''), the feminine form of George. Georgette may refer to: People * Georgette Barry (1919–2003), stage name Andrea King, American actress * Georgette Bauerdorf (1924–1944), Ame ...

, brasso, brocade, chiffon, crepe, etc., are used in the making of a lehenga-style sari.

Indian draping a lehenga-style sari

Compared with traditional saris, the method of drapingBoulanger, C (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York. a lehenga style is relatively simple and hassle-free. The plain end of the sari is tucked into the petticoat/inskirt and wrapped once completely around the waist, similar to wearing a regular sari. Whereas pleats would be formed in a traditional sari, at this point with the lehenga style one continues to tuck in the drape without making any pleats. (In a lehenga-style sari, pleats are replaced with embellished gotas or panels at the front, which imparts a flared

silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

that is characteristic of a lehenga-style sari.) Finally, the pallu is draped over the shoulder like a regular sari. The only difference between a lehenga-style sari and a regular sari is that the lehenga-style sari does not require pleats to be formed at the front. A few lehenga-style saris come with side hooks to fit the sari snugly around the

waist The waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On people with slim bodies, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso. ''Waistline'' refers to the horizontal line where the waist is narrowest, or to the general appearan ...

References

{{Clothing in South Asia Bangladeshi clothing Dresses Indian clothing Pakistani clothing Saris Embroidery in India