How To Style Your Saree Like A Diva

Gone are the days when saree was just a 6 yards long cloth worn by women. The saree has emerged as one of the most beautiful, glamorous and elegant outfits, desired and worn by women across the globe. It is a truly versatile attire giving every woman a sense of luxury, grace and feminism. Be it the office ethnic day, a wedding or red carpet…there is a saree for every occasion. It sure brings out the best in you and helps you be the center of attention when draped properly.

I am going to talk about saree styling in length and breadth to help you look like a diva. With the infinite options of sarees available in different styles, patterns and colours, there is honestly no end to styling a saree the way you please. With a little creativity and innovation, you can come up with endless ways of draping it.

Some of the ways in which a saree is draped across the Indian subcontinent are:
1. Draping It The Nivi Way

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Originated in Andhra Pradesh, it is the most simple and universal way of draping your saree.

2. Gujarati Style Or The Ulta Pallu

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It is similar to the nivi style, however the pallu is brought over the right shoulder towards the front. It is then spread across the blouse and tucked in, at the left side. This is the best way to show off the intricate work on your pallu.

3. Bengali Style

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Who doesn’t love wearing a saree the “Bengali” way. We all were awestruck by Aishwarya Rai’s style in devdas. Weren’t we? Then we have Bipasha, Kajol and Rani who further glorified the Bengali style of draping a saree. Accessorize it further with big red bindi on the forehead, a bunch of keys tied to the loose end of your pallu, bangles and anklets and you can be the show stopper for any event.

4. Drape It Like A Marathi Mulgi

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This form of saree styling is quite different from the rest. We need a 9 yards saree for draping it the Maharashtrian way. This drape doesn’t require an under skirt. You can instead choose to wear shorts or knee length leggings underneath. To adorn that typical Marathi style, you need green bangles, pearl or temple jewellery, jasmine flowers and the most important of all, the big elegant nose ring.

5. The Kerala/ Mundu Neriyathum Style

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The Mundu Neriyathum or set saree as we all know is the traditional saree of Kerala. It comprises of 2 parts-Mundu, which is draped from the waist downwards and the Neriyathum, which is pleated and draped like a pallu.

The good thing about blouses are they can be tailor-made to fit you and bring out the best in you. Also you can try mixing and matching your sarees with different blouses and you will never run out of options for any occasion.
There is a dearth of options to be explored. A saree can be paired with a lace blouse, chiffon blouse, embroidered blouse, net blouse and so on. It really matters which blouse you choose for a given saree, what accessories you pair it with. How do you carry your hair and what do you accessorize your saree with.

See for yourself, how a blouse can change the entire look of a saree:

1. Corset Blouse

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Corset blouses give a contemporary look to any saree. It is slightly longer than a typical blouse. It is tailored in a way to accentuate your curves the right way.

2. Tube Blouse

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Another smart way of dressing up is pairing your saree with a tube blouse. It helps you get that sensual look along with elegance

3. Halter- Neck Blouse

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Yet another blouse design which is in vogue ever since its onset. Go ahead and experiment with the variations a halter neck has to offer and flaunt your back and neck

4. Spaghetti-Strap Blouse

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We all love sleeveless blouses. But if you want to go a step further then a spaghetti-strap blouse is ideal for you. Go ahead and flaunt that collarbone and toned arms.

5. Backless Blouse

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Thank that person from the bottom of your heart, whoever came up with the idea of a backless blouse. The sultriness attached to it has surely taken the saree world by storm.
Like I Say “Flaunt it if you have it.”

6. Long Sleeve Blouse

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Back in fashion is the long sleeve blouse. No ethnic wardrobe is complete without it. It gives you that classy “woman of substance” and regal look.

7. Jacket Blouse

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The new rage in the world of fashion is the Jacket blouse teamed up with a saree to carry that sophisticated look. This blouse gives an edge to the traditional saree and gives you a cut above the rest as far as corporate fashion is concerned.

8. Collar-Neck Blouse

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This is the perfect blouse to give you a stylish, corporate yet decent look. Ideal for your office as this blouse looks very formal when worn with a cotton or silk saree.

From the Traditional and Regional ways of draping sarees, let me show you how you can drape your saree in a more stylish way to do justice to your designer blouses.

1. Butterfly draping style

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This style of draping a saree is mostly flaunted by our Bollywood celebrities. It is similar to the nivi style except that the pallu is pinned up into very thin pleats so that the midriff and naval is visible. This saree plays a catalyst in enhancing your feminism and sensuality. A chiffon or net saree with heavy embellished blouse is all you need for this look

2. Mermaid Draping Style

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This style is known to look good on all body types, however it has an added advantage for girls with curvaceous bodies. The lower portion of the saree is draped to resemble a skirt and hence giving a slimmer look.

3. Lehenga Saree Draping Style

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It is an easy way of turning your saree into a lehenga with the help of pleats tucked all around your waist. You can then style the pallu according to your preference.

4. Dhoti Style Saree

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Sonam Kapoor turned heads in her dhoti saree designed by Masaba Gupta. So can you. You will need a contemporary blouse and a pair of lycra tights for this style. Wear a good pair of high heels to complete the look. It can get a little tricky at first but with practice you can ace this style of draping.

5. Tulip Draping Style

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Anamika Khanna became a trendsetter with her latest style of saree draping –Tulip Style. This requires a saree of much shorter length (2.5-3 mtrs) and instead of an under skirt, a good pair of leggings or trousers are used.

A few things to keep in mind before venturing into the whole 9 yards are
• Make sure you have the right under skirt for your saree.
• Always wear your heels before draping the saree.
• If you are wearing backless or deep neck blouses, make sure your back is waxed, cleaned and well moisturized.
• If you are wearing a padded blouse, make sure you have a tying up facility (dori) else you will end up having and off-shoulder or boat neck blouse because of the weight of your pallu.
• If and when you are wearing a blouse which shows off your back, style your hair accordingly. No point in having a beautiful blouse when your hair is going to cover it all

So girls, drape it up and be a diva. Hope you’ll liked my post.
Fun Fact: The song “saree ke fall sa” kept playing in my mind in a loop since the time Jomol asked me if I could do a post on saree styling.

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