The Pulled-Together Bride: Guest Blog - How to Achieve the Perfect Saree Drape

Hey all, I'm at the dentist today *shudder* getting some serious work done (wish me luck!). So I won't be posting today.  I do, however, have a guest blogger standing in for me.  Mallika Singhania of The Indian Hanger has written for numerous newspapers and magazines and covered fashion-related topics for a variety of television shows and channels.  She now runs her own e-tail boutique, featuring her hand-picked selections of the best of Indian fashion, and blogs at The Indian Hanger.  Today she is sharing her tips on achieving the perfectly draped saree.

Breezy Drapes
If you are planning to wear a saree for a wedding function or a formal occasion this summer, I am going to tell you which one to wear. For those who are not in regular touch with Indian fashion, you could be scratching your head for days in confusion over the variety of sarees available.

Images via The Indian Hanger.

If it is a day function, I would recommend a cotton, georgette, soft net or chiffon saree. I am self-confessedly biased towards the chiffon saree, because of its elegant flow, but other soft fabrics are welcome too. Georgettes are easy to carry, and very slimming, while soft nets look nicer on leaner bodies, as they hug the body a little bit more than other fabrics. Also, since the “petticoat” shows through the net, you have the deal with the headache of finding the exact colour you need.

While picking the colour of the saree, choose a bright one that screams, “wake up and look at me,” -my favourites are festive colours like red, fuscia, parrot green or sky blue. I love floral and abstract prints on the fabrics (especially the kind designer Satya Paul makes). Simple sarees with delicate or rich (depending on the event), brocade, zari, beaded, embroidered, and sequinned borders rank high up on the fashion scale, so make sure you hunt one of them down.

Images via The Indian Hanger.

The beauty of a simple saree is that you can wear it with a blouse that accentuates it. Choose an embellished one, or one with a contrasting bright colour, and you are assured to be the cynosure of every eye at the party. Embellishments can simply be around the sleeves and the neckline, or all over the blouse. I personally love over-the- top blouses.

Sarees suit both tall and short people, and the reason I am always giving an acknowledging nod to simple sarees, is for their functionality. They don’t hamper your movement, and actually make you feel light-weight, contrary to popular beliefs about how bogging down sarees can be.

Wear it with- Chandelier earrings and gorgeous stone necklaces- but not both together. Choose one.

Avoid it with- Flats and mojdis. Sarees never look as elegant when worn with flats, as when worn with stilettos. If you can’t sum up the energy to wear dagger heels, at least make the effort to put on kitten heels- your stance will be so much prettier.

Style it with- Strike the perfect style pose with a printed petticoat that shows through a plain net saree. You will ooze elegance, and will get compliments galore for your innovative ensemble.

P.S. – Please get professional help if you have to, while draping a saree. I shudder when I see how tacky sarees can look when they are wrongly or badly draped.