Sari so easy

If you always found the ‘exercise’ of draping a sari tiresome and depended on your mom to give you the perfect look, it’s time to take the shortcut.

If you always found the ‘exercise’ of draping a sari tiresome and depended on your mom to give you the perfect look, it’s time to take the shortcut. More and more girls are slipping into ready-to-wear saris that are tied, pleated and fixed. All you need is to slip in! There are ready to wear lungis and dhotis too.

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Says designer Anjana Bhargav, “Not just in India, these garments are doing well internationally too. I did a collection of ready-to-wear saris and lungis for the UK and US market and it was a complete sell out. The market for these garments is big because you don’t need a lot of time to dress yourself up.”

Hooked and sorted
So what exactly is a ready-to-wear garment? These are saris that you have to slip into and hook them on the right and left. There are some with inbuilt petticoats too. There are also poncho saris that are worn by putting one’s neck through it. A ready-to-wear lungi has to be hooked on both sides while a dhoti can easily be worn like a trouser. Designer Ravi Bajaj who has a collection of poncho saris says that the concept was basically conceived for “expats and foreigners”.

Designer Anjalee Kapoor who does lot of saris with constructed pallus says, “In these saris, the pallu accumulates on the shoulder and looks very pretty, just like a regular sari.” It’s not just lack of time but the skills too that has led to the popularity of these structured saris.

Shaina NC who has been selling such saris for the past five years now, says, “These saris make the body look shapely and slim.” Designer Puja Nayyar customises them to sculpt the body. “When people come, I make arrangements for the sari to be held at the shoulders and the pleats are picked, the dhoti and the lungi detailed.”

Lal, the manager of Chhabbra 555, ethnic fashion store says that the concept of a sari lehenga is in vogue. This is an outfit which has a skirt and a palla attached to it which is simply tucked in and then draped.