How to wear a sari in style

MY friend Premji went to India last month and bought me a very beautiful sari after I commented on them during one of our discussions. My sari is green with gold flowerings, it is so beautiful, one of those pieces that you just want to look at and not spoil it by wearing.

Friday, June 01, 2012

MY friend Premji went to India last month and bought me a very beautiful sari after I commented on them during one of our discussions. My sari is green with gold flowerings, it is so beautiful, one of those pieces that you just want to look at and not spoil it by wearing.Sari is like the traditional Rwandan attire, if worn wrongly it completely shows bad taste.The world has become a global village. It has become almost the norm to see a traditional dress of one country being worn in another continent. Take the Maasaishuka for example; last year Gucci showed us what we are made of, when he paraded his latest designs in the famous red Maasaishuka, we were so surprised to see the that the shukas have gone all the way on to the catwalks, when we ourselves look down upon them.Like many traditional attires, the success of the Sari is attributed to its total simplicity, practical comfort, and sense of luxury a woman experiences when she wears one. According to Premji, a Sari properly draped transforms a woman to become graceful, stylish, elegant and sensuous.A perfectly draped sari makes personality but a clumsily draped one can equally bring down the look of the Sari and spoils the whole appearance of the woman. For those who do not know how to wear the sari it would pay to ask, those who know.Sari has taken the fashion world by storm; from Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda, Burundi to Kenya all you see in weddings are women draped in sari, though some ladies drape them so wrongly which make them look so drab instead of elegant.Before one takes that leap of faith and start trading in a sari, it is important to know how to wear it in a proper style.Sari is worn on different occasions and thus there are a number of sari draping styles available. If you are going to an office it is advisable to pin up your sari, this looks smart and is manageable too. For parties or weddings, just pin up the tip of the sari, make pleats by folding between seven to ten times and tuck in the pleats in the underskirt and let the rest fall on your hand. This gives a very graceful look. Sari is not complete without a matching or contrast blouse.  This blouse is called choli in India. The good thing with choli is that they come in different styles and colours.The length of the blouse also matter a lot in sari, but the good thing is that they come in variety, one can choose depending on their taste and liking.There are some blouses that end up just above the navel- these are the most preferred in India. Other blouses go down all the way, to cover the navel especially for ladies who are not comfortable with showing their tummies. Some blouses can be short or long sleeved, all this depend with the wearer.There are also, the most recent blouses that have been seen in Bollywood, which come like a one piece beaded bra. Even though it’s a bra-like, and most people think it’s not appropriate, some of the Bollywood celebrities like AishwaryaRai- Bachnan have been seen wearing them in style, without having to worry about the rest of the exposed flesh.The season of sari is nigh, the likes of Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé and Nicole Scherzinger have all been spotted wearing saris why not you? Ladies get one sari for yourself-and enjoy being in the crowd as the best dressed.