Sari has been and still is an essential part of the wardrobe of any Indian woman. Women of India have adopted many foreign clothing. The best example is that of salwar kameez, which was brought here by Mughals, many hundreds years ago. Then came Britishers who brought with them western outfits like pants, skirts and shirts.

Indian woman adopted all of them. However, saree remains the favorite attire of any Indian woman. Howsoever modern she might be, her wardrobe remains incomplete without a collection of various Indian sarees. Each of these sarees have to be selected keeping in view many factors.

How to Buy Sarees?

Before going on to know some tips on buying saree, it should be well understood that the Indian collection demands a variety of sarees according to occasions, seasons and festivals. Therefore, one must always try to include more than one type of saree in her wardrobe so that she may not feel left out when going to a particular occasion.

• Buy cotton sarees for summer season. They are light and absorb moisture well so you'll not be bothered by heat and sweat.
• Buy silk sarees for winters. Although some of the newer varieties of silk can be worn in summers too but most of the traditional sarees in silk feel comfortable in winters only.
• When it comes to monsoons, the synthetic sarees are best as they don't cling to your body if you get wet and also get dried very fast. Although fancy sarees of different types are quite popular among the women but fancy synthetic sarees are adored by them due to their lightweight, and easy manageability.
• For special occasions, one must select from many festival sarees that are available in the market. Traditionally, the banarasi sarees are preferred for any happy occasion like engagement ceremony, house warming party and other such gatherings.
• Georgette sarees and chiffon sarees can also be worn at 'not so formal' gatherings like kittie parties, birthday celebrations etc.
• For daytime parties one need to wear a saree that give a festive feel but do not look gaudy. Embroidered sarees and chikan sarees are best suited for such parties.
• Indian bride has many choices in form of a wide variety of bridal sarees. However, the guests too have many options. They can buy Indian wedding sarees created for such special occasions. They are heavily worked with zari and other accessories.
• Office going women can opt for cotton, Georgette, or chiffon sarees for daily purpose. For special days like those of meetings, conferences, seminars etc. they can always buy some elegantly designed handloom sarees. These sarees at once give grace to ones personality.

Additional Tips for Buying Sarees

Apart from fabrics and designs, one must also keep some other factors in mind while buying a saree.

• Always ensure yourself about the optimum length of a saree. Shorter sarees can not make enough pleats which in turn do not grant the so much appreciated grace of a saree. The average length of a sari is 5.5 m, and its width is approximately 1.5 m. If you are very tall, choose a saree that is more wider. If you want to have more pleats or you will drape the saree in a special way (like in marathi way of draping saree which needs more wrapping around) then go for lengthier sarees. In fact, some sarees of west India, like the paithani sarees are upto 8 m long.
• If you buy a saree that contains extra cloth for making a blouse, always ensure to measure the saree's length after deducting at least one meter cloth from it.
• When buying embroidered sarees, see there are no broken threads in between.