Salwar
kameez, sometimes written as shalwar kameez or shalwar qameez is one of the
most important traditional dress of South Asian women in countries like
India and Pakistan. This women's suit consists of three pieces of clothing-
Salwar is the bottom piece of clothing, Kurta is the top and a
dupatta/chunni
which is an accessory taken in different styles with Salwar Kurta suits.
Salwar is loose trousers which resembles a pajama.
Salwar
Salwar is loose trousers which resembles a pajama. The legs
of traditional salwars are wider at the top which narrow down at the ankle.
A salwar ia gathered at the waist and held up by a drawstring. Sometimes an
elastic band is also used in place of drawstrings mainly in kids salwar
kameez. Many innovations have been made in salwar designs till date. Now the
salwar need not necessarily in traditional shape- it can be wide and baggy
or more narrow, and even made of fabric cut on the bias which is popularly
known as churidar. Other variations of salwar include patiala salwar,
parallel salwar, sharara salwar, dhoti salwar, etc.
Kameez
The kurta or kameez included in salwar suits can be defined
as a long shirt or a tunic. The traditional kameez has side seams, known as
the chaak, which is left open below the waist-line to give the wearer
greater freedom of movement. The traditional kameez is usually cut straight
and flat. The contemporary kurtas have many types of designs and shapes. It
may have deep neclines, cap sleeves, sleeveless kurta designs and many other
such variations. Some indo-western salwar kameez have ultra modern looks
where they have
short kurtas.
Kurtas may take any form- straight, A-line, empire waist, frock type,
anarkali kurtas etc. Sometimes when a kameez is sewn in transparent fabrics,
they are worn with a choli or a cropped camisole (a slip type clothing)
underneath it.
Dupatta
Salwar
suits are mostly accompanied with a dupatta or chunni. It can be called a
very long scarf. It is used as head cloth to cover heads by some women of
North Indian region like in Punjab where it is essential to cover the heads
before entering a Gurudwara- the holy place for Sikhs. At other times,
dupatta/chunni is a fashion statement used for enhancing the beauty of
salwar kameez. It can be worn over one shoulder, draped around the chest and
over both shoulders or in other style a woman wants to drape it. Sometimes,
salwar kurta sets are worn even without dupattas like in Indo-western salwar
suits. One more interesting fact related to dupatta is the invention short
dupatta which is often worn with kurtas and Indo-Western clothing.
History of Salwar Kameez
Some people believe that salwar kameez
dates back to 12th century and owe its origin to Islamic or the Iranian era.
It is also believed that during that time, men and women both used to wear
salwar kameez as part of their traditional dress. Yet others believe it to
have originated in the 16th century in Afghanistan where it was worn by
women of higher strata of society. It was invented to keep oneself safe from
the dust storms- a regular feature of this country. The Mughals who ruled
the South Asian continent in the 17th and 18th centuries did the most to
popularize the comfortable and useful salwar kameez attire. However, at that
time, salwar kurtas were confined to the Muslim women population only. When
the Britishers took over in the late 18th century, salwar kameez took a
backseat with the growing popularity of
skirts and shirts.
Revival of Salwar Kameez
After seeing a downtime for a very long
period, salwar kameez were suddenly revived in the late 1950s and the early
1960s, most interestingly by the leading actresses of Hindi film industry.
The bollywood actors sizzled the silver screen with all types of
innovative salwar suits and churidar kurta. Young girls and women started
replacing their
traditional Indian
sarees with salwar suits designed according to the latest fashion
defined by the Bollywood actresses. These were named Bollywood suit that
never lost its status again among the masses.
Popularity of Salwar Kameez
Initially, salwar kameez was popular
in the North India, particularly in the states of Kashmir and Punjab only.
It was not earlier than 1980s when it started spreading across India. It was
also accepted in the South Indian states like Tamil Nadu by replacing its
traditional dress pavadi and thavani- or the
blouse and half-sari- as daily
wear of common woman. Salwar suits are now worn in each and every state of
India, in urban as well as rural areas- however, in its various types, forms
and designs.
Types Of Salwar Kameez
Salwar
Kurta/Punjabi Suit- The most used variety of salwar kameez- the
Punjabi suit has traditional designs – a long kurta, salwar made with
lots of fabric to give large circumference and a matching dupatta.
It has a legging that looks like a tight pant. The churidar is long than
traditional salwars. As such, when worn, the lower end of the pants roll up
in shape of many bangles or 'churis' and thus the name churidar.
A parallel salwar has straight cuts just like normal pants.
It is different from traditional salwar which has wider upper portion and
narrower lower portion. The parallel salwar has similar width for whole
length of the salwar.
A patiala salwar is made from much more cloth than traditional salwar. It
has many pleats that gather at the waistline and drape below gracefully,
giving a beautiful appearance to the salwar.
"Pathani Suit" got its name because it was
originally worn by the Kaabli Pathans of Kabul. It is traditionally a mens
dress where the salwar has the traditional form and kurta is longer enough
to cover the knees of the wearer. The neck line of kurta has collars and it
has long sleeves too. Women's dresses that has such a form is called
Pakistani or Pathani salwar kameez.
Sharara salwar has wider leg pants that has similarity with full skirts. The
pants are fitted till the knee, with a big flare from the knee onwards or a
kind of loose, trailing pajama. It looks like a lehenga at the lower part
but has lesser circumference to make it a sharara.
Any salwar kameez that is made according to the
specifications of an individual purchaser is the customized salwar kameez.
Salwar Kameez can further be classified on the basis of design, fabric and
occasion.
Salwar Kameez by Design
Salwar Kameez by Fabric
Salwar Kameez by Occasion
There is yet another type of salwar kameez-
Salwar Kameez by Season
Buy Salwar Kameez Online From Leading Brands and Companies
IndiaMart
Designer
Salwar Kameez
Libas
Designs
Utsav
Salwar Kameez
Sangini
Salwar Kameez
Jaipur
Bonanza
Indian Attire
Leading Fashion Designers for Salwar Kameez Suits
Tarun Tahiliani
Manish Malhotra
Neeta Lulla
Ritu Kumar
Salwar Kameez Featured Publications
Receive QUOTES from Suppliers for FREE
