Patiala Salwar Kameez
February 27, 2008 by jasnav
One of the more traditional forms of salwar kameez is the Patiala salwar kameez. This type has some interesting history behind it. The garment is named after Patiala, a city in the North Indian state of Punjab. The dress was so called because in ancient times the king of Patiala used to wear baggy pants and tops that were full sleeved. The trend became so popular that women started copying it in their daily wear resulting in what is now known as patiala salwars. Just like the king’s pants, the patiala salwars are very loose and pleated. In fact the more baggy the pant is the better it looks.
The fall of the pleats is such as to give a beautiful draping effect. There is a lot of fluidity in the salwar’s look and women wear it with short and tight tops. The salwar has drawstring waist just like other salwars. For women with heavier bottom half, this design could do wonders as the extra weight is well hidden under the scores of drapes and pleats. This type is also very comfortable, especially in summer months when the loose fit allows one to keep cool. The patialas are more common among the women of North India, but they are definitely gaining in popularity throughout the country too due to their lovely look.
Women with short height can do especially well with this garment, particularly if they wear a kurta that hits above the knee. The kurtas could be long too for this type of salwat kameez, but to really show off the beauty of the bottom’s design, it is better to wear tops that are shorter. Also, the slits at the sides of the kurtas have to be long, sometimes up to the waist. The fabric, color and embroidery can be of varied types and depends upon the wearer’s style.
A wide range of Patiala Salwaar Kameez can be bought at the most reasonable rates at online stores selling Indian merchandise, such as www.indianselections.com, and www.indiashack.com
i wonder tht patiala salwar is a converted design of a male pant. i hadn’t heard b’for.
Hi there,
I’m desperately looking for a sewing pattern for Patiala salwars. Even a lesson would be helpful! If you have any ideas or suggestions, I’d greatly appreciate them.
Best,
Sarah
Hi All!
Kindly tell me how to sew a patiala salwar. Also how much of cloth is required for a standard patiala salwar?
Regards
Rasna
Hi Sarah!
The rectangular portion is of the patiala salwaar is of the same size as of a normal salwaar. If the length is 38 inches, then a seperate 9 inch piece is needed for the belt ie; the belt should be 9 inches by 52 inches.
Take a double square piece of 32 inches, fold it and make a right triangle. Cut one side of 7 inches on the edge of the hypotenuse and the horizontal side to make the aasan. Stich the vertical side of the triangular piece with the side of the rectangular piece.
Where you join the salwaar and the belt, less than half portion should be joined with pletes.
Pl keep checking out this blog - I will be starting a full series on patiala salwaar kameez shortly.
Best Wishes,
Jasnav
Hi Rasna!
Pl refer my earlier reply to Sarah’s comments. It will give you an idea of the stitching procedure.
The patiala salwaar requires more cloth than ordinary salwaars, mainly due to the layers of cloth buried under the pletes. This is what gives the patiala salwaar it’s unique and rich feel and look.
The cloth required for a full size patiala salwaar is 3.5 meters.
Series on patiala salwaars coming up!
Best Wishes,
Jasnav
Hi….
iam 6 feet tall girl , How much cloth is required for stitching patiala salwar for me ..The length is around 40-42 inch of normal salwar
thx in advance
regards
Hi Surabhi!
A normal patiala salwaar for a 5′4″ lady requires around 3.5 meters of cloth. For you, 4 to 4.25 meters should be adequate, depending on your waist size.
Best wishes,
Jasnav
Hi … jasnav
Can u tell me the difference between semi patiala salwar , regular patiala salwar and shahi salwar ….and how much cloth is required for semi patiala salwar and shahi salwar ….sorry for giving trouble …
thx in advance and regards
Hi Surabhi!
My apologies for the delayed response. I was going around consulting some experts to ensure you get the right answer to your query.
Difference b/w semi patiala and regular is that in semi patiala, less cloth is used for the pletes and the pletes are also less. This passes for comparitively less formal stuff, and the overall cloth used is less as well.
For a standard sized Indian woman (5′2″ to 5′6″), the cloth required for patiala, and semi patiala is respectively 3.5 to 4 meters and 2.5 to 3 meters repectively. For someone your size, it would be 4.5 to 5 meters for patiala, and 3.5 meters for semi patiala should suffice.
Best Wishes,
Jasnav
how to keep the pleats for patiala im not getting it how much gap should be there between each pleats.please help me out.
with regards,
janani