The Salwar Kameez, also called a ‘suit’ is a traditional and popular dress of South Asians. It is the traditional dress of North India, Pakistan and even Afghanistan. The dress is so elegant, comfortable, graceful and functional that is has become popular all over, at places more than even the traditional sari. In Afghanistan and Pakistan it is worn by members of both sexes, but in North India it is generally worn by women.
The salwar is worn as a trouser which is loose and wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, or they maybe narrow and tight throughout, in which case they are known as churidars. The salwar is tied at the waist with a drawstring or an elastic band that allows it to be adjustable for all sizes. There are different types of salwars; the normal salwar with few pleats, the semi patiala salwar which has more pleats than the normal one and the patiala salwar which have lots of pleats and look very graceful. In some patiala salwars, nearly 4 meters cloth is used to give it a lovely, flowing look.
The kameez is like a shirt which maybe long or short, loose or tight fitting according to the choice of the wearer, which, of course, varies as per the fashion in vogue. It has slits on the side known as ‘chak’ which facilitate the movements of the wearer. Sometimes the slit can be in the front or at the back.
The salwar kameez can be made using any of a wide variety of suitable cloth. The cloth itself may be plain or printed. The shirts are decorated with embroideries, which may be done with thread, zari, beads, kundan, mirror work, kashmiri, or it can be dyed in different designs like tye and dye, batik, bandhini. lahriya etc. Ladies like to compare the quality of their suits and the embroideries on special occasions like weddings.
Women generally wear a ‘dupatta’ with salwar kameez. This is a long scarf a couple of meters long, and is used by Indian women to show their modesty by loosely covering the upper half of the body. It is worn around the neck and it is occasionally used to cover the head. This ritual is generally followed by Indian women when visiting a religious place, or to show respect to elders. The dupatta is dyed in different colors and designs.
Most good varieties of salwar kameez can be bought online from websites that specialize in Indian products, such as www.indianselections.com. The salwar can be used as a very useful and practical dress.