Indian Fashion&Glamour: Ancient Indian fashion

Saree :
The origin of saree: The word saree is derived from sanskrit which means strip of cloth.In the history of Indian clothing the sari is traced back to the Indus valley civilisation which flourished during 2800-1800 BC around the western part of the Indian sub continent.The earliest known depiction of the sari in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus Valley priest wearing a drape.In ancient Indian tradition and the Natya Shastra (an ancient Indian treatise describing ancient dance and costumes), the navel of the Supreme Being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the sari.

It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments, shawls, and veils have been worn by Indian women for a long time, and that they have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years.

The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is a choli. choli evolved as a form of clothing in 10th century AD and the first cholis were only front covering, the back was always bare but covered with end of saris pallu or veil.
Photo courtesy:oldindianphotos.blogspot.

Styles of draping a saree: The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the stomach. However, the sari can be draped in several different styles, though some styles do require a sari of a particular length or form.

In india there are sevel cultures and traditions.People living in different parts of the country drape sarees in different styles. Following are few pictures which shows different styles of saree draping across india.