Glam up South -Style!
They are not Pepe, Levis, Zara, Jimmy Choo or some other internationally known brands, but they are pure and exquisite styles of South India worn by men, women and children which has won a global recognition.
South India consists of six major influential states namely – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Goa. These states have their own method of wearing a sari and their variation of cloth used.
Let’s start from the extreme south, i.e., Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu, the city of silks. The women in Tamil Nadu wrap in weighty Kanchipuram sari, which doesn’t require much tailoring. Though the design and material fluctuate from state to state, some other types of material used for saris include silk, georgette, chiffon and crepe The younger generation prefers to don in half saris which contain a long skirt and a blouse over which a long cloth (Dupatta) adorning the body. The other saris like Karpur, Tribhuvanam, Chungadi ,Poornakumbham are indigenously designed. In particular, Tamil Nadu is famous for a half sari called as pavada davani, which has a petticoat or a long skirt, a choli blouse and a long dupatta.
Coming to the men, they come across in either a shirt and Angavastra or a simple dhoti. When we talk about Dhoti, we often link it with Lungi as there’s thin line of difference between a dhoti and lungi if one ever doesn’t know. Lungi originally came from the south- is a short material wrapped around the thighs like a Sarong, whereas a dhoti is longer than a lungi tucked in between the thighs. Apparently, Dhoti is used mostly by these Tamilians and Keralaites than any other remaining South Indian states. Keralaite women’s clothing is the best example of the idiom- beauty with simplicity. Their plain, simple yet elegant dressing exemplifies purity and sacredness. The Kerala dress for women is a Mundu, which is a garment worn around the waist. It’s got a close connection with the lungi, dhoti and sarong. The handloom garment is usually in white or cream colour and when unbleached, the mundu becomes neriyathu. In modern days, two types of mundu are present - the single and the double. A single mundu is once draped around the waist while the double is folded in half before draping. A mundu is usually starched before use. Women wear a mundu neriyatham whereas, men wear a mundu. The lower mundu which is worn by men singularly, but the women wear both the lower and the upper mundu. The Kerala’s Lungi is usually worn both by men and women labourers, so they are not used during festive seasons and other occasions.
Coming to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, people have a diverse culture of dressing. We find women wearing burkha or hijaab. The urbanised women prefer wearing jeans, shirts, kurta, skirts, etc. Salwar kameez and churidar are commonly worn by women of both middle and upper classes while girls wear large voni during festive seasons and other necessary traditional events. Saris like Dharmavaram, Pochampally, Ikkat, Mangalagiri and Lambadi saris, which are popularly worn by women in these two states. The melange of Telugu and Persian culture brings no specific type of dress code such as found in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Here Dhoti is called as Pancha and is worn my men, not usual but only during festivals and cultural celebrations. Long ago Hyderabadi Sherwani was a fashion among the Nizams and nobles, now, it’s used by men of all kinds esp. during wedding ceremonies. Sometimes a Dupatta( a scarf) is worn upon the Sherwani.
Peregrinating towards Karnataka, where Bangalore and Mysore are in another way called the silk hub of the state is famous for silk saris which are worn in different drapes, which marks its unique styling. The pleats are tied in the rear, instead of front, and a small pallu hung in the front portion of the body. That’s called as the Coorgi style of sari. The silk here is of radiant Zari and loaded silk. The other types include Kornadu, Irkal and Mysore crepe silk saris. In brief, Kornadu is woven with blue yarn and are casual wear saris, while, Irkal saris contain in them, Kasuti embroidery, finally, the Mysore crepe are light in weight and are in other way called office saris.
The freestyle dress code in Goa is always a dream for men and women travelling across the state, where the residents usually don in sarongs, shorts, skirts, sarongs, tees, etc. The modernised place is an excellent attraction to foreign tourists. - Keerthana Gedela