Indian Dress Tutorial

Thank you to my blogging friend and fellow Multicultural Kid Blogs Board member Varya of Creative World of Varya for this wonderful article and tutorial on Indian dress!  As Diwali approaches, it is a wonderful time to learn about India with your kids!

When I was little, I was in love with Indian movies (what my mom thought was simple infatuation actually progressed into a much deeper love and appreciation for India and its ancient culture).

I loved dressing up. We had no access to Indian clothes and so I had to get creative.

Nowadays, it is super easy in many places to get your own Indian clothes, but if you want to dress up like an Indian princess without having to buy and wait for a long time, you can follow this simple tutorial and I am sure you will have pretty much everything at your disposal at home!

Before I proceed, I’d like to introduce several female costumes of India and share the original images so you have a good idea what they really look like

1. Sari

Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/A_girl_in_a_sari.jpg/282px-A_girl_in_a_sari.jpg

A Sari, saree, sadi, or shari is a South Asian female garment that consists of a drape varying from five to nine yards (4.57 metres to 8.23 metres) in length and two to four feet (60 cm to 1.20 m) in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff. (Quoted from Wikipedia – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari )

2. Garga Choli

Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Bride_entering_the_hall_-_Indian_Hindu_Wedding.jpg/398px-Bride_entering_the_hall_-_Indian_Hindu_Wedding.jpg

Gagra choli or Ghagra choli, which is also known as Lehenga choli, is the traditional clothing of women in Rajasthan,Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sindh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Hindi speaking Terai region of Nepal. It was also traditionally worn in the Punjab (with the kurti and salwar). It is a combination outfit of a Lehenga, tight Choli and a Dupatta. (Quoted from Wikipedia – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghagra_choli )

3. Shalwar Kameez

Image source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Unstitched_salwar_kameez_online_india.jpg

Shalwar kameez, also spelled salwar kameez or shalwar qameez, is a traditional outfit originating in South Asia and is a generic term used to describe different styles of dress. The shalwar kameez can be worn by both men and women, although styles differ by gender. The shalwar (pantaloons/drawers) and the kameez (body shirt) are two garments which have been combined to form the shalwar kameez outfit. (Quoted from Wikipedia – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalwar_kamiz )

Indian Dress Tutorial: Garga Choli

So today I will introduce to you a Garga Choli tutorial from “scratch” with items you probably have at home!

What is needed:

A plain dress/ a t-shirt and a colorful skirt
A belt or something that can serve as a belt (in case of the dress option)
A long scarf

For accessories:
Lots of bangles
Necklaces
Hair pins
Stickers (small flowers) or an eye liner (to make a bindi)

How to make it:

1. If your child is wearing a dress: put a belt on the waist.  Secure one corner of the scarf (“dupata”) at the back, and by placing it over chest, drop the other end of shoulder. You can use a pin or a broach. If your child is wearing a skirt and a T-shirt – tuck the end of the scarf into the skirt at the back and drape over the shoulder in front.

2. Put on lots of bracelets, add a headpiece (we used a necklace with an earring to resemble “tikka” ) and stick a flower sticker or draw a dot for a “bindi” between the eyebrows.

Voilà, you can now dress up and give your child a little piece of Indian experience!

Varya blogs at Creative World of Varya (formerly known as LittleArtists.Blog.Com). She is a mom to 3, an early development specialist, a baby massage and perinatal fitness instructor, and a breastfeeding consultant. Varya has been living in China for the past 12 years working and raising her multicultural family.