Lauren

Every Woman Needs a Saree

Every woman deserves to be wrapped in nine yards of fabulous. The saree is iconic, symbolic, powerful, ageless, timeless and inexhaustibly versatile. There are hundreds of ways to wear a saree, you can show as much or as little flesh as you like and your saree will never make you feel guilty for piling on a couple of pounds. A symbol of feminine beauty and grace, I don’t think many people could disagree with the fact that the saree is the most enchanting and elegant garment of all time. Thank you, India!

Sarees have been mentioned in the ancient and sacred Vedic scriptures, and to this day remain on trend! A saree is woven with its own unique history, tradition and culture of India. The delicate silk and cotton mix of Chanderi sarees inspired by Mughal palaces and ancient royalty from Madhya Pradesh. The wide borders of Kanjivaram silk from Tamil Nadu. The rich floral details of a Banarasi from Varanasi. The natural colours of a Sambalpuri woven in Orissa. The tie-dyed designs of a Bandhani made across Northern India. The Baluchari sarees from Bengal, which literally have a story to tell as they are embroidered with scenes from famous tales…

It felt almost like a privilege but when I was draped in my bridal saree for the first time, I was wearing two thousand years of history (a Paithani from Maharashtra)! My mum was really nervous at the prospect of wearing a saree when she came to India. She thought she would look awful, she didn’t think she would be able to pull it off. Mum was dreading it. The magic of the saree didn’t fail though, when the shopkeeper draped that pure silk around her, she burst into tears because she had never worn something so beautiful. She felt gorgeous and found that wearing a saree boosted her confidence!

Wearing a saree can be confusing and overwhelming at first, all of those pleats and pins. Someone else will probably have to help you drape the it and you might find yourself feeling odd at first but it won’t take long to find your saree groove!

A beautiful saree has the power to invoke so many emotions and feelings, I feel almost majestic when I am draped in silk. A saree changes the way I walk, the way I hold myself and even the way I see myself. I feel at my most beautiful when I wear a saree. The saree doesn’t have an expiry date, an age limit, or a body shape preference, and what it does have is the power to make you feel gorgeous and confident.

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47 comments

  1. OMG!! Look at you! You rock the saree look! Such grace and beauty! Mum looks amazing! I love your second picture with Mum the most.
    I have worn saree only once and I couldn’t carry it at all. I couldn’t walk properly. Neither does it look good on me..Jeans and tees/tops are what I like the most because it’s just so convenient and hassle-free. When there is a function to attend, I prefer fancy kurtis for such occasions. Saree is just not my cup of tea.. 🙂

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    • Aww thank you so much, Manju!!
      Maybe give the saree a second chance but that is lovely that you feel so comfortable in t-shirts and jeans!!
      I hope you are well!
      Take care xx

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  3. Hi Lauren, I totally agree with you. Wearing a saree is amazing, I feel more like a lady than in my European clothes. It’s great to have such thing with you. I have already 2 sarees with me and I feel in them awesome 🙂 There is no other type of clothes which makes you feel so great.

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  4. Love the pictures of you and your mum! You both look stunning! I think I will wear a Lehangi for my wedding and ask my sister in-law (to be!) to design it (she is a talented designer and made me a beautiful punjabi suit and modern, elegant saree on my last visit). I asked my mum if she would like to wear a saree but she has declined – maybe I will show her your pics and she will change her mind!

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    • Aww thank you so much, Cotton! I will let her know, I am sure you can convince your mum, just take her to a saree shop and see what happens hehe 😀
      Ooooh I am so excited to see what your lehenga will look like!!! xx

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  5. There is a saying in Marathi:-Anything looks wonderful on a beautiful person.Here we have two beautiful persons.

    Even Mrs.Samantha Cameron carried saree very well,during Diwali celebrations of this year.

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  6. Oh my god, I love the turqoise saree your mom is wearing! 🙂 Sarees are so nice and I too love wearing them. I have quite many of them, one for each occasion. Lehenga is also really nice, a little like saree but easier to wear with a little kid. 🙂

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  7. Sarees are fool proof in making us look great…. Anytime I want my husband’s attention desperately I get inside one and viola it’s done ??

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  8. I actually wore a sari today to a wedding between a Marathi boy and a North Indian girl. My previous experience with a wearing a sari once before was horrible. It’s was extremely heavily beaded and embroidered, I couldn’t walk, it kept falling and it was very bulky and unflattering. I thought no way I’ll ever it again but due to an accident with my other clothes I had to wear the sari. Everything worked out though! Today’s sari was very lightweight silk. It completely changed my mind on how I feel about saris!

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  10. I think the greatest advantage of sari is that it conceals the body of the wearer beautifully. Secondly, they are so gorgeous that they deflect the attention from the wearer to the sari. I think that a lot of thought must have gone into it. Maybe, some ancient fashion designer thought about it. No offence meant, but western clothes are often figure hugging and very unkind to the wearer.

    Here are two Indian women who have started an online campaign to wear 100 sarees in one year and it has become very popular.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32302483

    In big cities of course sarees are becoming less and less of a day to day use and has been replaced by other clothes and only for special occasions. Women mostly wear either western clothes of salwar suits. I would call it the democratization of women’s clothing. Most women have expressed the desire to wear sarees more often but fail to do so due to mad rush in the morning. So, sarees come out only during marriages and social occasions.

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  11. Hi Lauren
    IT is very beautiful blog. I was wondering one thing like India do England have traditional like sarrie for women and kurta and payjama for men, do England have traditional dress like this. Marry Christmas to you and your family and Alphonso.

    Gopal

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  13. You and your mum are gorgeous in your saris! My mum in-law didn’t want to wear a sari to our Hindu wedding at first too, but she decided to give it a go, and even with the ‘fake draping’ to try on the sari in the shop she had a huge smile on 🙂 Some of my British friends also wore saris to the wedding and they loved it.
    It was all a bit awkward wearing it the first few times (just about everything’s awkward as a teenager though), but I soon got used to it and I love it. I do feel more ‘grown up’ and elegant with a sari on. Sometimes I still find it a little tricksy to tie – some saris fall on me better than others; I guess it depends on the material and length that suits each person – but once it’s on I never want to take it off 🙂

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    • Hey Sakthi,
      Thank you sooo much!
      Aww I am so glad your mother-in-law gave it a go in the end!!! 😀
      It definitely does take some getting used to but totally worth it in the end! 😀
      I hope you are well ❤
      Take care xx

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  14. I think that Indian dress for both men and women is beautiful in general, but the sari is surely the most beautiful and elegant form of dress in the whole world! I particularly enjoy wearing long kurtas when I’m in India because they make me feel beautiful, but I’ve not yet worn a sar i – one day I hope!

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  15. I would love to try a saree, I think it’s majestic! You and your mother made very good choice of colors since there are so many options. You both look gorgeous!

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  16. Hey Lauren. Could you please write a post about the daily routine you follow and the time management. I would love to read about how you spend your day so that I could get to learn a new thing or two. Thanks 🙂

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  17. your question for ladies…but i dare to enter in this post..I like your post……In Indian many leading ladies…either star or politician ..wear saree…..Late Indira Gandhi..in present our external affair minister Sushma Swaraj….jaylalita (CM of Tamilnadu..she was famous tamil star also….)

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  18. I wear sarees every day, it’s been especially nice during my pregnancy because they’re one size fits all and I haven’t needed to buy maternity clothes. I always hear from women that sarees are uncomfortable or take too long to put on, but you just need to give it time. After you get the hang of it, they are actually pretty easy, comfortable and only take a few minutes to tie.

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    • Oh wow, that is lovely!
      I agree, it takes a bit of time to get used to it and after that it becomes second nature 🙂
      I hope you and your babe are doing well!
      Lots of love xx

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  19. Hi Lauren i totally agree with you. Saree is the most magical and timeless piece of garment.After getting married in December 2014 i have had a number of occasions to wear this beauty .The number of compliments i received in a saree exceed the ones i have ever received for my dresses or Western outfits.You look so gorgeous in a saree and its commendable to see you embrace it along with a lot of other Indian traditions .I am a huge follower of your blog and love it..keep it going.
    Lots of love
    Rohini

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  20. Lauren,
    You look so wonderful in the sari. Damn beautiful, actually! I don’t mean to be disrespectful to your mom, but I think she’s struggling with the pallu. She still looks beautiful in the sari though. I have worn it a few times in the past and let me tell you, those times were like nightmares to me. I spent those days thinking when I get to take it off! Sometimes it was the midriff showing and the uncomfortable breeze I felt on my back. Other times it was the damn pallu falling off. Yet other times, I had to make sure that I didn’t trip on it. You say you felt “free” in sari. I say I felt trapped in one. I felt literally free in every other kind of clothing known to me.The LOO PROBLEM tops the list of excuses to not wear one at all. Also when I wear one, I feel old, like “aunty-ji” and the guests at the wedding I’m attending will harass me with questions of when I will marry. See? I told you, it makes me appear old to others, not in a lady-like or elegant way I’m afraid. I have never received a complement in a sari either. And I also doubt if everyone who wears one looks good in one. Fat, middle aged women with massive love handles and women with giant arms have their imperfections exaggerated by saris. I’m not lying. I’ve seen it myself. It’s a myth that imperfections are hidden in saris always.

    The younger gen these days don’t wear saris not because it’s impractical or full of hassles. It’s just that we have worn clothes (Indian and otherwise) which are more practical and ideal for daily use. Someone who grew up with just saris will feel uncomfortable in other clothes just as much. I’d vote for gorgeous lehengas anyday over saris You see, I’m someone who loves skirt-like things which flair out (lehengas, white wedding gowns and those cute Western frocks come to mind) and not things that look like dhothi (sari and formal Western skirts -office wear- come to mind). Aren’t lehengas just divine? I felt so lady-like in a gorgeous blue and pink one. By the way, your red, wedding lehenga is just so beautiful. Watch out, I might sneak into your house and steal your dress. *Wink wink* So, I’d recommend you lock it away somewhere safe.

    I once tried a red, chiffon and I loved it. It looked great on me but it made me look short for some reason. This was the only time I actually looked good and loved a sari. I still love saris and I have to say it one more time: YOU LOOK FANTASTIC IN SARIS. Keep rocking. You write and reply very well. Best wishes to you and your family.

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    • Thank you so much, Global Indian.
      This photo was taken at the end of a very long night and we all get a little less put together at this point don’t we.

      I think it’s very liberating to see larger aunties in sarees, why should they have to cover their ‘love handles’, they’ve probably created a couple of babies with that belly! I think if they were uncomfortable with it, they could drape their saree in another way if they wanted to, but it seems they are cool with it. Why should we hide away if we are not the shape that society deems as beautiful. This is the way I see it anyway, I know everyone will not agree.

      Thank you so much for your lovely compliments, I’m certain you look fabulous in a lehenga!

      Lots of love xx

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  21. Lauren, I totally agree with you on the beauty of saris! I, too, walk differently when wearing a sari–like I’m a perfected goddess or a stately queen. I confess, the only other time I felt as beautiful as when I wear a sari was on my wedding day In my wedding gown. It’s such a versatile piece of fabric too, considering it can be passed down from mother to daughter with its ‘one size fits all’ versatility!

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