Top-10 most popular folk garments in India
The population of India is over 1.3 billion of people. And, by the way, India is a country with strong and original traditions. So, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of locals wear Indian folk clothing. How do you think, which of the garments is the most popular among men and which – among women? Which pieces of the traditional clothes can be combined to get a perfect look? Are the male folk costumes more widespread then the female ones? Find all the answers below, together with the photos of beautiful Indian garments.
10th place
Kurta Pyjama – male set of clothing. It consists of a long shirt or blouse called “kurta” and lightweight trousers called “pyjamas” or “pajamas”.
9th place
Lungi – wrap-around garment (a kind of a skirt) that covers the lower body of a man or a woman. It is the most common traditional piece of clothes worn in Southern India.
8th place
Dhoti – male wrap-around garment (a kind of a skirt) similar to lungi. Though, lungi is often sewn into a tube, while dhoti is usually a rectangular piece of fabric of 4-6 feet long. This garment is famous thanks to Indian farmers who prefer dhoti to any other clothing.
7th place
Pheran – traditional loose dress of Kashmir (Northern India). Both men and women use pheran.
6th place
Puanchei – traditional female outfit worn in Mizoram (Northeast India). It is a colorful handwoven garment.
5th place
Sharara (gharara) – festive women’s attire of various shapes and components (skirt or trousers, choli or kurta, etc).
4th place
Sherwani – traditional attire worn by Indian men during special occasions. It is a long upper garment similar to a lightweight coat.
3rd place
Ghagra Choli (Lehenga Choli) – very common female folk costume. It consists of a lehenga (long pleated skirt with a lot of embroidery and embellishment on the bottom line), a tight choli (small tight-fitted blouse with short sleeves and low neck), and an odhni/dupatta (scarf that covers head and body). There are many variations of ghagra choli for different occasions.
2nd place
Salwar or Churidar and Kameez – very popular set of clothes used by Indian women. It consists of a salwar (loose trousers, narrow at the ankles) or a churidar (loose trousers, similar to salwar, but churidar are loose up to the knee and tight from the knee to the ankle), and a kameez (blouse or top).
1st place
Sari (Saree) – female outfit in India. It is undoubtedly the number one Indian outfit. Sari is worn for any festivities and for day-to-day life as well. Sari is a piece of cloth of 4-9 meters long that is draped over the body in various styles. There are plenty of traditional styles of sari. This garment is worn with a blouse and over a petticoat.
