Saree Petticoat
I have always maintained that the petticoat is one of the most under appreciated part of the saree ensemble.
I am hoping that this decade will see some innovation in the petticoat design to make it more versatile and more comfortable.
Via fashion rookie
14 Responses to “Saree Petticoat”
Leave a Reply
About US
Sunny is a designer in Los Angeles. He loves the fluidity and fluency of a saree and believes that when a woman wears a saree, she not only adorns her body but she also adorns her soul. His design ethos is that “simplicity never goes out of style.”
Rupa Gupta: A writer, editor and journalist, Rupa has been in the media for more than two decades. She has worked as Editor with major publications, both in India and abroad. a keen eye for fashion and current trends. Her sense of aesthetics transcends the hype and always finds the true beauty.
Liza Varma is a former Femina Miss India and well known model in Delhi. Today, she is a leading Fashion Choreographer with over 1000 shows to her credit in India and abroad. She is also a member of the Fashion Design Council of India and a Consultant with Shoot Talent Management. Her client list is the who’s who of Indian fashion industry.
Misty is a student in London and has her fingers on the pulse of London fashion industry.
Abhi is a student in San Francisco and showcases sensuous saree pictures.
Kamini is a model in Los Angeles and loves to accentuate the best a saree has to offer.
The best way to make a petticoat more comfortable is to switch out the drawstring for a tight fitting thick elastic band. It has to be tight enough so your tucks don’t slip off. But works like a charm.
For most people, the saree petticoat is nothing more than a stupid piece of garment used to hold the saree in place. Even a string tied around the waist could do that! Others look upon it with disgust as an Indian women’s undergarment.
Besides providing an anchor to secure the saree, a petticoat acts a foundation for the saree. Girls who try to wear a saree over pyjamas (even jeans or pants) know what I mean. Without the support of a petticoat, a saree feels like a wispy frilly thing that will evaporate into thin air any time. It also takes a lot of managing. A petticoat adds a feeling of fullness, of security, and anchors the saree all the way down to the feet securely, making a woman feel confident that she’s wearing something substantial.
An elastic band may prove to be more comfortable than the usual string, but I would recommend women to use the drawstring. I have used it for ages. It is comfortable enough, it is safe, and the tension can be adjusted to suit your waist.
Can i just use saree with a thick short pants??
…couldn’t I just make my own petticoat? Where I live there is absolutely NOWHERE to purchase cholis or petticoats, much less the actual sari. Online sources are “meh” as I don’t attend a lot of parties or formal events; I just want a sari to wear casually and I just can’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars for one.
I usually get gently used or vintage ones from Ebay because I really like those, but it is SUCH A PAIN as they rarely if ever come with choli or petticoat.
I have seen lots of easy sewing patterns for simple long drawstring skirts. If I sewed my own petticoat from, say, a Simplicity pattern, I would use elastic in the casing IN ADDITION TO inserting a drawstring for extra reinforcement.
It seems like it’d be so much easier to have a pattern on hand, get the correct color fabric from a cloth store, and sew my own sari undergarment in under 2 hours.
This would work……wouldn’t it? Having to order each separate piece, then paying for shipping THEN waiting for it to arrive at my home is getting to be a pain. I can never find a simple drawstring skirt in the stores that I might substitute for a petticoat—they’re always tiered/ruffled, too bulky, never the right color, or most often, don’t have a drawstring.
I have no sources besides online ones……the area where I live is very lacking in diversity. Thanks for reading all this
Yes, it definitely will work. I have a link to at least one choli pattern sewing kit, and I have been meaning to post more, if I can figure out how best to do it digitally.
And another Ebay thing…the sari’s colors always differ due to digital camera qualities. So I never can get a petticoat BEFORE getting the sari. I have a brown one I want to wear to my friend’s wedding, but I don’t wanna buy choli nor petticoat until I see what color it really is. It’s too much hassle.
Are there certain fabric qualities I should look for when buying the fabric (stiffness, fluidity, etc) I’ve never actually seen/touched a sari petticoat IRL.
A choli might be too much of a challenge for my sewing skills–I’m terrible with necklines—but if I had a choli pattern I could take it to my seamstress. The petticoat I can definitely make myself, though. Yay! I can make a brown petticoat this weekend! Thanks
never wear jeans or trouser underneath saree. only petticoat or without petticoat. A tight elastic panty or thong can work to hold the saree in place. if you don’t wear a panty or thong, a drawsting is also enough to hold the saree in place. I mean to say petticoat is not neccessary it is only your convenience. Some may not like to wear transparent sarees without undergarment, those should wear underneath only petticoat and not jeans or trouser.Those who don’t mind panty show,can wear any scanty panty underneath saree and only draw string or a thong if they don’t want to show panty line. Those like to wear below naval low hip saree can wear scanty panty, thong or only drawsting to hold the saree in place.
do you mean to say when i wear saree with petticoat, a panty is not required???
never wear saree with panties on because it is way too uncomfortable.
No panty under the petticoat? Wow! Seems very icky. Try petticoats made out of satin…they lie straight down and close to the body, but offer enough support and shape for the saree. Spray it with static cling if static is a problem.
I have a question. Does anyone have a petticoat pattern? I live in an area where there really isn’t anything Indian. I can sew well and if one of you ladies don’t mind could you post the measurements of one of your sari petticoats.
On Ebay they are costly and I could make it myself for a fraction of the cost. Your help would be greatly appreciated! (=
Hi, I am learning to sew . At first I am taught to sew a petticoat(6 piece & 7 piece). It feels great to sew our own dress.
Hi there, I have been really enjoying reading all the info on the “sari petticoat” I also would like to make one. I have been reading that the petticoat has a substantial influence on the shape of the sari… Does anyone know how many A panels there should be and does the petticoat need to have a frill/pleats at the base of it?
On the pantie issue, no they are not traditional under a sari! My mother-living 56 years in London, never wears panties under a sari to this day! They were not worn in Europe till the 19h century either-hence all the bad jokes in 18th century novels about women falling off horses…..