| I am not Indian and I have never visited India, but I love the Indian outfits I have seen. Is it appropriate for me to wear them? |
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Yes, definitely! You do not have to be from a particular place, background, or religion to wear any of the clothes you find on our site. In fact, we have many satisfied clients from the USA, UK, and Canada who are not Indian (or Pakistani or Bangladeshi) but are our customers and place orders with us on a regular basis. They tell us that they enjoy wearing Indian clothes because of their outstanding comfort and beauty. Some wear Indian clothes only for special occasions, while some choose outfits for daily, casual, and office wear. You may find our
Indian Clothing Information
especially interesting and helpful. |
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Absolutely not. Anyone can wear any of our clothing! Sarees, salwar-kameez, lehengas, and other clothing you see on our site are worn by women all over India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and all over the world, of all religions. A woman may choose to wear different kinds of outfits on different days for different reasons. For instance, she may choose to wear a simple salwar-kameez on a day when she knows she will be walking about the city, running to catch busses, and so on-when she wants to wear something practical and comfortable. And the same woman may wear a fine silk saree for a special occasion the next day. This woman might be of any religion or background. Many women choose to wear outfits that are traditional for the area where they live, although many younger women simply wear whatever fits their personal taste.
For more information about the various kinds of Indian clothing and a glossary, please see our
Indian Clothing Information
page. |
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It is true that many years ago, the red bindi was usually worn by married women. Then, it was usually a simple circle, made with traditional materials such as vermilion and sandalwood paste. But, nowadays (and since the 18th century in some cases), bindis of all shapes, colors, and materials are worn by married and unmarried women of all ages, simply because they enjoy them. This is not considered disrespectful.
Some women feel that the bindi focuses others' respectful attention on their faces (rather than on their figures), while others enjoy choosing a bindi to match a favorite outfit. Some feel that the bindi enhances the third, or spiritual, eye. Others are mindful of its history for Hindus as a blessed symbol of Uma or
Parvati, and some indeed still wear it as a reminder of their wedding vows.
Muslim women tend not to wear bindis (please see below for
further discussion).
Some specific patterns of forehead decoration made with traditional materials are associated with men and women of particular Hindu sects, such as the three white, horizontal lines worn by devotees of Shiva. And some Hindu ceremonies are accompanied by the application of color to the forehead of an honored person of either sex.
However, the bindis sold by Priyanka's are appropriate for secular wear by anyone. Our bindis range from simple to elaborate, including some very special ones appropriate for
wedding wear. We even carry bindis designed for wear on other parts of the body, such as the navel, the arm, the nose, the fingernails, the part of the hair, the neck, the hair, and above the eyebrows. We hope you will feel free to be creative with bindis!
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The bindis we carry are all sticker-bindis; that is, they come with an adhesive backing. They are made of various materials, including felt, plastic, tiny brass or other metallic balls,
"minakari" (colored imitation stones), imitation pearls, crystals, and others. They are made in a wide variety of abstract shapes, and also in some animal shapes, especially butterflies and serpents.
A sticker-bindi should stay in place without any problems for at least one wearing, and, if you are careful, for several
wearings. The adhesive works best if you clean away any oil from your skin before you stick on the
bindi.
Traditional bindis are made of a colored powder applied to an adhesive base, or of a slightly sticky paste. Many women, especially those who are a little more conservative, traditional, or religious, still apply bindis in this way. |
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The answer is somewhat complex. The following information is taken from a question-and-answer column in the "Arab News," Jeddah.
"The general rule which governs the use of such material is that everything is lawful unless pronounced otherwise. There may be some rules which restrict the use of certain items and these rules may apply to other items by analogy. It is forbidden for a Muslim, for example, to wear clothes or to have an article of equipment which bears a distinctive mark of unbelievers. … if [something] is distinctive of women who follow some other religion like Buddhism or Hinduism, it becomes forbidden. The prohibition does not come as a result of anything inherent in the article itself, but as a result of its being distinctive of non-Muslim women.
"If you are living in a society where there are both Muslim and non-Muslim women living and those non-Muslim women use bindis, then it will be forbidden for Muslim women to wear bindis. However, in a purely Muslim society, where a women is accepted and treated as a Muslim unless established otherwise, there should be no restriction on its use. However, one may still say that it is strongly discouraged.
"On the other hand, if this adhesive sticker or enamel is waterproof, then a Muslim woman who wears it cannot have a proper ablution. It prevents water from reaching a part of her face which should be washed. Since her ablution is incomplete, her prayer will be invalid. In this case, the prohibition is a consequence of its effect on prayer.
"To sum up, if this bindi is not distinctive of non-Muslim women, a Muslim woman may wear it provided she removes it when she wants to have ablution for prayer."
You may wish to discuss this matter further with your spiritual leader. |
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Draping a saree can be fairly easy to learn, although some women find it more difficult than others. It does come more easily with practice, like most things in life! We have step-by-step instructions with diagrams for
draping a saree. If you have any Indian women friends, they may be able to help teach you. You may also be interested in the
Automatic Saree option. With this service, you may choose any saree from our site, submit your measurements to us, and we will stitch the saree into permanent folds so that it can be put on in about fifteen seconds. (It becomes somewhat like putting on a wrap-around skirt.) At the waistband, we add multiple hooks to allow for a few inches' change, larger or smaller, to your waistline. We charge $17.50 extra for the Automatic Saree option. Please see the
Automatic Saree FAQ section (below) for more information. |
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This is a fascinating subject. In the last few centuries, sarees were draped in many hundreds of different ways, with many methods being specific to a particular area, profession, or class. But, increasingly since the Indian independence from Great Britain, the "modern saree" drape is supplanting other draping methods. There are many reasons for this change, most stemming from variations on a desire to be part of a united India. The
Automatic Saree is stitched in a permanent "modern saree" drape, and our instructions with diagrams also show this drape.
There is a fascinating book on the subject available in English, written by the French scholar Chantal
Boulanger, titled Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping. If you are interested in the disappearing art of draping, this book is highly recommended. It is not a "coffee-table book" full of lush photography and meaningless text, but a simple how-to book with black-and-white diagrams showing how to make hundreds of traditional drapes. You can find more information about this book at
www.devi.net/saribook.html |
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In the United States, "sari" is more usual. In India, "saree" is almost universal. Since it is not an English word, either spelling is only an approximation of the original. And, since it is a style of Indian dress and Indians tend to spell it "saree", I prefer that spelling. But either spelling is "correct"! |
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Here is a glossary of Indian clothing and accessory terms. Check back for an expansion, coming soon.
| Bindi: |
A decoration applied to the forehead between the eyes (See also the FAQs
What are bindis made of?,
How do you get a bindi to stay in
place?, Don't I have to be a married Hindu woman to wear a
bindi?, Is it disrespectful to Hindus for a non-Hindu to wear a
bindi? and Is it forbidden for a Muslim woman to wear a
bindi? for more information) |
| Choli: |
A short women's blouse that exposes the midriff. A choli is worn with a saree, a
ghaghra, or a lehenga. |
| Churidar: |
Closely fitted pants, with bunches of folds at the ankles looking like a stack of bangles |
| Churidar-kameez: |
A women's suit that includes a kameez (tunic), a churidar (fitted pants), and a dupatta (scarf) |
| Dhoti: |
An unstitched piece of cloth a few yards long draped around the lower body; worn most often nowadays by men, but in some places by either sex |
| Dupatta: |
A matching scarf worn in various ways with certain outfits, including salwar-kameez,
churidar-kameez, and lachas |
| Ghaghra: |
A long flowing skirt worn with a
choli. Simple ghaghras have only one rectangular piece of cloth with a vertical seam, making a tube. Flared ghaghras have several triangular pieces sewn together for a trumpet-like shape. |
| Kameez: |
A tunic for women, usually knee-length or longer. Plural is also "kameez" (See also
Do I have to be Muslim to wear a salwar-kameez? for more information) |
| Kurta: |
A long tunic for men or women |
| Lacha: |
A women's suit that includes a short tunic, a lehenga (long
skirt) and a dupatta (scarf) |
| Lehenga: |
A long, flowing skirt |
| Parallels: |
Wide-leg, straight-cut pants, usually worn under a kurta or kameez |
| Petticoat: |
A skirt used as a foundation garment (underwear) beneath a saree |
| Salwar: |
Loose pants, broad at the top and narrower at the ankles (See also
Do I have to be Muslim to wear a salwar-kameez? for more information) |
| Salwar-kameez: |
A women's suit that includes a kameez (tunic), a salwar (loose pants), and a dupatta (scarf) (See also
Do I have to be Muslim to wear a salwar-kameez? for more information) |
| Saree: |
An unstitched piece of cloth, most often 5.5 to 6 yards long and 43 to 45 inches wide, draped first around a woman's hips and then around her upper body, usually over a choli and petticoat (See also
Do I have to be Hindu to wear a saree? for more information) |
| Sharara: |
A
very full, flowing pants which look like a long skirt, worn under a short tunic and with a dupatta. |
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Also
coming soon: Glossaries of Indian fabrics and handwork terms
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