Activities and the Display of Skin.

The proportion of the body covered by sari changes a lot from region to region. For instance, Tamil women wear styles that cover well their legs, but sometimes reveal their breasts. In Maharashtra, the upper part of the body and the head are covered, but the legs are often bare up to the knee.
The style of the drape and the parts of the body it uncovers also change according to the activity of the wearer. Many traditional labourers wrap their saris in a "long" way when resting at home or walking in the streets and in a "short" way when working in the fields or on construction sites.
The two mannequins shown here wear variations of the same sari, which is found in Andhra Pradesh in the South of Madhya Pradesh.

 Koppla Velam Sari, 7 yards. (right)

The women of the "Koppla Velam" caste work hard in the fields. At that time, they modify the drape of their saris to a style that frees their movements.

They use a sari slightly longer than usual, 7 yard long, and let a very long pallav fall. When they work, they twist this long pallav to make a kind of belt which is passed between the legs and around the waist. The sari is thus firmly tied around the body, leaving the arms and the legs free.

Resting sari of Koppla Velam women. (left)

When they are not working, the same women untie the pallav which passed between their legs and wrap it over their head. This way they are completely covered, the bottom part of their sari hiding their legs.

The Three Drapes of Mudumalai

Many of the drapes worn today are not much older than the 19th century, and reflect the time of the British Raj. Their introduction of the census, in which Indian people had to indicate their caste, forced them to define a hierarchy marked by caste identity. This probably led to the marking of this identity by a distinguishing drape. During this time, the number of drapes increased and diversified, to the effect that almost each local caste had its own particular style. These drapes carry the memory of ancient garments, and act as a link between this past, and the future, when only the "Modern" sari may survive. The "Modern" sari is, in this context, an egalitarian drape, as it is meant to hide the wearer's caste and body. It is a strong, marked break with the preceding century, and shows modernity -- leading Indian women towards a new society.

 Nowadays, women tend to give up their "traditional" costume and adopt either "higher drapes", or the "Modern" sari. In this way, some saris go down the "caste ladder" and are eventually given up.

Take, for example, the three drapes displayed here. They are worn by three generations of women belonging to the same Irula tribe, in the same village, Mudumalai, in North-West Tamil Nadu.

 Irula Sari , 2 yards. (above, right)

Historically, women of the Irula tribe cultivate and fish. For many of the older women today, this is their sole occupation. Because these women do not have much money, they dress in rags and old saris. They wear the Irula sari, a simple tribal drape.

Pinkosu Sari , 8 yards. (left and above, left)

Many younger Irula women have more contact with the rest of Tamil Nadu. They make their living by catching rats (for which their excellence has earned them national recognition), making bamboo screens, and/or selling fish. They are able to make enough money to buy cheap cotton saris, and they tend to copy the dress of nearby farmers with which they have the most contact. These women wear the Pinkosu sari, a drape that is still common in that region.

 Modern Sari, 6 yards.

Still other young women have greater experience with the "outer world". They may catch rats, or be the wives of successful mahouts, transporting elephants all over India, and/or acting as guides for tourists. These women can usually afford mores expensive six-yard synthetic saris, and wear the Nivi "Modern" sari.

Conclusion

As in this example, all over India drapes are being transferred and discarded, replaced by the Modern sari. As styles change, several generations within one family may be wearing different drapes.

Indian women are giving up the garments that once marked out their caste and origin. Now, they display their Indian heritage by wearing the Modern sari.

 Sari and fashion

Saris are far from being antique costumes unaffected by the passing of time. Quite to the contrary, Indian women avidly follow fashion and change the textile, the drape and the accessories of their costume very frequently.

 Modern Sari, 6 yards.

The 9-yard saris, very popular at the beginning of the century, are quickly giving way to the modern style, which only requires six yards. Year after year, the way this is wrapped evolves, with a recent tendency to a geometry fixed with pins, whereas only a few decades ago, it was thought more attractive to have a free and falling pallav.

 "Ethnic Chic" : Gujarati Sari, 6 yards.

A current fashion trend has been dubbed "ethnic chic". Worn mostly by urban women, this style incorporates regional rural and village textiles, embroidery, and dress that were quite recently considered unsophisticated.

This mannequin is wearing a fashionable "ethnic chic" embroidered blouse with a coordinated sari.

 Fashion Magazines

The latest Indian fashion may be discovered in women's magazines such as those on display here. In them, we can find not only the latest trends regarding saris, but also on stitched clothes like the "salvar kamiz".