How to wear a saree and feel great

I am a creature of comfort and whether I wear a saree or anything else I like my attire to be easy and make me feel great …

Photos: Vincent Boyer (Say hi on instagram @vincetravelbook)

Wearing a kala cotton saree handwoven in a pit loom in Bhujodi, a small town eight kms southeast of Bhuj, Kutch in the far western corner of India.

Bhujodi is a major handcrafted textile center of Kutch, with the vast majority of the 1200 inhabitants involved in creating artisanal fabric and hand embroidery.

To be honest, I am not the biggest fan of the loose weave that this saree sports but I did like the ample length of the fabric and had fun creating a fun multi-tiered drape that was perfect for a hike on a cold day.

Through the years the saree has been compartmentalised into certain slots that are incredibly restrictive. Many claim that the saree is just women’s wear or that is is uncomfortable or unmanageable or traditional or conservative or for festive occasions only etcetera.

While all of these can be true to a certain extent, the saree is also one of the oldest known gender neutral outfit in documented history, it can be very comfortable and easy to manage, it can be as contemporary or as traditional as the wearer wants it to be and can be worn at massive events as well as on a hike and everywhere in between.

Every desi website/blog has posts dedicated regular posts dedicated to draping the six yards right and all the suggestions they give seem even more limiting to me.

In my opinion the perceived discomfort of the saree comes from the social conditioning that limits our imagination as to how versatile the saree really can be.

I do get a lot of questions on how to be comfortable wearing a saree, although I have no idea how someone else can wear the unstitched fabric with ease, I can tell you what I do to feel great in anything I wear including the six yards.

It is just another clothing option. I don’t feel that my sarees are any different to a pair of jeans or a skirt or an oft worn tee-shirt or even my swimsuit. To me the saree is just another type of garment option I have, separate from the centuries of traditions.

I wear the saree when I want to live my life as a living, breathing person not as the flag bearer of my culture or faith.

Wear stuff I am comfortable in. I believe the key to dressing confidently is to feel comfortable and be myself in the clothes and accessories I wear.

If I can’t walk normally in certain kinds of heels then I wear sneakers to where ever it is that I am going, I don’t like dainty designer bags so I carry massive totes or cross body bags – I don’t need an outfit to make myself interesting.

I don’t compare my saree collection to anyone else’s. I am someone who doesn’t covet someone else’s collection of anything. I may like certain pieces from time to time but my lust-list is usually based on what I want and not a map to recreate another person’s sense of style.

Accept if not love all my physical ‘flaws’. I don’t really care if my skin isn’t perfect, I haven’t had my brows done, my nails are chipped, my body isn’t toned, I haven’t shaved etcetera. I wear what I want, when I want to please myself and not to pander to anyone’s gaze.

Embrace the fact that I am quite left of centre. The things I wear, the way I wear them, my values or beliefs, all of me is quite different from the mainstream and I am not here to fit in. I am happy the way I am and embrace the fact that not everyone likes me.

Wearing budget-friendly simple cotton weaves. Luxe sarees in silk, laden with zari are great but if that’s all one wears then draping becomes a rare activity.

I don’t view the saree as fabric I have to tame. I don’t particularly care if the whole or part/s of the drape fall apart. I just do not to panic, instead I find points in the fabric to quickly adjust and just enjoy the way handcrafted natural fabrics envelope me in their embrace.

I believe there is no one way to drape a saree. There is no right way to wear a length of unstitched fabric, the only wrong way is the way that makes me uncomfortable. I just don’t care about looking slim or tall or bulge free or sensuous or perfect or anything. I don’t believe that the nivi drape is the ultimate or that anything else is and just do with the fabric whatever I feel like on that day.

Styling and fashion are fun and I don’t take myself too seriously. It is great fun to experiment with different styles and play with new things along with appreciating the tried and tested. I don’t restrict myself or say things like I never look good in a certain colour or a particular piece or that I can’t pull off anything.

I completely ignore sizing and fit. I genuinely do, I routinely wear things that are many times larger than my so-called perfect fit. A piece of clothing in a larger size feels great, floating in stuff is freeing and I am extremely comfortable going up a size or two or three for most items that I wear.

I genuinely don’t have the time to overthink things and clothing and other people’s opinions about me are areas that not giving a fuck comes quite easy to me. If you want a list of 15 handcrafted sarees that I feel are perfect for beginners, you can find here, a list of my favourite Odisha weaves here, my favourite types of Benarasi sarees here and twelve silk sarees perfect for the festive season here.