Saree & Lehenga Buying Guides
Practical guides to choosing, draping and caring for sarees and lehengas — fabric differences, blouse designs, wedding-guest picks, ready-to-wear sarees and how to spot an original Banarasi silk.
Banarasi vs Kanjivaram Saree: How the Two Weaves Actually Differ
A Banarasi saree is a brocade woven in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where extra zari and silk threads float across a lighter silk ground to build the pattern. A Kanjivaram saree comes from Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, and uses thicker mulberry silk with the body, border and pallu woven separately and locked together.
Read the guideHow to Identify an Original Banarasi Silk Saree
Turn the saree over first. A genuine Banarasi brocade shows loose floating threads behind every motif, because the extra zari weft travels only where the pattern needs it. Then check zari colour and flexibility, overall weight against size, selvedge irregularity, and whether the same motif repeats with machine precision.
Read the guideHow to Choose a Saree for Short Height: A Practical Guide
At a shorter height, choose a light fabric such as georgette, chiffon or chinon, keep the border under about two inches, make narrower pleats so more of them fit, and pin the pallu high and close to the shoulder. Vertical print, a longer blouse and a slight heel all add visual length.
Read the guideReady-to-Wear Sarees: How They Work and Who They Suit
A ready-to-wear saree is a saree whose pleats and drape are stitched into place at manufacture. It is stepped into like a skirt, the pallu is already formed, and a single hook or zip closes it at the waist. Wearing time drops to around a minute, but pleat depth and length are fixed and cannot be re-draped.
Read the guideSaree Fabric Guide: How Each Fabric Actually Behaves
Saree fabric decides drape, weight and how well pleats hold. Georgette and crepe hold pleats and fall close to the body. Chiffon and chinon are lighter and more fluid. Satin silk adds sheen and weight. Organza and tissue stay crisp and stand away. Net, velvet and lycra each behave differently again.
Read the guideSaree Blouse Design Guide: Neckline, Sleeve, Back and Fabric
Choose a saree blouse in this order: fabric, fit, neckline, sleeve, then back. The blouse fabric should be equal to or firmer than the saree fabric, never lighter. A standard blouse piece is 0.80 metre, which covers a short-sleeved blouse but not full sleeves or a long blouse without extra fabric.
Read the guideHow to Drape a Saree: Nivi Style and Four Variations
To drape a saree in the Nivi style, tuck the plain end into the petticoat at the right waist, wrap once around the body, make five to nine pleats about five inches wide facing left and tuck them at the centre, then take the remaining fabric around again and bring the pallu over the left shoulder.
Read the guideSaree for a Wedding Guest: What to Wear to Each Function
Dress each function for what actually happens at it. Haldi calls for something you can afford to stain, mehendi for a comfortable seated outfit, sangeet for a secure drape you can dance in, the wedding day for traditional weight, and the reception for evening polish. A guest dresses well without competing with the family.
Read the guideLehenga Buying Guide 2026: What to Check Before You Buy
A lehenga is normally sold as three pieces: the skirt, a blouse or choli, and a dupatta. Check four things before buying. What stitching state it arrives in, how much ghera or flare the skirt has, whether the hem carries canvas lining, and what the whole set actually weighs.
Read the guideSaree Care Guide: Storage, Folding, Zari and Stains
Store sarees wrapped in unbleached cotton rather than plastic, in a dry cupboard away from sunlight. Refold them along different lines every three to six months so creases do not become permanent. Keep zari away from moisture and direct contact with naphthalene. Dry clean embellished sarees, and blot stains instead of rubbing them.
Read the guideNavratri Colours 2026: What to Wear on Each of the Nine Nights
Sharad Navratri 2026 runs from 11 to 19 October. The nine-colour custom gives each day a colour taken from the weekday it falls on, so the order is different every year. For 2026 that produces orange, white, red, royal blue, yellow, green and grey across the first seven nights, with two substituted colours on 18 and 19 October because the weekdays repeat. The custom is modern rather than scriptural, and it is followed most closely in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
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