What Is A Sari?

A sari (sometimes spelled "saree") is a woman's garment that is indigenous to cultures throughout Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It is essentially a strip of fabric that measures anywhere from four to nine meters long and is designed to be wrapped around the body in various fashions. The fabrics used to create these iconic garments are almost always lightweight in nature and are often highly decorative. Silk is a very common fabric for these pieces of clothing, and a silk sari is often considered the most luxurious one can buy.

The sari is perhaps one of the world's oldest, continuously fashionable garments in history. Experts can trace its history to the earliest known Indus Valley civilizations, some 4500 years ago. 

Evidence of early saris suggest that they were often of a two-piece design, with a wrap around skirt and another wrap for the head and upper body, although the midriff and even the breasts were often left uncovered. However, by the beginning of the 20th century the modern, one-piece version largely replaced the more traditional sari, and this more modest variation (midriff is often still exposed, but breasts are covered) is a very popular style for women all over the world.

There are many different ways by which a silk sari can be wrapped around the body, many of which are associated with different cultures or geographic locations around the world. The "nivi" style, for instance, is arguably the most popular throughout the world, and is taken from the sari styles of the southeast coast of India. The manner in which the fabric wraps around the waist or through the legs can vary from one style to the next, as can the way it drapes over the shoulder. It should be noted, however, that not every sari can be wrapped in every style, as some wrapping techniques require much longer pieces of fabric than do others.

Of course, as one might expect, a silk sari will inevitably be more expensive than will a sari made from another material such as cotton or rayon. And even within the category of "silk", the costs associated with these garments can vary considerably depending elements ranging from the style and amount of decoration to whether the silk was women by machine or by hand. However, a hand-woven, silk sari is often considered a treasured item and is commonly passed down from one generation to the next.