Many of you love to wear a saree, but the very idea of draping it perfectly brings out cold sweat in many women. No other costume in the world can match a saree in terms of grace and elegance. It can instantaneously bring in a lot of poise, charm and grace to the lady wearing it. This is the reason many girl-child has a secret desire of draping her mother’s favourite saree to transform into a diva. But in today’s busy life, it is not always possible to spend a lot of time to drape a saree. The sari looks superbly elegant when you are able to drape it properly. At the same time, it is prone to horrendous wardrobe malfunctions if you are not able to follow the right technique. The modern Indian women require a ready referral to drape the saree gracefully within a short time. This write up is an effort to help out those Indian women who love to adorn a saree but is conscious of the silly conversation it may give rise to if she fails to drape it perfectly.

Saree Draping- An Ensemble of the Saree, Blouse and Petticoat. 

Before going into the details of the saree draping process, let us understand what the ensemble of the most elegant Indian attire consists of. Well in order to drape the saree gracefully you require a saree, a blouse and a petticoat.

A saree is six to nine yards of unstitched fabric and its draping differs according to the different province, religion, social class and style preference. A saree is always paired with a blouse, which is like a fitted top and is generally customised and stitched to accentuate the body shape of the wearer. There are numerous designs and patterns of the blouse as well. It can be sleeveless, half-sleeved or three-quarter sleeve. The neckline of the blouse also has a number of variations. Sometimes the blouse comes with different embroidery work like appliqué work, zari work, kantha stitch, etc.

In order to drape the saree perfectly, you also require a petticoat which is in the form of a long skirt. Generally, the petticoat is made of cotton, but nowadays some synthetic petticoats are also available in the market. The saree, blouse and the petticoat make a perfect combination to transform you into a diva for an evening party.

Saree Draping Process

A saree can be rightly described as six yards of Indian femininity. The art of saree draping process requires a bit a practise and patience to master the technique. Here are the simple steps to guide you through the saree draping process.

Step 1: Adjusting the Length

You can start the saree draping process by tucking the upper end of the saree into the petticoat at a place slightly right to your navel. The petticoat should be worn below the navel to make you look sensuous and slim. The lower end of the saree must touch the floor. If you are going to wear high heels with the saree then do not forget to put them on during the saree draping process. Otherwise, the length would not be adjusted properly. Now, the whole length of the saree has come to your left-hand side, wrap it around your body so that the end comes to the right side now. Now put the other end of the saree over your left shoulder.

Step 2: Gather the Pleats

You can adjust five to seven pleats in your saree depending on its length. Each pleat should be around 5 inches long. The lower edge of the pleats should be even and just off the ground. You can use a safety pin to secure the pleats from scattering away. 

Step 3: Tuck the Pleats

Now tuck the pleats inside your petticoat at your waist. Tuck it slightly to the left of the navel so that they open to your left.

Step 4: Adjust the Pallu

The final step of the saree draping involves adjusting the length of the pallu. It should fall just above the length of your knees to make you look graceful. You can use a safety pin to secure your pallu to your blouse.

So, this was, in brief, a guide to saree draping process.