I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty: Fashion and Attire in India

Mugar silk from Assam
Sari experience- a beautiful moment!

Mehendi : henna artwork on my arms

Guwahati, State of Assam, India

The people of this region of India have a strong sense of style, fashion and appropriateness when dressing for daily, business or school events. I love the fact that everything worn here is not casual. I think I have seen every type of clothing possible since I have come to this region of India.

All students here seem to dress in uniform for school. These uniforms are crisp and truly uniform. I do not see students trying to get around the dress codes of their institutions. This observation does not mean they do not try small liberties at times, but I certainly have not seen a non-uniform shoe or missing belt on a student. The sports uniforms are really nice too and not just a pair of stretch shorts and a t-shirt.

Teachers dress at Maharishi Vidya Mandir School in beautiful cotton saris. These lovely garments are modest and timeless too. The prints are detailed and decorative borders on the edge of the fabric are eyecatching. This is a lovely tradition here and clearly defines the professional teachers from their students. The meditation teacher wears white tunics and loose fitting pants that make him easily identifiable on campus. The men teachers wear western style slacks and cotton shirts to work.

At home for casual dinners and to entertain friends clothing styles for women are salwaars. These are decorative longer tunics with matching pants that are loose at the waist and tightly fitted at the ankles. The finishing touch is always a matching scarf so the look is very “put together” even at home. Most females wear their beautiful dark hair long enough to wear up or braided. More traditional fathers wear the longer tunics and pants at home. Shoes are usually removed to enter the house so everyone is barefooted.

On the streets and in the hotels of Guwahati I have seen businessmen in western style suits and sport coats. Most men wear conservative slacks and collared shirts with leather sandals. The working class men wear a type of sarong style pant that looks difficult to tie properly which is cotton and loose fitting. They sport the woven distinctly regional Assam scarf tied around their heads to protect the face from the sun and dry their faces (much like we would use a handkerchief or bandanna, but much more colorful).

As evening falls and people go out to restaurants to meet and eat with friends the clothing style changes to more western types of dresses/tunics worn with tights for the younger ladies and name brand fashion labels for the men like Izod, etc. No great show of legs or chests for ladies- they are appropriately covered but stylishly dressed with a little bling and lots of jewelry.
Regional costumes are proudly worn for special occasions and school or community functions. These are very ornate and costly items of dress. Mugar silk woven with gold or silver thread is highly prized and very expensive to purchase. It is from a silk weaving district in Assam that I visited on this trip. The fabric is delicate, intricately woven and absolutely brilliantly colored- truly a regional treasure.

I absolutely could not resist buying and wearing a sari while on this dream visit to Assam. Of course it took three people to help me dress in my sari and I may never be able to wrap and pleat it properly again. My host family gave me a salwaar to wear also. The color is black and a vibrant emerald green. I have decided to wear this comfortable outfit for the long journey home to the United States. I have learned to wear a little bling on this trip so my sense of style will never be the same.

When someone asked me of my image of India before coming here on this exchange program, I immediately answered beautiful women in saris with lovely silhouettes. I certainly was correct with this impression.

Thank you to the beautiful people of Assam!