How Do I Wear That?

Learn how to wear and style fashions that may be new to you. Also learn the purpose of some garments, what role they play in maintaining modesty and consider ways to accessorise modest dress.

How Do I Wear That?

Salwar Kameez

The great news about the salwar kameez is that it is very straight forward and comfortable to wear. It is made up of a pair of pants (usually with a comfortable elastic waist that stay in place all day with ease), and a top. If your Western sensibilities find the multiple patterns evident in many Indian salwar kameez a bit too ‘loud’ – the good news is that the second pattern often occurs on the pants and dupatta. So you can easily wear the kameez (the long top) with a single coloured pair of pants and leave the dupatta out.

But if you want to get to experience the real glamour of this beautiful traditional outfit, the dupatta is a pleasure to wear and provides an airy elegance to the tailored suit.

So how do you wear a dupatta?

As with all clothing, there is no hard and fast rules on how to wear anything. And this is particularly true of the dupatta, as it is effectively an enlarged scarf. So you can wear it any way you would normally wear a scarf, a pashmina or a shawl. The dupatta is long and wide, so you can fold it in half lengthways or widthways to shorten it into a more regular scarf size. This will allow you to tie it around the neck in a larkshead knot, as per a traditional woollen scarf.

Or wear it as a hijab able to be tied tight around your hair and neck in the traditional style

Probably the most significant difference between a dupatta and a Western scarf or shawl is that the dupatta has always been a major element of the outfit (not an accessory worn for warmth) and hence has traditionally been worn at the front of the garment. The classic look, is for women to wear the dupatta in a swag across the front of their chest, with the two ends of the dupatta swept back over their shoulders. This look allows freedom and movement without needing to tie up the dupatta but also without needing to fill your hands holding onto your dupatta.

 

This traditional wearing of the dupatta is also executed in ways that see it worn over just one shoulder, and then swagged across the forearm or bicep of the opposite arm before the end is dropped to the floor. Once again, this look is all about showing off the beautiful colours and patterns that are featured on dupatta. However, this is more of a formal look as this requires at least one hand to be engaged in holding the dupatta. Hence why this style is seen in many images of salwar kameez (as it shows off the beauty of the outfit) but is not as common to see in everyday wear where women need their hands for other things.

 

 As this style can see the dupatta dominate the kameez (long top), sometimes women will wear the dupatta across their front, but will fold it in half to ensure more of their contrasting kameez can be seen. This reduces the amount of billowing fabric swagged across the top of the kameez and provides a more restrained look – very appropriate for formal meetings and corporate settings.

 

 However, if you adore your dupatta and love the glamour and femininity of billowing fabric, while also wanting freedom of movement and for both your hands to remain free, a classic way to wear the dupatta is slung loosely over your hair and shoulders, or pinned over a bun or ponytail in your hair.

 

 Of course, you begin to move the dupatta away from the front of the body when it is worn over a single shoulder or around the neck. Inevitably, the loose end flows out elegantly and gracefully behind the wearer as they walk – making it a very appealing way to wear this garment. Likewise, when worn with the loose ends to the back, you can scoop these around onto your lap when you sit down, thereby covering any “mummy-tummy” that may pop out when you are in the seated position.

 

 And of course, you can wear your dupatta across your back and over your shoulders, more like the way a shawl is worn. This style of dressing covers the sleeves of your kameez and so keeps the elongation of the garment open. Likewise, this can be a more refined look by folding the dupatta and having it hang straight rather than billowing behind you.

 

As you can see, the options for wearing your dupatta as part of your salwar kameez really are endless – and this is by no means an exhaustive list. But hopefully, this will give you some ideas and some confidence to find the dupatta style that works best for your and your circumstances, and you can discover why the dupatta is considered a vital part of many traditional salwar kameez, and why they are still enjoyed by many women who wear salwar kameez on a daily basis.