The History Of Indian Fashion And Why It’s Still So Popular
The world has been admiring the charm and elegance of Indian ethnic clothes since ancient times. The fashion scene was fascinated by the comfort and glamour of most popular ethnic Indian outfits such as the salwar suit, the saree, and the lehenga. The introduction of new trends was mixed by the innovation of talented designers in India to blend ethnic and western sensibilities and come up with fusion wear, the style that increased the popularity of Indian fashion globally. This was also thanks to the comfort aspect and elegant cuts of western wear mixed with the traditional glamour of India’s finest wear. If you want to know more about the history of Indian fashion and why it became so popular, keep reading this article.
The Indian Fashion During the Mughal Empire
This refers to the period at the end of the 2nd century AD when muslin fabrics were introduced to the Roman Emperors. However, the tailored or stitched garments in India can be traced back to the 15th century when there were Muslim empires in India. This gave birth to many styles of wearing the sari for women. For example, the first ones had to wear it like a skirt with a top sari part that goes around their shoulders or over their head like a veil. For working women, they could pull it up between their legs to make it more of a pair of pants. Women who fought in the armies before the British period used to tuck the top part in the back so that they could free up their arms and feel more comfortable moving around during the war.
During the British Era
Although the versatile women’s Sari has always been India’s trademark women’s fashion, other traditional ethnic attires like the sherwani, salwar kameez, lehenga, lungi, and lugda were first introduced to India’s fashion as wardrobe staples. Along with the British Rule and inflow of western fashion trends, Indian clothing was exposed to all sorts of western styles and pieces like tuxedos, gowns, skirts, blazers, pants, and dresses. This led the way to the flourishing of a glamorous fashion mix of all these elements. Fusion wear is now India’s leading fashion trend that has maintained its popularity ever since the British era.
After the British Era
The British era and international trends helped change a lot about the way Indians made their clothes over the years. The 60s, for example, was a time when embroidery saris and heavy chunky ornaments were popular. While people used to dress in a lot of bright colors, bell-bottoms, polka dots, and oversized sunglasses in the 70s. During that time, India also went through a period of redefining women’s rights and this is why women’s clothes witnessed a shift from traditional, shy, and understated to bold modern clothes in all different colors.
The Indian Fashion from the 1980s Until Now
Ever since Indian fashion was globalized, the fashion inside of India has largely been influenced by many international cultures, including the western one which had the biggest impact. By the 90s, many foreign styles and pieces started coming into the picture from halter tops, sportswear, and one-piece dresses to floral gowns and skirts. However, by this time, Jeans, t-shirts, and trousers were already wardrobe staples for men. Indian-fashion designers at https://www.nihalfashions.com/ suggest that women started going for more comfortable and bolder clothing by the 2000s. By then, they had secured their rights and position to great extents in India and started participating in the latest styles and trends. This is when they started wearing jackets, pants, capris, shirts, and shorts.
The Combination of Traditional and Western Fashion
Modern fashion designers were able to quickly blend between the suave style, formality, and elegant cuts of western fashion with the gorgeousness and glamour of traditional wear to come up with a wide range of fashionable sarees and comfortable styles of salwar kameez. They were also able to design the latest fashionable cuts of lehenga choli. The combination changed how the world views Indian fashion.