Why I'm Going To Start Wearing Sarees More

Outfit: Sari - GeeBees / Shoes - Tony Bianco 

I am going to preface this whole post by dedicating it to the person who inspired it; Mehr, you are my muse. 

I have always thought of sarees as being for formal occasions. The first time I wore one was for a UN Day celebration in high school. I felt so connected to my culture and super fancy. Since then, I've only ever worn them for special occasions. But that all changed when a few months ago, I went to lunch with Mehr. She, being the coolest and most original, was wearing a sari. And I'm not talking one of those mega embellished ready-for-a-wedding style ones, but a beautiful pattern batik style sari. I was obsessed the minute I saw her in it and I thought to myself, "I'm never going to be cool enough to pull that off." 

However, as the months have passed and we headed back into another lockdown, I started thinking about all the things I want to wear when this was all over. I want to dress up, I want to be extra and I want to try new things. So it was decided; I'm going to try wearing sarees casually. 

I couldn't wait to wear it out because I'm impatient, so I decided to dedicate a whole post to the new style that I'm obsessed with. 

Here's what I love about sarees; it's a massive piece of fabric that can be styled in so many different ways. There's different traditional and creative drape styles. I immediately had in mind the Dhoti drape, which is modelled after Dhoti pants that are a draped baggy style trouser. Why this style came to mind was because usually saris are in a skirt-dress style, but this style gives you a different edge. There's something super cool about it. If you want to know how to drape the sari this way, watch this video. 

The trouser style drape gives the sari a more relaxed and casual vibe, which makes me want to wear it more. But you can always switch it up for a new edge. My tip is for undergarments on this one is wear a pair of biker shorts to tuck and pin to. And then for the top? Well sky's the limit; wear a shirt, a tee, a bandeau bra, anything. What's great about wearing a sari casually is that you can have fun with it. You can take a traditional style and make it your own. 

Sarees allow me to both represent my culture and ethnicity, as well as be something new to style. After I started thinking about wearing them more, looking into different draping styles and brainstorming in my own head ways to wear them, I wondered why I'd never thought of it before. I love being from a culture with such a beautiful traditional costume that has limitless ways to be worn from a single piece of fabric. I can't wait to do more styling of sarees and I hope you're inspired to do the same.

So why not buy yourself some super lightweight batik style sarees and have some fun. I'm thinking about updating this little series in the future with different ways to wear sarees; what do you think? And would you try sarees casually? Let me know in the comments below. 

I hope you're all staying safe and well! Sending you lots of love, 

Emily xx