Dress Definations

DRESS DEFINITIONS

Kameez:
Kameez is a long shirt. Traditionally it falls over the knee area. The length of kameez is a matter of choice. It may be above knee, over knee or below knee.

Shalwar or Salwar:
Shalwar is a loose and comfortable pant, broad at the top and narrower at the ankles.

Trousers:
Trousers are smarter pants. They have pants like shape with normally elastic or belt at waist. They may have less flair (boot cut) or more flair (bell bottom) at bottom.

Dopatta:
Dopatta is a part of South East Asian (India/Pakistan) dress tradition. It is a long scarf, about 2.5-3.0 yards long. It not only adds to the beauty of the dress but also serves as hijab for Eastern women. There are many ways of wearing dopatta. Some place it over shoulders, half hanging in front and half in back. Some wear it around neck area, with both end falling in back. For hijab, it is used to cover the head area and worn like a scarf.
Dopatta has matching or contrast colors and in some cases has beautiful embroidery over it.

Choli:
Choli is a women's blouse. A choli is worn with a ghaghra or a lehnga.

Lehnga:
A long flowing and flared skirt worn with a short shirt (blouse). Flared Lehngas or ghaghras have several triangular pieces sewn together for a trumpet-like shape.

Sharara:
A very full flowing pants, narrow at top and quite wide flare at bottom. It looks like a long skirt. It is worn under a short shirt and with a dupatta.

Sherwani:
Sherwani is a formal men's dress. It is worn over shalwar and kameez or kurta.

Chunri:
Chunri is a kind of dopatta.

Paranda:
Paranda is used to bind hairs backward. The upper portion of paranda is twisted with hairs and lower portion with colorful threads hangs backward.
 


FABRICS

Lawn:
Lawn is a fabric made from cotton. Lawn is designed using fine, high count yarns, which results in a smooth feel. It is softer, lighter and breathable fabric and is great for use in summer weather.

Georgette:
Georgette fabric is traditionally made from synthetic fibers such as polyesters.

Grip:
Grip is also polyester fabric like Georgette, but it is slightly thicker and non see-through fabric mostly used on pants.

Chiffon:
Chiffon is a fabric made from cotton, nylon, polyester, or rayon. It tends to be sheer, with a faint shimmer and a simple weave.

Crinkle Chiffon:
Crinkle Chiffon is a Chiffon fabric with very fine wrinkles on it. This adds to the beauty and look of the fabric.

Raw Silk:
Raw silk fabric is stiffer and a bit duller, yet the natural glow that is so significant to silk fabrics are still present, but in a different way.
The reason why raw silk fabric has a completely different texture than other silk fabrics is that it has not been degummed. This means that the sericin, which is a substance made from the silk moth that works as a natural protecting layer around the silk thread, has not been taken away. For other silk fabrics this has been washed away in a specific procedure.

Katan Silk:
Katan, a thread, prepared by twisting a different number of silk filaments according to requirement gives a firm structure to the background fabric. Katan is a plain woven fabric with pure silk threads. It consists of two threads twisted together and is mostly used for the warp of light fabrics.

Jamawar:
Jamawar is a silk based fabric with self pattern designs in it. Normally floral self pattern designs are more common in this fabric. The self pattern design color is same as of base fabric.

Jamawar Chiffon:
Jamawar Chiffon is a chiffon based fabric with self pattern designs in it. Normally floral self patterns or round dots are more common in this fabric. The self pattern design is normally in golden or silver colors.

Zarri Jamawar:
Zarri Jamawar is similar to Jamawar fabric, the only difference is color or self pattern designs. In case of Zarri fabric, the self pattern is made with golden or silver zarri threads.

Piping:
Piping is actually a ribbon, fabric or lace stitched to the edges of shirt or dopatta.