We’ve spent a lot of time talking about styling saris (and we’ll certainly continue to do that) but this week we thought it would be good to go back to the basics and talk about how to tie a sari in the first place in 7 easy steps.
Saris are just 6 yards of fabric, which means that there is a lot of flexibility in how to wrap those 6 yards around your body. We’ll show you our favorite way to tie a sari but remember, as you practice and get better at it, you’ll be able to tweak your own method to reflect your personal style.
Anatomy of a sari
Before we get to the steps, let’s take a brief moment to talk about each part of the sari. There are two main words to define when it comes to the sari itself: the pallu and the fall. The pallu is the end of the sari that goes over your shoulder. It is usually identifiable by the fact that it has borders on all sides, has the most amount of work, or is of a different color or material than the rest of the sari. The sari fall is a length of fabric that is sewn onto the bottom inside edge of approximately half the sari. It is called the fall because it helps the sari fall nicely when draped.
Items you’ll need
Once you’ve picked out the sari you’re going to wear, you’ll need a few things. The most basic of these is of course a blouse. You’ll also need a matching petticoat, which serves as both the lining and anchor for the sari. Additionally, you’ll need a few safety pins on hand to secure the sari in place.
Now let’s talk about how to actually tie the sari.
Step 1
Put on your blouse, petticoat, and the shoes you’ll be wearing. Make sure the petticoat is tied tightly around your waist– you shouldn’t be able to fit more than a finger between your waist and the petticoat. Begin by finding the inside end of the sari, the one that is opposite the pallu. Make sure that the fall is down by your feet.
Start wrapping the sari counter clockwise around your body (to the left), tucking it in as you go. Stop once you’ve reached one complete circle.
Step 2
Loosely wrap the sari around your body a second time, without tucking it in this time, until you’re holding the pallu in your hand.
Step 3
You’re going to begin pleating your pallu. Start by holding the side closest to your body in your right hand and pleat by folding it into the rest of the sari. Continue until you have 5-7 pleats.
Step 4
Once you’ve pleated a few inches, place it over your left shoulder. Continue fixing the pleats in short bursts and moving them further up your shoulder, until the pallu reaches your desired height. We recommend stopping when the pallu reaches just about your knee. Once you’re happy with the pallu, secure it to the blouse with a safety pin placed on your shoulder to prevent it from moving.
Step 5
Now you’re going to take the top edge of the sari and pull it across your chest. Tighten it to your desired level by pulling the leftover fabric on the left.
Step 6
The next step will be to make the bottom pleats. Again, you want to start by holding the sari in your right hand and pleat the fabric by folding it into the sari. Continue until almost all of the sari is pleated.
Step 7
Once you’re done pleating, the last step is to tuck the small amount of remaining fabric down, and place the pleats over it. Tuck it into your petticoat and pin it in place. Adjust the sari by making sure everything is in place and you’re ready to go!
Step 8 (optional)
While pleats offer structure and stability, an alternate way to showcase a particularly gorgeous pallu is by unpinning your pleats and letting the pallu drape loosely over your body. To make sure it doesn’t completely fall off, we recommend still pinning the pallu to your blouse. Gather the sari and drape it over your left arm and you’re all set.
Hope you found this tutorial helpful. Let us know how we did in the comments below!
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