Pashmina coming all the way from Kashmir is known for its amazing quality and incredibly tasteful look. Pashmina is made from Goat fur, but of course there’s faux pashmina which while cheaper, is animal-cruelty free and delightful to even touch. Essentially known for making beautiful shawls, a pashmina suit is now found tailor-made and ready for you in an immense array of styles and forms, easy to buy online in full sets.

Pashmina as a material is royal to look at, touch, and feels smooth on the skin. Known traditionally for its many desirable qualities, above all it’s the heritage and authenticity associated with the cloth that makes it a must have. In a pashmina suit, you are sure to feel as though it were custom made for you, and have you comfortable, elegant and fetch you a great many compliments. Be it a simple piece for your work place or a grand one for a night out, you are sure to have many envious eyes on your delectable and unique outfit.

In winter Indian ethnic wear becomes difficult to pull off- how many shawls can you carry anyway?! With a pashmina suit, unlike a regular cotton salwar kameez that will have you shivering, beat the chills while looking as classy as one can. The cloth originating in Kashmir means it was made to keep the cold away. Without being too heavy or awkward, the smooth material worn in full-sleeved form or otherwise is sure to keep you warm, at ease, and looking splendid.

The finest variant off cashmere wool, it will have you toasty and exuding a sense of class. Pashmina wool also comes in more breathable pashmina/silk blends that is breathable and silken all at once. All this- and at affordable rates! That’s what makes Pashmina absolutely apt for winter wear, and for all events; if you are searching designer partywear suits online, pashmina has got something to offer you!

Apart from being the perfect accompaniment to your winter wardrobe, the cloth that is Pashmina is unbelievably soft, popular and comes in drool-worthy forms. If you’re one to choose classic, Navy’s and Burgundy’s are the more traditional choices when it comes to this material. However, the suits that are made today are embroidered suits, stylish and more than a pretty accessory- a complete outfit that speaks volumes of decadence. Functional and fashionable- this is one addition to your shopping list that you’re going to treasure.

There are varieties of fabrics and some of them may be in existence for ages. But, there are only a set number of yarns that are weaved to form a variety of fabrics. Additionally, various techniques like weaving, knitting, and felting are used to produce these varieties of fabrics. The variation in the types of fabric is dependent on factors like – variety in fibers, the technique used in their formation, the different types of tools and machinery used to produce them, and the methods used to get the finished products.

Fabrics are of countless varieties and qualities ranging from knitted to woven and from synthetic fibers to natural ones. Let’s take a look at the indigenous varieties of fabrics that are available:

1) Cotton Fabrics: Made from the natural fibers from the cotton plant, cotton is made of different fibers from the same plant type. It is first spun into yarns and finally woven to create a soft and tough fabric. Cotton fabric is present in all types of fabrics and is a very important component of the textile industry. Cotton Saree manufacturers are using the best quality cotton fabrics so that the saree can be used by women in daily routine and saree can provide comfortability.

2) Wool: Made from the harvest of animals – sheep and is a staple for many clothing needs. Because of the fabric’s heat resistant properties, it is used in many attires like trousers and coats. Also, it gives all special formal feel to the fabric. Winter collection distributors are using the best wool fabrics to provide the best quality material that can shield you from cold.

3) The Silk Fabric: Owing to its exquisite and fine texture, silks have many specialized applications in the clothing world. Silk has always been valued for its elegance and has served as assets since ancient times. Silk is primarily a product of insects like a moth (caterpillar). This makes it exclusive and there are always limitations in supply. Silk is a fabric of sophistication. Silk Saree dealers are adopting new designs to give the saree a mesmerizing look.

4) Leather: This is a fabric from animals and also is one of the most popular and highly sought after fabric for expensive and exclusive clothing lines. The durability, versatility, and flexibility of the fabric make it useful for plenty of applications from jackets, to pants, and from bags to shoes. It requires a lot of precision and extensive processing and treatments to have the desired outcome for the master craftsman to create his marvel.

5) Synthetic Fabrics: This fabric is also made out of fibers but the ones that are industrially manufactured. Some biggest examples are spandex, nylon, and polyester. They are affordable and can be churned into any form and shape. The growing demand for synthetic fibers in different types of clothing fibers has inspired industries to see it seriously.

Many other types of fabrics are manufactured these days, but the ones mentioned above are the ones that form the base for other fabrics. Fabrics are the epitome of creativity in fashion and style.

The word blouse is borrowed from French to English which refers to the light, loose upper garment made of cotton or linen worn by French workmen. The term "blouse" was applied to the various smocks and tunics worn by English farm laborers. In 1870, the blouse was first referenced as a garment meant for a young lady.

The Blouse or Choli is generally a garment cropped at the waist to cover the upper body, when wearing a saree or lehenga. There are heavily embellished blouses, designer saree blouses, readymade blouses, interesting lehenga cholis, sequined blouses, bridal cholis, voguish bustier or jacket-style blouses and many more. These exuberant blouse designs are inspired by many sources like cinema and fashion industry. They come in a variety of designs and cuts to suit your body type.

The blouse is known to be Britain’s major export to India. Over the centuries it has gained such great indigenous appeal that it is considered part of tradition itself. What many Indians today believe are home-grown ideas of modesty and decorum are in fact bequeathed to us by the British Raj.

It was Jnanadanandini Debi, a popular Bengali actress and wife of the famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore’s elder brother Satyendranath Tagore, who popularized the blouses, jackets and chemises and the modern style of the saree today. Debi was allegedly refused entry into esteemed clubs under the British Raj for her impudence on being blouse-less. She is widely credited with popularizing Victorian style blouses, shirts and jackets.  Once chided by the British for wearing her saree over her bare upper body, Jnanadanandini Debi later became the greatest style icon for blouses and chemises worn under the saree in India. She is a great metaphor for the spectacular influence of the British on garments in India in those times.

The trend of wearing blouse caught up with the saree wearing communities across Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh in the late 19th century. Shirts, sweaters and high necked Victorian blouses, much like today’s boho-fashion trends, came to be worn under the saree as part of high fashion.

The era before independence saw mild bursts of experimentation with the saree blouse. Famous painter Amrita Sher-Gil was known for her bold choice of sleeveless blouses at the time. Maharani Gayatri Devi made satin blouses with 10-inch sleeves immensely popular. The success of the Indian Cinema in the 1940s and the subsequent rise of the costume and fashion industry, also inspired many of the sartorial trends.

Palazzo pants are long unisex pants cut with a loose, extremely wide leg that flares out from the waist. They are popular as a summer season style, as they are loose and tend to be flattering in light, flowing fabrics that are breathable in hot weather. Silk crepe/crape, jersey and other natural fibre textiles are popular fabrics for this design. Palazzo pants are less frequently seen during the winter months, but they may be found in wool or heavy synthetic fabrics as well. Palazzo is an Italian word, which means a palatial building.

Palazzo pants for women first became a popular trend in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The style was reminiscent of the wide-legged cuffed pants worn by some women fond of avant-garde fashions in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly actresses such as Katharine Hepburn, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. During the 1960s, some upscale restaurants resisted modern fashion trends by refusing to admit women wearing pants, which were considered inappropriate by some proprietors. This posed a problem for women who did not want to wear the skirt styles that were then in fashion. Some women opted to circumvent restaurant bans on women in pants by wearing palazzo pants or culottes as evening wear.

Palazzo pants flare out evenly from the waist to the ankle, and are therefore different from bell-bottoms, which are snug until they flare out from the knee. Palazzo pants are also not to be confused with Gaucho trousers, which only extend down to mid-calf length. Harem pants are yet another loose style, but they have a snug cuff around the ankles. Today palazzos are in fashion and it's not at all difficult to find a suitable one – online and offline. You even have the heavy embroider and beaded silk or cotton palazzos in either brighter shades or printed varieties. These days Indian women are pairing palazzos with ethnic-designed Kurtis to give an elegant look with comfortable attire. The modern-day Kurtis with palazzo pants is the hottest thing in the market with the fashionistas.

Chikankari is a traditional embroidery style from Lucknow, India. Translated, the word means embroidery (thread or wire), and it is one of Lucknow's best known textile decoration styles. The main market in Lucknow for Chikankari based products is Chowk. Production is mainly based in Lucknow and in the adjoining districts.

There are references to embroidery similar to chikan work in India as early as 3rd century BC by Megasthenes, who mentioned use of flowered muslins by Indians. But these embroidered patterns lack any colour, ornamentation or any notable embellishment. According to Laila Tyabji, chikankari stems from the white-on-white embroidery of Shiraz came to India as part of a culture of Persian nobles at the Mughal court. There is also a tale that mentions how a traveler taught chikan to a peasant in return of water to drink. The most popular origin story credits Noor Jahan, Mughal empress and wife of Jahangir, with introducing chikankari to India.

The technique of creation of a chikan work is known as chikankari. Chikan is a delicate and artfully done hand embroidery on a variety of textile fabrics like muslin, silk, chiffon, organza, net, etc. White thread is embroidered on cool, pastel shades of light muslin and cotton garments. Nowadays chikan embroidery is also done with colored and silk threads in colors to meet the fashion trends and keep chikankari up-to-date. Lucknow is the heart of the chikankari industry today and the variety is known as Lucknowi chikan.

Chikan work in recent times has adopted additional embellishments like Mukaish, Kamdani, Badla, sequin, bead, and mirror work, which gives it a rich look. Chikan embroidery is mostly done on fabrics like cotton, semi-Georgette, pure Georgette, crepe, chiffon, silk, and any other fabric which is light and which highlights the embroidery. The fabric cannot be too thick or hard, else the embroidery needle won't pierce it. Also, sheer fabric allows the part of the stitches on the reverse of the fabric to give a shadow effect, which is characteristic of the technique.

The piece begins with one or more pattern blocks that are used to block-print a pattern on the ground fabric. The embroiderer stitches the pattern, and the finished piece is carefully washed to remove all traces of the printed pattern. The process of chikankari includes the following steps:

Design, Engraving, Block printing, Embroidery, Washing and finishing, Stitches

The Lehenga Choli, also known as Lehnga, is a three-piece attire comprising the lehenga, a long Indian skirt worn by Indian women across India. Secured at the waist with the mid-riff left bare, lehenga is usually worn on ceremonial occasions, festivals and weddings. It is generally embroidered, printed or embellished and is worn with a fitting blouse called ‘choli’. Additionally, the lehenga-choli is paired with a ‘dupatta’ which acts as a sari pallu and covers the mid-riff and head, depending on how one wishes to drape it, going by the occasion.

Lehenga Choli became popular as an attire amongst women mainly in North India, during the 10th century. The lehenga evolved through fine craftsmanship with the arrival of Mughals in India and their subsequent rule from the 12th to the 18th century. The original, ancient form of lehenga was mainly stitched from cotton, after which royal fabrics and embroideries like silk & brocade were used, making lehenga further evolve into royal attire.

The intricate stitching of a lehenga choli dupatta set or a ghagra choli takes about a minimum of twenty days depending on factors like the fabric, embellishments. Hand-stitched, hand-woven Lehengas end up taking longer owing to the detailing that goes into it. Often, communities exclusively into designing lehengas have clear tasks allotted to them, which forms part of the whole making process.

Lehenga Choli continues to undergo transitions with time, with cultural influences molding its silhouette or style in the multiple versions of the lehenga choli known to us today. Talking of traditional styles, there are a lot of variations to the lehenga – the Sharara, Gharara and Lacha. The Sharara, Lacha and Gharara are lower attires, emerging from the 18th and 19th century and resemble flared pants. The common trait in all the three outfits is that they are three piece outfits comprising a blouse, long skirt, and a dupatta and are most popular as wedding outfits. The Sharara has a joint below or at the knee level, while the skirt below spreads out. The Sharara is worn with a Kurti and one or more dupattas. When two dupattas are worn, one is usually used as a veil and the other is draped on the shoulders. It is generally worn on weddings.

Ghagras are another form of conventional skirt, but the difference lies in the gathers or pleats that the ghagra has around the waist and the lehenga is more form fitting and is cut in an ‘A’ line. Ghagra cholis come in many avatars; cotton chaniya cholis which are worn by women from Rajasthan and Gujarat, party wear ghagra cholis usually stitched in georgette, crepe, or silk. Wedding ghagra cholis are detailed with a lot of heavy embellishments like bead, Swarovski crystals, rhinestones, kundan, sequins and lot more in vibrant colors and patterns. Tie and dye ghagra cholis, bead & mirror work lehenga choli are also popular.

The Gharara is only a Sharara divided into two and has a concentration of work at the knee also known as the goat. Lacha comprises a long blouse which almost comes to the length of knees. The skirt design may be same as the lehenga or ghagra. This is the type of ghagra with slight variation in the blouse. There are plenty of variations to the traditional lehenga – Lancha and Sharara.

The Lehenga has also imbibed and merged with modern influences and global trends. The lehenga style Saree is one of the latest Indian ethnic innovations doing the rounds that merge the saree and lehenga silhouette into one. The lower half comprises a ready-made sari with pleats, fall and drapes resembling the flared portrait of lehenga, with a zip or knot at the waist side for adjustments. The upper half of the attire has to be tucked and wrapped around once which resembles the pallu of the saree. The Anarkali Lehenga is another recent innovation that the Lehenga has undergone.

In terms of fitting or silhouettes, lehenga cholis are designed in A-line, Straight cut, Umbrella cut and Fish cut or Mermaid cut silhouettes. Then again, from being stitched with primary fabrics like cotton or silk in the earlier centuries, the lehenga is much experimented with in terms of fabric now. Fabrics that lehengas are stitched from now include satin, cotton blends, velvet, crepe, georgette and other material.

Lehengas are mainly worn to very special events such as weddings, parties and festivities. However, depending on the amount of detailing on the lehenga, one can team it with ethnic jewelry, like kundan, polka, meenakari, etc.

For climatic suitability, Lehengas can be worn all year long, thanks to the options available in fabric. The lehengas in fabrics like brocade, velvet, satin and silk are best suited for winters. Lighter fabrics like silk, georgette and crepe can be worn in the summers.

Dupatta is a long scarf-like cloth usually worn by women in Southern Asia. Commonly known as the chunnari, odhni and chunni; Dupatta is considered a symbol of modesty and compliments the overall look of a salwar kameez or lehanga choli. The dupatta is a colorful swathe of cloth which inspires romance, a fact that has been showcased from a long time, and since the arrival of cinema.

A dupatta is an extremely versatile piece of clothing. It can be worn in a number of ways, with a number of different garments, in a number of styles. The myriad designs, patterns, colors and decorations are overwhelming with respect to the dupatta.

Each region has its own way of presenting the chunari with unique embellishments, embroideries, fabrics and weaves. The most common fabrics for chunari are Cotton, Silk, Chiffon and Georgette.

The traditional dupatta has been worn in innumerable parts of South Asia since centuries. The people of Vedic India wore three garments – nivil, vasas, and adhivasa. The adhivasa was a garment similar to the dupatta of present times. During the vedic times, the dupatta was worn both by men and women, unlike the present day scenario.

The dupatta with time gradually evolved and went on from being a fabric for practical purposes to something that complimented the overall dressing of a woman such as coordinating suits. The billowing length has been reduced from two and a half metres to around two metres. At first, the dupatta was used to cover the head and upper body, and was worn with ghagra choli or salwar kameez. The motive was modesty and also a mark of respect towards the family elders. The age old practice of ladies covering their heads while going to a place of worship still exists.

An assorted range slowly bloomed to showcase the unimaginable magic of the dupatta, which at one point of time was only an icon on customary tradition. The variety in Dupatta comes from a number of things that go into creating one – from the basic materials to the texture of the dupatta to its design – everything adds to the final look of the garment. Some varieties of the dupatta are mentioned as follows:

Khara Dupatta: One of the most majestic and elegant types of dupattas is the khara variety, a six yard long dupatta that is a part of the traditional Hyderabadi attire. The brides from Hyderabad wear this dupatta on their marriage.

Bandhej Dupatta: Of Rajasthani origin, the bandhej dupatta is one of the most elegant varieties of the garment. Adorned with dazzling embellishments that are embroidered onto it using the traditional mirror work technique, the Bandhej dupatta is showcases the intriguing art of the state of sand dunes and camels.

Chiffon Dupatta: Chiffon dupattas are at the heart of the fashion industry today. The demand of dupattas made out of this fabric is extremely high because of the comfort of the fabric and its natural flow.

Apart from the variety that is visible in the colors and style of the dupatta, there is a lot more to this gracious apparel. An interesting fact about the dupatta is that it has a different name in every state and every region, of which it is a part of. So while in Rajasthan, a dupatta might be called an odhni and a chador in Pakistan, in some other land of India it might be known as a chunri or a ghoonghat.

The thumb rule of wearing a dupatta is that if the dupatta is very heavily decorated it is worn with a simple salwar suit and vice versa. An extremely decorated lehenga, for instance, will be adorned with a dupatta with light work or just a decorative border.

Dupattas have been beautified with weaving and coloring methods and elements like mirrors, beads, zari, sequins, gold or silver threads, precious and semi-precious stones, pearls (both real and faux), bandhni, chikankari and kantha stitching, block printing, kalamkari and tie and dye.

The dupatta can become a style statement simply by the way it is draped. There are numerous ways existing from region to region in which the dupatta is worn with a lehenga and choli- the Gujarati way, the Bengali style, the south Indian half saree style, looped elegantly around the wrist and then some more.

They are a favorite with designers as they enhance the look of an outfit. They are used as a belt around the waist to accentuate it or worn as a turban on the fashion runway, as bandanas while traveling or on the beach, morphed as a scarf around the neck to resemble a cowl and the list is endless.

The many states and regions of India have skilled artisans and a rich history of handicraft. Hence, the country has the most widest and exquisite collection of chunari styles. From the ‘Lehariya’ chunari of Rajasthan to the ‘Phulkari’ chunari of Punjab, most of the states have their own unique style to showcase.

Since it is worn along with a salwar suit or lehenga or churidar generally, it can be accessorized according to the occasion. A dupatta can on its own add glamor and exquisiteness to an outfit, without the need of too many accessories. Heavily embroidered chunaris can be worn with simple or plain kurtas or cholis. The simple chunaris, however, look even prettier if worn with delicate looking jewelry made out of silver, gold, or bronze. Personalization depends on the color and the fabric of the chunari. The key is to match the chunari according to the fabric and the style of the kurta.

It can be fused with western wear as well as Indian ethnic apparel. It is trendy to team a bright dupatta of a single color to match a kurta with a pair of fitted denim jeans. In contrast, a printed dupatta in darker shades can offset a white chikankari kurta worn either with a churidar or tights that has become popular.

In the west, the chunari is placed in the same genre as that of a scarf. Women all over the world love wearing Bandhni inspired Chunaris or Cotton woven Chunaris with broad Silk borders. Bright colored designs and motifs are very popular across the globe. Women even wear chunaris with t-shirts and jeans to give their outfits a more Indo- Western appeal. Several fashion designers in India experiment with the chunari styles.