Nowadays, Salwar Kameez is popular not only in India but also in many places in the world. With a variety of bright and colorful palettes combined with elegant decorations, Salwar Kameez is a remarkable brand due to its unique beauty. Thus, this fashionable Indian attire spread to Europe and America and garnered interest among women who love and respect Indian culture. If you don’t want to be left out of trend, then let’s get to know more about Salwar Kameez.

What is Salwar Kameez?

Salwar Kameez, or sometimes called Salwar Kurta, is one of the traditional outfits for women in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Some men wear them too. This kind of dress originated from the Mughal Empire in 1500 – 1700 AD, then became more popular in India and renown all around the world.

Salwar Kameez consists of three parts: a Salwar, a Kameez, and a Dupatta.

• The salwar is loose trousers that have wide upper legs while being narrow around the ankles. They usually have pleats on the legs or around the waist with a cloth belt. A Salwar is comfortable to wear due to its wide upper part which doesn’t restrict one’s movements and makes it easy for the wearer to walk around.
• Kameez is a knee-length shirt worn over a salwar. Usually has open seams on both sides from the navel down, this type of shirt allows the wearer to move comfortably. But that does not mean it’s a simple shirt, as it can be embroidered with intricate patterns, especially at the neckline and torso parts. Traditional kameez must be knee-length, but these days shorter forms of kameez are also being accepted and generally seen.
• Dupatta is a long piece of cloth that can be worn or wrapped around the neck and can also be used to cover the head. Indian women used to wear headscarves in the past so they gradually became part of the fashion. Nowadays, the dupatta is an additional part that is mostly worn around the neck or the shoulder like a scarf.

The designs of salwar kameez pieces are varied from simple to complex, which can be made with a variety of fabrics such as cotton, silk, etc. The fabric used may be plain, printed, or decorated with an embroidered pattern. Interestingly, many of the patterns are symbolic and believed to be able to protect against evil spirits that might otherwise harm the wearer.

Types of Salwar Kameez designs that are popular today

Salwar Kameez has a wide variety of designs that can be worn for almost any occasion. Whether it be casual, elegant, or formal, you can be sure to find something that will fit. Also, you can even modify it to your own style if you want! Here we are going to introduce some of today’s well-known and popular Salwar Kameez types and styles:

1. Straight Cut Style

This type of Salwar Kameez is the most common one and suitable for wearing in everyday life. It is a knee-length long straight kameez that makes you look smart and casual at the same time. Moreover, it can be worn with a salwar or a churidar which is a type of salwar that is sleeker and shows the shape of your legs better.

2. Anarkali Style

This style of Salwar Kameez is one of the most popular because of how beautiful it looks. This style is quite distinctive, with its floor-length frock-and-flare design kameez that has no side-cut cover from the upper torso. Furthermore, the whole piece is flowing down elegantly to cover your feet and is best suited for formal occasions.

3. Patiala Style

The highlight of this style comes from wearing a salwar with many layers of pleats, that will make your lower body look fuller. This is why this style will mostly suit slim women. The type of kameez that complements this style would be knee-length or a bit shorter.

4. Palazzo Style

For the Palazzo style, the salwar would feature loose flared pants that make you look relaxed and stunning. The kameez in this often have flowing and modern patterns. But this style of dress on the other hand has a caveat that may make the wearer’s legs look shorter. Therefore, it is more suitable for women who are quite tall/have long legs.

5. Afghani Style

Afghani style is characterized by balloon-like puff pants with narrow cuffs and wider pleats. When worn with a short and slender kameez, it will make you look trendy and attractive.

6. Cigarette Style

This style is a new trend of Salwar Kameez. As its name suggests, the salwar for this outfit would be cigarette pants, which are straight and narrow slim-slit pants, long enough to cover your ankles. Usually paired with a long, straight, and slim kameez, it will make the wearer look sleek and fashionable.

With these examples, you can see that Salwar Kameez outfits are beautiful, trendy, and have lots of different styles that can be worn on almost any occasion.