Category Archives: Indian fashion

The 1960s churidar kameez

In the 60s, churidars and short tunics [X]. This is likely silk. And a close up of the kameez. And you can see the footwear in the first pic. The women: Persis Khambatta and Meher Mistry.

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The 1940s Salwar Kameez

The adaptation of the salwar kameez with modernity is perhaps less documented than the sari. In the 1920s and 1930s, the new kind of sari drape was the on trend garment. By the 1940s, the salwar-kameez (or on occasion the … Continue reading

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The salwar/churidar/kameez post – 3

Unlike the chudidar where the cloth is constricted at the knee and the salwar which is constricted at the ankle, flared trousers were also worn with the kameez. The kameez initially was a tunic with  skirt but later you can … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Early 19th century, fashion, historical costume, Indian fashion, Indian History, Indian Women, Islamic Dress, Vintage, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The salwar/chudidar/kameez post-2

Though the Mughal-e-Azam characters have become a part of Indian cinema folklore, the film was anything but historically accurate in the matter of textual details, costumes, sets and music.  For instance, thumri, a 19th century musical form, is used along … Continue reading

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The Salwar/Churidar/Kameez Post – 1

A SHORT AND INCOMPLETE HISTORY OF THE CHUDIDAR, SALWAR, KAMEEZ ETC. India’s links with West Asia date back to antiquity.  It’s significant influence on attire, particularly in North West India, is probably best documented during Mughal rule, especially from the … Continue reading

Posted in 18th century, 1940s, 1960s, 1980s, 19th century, churidar kameez, Contemporary, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Girls, historical costume, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Islamic Dress, Late 19th century, Mughal, Paintings, Pakistani Artists, Salwar Kameez, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How to dress like a 1937 heroine

This post on ruffled blouses refers to Mukti (1937)* [X] [X].  The movie was a bit of a fashion influencer with Kanan’s crown braid and  Barua’s beret worn backwards apparently all the rage. It turns out the movie is on … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s, Actor, Bengal, Cinema, Colonial, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Hair, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian men, Indian Singers, Indian Women, Movies, Sari, Sari Blouse, Singer, Vintage, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Hairstyles: 1951: Tamil Nadu

Hairstyles of the 1950s. 1951 to be precise, this is from a Diwali Special edition of Ananda Vikatan. Almost all styles you will note use flowers or jewels for ornamentation. Click to view full size. The translations of the captions … Continue reading

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The 1940s Post

The late 1940s was a time of somewhat boxy, padded blouses.  This blouse on the actress and dancer Suryakumari for example is almost like a man’s shirt (or perhaps more correctly a pyjama top).  As can be seen from the … Continue reading

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The Indian Mod Post

Typically in the first half of an Indian movie you would have a Westernised heroine before the “curse of the second half” hit and out came the saris. And of course vamps were allowed to wear Western clothing all the … Continue reading

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The Veil Post

VEIL: avagunthana, niririgi, nirangika, mukhapata, sirovastra, yavanika. Veiling is mentioned in Ancient Indian texts by any of the above names, a primary source being Kalidas who mentions the avagunthana in several places.  However, the practice does not appear to be … Continue reading

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