Earlier this month our friend Sonal Patel returned from India, she came bearing gifts. Caroline loves Indian fashion for its bright colors, extravagant needlework, modesty, and femininity. Sonal presented her with two outfits, this is the first one Caroline donned along with some new jewelry we bought for her, also new from India. The whispy white and blue thing around her neck is the…um…it is the Indian scarf-wrap-hang-in-front-dupatta and the long blue shirt-dress is a some-Indian-word-I-can’t-remember-thingy, below must be pants, but could be pajama too, or is that a lungi, I mean dhoti, or is the entire ensemble a Salwar Kameez? I must admit there is an initial awkwardness walking into public places with my insecurity telling me that intolerant people wonder why is this woman wearing such an outfit. But, that feeling passes quickly as I reaffirm my pride that my wife has the guts to be comfortable with what she likes and is not afraid of being unique to herself and not a clone as many of the women we encounter typically are. Now if only she would get a little yappy dog to really make herself stand out.
I’m non-Indian too, and I LOVE these outfits (yep, the entire outfit is called "salwar kameez"). You are right–Salwar is the pants, Kameez is the top, Dupatta is the scarf. I have been trying to get up the nerve to wear some out in public, and have ordered a couple of suits on-line.
A lot of the online catalogs I go to say that they have a large amount of non-Indian customers, but I’ve never seen any around here.
Seeing this photo bolsters my confidence– a LOT! This is one American woman who has grown quite weary of the super-low rise, boobs-and-other-bits-popping-out fashions that are out now.
Hi Paula,
Thank you so much for your kind comments. These suits are so elegant and feminine, wearing them in public is sure to turn some heads! If you notice people taking a second glance, just consider them compliments.
At this point I have not yet worn one of these at work, but my office is pretty open-minded (and I already have a reputation as an India-lover with Ganesh and Krishna pictures above my desk) so it is only a question of time until it happens.
One way to compromise if you feel that an entire salwar suit is too awkward yet is to wear a kurta, which is a shirt only. There is a variety of patterns and styles available and you can match them with slacks or jeans.
Depending on where you live, you might even find an Indian area in a larger city nearby, with clothing stores for you to browse. I found out that Indians love the idea of Westerners wearing Indian clothings.
I hope you have lots of fun with your purchases and, by all means, go out and wear them with style and pride.
Caroline