Women in Maharashtra wear saree, which is nine yards in length and a short-sleeved blouse, which is also known as choli. The choli covers about only the half part of the torso. Generally, this is the costume of elderly Marathi women.
Saree is known as lugade in Marathi. Its width is nearly 42 to 45 inches having two lengthwise borders kant or kinar, and also two breadth-wise borders, padar, at the two ends, of which one is more decorated than the other.
Now, with the coming of new fashion, sarees of five or six yards in length have now become fashionable among young ladies in the urban areas. These are worn cylindrically over a parkar or ghagara, also called petticoat. The design of choli has also changed, and using of designer blouses, polkas, and jumpers are popular.
With the impact of Bollywood and fast emerging trend of world fashion, women living in cities have become more westernized. Working women wear chudidars, pants, and skirts these days, which are more comfortable.
Costumes of women
However, nowadays with the advent of modern and cosmopolitan fashion trends, the nine yard sari is mostly worn by the old ladies of previous generations. They call the sari as sadi or lugade. It covers about half the length of the back. Its width varies between 42 to 45 inches and it has two length wise borders, called as 'kanth' or 'kinar'. It has also two borders breadth wise at both the ends, which is called as 'padar'. One side is more decorated than the other. The Maratha Brahmin ladies and ladies of other classes too wear this lugade with the hind pleats, which are tucked into the waist at the center of backside. The decorated end is thrown over the left shoulder. The traditional Maharashtrian accompaniment with nine yard saree is the choli.
The Maratha ladies allow it to cover their breast and back over the head. The sarees are made from cotton or silk. There are different types of sarees such as paithani, narayanpethi, irakali, ichalkaranji, banarasi, chanderi, kanjivaram, etc. depending upon the material used and types of kanth and padar.
The sarees of five and six yards have become popular among the fashionable young ladies of Maharashtra in the urban areas. These types of sarees are worn over the parkar or ghagara, popularly known as petticoat. The old fashioned choli are now replaced by the blouses and polkas. The cholis are modified into the blouses, with close-fitting sleeves up to the elbow and low cut necks.
