Diwali Dress - and how to wear a saree - or re-use saree fabric. Dark blue dress.
You can spell it sari or saree. I had kept my saree fabric rolled up ready to be cut into a maxi dress. A generous amount of material. Discreet dark blue. All flimsy and floaty. With a reinforced decorative edging strip in red and brown. Lovely colour. Floaty fabric.
But I never wore it. I had no occasion to do so. Until Diwali. But I was going nowhere on Diwali. Except down to the pool at the condo.
The favourite colour for this Hindu festival is green, and one of the ladies in this wall decoration is wearing green with gold colour trimming. You are supposed to wear new clothes. I didn't have anything newly bought, but I did have two sarees which I had never worn.
The festival started Thursday November 4th in 2021. In Southern India they celebrate for one day. In the north the holiday is extended to five days.
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However, at an online Zoom meeting, the President of Braddel Heights Advanced in Singapore suggested that in harmony with the seasonal festival of Diwali we should all dress in Indian style clothes. What to wear? The saree? Yes, the saree!
I raced to get it. But tying on a saree in a hurry is not too easy. I had tried on sarees at various times in my long life.
I remembered that I needed a long skirt, or underskirt. A co-ordinating slip would do.
Next I need a top with short sleeves and a bare midriff. Ideally plain coloured, and a matching colour.
I found a dark red short top in Thai silk. It could be mostly covered by the saree. The essence of a saree when all that is seen on Zoom is your neckline, is to have fabric not fitted but draped. Possible with a diagonal band or piece of fabric.
I had too much fabric and not enough time. As soon as I tried to walk, I tripped over the hem of the fabric.
So I grabbed my large scissors and cut off two pieces. I flung one piece over my shoulder. It promptly slid onto the floor.
Fastening Fabric
I did not have to hand a box labelled brooches. So I grabbed the nearest item, a hair clip with a decorative fabric rose on the top.
A dot on the middle of my forehead would have completed the look and made my outfit more obviously Indian. But what was the meaning of the dot? A married woman?
And would that be cultural appropriation? I did not want to risk ending up with something inappropriate. I am not Indian, nor married to an Indian.
I decided against making a red dot with lipstick. ? I did not want to risk ending up with a red smear.
The best thing about this exercise was that I was forced to quickly cut the saree fabric which I had been reluctant to do for days previously. I now appreciate several things when it comes to buying saree fabric.
1 Saree fabric is huge. I know sarees come in two lengths. But even the smaller size is a generous amount of fabric, enough to make a long dress, a set of three garments,
2 Consider using the saree edging strip as part of your garment design.
3 Keep a box of brooches clearly marked so you can find one in a hurry.
4 Watch out for fabrics which slide around or are hard to cut.
5 Don't keep fabric forever. It is just a waste of space.
6 Consider whether it is appropriate to wear a national costume from another country. Be prepared with your thoughts - and retorts.
7 Remember to take a photo of yourself in a saree or national dress or fancy dress. What if it looks wrong? Well, that's a useful lesson so you can do better next time. Will there be a next time? Yes, next year. But next year you and I can be better prepared.
Useful Websites
https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/Colour-of-Deepavali-is-green/article12060911.ece
https://www.wikihow.com/Dress-in-a-Sari
https://indusladies.com/community/threads/how-to-cut-the-width-of-saree.244851/
BIOGRAPHY
Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5
The Author of several books including Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.
Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com
dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com
Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President
Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time on bha.learncool.sg
Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;
Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;
Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.
More details from Toastmasters International find a club.
Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.
Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.
Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.
Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.
Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.
Language and speech workshops in Singapore.
Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.
Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.
Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.
Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.
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