Can one drape a saree without a blouse? Obviously not! It won’t be wrong to say that saree and blouse go hand in hand. The blouse is a cropped at waist, fattened blouson to cover the upper body while wearing a saree or lehenga. Saree without a blouse or vice versa, for practical reasons, often has little value. The entire look of the saree depends upon the blouse you choose. No doubt you will buy the best saree, but if the blouse chosen isn’t flattering, the look’s dead. So to protect your look from fading away, here are five rules one must follow while wearing a blouse-
- The Fit & Cut- The blouse is a separate fitting garment that is supposed to cover the upper torso of the wearer. So it is crucial to ensure that the 'fit' and 'cut' of the blouse is impeccable. Aspects like neck length, sleeve-fitting, and bodice length should be kept in mind while deciding on a blouse. The blouse shouldn't be too tight not to look good or too loose to look baggy. To ensure such mistakes not to happen, one can opt for tailored blouses.
- Body Type & Comfort Level- There are many blouse styles like halter-necks, sheer backs, high-necks, and bandeau. But you need to be sure of which style suits your body type. Try the blouse beforehand. Not every blouse needs to go well on the body. If one has toned arms then preferably they can wear a sleeveless blouse. With the body type, it is also mandatory to ensure whether you are comfortable in the blouse or not. If you are wearing a saree for a longer time, choose a blouse which makes you feel comfy and is breathable enough.
- Match the Saree- Matching with the saree doesn’t mean that both the color and blouse needs to be matched. Matching here means in the sense of "contrast & combination." Aspects like weaving, embellishments, and fabric must be kept in mind while matching a blouse with the saree. A silk blouse would go well with a silk saree. But a lustrous fabric saree with a dull fabric blouse would be quite disappointing. Likewise, heavily embroidered blouses should be paired with lighter sarees.
- Trends- The basic rule of “don’t follow the trends blindly” should be applied. These days’ new trends are getting invented at a very high pace. In this, it is imperative to choose the trend wisely. In your bid of being trendy, ensure that you don’t end up looking clumsy, cluttered or confused. Thousands of stylish blouses are out there. But comfort always rules!
- Invest in Classics- This principle applies to almost all the clothing. If one is spending extra time, money, and effort, then why not invest in something that will stand by you for a more extended period, even in this era of continuous fashion changes. There are quite a amount of blouses which won't stay in fashion for a long time. For an expensive saree, stick to classic and elegant shape of the blouse which won’t fade away in the years.
So no more be afraid of getting out in a saree as you have been well versed with the pocket guide now. Happy Draping J