Clothing in India varies with the different ethnicities, geography, climate, and cultural traditions of the people of each region of India. Historically, clothing has evolved from simple garments like kaupina, langota, achkan, lungi, sari, to perform rituals and dances. In urban areas, western clothing is common and uniformly worn by people of all social levels. India also has a great diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colors, and the material of clothing. Sometimes, color codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. The clothing in India also encompasses a wide variety of Indian embroidery, prints, handwork, embellishments, and styles of wearing clothes. A wide mix of Indian traditional clothing and western styles can be seen in India.
Machilipatnam, also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarters of Machilipatnam mandal in Machilipatnam revenue division of the district. The ancient port town served as the settlement of European traders from the 16th century, and it was a major trading port for the Portuguese, British, Dutch and French in the 17th century.
Adoni or Adavani is a city in the Kurnool district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Adoni mandal, administered under the Adoni Revenue Division. In the 2011 census of India, Adoni had a population of 166,344, making it the 16th most populous town in the state with an urban agglomeration population of 184,625.
A sherwani is a long-sleeved outer coat worn by men in South Asia. Like the Western frock coat, it is fitted, with some waist suppression; it falls to below the knees and is buttoned down the front. It can be collarless, have a shirt-style collar, or a stand-up collar in the style of the Mandarin collar. It evolved in the Indian subcontinent in the 19th-century as a result of the outer garment of the late Mughal period, the angarkha—itself evolved from the Persian cape, balaba—being given a western style with a button-down front.
A choli is a blouse or a bodice-like upper garment that is commonly cut short leaving the midriff bare, it is worn along with a sari in the Indian subcontinent. In northern Gujarat is also known as polku. The choli is also part of the ghagra choli costume in the Indian subcontinent.
A justacorps or justaucorps is a knee-length coat worn by men in the latter half of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century. It is of French origin, where it had developed from a cape-like garment called a casaque. It was introduced into England as a component of a three-piece ensemble, which also included breeches and a long vest or waistcoat. This ensemble served as the prototype for the modern-day three-piece suit. The justacorps itself evolved into the frock coat.
Salwar or shalwar is cloth worn from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately. It is the lower-garment of the shalwar kameez suit which is widely-worn in South Asia. It is known for its lively hues, rich fabrics, and embroidery. The outfit has been a part of Punjabi tradition of India and Pakistan for centuries. It is also the national dress of Pakistan, and since the later 1960s, the salwar is being used in government offices in Pakistan. Salwar can be distinguished from the Punjabi suthan which is shorter than the salwar.
Punjabi Kurta and Tamba are traditional costume for men of Punjab.
In the Punjab region, people wore cotton clothing. Both men and women wore knee-length tops. A scarf was worn over the tops which would be draped over the left shoulder and under the right. A large sheet would be further draped over one shoulder which would hang loose towards the knees. Both male and female wore a dhoti around the waist. Modern Punjabi dress has retained the dhoti, but over its long history has added other forms of dress.
History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent can be traced to the Indus Valley civilization or earlier. Indians have mainly worn clothing made up of locally grown cotton. India was one of the first places where cotton was cultivated and used even as early as 2500 BCE during the Harappan era. The remnants of the ancient Indian clothing can be found in the figurines discovered from the sites near the Indus Valley civilisation, the rock-cut sculptures, the cave paintings, and human art forms found in temples and monuments. These scriptures view the figures of human wearing clothes which can be wrapped around the body. Taking the instances of the sari to that of turban and the dhoti, the traditional Indian wears were mostly tied around the body in various ways.
Mughal clothing refers to clothing worn by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the extent of their empire. Much of them were already being used in the past centuries before their arrival in Indian subcontinent. It was characterized by luxurious styles and was made with muslin, silk, velvet and brocade. Elaborate patterns including dots, checks, and waves were used with colors from various dyes including cochineal, sulfate of iron, sulfate of copper, and sulfate of antimony were used.
Angarkha is an outer robe with long sleeves which was worn by men in South Asia. By the 19th-century it had become the generally accepted attire of an educated man in public. It had evolved from the Persian cape balaba or chapkan as a result of being given a more Indian form in the late medieval or early modern era.
The term jama refers to a long coat which was popular in South Asia during the early modern era.
Katzeb was an article of dress encircling the body, at the waist with ends hanging in the front. It was a kind of sash also called patka.
Peshwaj was a ladies outfit similar to a gown or jama coat with front open, tied around the waist, having full sleeves, and the length was full neck to heels. Peshwaj was one of the magnificent costumes of the mughal court ladies. The material was used to be sheer and fine muslins with decorated borders of zari and lacework.
A qaba is a long coat with sleeves and buttons, similar to a cassock, open at the front. A qaba is similar to a wadded coat. It is considered of Turkic origin.
Terlig, also known as tieli or bianxianao or Yaoxianao[zi] in Chinese, or commonly referred as Mongol dress or plait-line robe, is an archetypal type of Mongol clothing for men.
Chiltah was a Mughal period outer garment. It resembled a quilted coat. Chiltah was a royal garment. Jahangir, the fourth Mughal Emperor, wore a nadiri garment with a chiltah.
Angia is an obsolete form of bodice or breast-cloth of Indian origin dating from the 19th century, covering the entire upper body from bust to waist and tied at the back. Very short sleeves, if any, and a high waist characterized the angia, which was made of fine cotton material such as muslin. Women in India wore it beneath dresses such as the peshwaj.
Nadiri was a type of a overcoat that was specifically reserved for the Mughal emperor Jahangir and his esteemed courtiers. The vest was an invention of his own, which he had named 'Nadiri'. Nadiri was known as kurdi among the people in Persia. The term 'nadiri' was meant to refer to rarity.
