Shalwar kameez [2] [3] (also salwar kameez [4] and less commonly shalwar qameez) [5] [6] is a traditional combination dress worn by men and women in South Asia, [4] [7] and Central Asia. [8] [9]
Shalwars are trousers which are atypically wide at the waist and narrow to a cuffed bottom. They are held up by a drawstring or elastic belt, which causes them to become pleated around the waist. [4] The trousers can be wide and baggy, or they can be cut quite narrow, on the bias. Shalwars have been traditionally worn in a wide region which includes Eastern Europe, [10] [11] West Asia, [12] [13] Central Asia, and South Asia. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. [14] The side seams are left open below the waist-line (the opening known as the chaak [note 1] ), which gives the wearer greater freedom of movement. The kameez is usually cut straight and flat; older kameez use traditional cuts; modern kameez are more likely to have European-inspired set-in sleeves. The kameez may have a European-style collar, a Mandarin collar, or it may be collarless; in the latter case, its design as a women's garment is similar to a kurta. The combination garment is sometimes called salwar kurta, salwar suit. [16] [17]
The shalwar and kameez were introduced into South Asia by arriving Muslims in the north in the 13th century: at first worn by Muslim women, their use gradually spread, making them a regional style, [18] [19] [20] especially in the historical Punjab region. [17] [21] [22] The shalwar-kameez is widely-worn by men and women in Pakistan, [23] [24] and is the country's national dress. [25] It is also widely worn by men and women in Afghanistan, [26] and some men in the Punjab region of India, from which it has been adopted by women throughout India, [27] and more generally in South Asia. [28]
When women wear the shalwar-kameez in some regions, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck. [29] [30] In South Asia, the dupatta is also employed as a form of modesty—although it is made of delicate material, it obscures the upper body's contours by passing over the shoulders. For Muslim women, the dupatta is a less stringent alternative to the chador or burqa (see hijab and purdah); for Sikh and Hindu women, the dupatta is useful when the head must be covered, as in a temple or the presence of elders. [31] Everywhere in South Asia, modern versions of the attire have evolved; the shalwars are worn lower down on the waist, the kameez have shorter lengths, higher splits, lower necklines and backlines, and with cropped sleeves or without sleeves. [32]
The shalwar are loose pyjama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic, often seen with a Western-style collar; however, for female apparel, the term is now loosely applied to collarless or mandarin-collared kurtas. The kameez might be worn with pyjamas as well, either for fashion or comfort. Some kameez styles have side seams (known as the chaak), left open below the waist-line, giving the wearer greater freedom of movement. [33]
The kameez can be sewn straight and flat, in an "A" shape design [34] or flowing like a dress; there are a variety of styles. Modern kameez styles are more likely to have European-inspired set-in sleeves. If the tailor's taste or skill is displayed, this will be seen in the shape of the neckline and the decoration of the kameez. The kameez may be cut with a deep neckline, sewn in diaphanous fabrics, or styled in cap-sleeve or sleeveless designs.
There are many styles of shalwar: the Peshawari shalwar, Balochi shalwar, Sindhi Chareno, Sindhi Kancha, Sindhi Suthan/Salwar, Sindhi Pajamo/Sorhi Suthan and Punjabi shalwar.
Although various regions of the Indian subcontinent now wear the outfit in its various forms, the outfit was originally only popular on a wide scale in Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan [35] and the Punjab region of Indian subcontinent. [36] [37] [38] However, the shalwar kameez has now become popular across the Indian subcontinent. [39]
The following are some of the styles of shalwar kameez.
The shalwar kameez known as the Anarkali suit is named after the court dancer from Lahore, Pakistan. [40] This suit has a timeless style which has become very popular. It is made up of a long, frock-style top and features a slim fitted bottom. This style of suit links the Indian subcontinent with the women's firaq partug (frock and shalwar) of northwestern Pakistan and Afghanistan and to the traditional women's clothing of parts of Central Asia. [41] It also links to the Punjab region, where the Anarkali suit is similar to the anga [42] [43] and the Peshwaz worn in Jammu. [44]
The styles of shalwar kameez worn in Afghanistan include various styles of khet partug, [45] perahan tunban and Firaq partug worn by Pashtuns, Tajiks, and Hazaras. [46] The shalwar tends to be loose and rests above the ankles. [47]
The traditional dress of Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, is the khalqa (gown) which opens at the front, [48] or shirt which does not open at the front, [49] and the Peshawari shalwar which is very loose down to the ankles. [50] The Peshawari shalwar can be used with a number of upper garments and is part of the clothing of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The clothing of Balochistan, Pakistan includes the shalwar kameez which when worn by males consists of a very baggy shalwar [51] using large lengths of cloth. [52] The kameez is also loose, [53] and traditionally is long, with long sleeves. [54] The present Balochi shalwar kameez replaced the earlier version which consisted of a robe to the ankles and a shalwar using cloth of up to 40 yards. The Pashtuns in northern Balochistan wear clothes similar to the styles worn in Afghanistan.
The female Balochi suit consists of the head scarf, long dress and a shalwar.
In Kashmir, the outfit consists of the phiran, poots and shalwar. [55]
The traditional shalwar kameez worn in the Punjab region is cut differently to the styles worn in Balochistan and Afghanistan and is known as a "Punjabi suit" [56] [57] with the kameez being cut straight and flat with side slits [58] (which is a local development as earlier forms of kameez did not have side slits). [59] The shalwar is wide at the top but fits closely to the legs and is gathered at the ankles. [60] The Punjabi shalwar is also cut straight and gathered at the ankles with a loose band reinforced with coarse material. In rural Punjab, the shalwar is still called the suthan, which is a different garment that was popular in previous centuries, [61] alongside the churidar and kameez combination (which is still popular). [62] In Britain, [63] [64] British Asian women from the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent have brought the dress to the mainstream, and even high-fashion, [65] appeal. [66] The Punjabi suit is popular in other regions of the Indian subcontinent, [67] [68] [69] such as Mumbai and Sindh. [70] The popularity of Punjabi suits in India was extentuated during the 1960s through Hindi cinema. [71] Punjabi suits are also popular among young women in Bangladesh [72] and are especially popular amongst school girls in India. [73] The outfit is also popular in Afghanistan, [74] where it is called the Punjabi. [75] [76] [77]
Another common type of Punjabi shalwar kameez is the Patiala salwar which has many folds and originates in the city of Patiala.
Another style of the Punjabi suit is the use of the shalwar which hails from the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan and is known as the Pothohari shalwar. [62] The Pothohari shalwar retains the wideness of the older Punjabi suthan and also has some folds. The kameez is also wide. The head scarf is traditionally large, [78] similar to the chador or phulkari that was used throughout the plains of the Punjab region. [62]
Saraiki shalwar suits are Punjabi outfits which include the Bahawalpuri shalwar suit and the Multani shalwar suit.
The Bahawalpuri shalwar [79] originates from the Bahawalpur region of Punjab, Pakistan. The Bahawalpuri shalwar is very wide and baggy [80] with many voluminous folds. [81] The material traditionally used for the Bahawalpuri shalwar and suthan is known as Sufi which is a mixture of cotton warp mixed with silk weft and gold threads running down the material. [82] The other name for these types of mixed cloth is shuja khani. [83] The Bahawalpuri shalwar is worn with the Bahawalpur style kameez, the Punjabi kurta or chola. [84]
The Multani shalwar, also known as the 'ghaire wali' or 'Saraiki ghaire wali' shalwar as it is very wide around the waist, originates from the Multan area of the Punjab region. The style is similar to the Sindhi kancha shalwar as both are derivatives of the pantaloon shalwar worn in Iraq [86] and adopted in these locations during the 7th century A.D. [87] [88] [89] The Multani shalwar is very wide, baggy, [90] and full, and has folds like the Punjabi suthan. [91] The upper garments include the Punjabi kameez and the chola of the Punjab region. [92]
An older variety of shalwar kameez of the Punjab region is the Punjabi suthan [93] and kurta suit. The Punjabi suthan is a local variation of the ancient svasthana tight fitting trousers which have been used in the Punjab region since the ancient period [94] [95] and were worn with the tunic called varbana [96] which was tight fitting.
The Punjabi suthan is arranged in plaits and uses large amounts of material (traditionally coloured cotton with vertical silk lines, called sussi) [97] of up to 20 yards hanging in many folds. [98] The suthan ends at the ankles with a tight band [99] [100] which distinguishes the suthan from a shalwar. [62] The modern equivalent of the loose Punjabi suthan are the cowl pants and dhoti shalwars which have many folds.
Some versions of the Punjabi suthan tighten from the knees down to the ankles (a remnant of the svasthana). If a tight band is not used, the ends of the suthan fit closely around the ankles. The Jodhpuri breeches devised during the 1870s by Sir Pratap Singh of Jodhpur [101] offer a striking slim line resemblance to the centuries-old tight Punjabi suthan, although the churidar is cited as its source. [102] [103] The tight pantaloon style suthan was popular with the Indian Cavalry during the 19th and early 20th centurie; they were dyed in Multani mutti or mitti (clay/fuller's earth), which gave the garments a yellow colour. [104]
The kurta is a remnant of the 11th-century female kurtaka which was a shirt extending to the middle of the body with side slits [105] worn in parts of north India [106] which has remained a traditional garment for women in Punjab, [107] albeit longer than the kurtaka. The suthan was traditionally worn with a long kurta but can also be worn with a short kurti or frocks. Modern versions of the kurta can be knee length. The head scarf is also traditionally long but again, modern versions are shorter.
The outfit in Jammu is the Dogri kurta and suthan. [108] When the tight part of the suthan, up to the knees, has multiple close fitting folds, the suthan is referred to as Dogri pants [109] or suthan, in Jammu, and churidar suthan in the Punjab region [110] and some parts of Himachal Pradesh.
The traditional Sindhi Shalwar Kameez or (Suthan ain Khamis) in Sindhi are of different styles, [112] The Sindhi Shalwar worn by men are of three types, one is called Suthan/Salwar which is wide at waist and gets narrow below the knees till ankles where there are loosely fitted (Pācha) cuffs, it is worn mostly in upper/north of Sindh. The second type of Shalwar is (Kancha) which used to be worn usually in lower/south of Sindh and was wide down the knees till ankles where there are wider ankles (Pācha), Kancha is mostly not worn anymore or if ever worn then it does not have the that much wide ankles as the original one. The Sindhi Suthan and Kancha usually have less pleats, The third style of Shalwar is modern Sindhi suthan/salwar which do not have any pleats but is loose like pyjamas, while some men wear Gairwari Salwar, which has many pleats and is voluminous. All the shalwars are tied at waist by Agath (drawstring) which is made of different bright colours heavily ornated and embellished with shiny metallic threads, beads, mirrors etc. [113] The Salwar and Kancha's pleats are created by bringing the folds together on opposite sides. The Khamis is also made of different styles, originally Sindhi men used to wear either short or long Angrakho which was tied at either side or in middle, the shorter one was called Angelo, and was worn by common people, the longer ones were worn by Soldiers, government officials and noblemen, other style was called Kiriyo/Puthiyo, then the short Kurtas (tunics) called (Pehrān/Pehriyān) were commonly worn, which used to be collarless like Angrakho and was tied at either side or in middle, and had half way slit opening in front unlike angrakhas which used to be completely slitted in front. The Angrakho and Pehrān/Pehriyān were also used to be embroidered with Sindhi bhart and mirrorwork. Above Angelo and Pehrān some men also wore (Koti, Sadri, Gidi, Kaba) which can also be sometimes embroidered with mirrors usually borders and a heart shape design on back having initials of first and last name of wearer. while underneath the Angelo, Pehran and Khamis men wear Ganji (vest) which is also heavily embroidered with Sindhi stitches and mirrors. During British Raj, the colllars were introduced in Sindh, the Sindhi men started wearing Pehran with collars and buttons, also during that time the english long coats and jackets were introduced which were worn over local clothing. The upper garment of Sindhi men was mostly short either till hips or till midway to thighs, except for some rich men, but the modern Khamis reaches at least till knees, the modern Khamis can have (Gol daman) round cut at end corners or (Chokor Daman) square cut, this is now a everydays clothing of Sindhi men. The clothes are adorned with Ajrak and topi or Patko (Turbans), but usually on everyday life, a various coloured floral, checkered or plain piece of cloth with Sindhi embroideries and mirrors is carried over shoulders or as turban, also used as a (rumal) handkerchief, and for the protection from the heat of sun, while during winters locally wool made shawls of different styles like Loi, Katho, Khes etc are used for warming. [114] [115] [116]
Sindhi women of Sindh wear Salwar/Suthan which is almost similar those worn by men, but back in time some women of lower Sindh used to wear a very baggy Salwars called "Chareno" but these are not normally worn anymore. Many Sindhi women also wore churidar pajamo (Sohri Suthan). Traditional Sindhi women Suthan and Pajamo are made of bright colours and rich fabrics like soosi, silk, satin, velvets and brocades which are heavily embroidered at ankles (Pācha). The Salwars are worn with the Cholo (tunics) or Ghagho, Abho (different frocks) which are also heavily intricately embroidered with Sindhi bhart and other embellishments called Gaj, Aggoti, Gichi, back in time the Salwars were used to be hidden under a wide Paro/Peshgeer (Skirt), specially when a women went outside and over the head women wore a wide and long veils called Rawo/Gandhi/Pothi/Chuni/Salur. [117] [118]
For example, many politicians will wear suits while in Kabul, but change into shalwar kemeez, a traditional costume of loose pants and a tunic, when returning to their home provinces to emphasize their local connections.
Salwar/Shalwar: A pair of light, loose, pleated trousers, usually tapering to a tight fit around the ankles, worn by women from South Asia typically with a kameez (the two together being a salwar kameez). Origin From Persian.
... wearing shalwar qameez, Pakistan's national dress of baggy trousers and loose knee-length shirt.
shalwar qameez (Pakistani clothes)
loose trousers which are narrow at the bottom and a long loose shirt, worn by some South Asian women and, in some countries, men.
Other compounds are, for instance, ... salwar-kameez. ... It may also be described as an internationalism given its origin (Urdu). This word-formation process is based on the combination of two elements which are two garments (baggy pants and a tunic or shirt) and constitute an outfit typical of South and Central Asia.
A 'Shalwar Kameez' is a form of dress worn by both men and women in South and Central Asia, combining a long shirt worn over loose fitting tapered trousers.
Kameez: A long tunic worn by many people from South Asia, typically with a salwar or churidars. Origin: From Arabic qamīṣ, perhaps from late Latin camisia (see chemise).
You can buy an entire three-piece salwar suit, or a two-piece suit that consists of either a readymade kurta or a kurta cloth piece, each with a matching dupatta. For these, you must have the salwar pants stitched from cloth you buy separately. A third option would be to buy a two-piece ensemble, consisting of the top and pants, leaving you the task of buying an appropriate dupatta, or using one you already own, or buying a strip of cloth and having it dyed to your desire. The end result will always be a three-piece ensemble, but a customer may start with one piece (only the kurta) or two pieces (kurta and pants, or kurta and dupatta), and exercise her creativity and fashion sense to end up with the complete salwar kurta outfit.
The salwar-kameez is a form of dress that has been adopted widely in Punjab and is now known in English as the Punjabi suit; J. P. S. Uberoi suggests that the salwar-kameez is an Afghani import to Punjab (1998 personal communication). Punjabi forms of dress are therefore constructs or inventions of tradition rather than having historical veracity.
The comparatively limited range of stitched clothes available in pre-medieval India was, however, greatly expanded during the Sultanate and Moghul periods when various types of trousers, robes and tunics gained in popularity (Chaudhuri 1976: 51). ... Muslim women generally wore a veil (dupata), a long tunic (kamiz) with trousers (shalwar) or the wide flared skirt-like trouser (gharara). Following the Muslim conquest of northern India, many Hindu women gradually adopted such dress, eventually making it the regional style for parts of Northern India.
The shalwar kamiz, though introduced to India by Muslims, has been worn for centuries by both Hindus and Muslims in parts of northern India (see chapter 2). It has recently become the acceptable garb of female college students of all religions throughout the subcontinent. However, once married, Hindu women often revert to saris unless they either live in the far northern states or belong to a cosmopolitan urban elite. In most rural areas, the shalwar kamiz has retained its Islamic associations more strongly than in cities and is worn only by the educated few.
Much of traditional Indian women's clothing changed in the 12th century, when Muslims conquered north and central India. New dress styles were developed to cover the body as much as possible, befitting Islamic preferences. One option was a costume of wide-legged trousers (salwar) snugly fitted around the calves, worn with a long tunic (kameez) and short, fitted jacket.
The shalwar kamiz was worn traditionally by Muslim women and gradually adopted by many Hindu women following the Muslim conquest of northern India. Eventually, it became the regional style for parts of northern India, as in Punjab where it has been worn for centuries.
The salwar kameez entered India (when Pakistan, Bangladesh, and current-day India together made up India or the British Raj) as early as 12th century through Mughal (Muslim) invasions from Central and West Asia. India and Pakistan have a strong Persian influence. Until before India's independence from the British, it is Muslim women (and men) in the then British Raj (the term used to refer to India before independence) who primarily wore the salwar kameez, although there were gender and regional variations in style. After Pakistan/Indian independence from the British, the salwar kameez became an everyday clothing item especially for North Indian women (including Sikh women, although Sikhs are not Muslims) and Pakistani women because the influence of Muslim culture was the strongest in Pakistan and North India around the time of independence.
The village's men and boys largely dress in sombre colours in the loose trousers and long shirt (shalwar kameez) worn across Pakistan. Older men often wear woollen Chitrali caps (pakol), waistcoats and long coats (chugha), made by Chitrali tailors (darzi) who skills are renowned across Pakistan.
the shalwar kameez happens to be worn by just about everyone in Pakistan, including in all of Gilgit-Baltistan.
What is common in all the cases is the wearing of shalwar, kameez, and dupatta, the national dress of Pakistan.
The leaflet shows an Afghan maile dressed in usual attire—a shalwar kameez and woolen hat, or pakol.
Even highly educated women pursuing careers continue to wear traditional dress in urban India, although men of similar status long ago adopted Western attire. The forms of dress most popular with urban Indian women are the sari, the long wrapped and draped dress-like garment, worn throughout India, and the salwar-kameez or kurta-pyjama, a two-piece suit garment, sometimes also called Punjabi because of its region of origin. Whereas the sari can be considered the national dress of Indian women, the salwar-kameez, though originally from the north, has been adopted all over India as more comfortable attire than the sari.
Today, throughout India and especially in the northern regions and in larger cities such as Delhi, the shalwar kameez is worn frequently by Muslims and non-Muslims alike; the style for women has been widely adopted as an alternative to the sari and to Western clothing, particularly by college-age and unmarried young women. ... The kurta for men is similar in form and style to the shalwar kameez. The kurta, or tunic-length shirt, is collarless or has a mandarin- or Nehru style collar.
The women's form of Shalwar Kameez is usually accompanied by a scarf or 'dupatta' which can be worn around the neck, covering the chest area for 'modesty' or over the hair as a head covering.
a dupatta is a long, wide piece of cloth measuring approximately 2-2.5 meters long and 1 meter wide.
Muslim and Punjabi women—whether Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu—often wear the dupatta over the head to create a modest look while framing the face with colour. When entering a temple, Hindu women might comparably use their dupattas to cover their heads. Though the dupatta is often made of flimsy cloth and does not actually cover the body, its presence implies modesty, like many of the outer garments worn by Muslim women that do not cover much but do provide a symbolic extra layer, ...
The Pakistani National dress worn by women is Shalwar Kameez. This consists of a long tunic (Kameez) teamed with a wide legged trouser (Shalwar) that skims in at the bottom accompanied by a duppata, which is a less stringent alternative to the burqa. Modern versions of this National dress have evolved into less modest versions. Shalwar have become more low cut so that the hips are visible and are worn with a shorter length of Kameez which has high splits and may have a lowcut neckline and backline as well as being sleeveless or having cropped sleeves.
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has generic name (help)kurta.
A kurta is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, and now also worn around the world. Tracing its roots to Central Asian nomadic tunics, or upper body garments, of the late-ancient- or early-medieval era, the kurta has evolved stylistically over the centuries, especially in South Asia, as a garment for everyday wear as well as for formal occasions.
The Punjabis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region, comprising areas of northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. They generally speak Standard Punjabi or various Punjabi dialects on both sides.
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.
Indo-Western clothing is the fusion of Western and South Asian fashion.
The dupattā, also called chunni, chunari,chundari, lugda, rao/rawo, gandhi, pothi, orna, and odhni is a long shawl-like scarf traditionally worn by women in the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, in India, the dupatta is part of the women's lehenga or ghagra/chaniya choli. A lehenga is a three-piece outfit which is made up of a skirt, called a ghagra or chaniya; a blouse, called a choli, and a dupatta. The dupatta is worn over one shoulder, and traditionally, married women would also wear the dupatta over the head in temples or in front of elders.
A Patiala salwar is a type of female trousers which has its roots in Patiala City in the Northern region of Punjab state in India. The King of Patiala in earlier times wore a Patiala salwar as his royal suit. The Patiala Salwar has a close resemblance to the Pathani suit, which has loose layers similar to those of a salwar, and a long, knee-length top known as a kameez. The garment is no longer customarily worn by men, but has classically transformed itself with new cuts and styling into a women's garment.
Punjabi culture grew out of the settlements along the five rivers which served as an important route to the Near East as early as the ancient Indus Valley civilization, dating back to 3000 BCE. Agriculture has been the major economic feature of the Punjab and has therefore formed the foundation of Punjabi culture, with one's social status being determined by landownership. The Punjab emerged as an important agricultural region, especially following the Green Revolution during the mid-1960's to the mid-1970's, has been described as the "breadbasket of both India and Pakistan". Besides being known for agriculture and trade, the Punjab is also a region that over the centuries has experienced many foreign invasions and consequently has a long-standing history of warfare, as the Punjab is situated on the principal route of invasions through the northwestern frontier of the Indian subcontinent, which promoted to adopt a lifestyle that entailed engaging in warfare to protect the land. Warrior culture typically elevates the value of the community's honour (izzat), which is highly esteemed by Punjabis.
Churidars, also churidar pyjamas, are tightly fitting trousers worn by both men and women in the Indian subcontinent. Churidars are a variant of the common shalwar pants. Shalwars are cut wide at the top and narrow at the ankle. Churidars narrow more quickly so that contours of the legs are revealed. They are usually cut on the bias, making them naturally stretchy, which is important when pants are closefitting. They are also longer than the leg and sometimes finish with a tightly fitting buttoned cuff at the ankle. The excess length falls into folds and appears like a set of bangles resting on the ankle. When the wearer is sitting, the extra material is the "ease" that makes it possible to bend the legs and sit comfortably. The word churidar is from Hindi and made its way into English only in the 20th century. Earlier, tight-fitting churidar-like pants worn in India were referred to by the British as Moghul breeches, long-drawers, or mosquito drawers.
Ghagra choli is a type of ethnic clothing for women from the India, notably in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir. In Punjab, the lehenga is traditionally worn with a kurti. It is a combination of the ‘’ghagra or lehenga and the choli (blouse). In contemporary and modern usage lehenga choli is the widely used term by fashion designers, trend setters, and boutiques in India, since ghagra is synonymous with the half-slip (petticoat) worn as an undergarment below the sari.
Pakistani clothing refers to the ethnic clothing that is typically worn by people in the country of Pakistan and by Pakistanis. Pakistani clothes express the culture of Pakistan, the demographics of Pakistan, and cultures from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir regions of the country. The clothing in each region and culture of Pakistan reflect weather conditions, way of living, the textiles and embroidery used and its distinctive style which gives it a unique identity among all cultures.
The Punjabi ghagra is a four-piece outfit known as tewar or 'ti-or' which was traditionally worn by Punjabi women throughout the Punjab region with the outfit comprising a head scarf (Phulkari), kurta or kurti, ghagra and either a suthan or the Punjabi salwar (trousers). In modern times, the ghagra is worn by women in parts of Haryana, rural parts of south West Punjab, parts of Himachal Pradesh and during performances of Giddha in East Punjab.
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.
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.
Pheran or Phiran is the traditional outfit for both males and females in Kashmir.
Sindhi clothing are a part of the Sindhi culture. Sindhi women and men wear the Shalwar Qameez or the Kurta with Pyjama. Women also wear Sari or ghagra. However, before the adoption of the Shalwar kameez, kurta, the Sari as well as other articles of clothing, Sindhis had their own traditional costumes.
The people of Jammu have the following traditional clothing:
Perahan tunban, also known as Peran o Tunban, is a garment worn by men in Afghanistan and in some parts of Pakistan.
The traditional clothing and accessories worn in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa varies according to the area of the region. The following outfits are generally worn in the area, starting to north to south:
There are two types of Saraiki shalwar suits which originate in the southern area of Punjab, Pakistan. These are the Bahawalpuri shalwar suit and the Multani shalwar suit. The two main suits from that area.
Pathani Suit is an ethnic outfit for men in the South Asian culture. Basically it is a Muslim dress similar to Salwar kameez. It comprises three garments Kurta, Salwaar, and a vest, which is optional. Pashtun suit is popular among men as formal wear and worn on special occasions such as marriages and festivals. It is also called Khan suit and Pashtun suit.