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Handloom

How to drape a saree

Four regional drapes. The Nivi is the one to learn first; the other three change where the pallu — the decorated end — ends up, and each suits a different kind of fabric.

Before you start

The same three things make every drape below easier.

  1. 1Wear the petticoat and blouse first, and match the petticoat to the saree rather than to your skin.
  2. 2Wear the shoes you intend to wear. The hem is set at the floor, so changing heel height afterwards changes the length.
  3. 3Keep a handful of safety pins within reach. Silk and georgette slip; cotton generally does not.

Nivi

Andhra Pradesh, and the drape most people mean by "saree"

The safest first drape. Works in almost any fabric, and the pleats hang best in something with a little body — silk cotton, Chanderi, Maheshwari.

  1. 1Tuck the plain end into the petticoat at the navel, right side first, and take one full turn around the waist.
  2. 2Make five to seven pleats, each about five inches wide, gathering them together like a fan.
  3. 3Tuck the pleats into the petticoat slightly to the left of the navel, and make sure the lower edge is even with the floor.
  4. 4Take the remaining fabric around the back and bring the pallu up over the left shoulder.
  5. 5Let the pallu fall to roughly the back of the knee, and pin it at the shoulder if the fabric is slippery.

Bengali

West Bengal

Made for a crisp cotton or a tant. The wide box pleats need a fabric that holds a fold rather than one that pours.

  1. 1Tuck the plain end at the navel and take a full turn around the waist, as you would for the Nivi.
  2. 2Instead of a fan of narrow pleats, make two broad box pleats and tuck them facing outward.
  3. 3Bring the fabric around the back and drape the pallu over the left shoulder from behind.
  4. 4Bring the pallu under the right arm and up over the left shoulder a second time, so it hangs down the front.
  5. 5Traditionally a set of keys is knotted into the corner of the pallu, which also keeps it from slipping.

Gujarati

Gujarat, Rajasthan — also called seedha pallu, the "straight" pallu

The drape to choose when the pallu is the best part of the piece. It sits across the chest where it can be seen, so it favours a heavy Banarasi border or a worked pallu.

  1. 1Tuck and pleat at the waist as you would for the Nivi.
  2. 2Take the fabric around the back, but bring the pallu over the right shoulder instead of the left.
  3. 3Spread the pallu open across the chest from right to left, rather than letting it hang behind.
  4. 4Tuck the outer corner of the pallu into the petticoat at the left hip to hold the spread in place.
  5. 5Adjust so the border of the pallu sits flat and the work faces forward.

Coorgi

Kodagu, Karnataka

Practical and distinctive — the pleats sit at the back, which keeps the front clean. Good in a lighter silk.

  1. 1Tuck the plain end at the navel and take a turn around the waist.
  2. 2Make the pleats as usual, but tuck them in at the centre back rather than the front.
  3. 3Bring the remaining fabric forward around the right side.
  4. 4Take the pallu over the right shoulder from front to back, then bring it back over the shoulder to the front.
  5. 5Pin the pallu at the right shoulder — this drape depends on the pin rather than on tucking.

Which fabric suits which drape

A drape is mostly a question of weight. A crisp cotton holds a box pleat and will not hold a soft fall; a fine silk does the opposite. If you are unsure, the fabric is listed on every piece.

See the sarees