Contemporary wear

Men's

Kurta Churidar

This form of dress is fast witnessing a general acceptance among the contemporary men in Kerala. Though a North Indian form of dress it has wide acceptance and is frequently worn by a select class of people. Churidars consist usually of fine muslins or cotton and white in colour. The traditional churidar is tied with a nara at the waist. New variants come with an elastic, and do away with the hassle of tying the knot (of the nara, i.e)! What is special about them is that they are longer than the legs. Their extremes are crinkled and crumpled to fit. Creases thus developed resemble 'churis' or bangles, hence the name churidars. A churidar is a perfect accompaniment to long kurtas and sherwanis.

Jodhpuri

A Jodhpuri suit is a fine blend of Indian and western tastes and comes with a coat and a trouser, at times accompanied by a vest. It brings together the western cut with Indian hand embroidery escorted by the very famous Nehru Collar. Though it has been around in Kerala for a long time it has still not grown to be that popular even in cities.

Kurta Pajama

It is a Long comfortable garment, worn with a set of Pajamas and comes usually with embroidery. An Informal way of dressing, it can also be formal depending on the design. It is available in a variety of cuts and colours.

Sherwanis

It is a long coat like garment, worn by men close to the body, reaching below knee-length and opening in front with button-fastenings. This form of the dress adds glamour and style and is used for ceremonial occasions like weddings, parties etc.

Women's

Salwaar Kameez

Though a north Indian dress the salwar kameez in Kerala has become a craze among the younger generations. Its acceptance is to a large extent due to its unique and outstanding styles and convenience. The comfort that salwar kameez provides has made it so popular that it is worn on formal and non-formal occasions.

In Kerala tradition always played a prominent part in the acceptance of every form of modern dress circulating in the country.

Lehnga

Lehnga is steeped in tradition and its history can be traced to the Mughal royalty. Considered the apt dress on ceremonial occasions and worn by people of royal blood in olden days, lehngas come in many different styles. Lehengas are glamorous and elaborate. Rich fabrics such as silk, organza, jamewars and brocades have been used lavishly in lehengas. The creations are inspired by the timeless traditional motifs and contemporary patterns. The colours are bright in hues of reds, oranges, maroons, and gold. Considered to be the most appropriate feminine dress lehengas are available in a variety of sizes. It has become so popular in Kerala that lehenga has replaced the traditional sari among a large chunk of the younger generations. It is also considered to be the best wear during the day and evening time.

Short Kurtis and long Kurtis

Though a late entrant to the Kerala fashions scene, the kurtas have captured the imagination and fashion demands of a large portion of the younger feminine folk

The cut of the Kurta provides room for air to flow between the garment and your skin and Kurtas often feature the long sleeves you need to cover-up after a bout of sunbathing. What sets the garment apart is often the embroidery. Zardozi, traditional gold and silver wire embroidery has been superseded by plain thread embroidery to give the understated, yet elegant look for the daytime. Chikankari is a lovely work, which involves intricate shadow type of embroidery done on white yarn. The Kurti is unlikely to die. Trendsmay change, chikankari work may be superseded by phulkari and the style may push the boundaries with ever more transparent tunics, but when it comes to comfort, style, and sheer wearability there is little to beat the humble Tunic.

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