Indian Accessories

Tiara

On formal occasions women wear crown-like semi-circle often jeweled ornament on their head called Tiara. Traditionally the term refers to a cylindrical high crown

narrowed at its top. It is usually made of fabric or leather and decorated heavily. This was a wear of certain ancient kings and emperors.

Today a tiara is a semi-circular metal-made band, often embellished with jewels and is worn as an adornment, not as a symbol of rank. Ladies wear this head band around their head or forehead like a circlet. Winners of beauty or fashion contests are often crowned with sparkling tiaras and very rarely brides wear them as part of wedding costume.

Chokers

Extremely elegant choker necklaces fit very closely around the neck and suit very well with Indian and Western outfits. Choker necklaces are coming in a lot of styles and designs. Some chokers are provided with clasp closers while more modern looking ones are coming as open-back bangle chokers. They are highly sleek, sensual and cool to the touch and make the wearer too attractive that they are suited as every day as well as every occasion wear.

The chokers are made in various stunning designs like fine filigree work in silver or meenakari work and they offer a superb match to any favorite outfit. Chokers are available in one or more bands, made of various materials like velvet, metals, leather and beads. They are found in a variety of colors and may or may not be decorated with items like studs, sequins, pendants etc. the different forms include gold, silver, sterling silver, antique, hand made, beaded, pearl, designer, white gold, diamond, fashion, crystal, glass and Indian chokers.

Hair Clips

A popular form of accessory, hair clips can be used by ladies belonging to any age group. The hair clips come in various attractive, colorful designs. Clips look marvelous on hair with a blunt cut. Clips could used on half pony while the other half of the hair gives a neat tied up look. Hair clips increases the personality of a woman by providing a definition to her hair. Clips are very affordable and help to give an entirely new look to the hair; while the wearer looks nice with the pretty clips.

Belly Chains

Belly chains, a popular jewelry in India are worn around the waist by young as well as older women. These elegant chains are available in sterling silver,

in a single layer along with buckles which help to adjust different waist sizes. Classical as well as folk dancers wear beautiful, sparkling waist chains as an accessory.

A prominent waist chain is a long chain with some sort of charms or jewels dangling from it.Cabret dancers wear them more often than any other form of dancers. Belly chains are a hot fashion trend in jewelry. The latest hits include thin slinky belly chains, bold and large-beaded chains and a chain with a simple lace clinging to the waist softly.

The waist jewels were very popular in ancient India as seen in several temple sculptures, miniature paintings and frescoes from the Indus Valley Civilization onwards. To make the silver belly ornaments flexible they are made by chaining or threading together several links and they attain elasticity by the application of fine work.

Bangles

Bangles are one of the most popular traditional jewelry in India. Indian women wear bangles in pairs, one or more on each arm. They are made of precious materials such as gold, silver and platinum and non-precious like glass, wood, ferrous metals and plastic. Indian ladies like to wear either gold or glass bangles or a combination of both. Indian women’s craze, gold bangles are sold either plain and simple or highly decorated with precious or semi-precious stones, say diamonds, gems and pearls. Cheap glass and plastic bangles are available in various eye- catchy colors and intricate designs. Slowly plastic bangles are taking the place of glass bangles; but still glass bangles are preferred in marriages and religious functions.

Necklaces

India is famous for its necklaces, gold or any other materials, either plain or decorated with precious stones. However Indian woman wears a special necklace, ‘mangalasutra’, an equivalent to Western wedding ring, on her wedding day and removes it only if her husband dies.

Fashion changes in India rapidly in accordance with the changes happening in other fashionable countries. The world has become so small that when a fashion changes in some part of the world it soon spreads to other parts also, thanks to various books, magazines, movies and electronic media such as television, computer etc. Indians get the latest fashion trends from their relatives and friends settled down in other countries.

The fashion starts in Mumbai, the fashion hub of India and then filter into other parts 2-3 months later. Currently, Adidas, Nike and Proline stores are selling their sportswear like hot bread. Small thin teens like to wear the MTV accessories, skimpier and tighter wares, as worn by the TV compeers. Others making waves along with Adidas are Nike and Proline stores. MTV accessories are on the same lines, skimpier and tighter for the small and frail teens, like the compeers seen on the television channels. Bright color shoes especially in black are back having a touch of feminine sophistication.

As in abroad, fashions of 80s like too deep colors, heavy jewelry, and light color-opaque large sunglasses could be expected in India also shortly. Broad ornamental belts around skirts with tight T-shirts might stay here another 1-2 years.

Traditional wear saris look more elegant along with velvet stretch blouses and also with tight sleeveless ones, teaming with silver arm jewels. Short kurtas worn with the salwar/churidar and a dupatta give a modern look. Short kurta with half, short sleeves or sleeveless is likely to stay as a fashion sometime more. Mini handbags with short shoulder straps and creative designs and patterns are in vogue.

Loop earrings are back and 1 or 2 dozens metal or glass bangles match well with Indian as well as western outfits. Costume jewelry is affordable and lovely while diamonds and platinum are choice of the well to dos.

Fashion is always changing and every fashion-conscious lady will follow the latest trends starting from her hair to the toe. She always updates herself with the latest fashion of the season.

Kurta/Kurti
“Kurti”, the comfortable wear of the past has made resurgence in a modern style. It is creating waves in the west also. Season after season its popularity is not diminishing. One of the biggest fashion formulae created by designers, kurta fits well with any place, from college to convocations, from work to luncheons and from theatres to cocktails.

Modern kurta is available in various style, color and fabric and could be worn with churidars, denims, pants and skirts. Fabrics used to make kurtis are georgette, cotton, crepe, chiffon and khadi with embroidery and prints.

Black is Back
Black color has made a come back and presently black garments are very popular among fashion-aware ladies Simple stone jewels add the beauty of black dresses. Pink (a favorite color) accessories go well with black.

Blue Jeans
The latest craze in the glamour and fashion world is blue jeans. Teenagers, models, celebrities are too crazy about blue denim. The most popular jeans styles are boot-cut, straight cut and low-cut and today all purpose wear jeans is available in all possible styles and sorts. The favorite blue jeans skirts are absolutely dashing. The latest and popular jeans styles include decorated, embroidered, soiled, stonewashed, distressed sandblasted and bleached. Even though people still maintain certain styles, such as classic five-pockets and low cuts the latest trend liked by all is to mix and match. People like certain style and insist that to be included in denim creating a new fashion.

Hottest Baggy
Undoubtedly today’s hottest wear is the loose big giant sized baggy pants which can hold 4 times one’s size in it, That means this attire can hide one’s serious physical deforms. Baggy pants in worn along with a tank top or a snug-fitting top. The fabric used to make these pants is soft silk or fine cotton instead of brushed cotton and linen.

Indian garments with their exceptionally unique hand made embroidery works have a distinct look in the global market. Today when fabric, pattern, color schemes, embellishment and accessories could be easily created at any time anywhere, a mere designer’s label is not sufficient for a garment to be trusted. But the Indian outfits with its embroidery, that skill and finesse, cannot be generated elsewhere.

Zardozi is the most popular and sought after embroidery style among Indian fashion designers. Formerly, this traditional work was done in gold and silver threads. But now plain silk threads, producing a metallic sheen, are used to decorate Indian dresses. To make the impressions gum and chalk from paper stencils are used. Needles of different sizes are used to do this work by hand.

Chikankari or Chikan work is another popular variety of embroidery. The younger generation of chikankari workers in Lucknow readily agreed to experiment with latest fabrics like chiffon and also to make innovations on their techniques. These innovations hit the Mumbai fashion market instantly and these highly transformed embroidery works are found on crinkled cottons, appliqué and clothes with tassels. Young designers started to apply this work on the borders of silk materials white dupattas and stoles. Silk saris, cholis, lehngas and salwar suits in red, blue and green having chikankari work combined with small pearls and sequins are popular among present fashionable women. Crinkled lehngas, short kurtas and short skirts decorated with chikan works also create waves among teens and youths.

Then there are two embroidery forms trying to make a revival. Phulkari and sali/tube works have found place on wedding suits like tight kurtis and long skirts. The other form bidri work appears on cocktail saris, kurtis and salwar suits. Certain embroidery forms comprising mirrors, beads, stones, shells and even jute ropes embellish several modern latest casual outfits such as strapless halters, tops with one shoulder, back open blouses, lachhas, skirts having asymmetrical hemlines, parallels etc.

Thus modern fashion designers produce garments along with traditional embroidery forms in a smart way making Indian dresses stand out in the global market.