Accessories for sarees can improve your style quotient
Accessories for sarees have a strange effect on people.
Choosing the right set of accessories for sarees can shape the perception about the wearer! The way you drape your saree and the accessories you choose can make you either a paragon of virtue or a whore!
Studio Kohl’s “Unfolding the Saree” beautifully illustrates this concept through graphic design and printed material. You can read all about the Madonna / Whore phenomenon here.
The success of wearing a saree boils down to attention to detail, a bit of know-how and adherence to etiquette. The wearer will come across as intelligent!
Not only must a woman learn how to wear a saree properly, but she must know how to accessorise the garment appropriately.
Choosing the right accessories can improve the wearer’s style quotient!
Here are some compelling reasons why you should start paying attention to the accessories you wear along with your saree:
1. Choosing accessories based on the occasion
There are lots of Indian saree accessories to choose from. When you put in the effort to wear the right kind of saree and accessories for the right occasion, you will manage to pull off one of the following – you will be the centre of attention or you will blend with the crowd.
But if you disregard the context or the occasion, you will draw unnecessary attention when you are better off blending in and vice versa!
2. A smart woman pays attention to detail!
The devil is in the detail and people always appreciate anyone who pays attention to details. When you choose accessories for a saree, focus on the small things like the bindi, the colour of the nail polish, or the choice of bangles. After all, small things add up and accessories have a disproportionate effect on the style quotient when you wear a saree.
Check out additional style recommendations from Desiroyale’s here.
3. Getting all the right colours together pays
Choosing the right colours can make or break your style. An expensive set of bangles may ruin your style quotient if it is not of the right colour that works with your saree and other accessories. It is important we steal some ideas from nature!
According to the attire club, “analogue colours are those colours which lie on either side of any given colour (in a colour wheel). Often these are colour schemes found in nature. An outfit that makes use of analogous colours usually feels harmonious.”
Indian women often walk straight into fashion disasters!
If you are sloppy with your accessories, you can easily ruin the elegance of your designer saree. Here are some examples of how not to choose accessories for sarees.
1. Wrong footwear
Wearing wedges, casual platform heels, ballerina flats or flip-flops is a big no-no since they ruin the overall look of the saree. Stilletos and peep-toes help enhance the attire and make you look slimmer and taller.
Check out our essential list of 21 bridal blouse designs before you buy your accessories! Click here to get the scoop.
3. Wearing heavy jewellery
A saree is never complete without some jewellery. But it is important to make sure it is not overdone. Too much of mismatched, loud or colourful jewellery can ruin the look of the saree and make you look gaudy. The trick is to keep it simple and minimal so that the beauty of the saree is enhanced with one statement piece of jewellery. It also helps you to look younger!
A word of advice! Heavy necklaces don’t suit women with fat on their neck and collar bone.
3. Carrying the wrong bag
It is important to make sure that your handbag is given due consideration so that overall style quotient is not ruined. Clutches and potli bags go best with sarees as compared to huge bags if you are attending a party.
4. Misfit blouse
The beauty of a saree is attributed to the blouse it is paired up with! A loose blouse makes you look old fashioned and sloppy while a tight blouse reveals the back’s fat and makes you look undefined and unstructured!
Blouses should be made with delicacy and skill to truly enhance your beauty. Make sure you get your blouse stitched to perfection – not too loose or not too tight.
Just remember to wear the right bra while taking measurements for a blouse, so that it does not pop out over the shoulders or at the back!
5. Choosing the wrong petticoat
Just as a badly done blouse can ruin a saree, so can the coloured petticoat! A brightly coloured petticoat being too visible ruins the saree’s beauty. Also, see to it that the fabric and fitting of the petticoat are perfect so that it does not play spoilsport!
Too long or too short petticoats should be avoided, and so are flared petticoats, since they make you look shapeless. Loose petticoats can create folds that can ruin the look of your saree and if it is loose over the waist, it gets heaped up which makes the waist look fat!
If your petticoat is too narrow, it makes you very uncomfortable and you may end up walking like a duck! Take care to wear a petticoat of floor length, if you opt to wear high heels and a sheer saree.
Tips and tricks for choosing accessories for sarees!
We have lined up 8 simple tips and tricks to answer the million dollar questions – how to choose accessories for sarees?
Occasion, colour, patterns, body type, complexion
The key in choosing accessories for sarees is not only to coordinate with the colours, but also with the pattern, your body type, complexion, and occasion.
For example, when you are wearing sarees with lots of patterns, simple accessories are the best. Too many accessories and too much jewellery can make the prints look tacky!
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Matching accessories to body types
When you wear sarees, you need to consider your body type before choosing the right accessories. That’s because sarees accentuate your curves a lot more than other attires.
Tall, thin women look best with short, slouchy bags like hobos and clutches.
Petite women should avoid oversize bags since they overwhelm their small frames.
Short women should steer clear of handbags with long straps. Plus-size and hourglass-shaped women look good with medium-sized bags.
Plus-size and hourglass-shaped women look best with medium-sized boxy or structured handbags to balance out their curves.
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Shape of your face
Women with round faces should not choose heavy jewellery. Small earrings would give the illusion of an oval look (which is always desirable) whereas long earrings would make your face more round. And when you wear heavy jewellery, a saree with limited or simple patterns always work.
When you wear heavy jewellery, a saree with limited or simple patterns always work.
If you are wearing a saree with a colourful border, it is advisable to wear a long chain so that the pendant steers clear of the border design on the saree.
Interested in simple hacks to glamorise your saree attire? Check out this informative video.
Bindis that work for you
For long faces, a round bindi will look good. If you have a square or round face, go for a long bindi. The choice of bindi also depends on the look you are aiming for.
A fancy shimmery or stone-studded bindi gives you a mature look and is perfect for silk sarees while a plain, small bindi gives you a cute, girlish look and is best for daily wear sarees.
Luckily for women, the colour of the bindi need not always match the saree!
Complexion, sarees, and accessories
All accessories should complement the saree which in turn complements the skin colour.
For fair complexioned women, white, off-white, peach, or yellow coloured sarees are the best options.
For dark or dusky women, sarees in a dark colour like dark pink, dark purple, maroon or green suits them best.
What jewellery to wear with saree?
Jewellery should be worn according to the occasion and look of the saree.
Plain cotton sarees look best with simple studs, or a light dangling earring, a thin gold chain and a couple of gold bangles to complete the look.
A saree with silver zari looks best with silver or diamond jewellery while a saree with gold work teams up well with gold jewellery.
Kundan jewellery matches up well with chiffon sarees and temple jewellery suits silk sarees. South Indian coin jewellery works well with designer sarees. Gold plated jewellery will match all your traditional sarees.
Jewellery with a combination of traditional and western designs is best suited for a faux georgette saree.
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Check out this short video that has a treasure trove of tips to fill your wardrobe with the right clothes and accessories.
Saree accessories for parties or wedding
For parties or weddings, the best accessories would be an embroidered bag embellished with sequins, threadwork or beads, chandelier earrings, choker necklace, a large cocktail ring, bangles, hip chain (kamarbandh) and anklets.
The kamarbandh works best if you are attending a wedding. It is recommended that you drape your saree on your lower hip when wearing a kamarbandh. However, the kamarbandh doesn’t look good if you have a broad waist.
Saree accessories for work-day
For work-day occasions, simple accessories like delicate jewellery (subtle earrings, thin bracelet, long sleek chains with small pendants), classic watch, large satchel or shoulder bag and open-toe heels or chappals work best. This will accentuate your looks and make you look younger!
Read our comprehensive guide on the 5 types of Indian Wedding Sarees, how they are made, where to buy them, and how to keep them in pristine condition. Click here to read our article.
3-step guide to choosing your accessories for sarees
If all of this advice is too much for you to consider, we have come up with a simple, 3-step process to find a perfect set of accessories for sarees.
Step 1: Choose the right saree for the occasion. If you are planning on attending a wedding, a silk saree might be the best bet. For example, accessories for silk sarees may not work very well with other types of sarees or outfits.
Step 2: Select the right sarees based on your complexion. Your choice of sarees should ideally serve as a contrast to your complexion and not become a camouflage! If you have a wheatish complexion, pick colours from the opposite ends of the colour spectrum, i.e., light colours or dark colours. Avoid picking mustard or olive coloured sarees!
Step 3: Now that you have the right saree, it’s time to pick the right set of accessories. Choosing the accessories based on your body type will certainly make you a smart woman with an understated sophistication that will turn heads.
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