Modern styles
The dhoti saree
A fashion style that gives the saree the shape of a dhoti, with the pleats passed between the legs to make a trouser-like drape.
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The dhoti saree is a modern style in which the lower half is draped, or sewn, to look like a dhoti, with the cloth passing between the legs. It is a fashion style, though it borrows from older kachha drapes that give the same trouser shape. It moves freely, which makes it popular for dance, fusion wear and parties.
Wrapped step by step
Each drawing shows the cloth so far, with the newest step outlined in gold. The figure is a front view; the wearer's left is on your right.
Step 1 Tuck the plain end of the saree into the petticoat or waistband at the right hip. Step 2 Wrap the cloth once round the waist. Step 3 Gather the remaining cloth into a bunch of pleats at the front. Step 4 Pass the pleats between the legs and tuck them at the back of the waist, as in the kachha style. Step 5 Take the pallu across the chest and over the left shoulder. Step 6 Pin the pallu and let the end hang at the back. Finished The dhoti saree, seen from the front.
Where it comes from
Draping the saree between the legs is old. The Maharashtrian nauvari, some Kodava and Madisar drapes, and the kachha style of many working women all do it. The dhoti saree of fashion is a recent restyling of that idea, made for party and festive wear. Designers sell it in two ways: as a plain saree to be draped in the kachha manner, or as a ready-made set with a stitched dhoti-style lower and a separate pallu. The name belongs to the market, not to a community, and the fit and details vary by maker.
How it looks
Seen from the front, the wearer appears to be in loose, draped trousers that gather at the ankle or fall to the shin, with a saree pallu worn over the left shoulder. The back shows the cloth tucked in at the waist. Because the hem sits higher than a regular saree, shoes and anklets are visible. Fabrics that drape well, such as silk, crepe and georgette, suit it best, and the border is often placed at the hem or edge of the pallu.
Who wears it and when
It is worn for parties, sangeet nights, engagement functions and festive gatherings, and by dancers and performers who want free movement. Some wearers choose it over a standard saree because it is easier to walk and sit in. It is not tied to any ritual. For traditional ritual drapes of the same trouser shape, such as the nauvari or the Madisar, the community's own method should be followed instead of this fashion style. It is also seen on stage, where the freedom of the legs lets a dancer move without worrying about the hem. This guide gives the general form, and a maker, dresser or family may do it a little differently.
Sarees worn this way
Also part of it, and being written: Georgette (Drapes softly around the legs.).
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryPallu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The drawings are simplified diagrams of the order of wrapping, not a lesson: how a drape is worn differs from family to family. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Banarasi sari: Ekabhishek, CC BY-SA 3.0, source