Ancient man used to attire in a loose fit single piece of clothing called Dhoti. It was draped around the legs and one end was tucked along the waist. This extremely comfortable traditional men’s wear has definitely gone out of fashion as far as cities are concerned but has paved way for the birth of newer versions of costumes. Today we see a balanced blende of ethnic designing and western styling in the Indian clothing collection. Our motherland has a rich cultural heritage and it is this rich diversity that has fascinated our Indian fashion designers of the present day to showcase these beautiful diversities in their exclusive designs.

Indian ethnicity is characterized by exquisite embroideries, beautiful bright colors and rich brocade and multifarious designs.In fact, all these elements have been integrated to bring out the best collection of fashion clothing.Entirely ethnic attire for men and women may seem to be outdated, while stunningly westernized attire will also be not accepted in our culture.Today’s fashion mantra seems to be a subtle mix of ethnicity and modernity.

Men’s clothing comprise Dhoti, Lungi, Sherwani, Kurta Pyjama and of course trousers and shirts.Lehenga, Salwar Kameez, Churidar, Ghagra Choli and Sari constitute women’s fashion wear.

In the present scenario Bollywood celebrities have such a strong influence on the people that whatever they do or whatever they attire becomes a fashion style that everybody especially the younger generation wishes to copy. The fashion scene also changes patterns as per the trends set by noted fashion designers.

Over the ages                                                                                                                                         

Clothing in India varies from one village to another village, from one city to another city. India's clothing heritage is rich in tradition, vibrant in colors and appealing in designs.It constitutes beautiful silk, cotton and other fabrics either hand woven or woven in textile mills.

Ancient Indian garments generally used no stitching although Indians knew about sewing. Most clothes were ready to wear as soon as they left the loom. The traditional Indian Dhoti, the Scarf or Uttariya, and the popular Turban are still in vogue in India and continue to be part of Indian fashion. Likewise, for women, the Lehenga or the Sari as the lower garments, combined with a Stanapatta formed the basic ensemble. And these were garments that do not have to be stitched, the stanapatta being simply fastened in a knot at the back.

And the Dhoti or the Sari worn covering both legs at the same time or, alternately, with one end of it passed between the legs and tucked at the back is the fashion that is still prevalent in the rural areas of India. Indian men and women opt for these garments that are worn with accessories such as turbans and veils in the usually hot Indian climate.

The Indian sari, a time-tested attire remains the traditional clothing of Indian women. Worn in varied styles, it is a long piece of flat cotton, silk or other fabric woven in different textures with different patterns. The sari has a lasting charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size.
This graceful feminine attire can also be worn in several ways and its manner of wearing as well as its color and texture are indicative of the status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman.

Modern day clothing

The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is called a choli. The choli evolved as a form of Indian clothing around the tenth century AD and the earliest cholis covered only the front portion ie the bosom;the back was always bare.Cholis are worn, alongwith ghagras or saris in the north even without brassieres as they are tailored in such away that they retain the structure of the breasts.

Another popular attire of women in Indian clothing is the Indian salwar-kameez. This popular Indian dress evolved as a comfortable and respectable garment for women in Kashmir and Punjab region, but is now immensely popular in all regions of India. Salwars are pyjama-like trousers drawn tightly in at the waist and the ankles. Over the salwars, women wear a long and loose tunic known as a kameez. One might occasionally come across women wearing a churidar instead of a salwar. A churidar is similar to the salwar but is tighter fitting at the hips, thighs and ankles. Over this, one might wear a collarless or mandarin-collar tunic called a kurta.

Though the majority of Indian women wear traditional Indian dresses, the men in India can be found in more conventional western clothing like shirts and trousers.However, men in Indian villages are still more comfortable in traditional attire like kurtas, lungis, dhotis and pyjamas. Indian dresses & styles are marked by many variations, both religious and regional and one is likely to witness a plethora of colors, textures and styles in garments worn by the Indians.

Children’s attire

Children’s clothing has been most influenced by globalization.these days.What used to be once the simple ’valli knicker’ and ‘pavada’for boys and girls has given way to jeans, tee-shirts and tunics of varied designs today as a result of the influence of modernisation.

Owing to growth of women empowerment and influence of western culture, nowadays most of the teens and young adult girls in cities wear low hip jeans, low neck tops, tight jeans or baggies and trousers, half trousers, Bermudas, sleeve-less T shirts etc.For the young boys, it’s normally jeans with T shirt, Bermudas, shorts with shirt, or pants with shirt or T shirt.These dresses are worn on all occasions whether formal or casual.

Indo-Western clothing is the fusion of Western and South Asian fashion. With increasing exposure of India to the Western world, the merging of kid's clothing styles was inevitable. Most of the younger generation choose to wear Indo-western clothing for comfort as well as fashion.

The clothing of the quintessential Indo-western ensemble is the trouser suit, which is a short kurta with straight pants and a dupatta. Newer designs often feature sleeveless tops, short dupattas, and pants with slits. New fusion fashion statements are emerging rapidly, as designers compete to produce designs in tune with current trends.Additional examples of the fusion that Indo-western clothing for the young represents include wearing jeans with a choli, salwar or kurta, adding a dupatta to a western-style outfit, and wearing a lehenga (long skirt) with a tank top or halter top.