People have admired the beauty and quality of Indian clothing since the fifth century BC, and things haven’t changed much since then.

Not only are these garments gorgeous, glamorous, and luxurious, there’s also a lot of variety when it comes to Indian outfits.

Curious? Here’s a guide to the main types of Indian clothing for women.


The Sari

These are the best-known types of Indian dresses, consisting of a long unsewn cloth adorned with patterns. This fabric’s usually about between two and four feet wide, and five to nine yards long.

This is the go-to dress for most Indian women and can be draped differently for various occasions.

The sari is most commonly worn by wrapping the fabric around the waist on one end and then draping the other end over one shoulder.

Lehenga Choli

You’ll usually see these traditional Indian dresses in the Northern parts of India like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.

It comprises a long embroidered and pleated skirt, called the lehenga, and the choli which is a midriff-baring blouse. This top’s usually perfectly fitted to the upper body with short sleeves and a low neck. The final touch is the dupatta, inserted into the skirt and wrapped and draped like a sari.

Some modern lehenga choli outfits have different styles like cape style dresses, jacket style dresses, or side-slit dresses.

Kurti or Kurta

These types of Indian clothes comprise a knee-length skirt or blouse usually worn on formal occasions. They’re just as good for office wear and often paired with an Indian scarf called a dupatta.

Sometimes the kurta’s worn over salwar pants, which are tight at the ankles and wide at the thighs or churidar which fits like leggings or jeans.

Salwar Kameez

These dresses, also known as a Punjabi suit, are mostly worn in Northern India.  The outfit consists of slender leggings fitted at the waist and hip and worn under a kameez, which is a long tunic.

Bollywood actresses and teenagers favor this type of outfit and it’s often worn with a dupatta too. Other versions of these outfits have a churidar, which fits more snugly at the hips, waist, and ankles.

Choosing the Right Types of Indian Clothing

Even modern Indian women base their outfit choices more on preference than tradition nowadays, so you’re unlikely to offend anyone with your Indian outfits when you wear them out in public.

So if you want to embrace these beautiful fashions at a special event or a relaxed day out, there’s no need to feel self-conscious about it. Embrace the style and fabrics that suit you and enjoy the cool comfort of Indian clothing types.

Embrace Your Individuality

Now that you’re au fait with the types of Indian clothing available out there, you’re all set for your next themed dinner or a long-awaited trip to the Far East.