When talking about Asian clothing, the first thing that comes to mind is shalwar kameez. There are many different styles and designs of Asian clothes available but the most common traditional dress worn by most Pakistani or Indian women is shalwar kameez. Don’t get me wrong, when I say shalwar kameez, I do not mean that everyone is walking around wearing the same thing. Because that is not the case at all.
With the passage of time, the traditional shalwar kameez dress has evolved into many different styles that it is hard to keep count. By introducing variations of the top, as well as the bottom, shalwar kameez dresses now come in a lot of styles. Let me tell you all you need to know about the diverse style of shalwar kameez dresses available today.
Style of Shalwar Kameez Dresses
When you step into a market, you will find that apart from the typical simple kameez, there are other designs that you can get to wear with your shalwar.
Kurta Style Shalwar Kameez
A traditional kurta style shalwar kameez looks a lot like a regular kameez but it is much loose. It usually doesn’t have the fitting curves and has the same width from the around the chest till the end. There is usually little or more embroidery done on the kurta to make it look more stylish and elegant. You can wear a kurta with a trouser or shalwar. You can even pull off a shorter style of kurta with jeans as well.
Long fitted style kameez with churidar
Churidar pajama lost its value a few decades ago when modern clothing took over. However, now the trend is coming back with all its zest. A long kameez with a churidar pajama makes quite an elegant outfit for any gathering or even for regular wear. Pair this dress with good traditional sandals and you have a look that you will find appropriate to wear anywhere you go.
Short style Kameez with Patiala Shalwar
This look can never go out of fashion no matter how many years pass by. A traditional short kameez and wide Patiala shalwar look is something you can wear all the time. It is quite a comfortable outfit to wear and it looks great as well.
Mid-Length style kameez with straight trousers
The most common shalwar kameez look among young girls these days is the kameez with straight pants or trousers. This gives shalwar kameez quite a modern spin and looks good on women of all ages, especially young ones. You can choose the length of kameez that suits you and pair it with straight trousers. The trouser can be well-fitted or have wide pants look. Either way, it makes a great everyday outfit.
Capri style trouser paired with short shirt
Whether you wear a short or a mid-length shirt, wearing capri pants as a bottom will create a very modern classy look for you. However, this outfit is not for everyone to wear. Most young girls like to wear capri pants with a kameez. This is why it is not a very common look to pull off especially if you’re living in countries like Pakistan or India. In western countries, however, young girls are seen wearing such looks quite often. This has nothing to do with the way they look and everything to do with the culture of the country one is living in.
What fabrics to use for shalwar kameez dresses?
There are uncountable types of pure and mixed fabrics that are available in the market for you to choose from. And trust me when I say that you can make a shalwar kameez dress out of almost all of them.
The most common cloth that is used to make shalwar kameez is cotton. You can never go wrong with a simple cotton shalwar kameez suit. Other than cotton, you can easily use linen, chiffon, lawn, etc. The best thing about these common fabrics is that there are many subtypes also available. So, it doesn’t matter whether you want a light or cool material for summers or a warm one for your winters. You can easily get a shalwar kameez dress for any season.
Not just for daily wear, you can also make your shalwar kameez dress fancy for events like weddings and other types of parties. For that, you just have to opt for a fancier material like a banarsi suit and add in embroidery, laces or motifs to make it look appropriate as per the event.
Accessories to go with shalwar kameez
While a good styled shalwar kameez dress will look gorgeous and elegant on its own, there are some events that call for some accessories. This totally depends on where you want to wear your dress. For a small gathering, you can use light and delicate jewelry like small studs, bracelets, etc. For bigger events like weddings, you can wear heavy traditional jewelry, traditional bangles, and other such things.
For footwear, you can opt for a cute pair of stilettoes or some flat sandals. Heels don’t really go with a shalwar kameez look, but if you still want to wear heels then go for a delicate short one instead of a high or block heel.
To be precise, you can wear a shalwar kameez look in any style for any occasion as long as you know how to carry it properly. Hope this article helped you with your look for an upcoming event.