Fashion in Bangladesh: Traditional fashion

Fashion is the driving force behind consumer buying. But fashion itself is shaped by dominant cultures as well as economic, environmental, religious and political forces of the time. Fashion has also been a globalised phenomenon long before the term ‘globalisation’ came into being. What happens in the west trickle into the east determining the general flow of style while meshing with local flavours. Only clothes and accessories do not represent the fashion scenario. Fashion is the flavour of a certain lifestyle or we can say the elements that determine a lifestyle.

Sari:
In the context of fashion, each decade has seen the emergence of a new look and before that had time to settle down; another one was already on the way. Throughout the changes, one thing that has stayed timeless for the Bangladeshi woman is the love of the sari. Needless to say nothing can make Bengali women look more elegant than this twelve feet long clothe.

According to variety and design saris have gone as far as they can go. Muslin, jamdani, cotton, taant, chiffon, silk, pure silk, Rajshahi silk, georgette, khadi and also tribal clothes like Manipuri, you name it you get a sari in it. Along with this, the twelve feet long and three and half feet wide arena is not confined in only Jameen, Par, and Aanchal. Rather it has turned into a canvas for many. From scenario of our rural life to poems and folksongs of our country you can get them all in saris, innovatively painted or printed. Beads, chumki, hand embroidery, batik, block, vegetable dyeing, and karchupi all sorts of craftsmanship have merged successfully with sari.

The way of wearing sari also changes from time to time. The traditional style of wearing sari is Ek Pache Sari (One-folded). But now in cities and suburbs the most reputed way of wearing sari is with Kunchi. These days’ blouses are taking much attention. Heavily embellished and contrast blouses complementing with simple saris are newest addition.

Saris still being at the top of the list for any fashion conscious Bengali woman. The desire to look unique has opened up a new arena of fashion- exclusive designer saris. With more and more women leading hectic lives trying to balance home and work, wearing salwar kameez as functional wear has become quite the norm. Saris are reserved mostly for special occasion like weddings, dinners and parties. Which also means that it is now more important for a woman to own a few exclusive saris rather than a lot mass produced ones.

Shalwar kameez:
In an age of rush, shalwar kameezes are not only comfortable but also easier to maintain. So nowadays this clothe is getting preferences by women of all ages. And there are also lots of varieties of shalwar kameezes according to place, time and person. Shalwar kameezes are also one of the main concerns of the fashion houses. So new trends are being set up by the course of time. Having a Dupatta (scarf), a kameez (long top) and shalwar (trousers) this set of clothe often called as three-piece. Sometime a pinafore of light cloth is added to this ensemble and thus named four-piece.

Fatua:
When the summer sizzles, it’s the time for fotuas. This short kurta type clothe is now on the top chart for boys and girls. Mostly in cotton but fotuas in khadi and silk are not very hard to find. Having block, print, batik, spray paint, embroidery, tie-die on them fatuas serve casual as well as formal purpose.

Lungi:
When it comes to say about lungi all we can say is comfort. A clothe without which Bengali men don’t feel comfy in their home and sometime in the outside, too. From the waist to the ankle this cotton made fabric is worn by a special technique with folds. These days some fashion houses are promoting silk made lungi as a signature of royalty.

Punjabi pajama:
For every formal occasion from the Jumma and Eid to Puja this is the most preferable option for Bengali boys and men, irrespective of age and social status. Some wear it as an everyday clothe, too. Usually churidar or trousers are cotton made, whereas the panjabi rather varies a lot in material. You can find panjabis in Silk, toshor, khadi, cotton, khoddor, etc. and yet some are trying it in georgette and chiffon also. The cloth can be in monocolour, or sometime with print, block, spray paint, batik, tie-die, and hand or machine embroidery. Panjabis are accessorized with sometime sleeveless coati or Uttorio (long scarf)