The Saree is one of the oldest quintessential Indian traditional wear. The best thing about sarees is that any woman can carry it off with great panache. Every woman can wear it and look beautiful in it regardless of her shape and age. Sarees can be worn in many ways and each way gives a different look. In India the style of wearing a saree varies from region to region. The only thing that we must keep in mind while choosing a saree is that it should compliment our body shapes.
While a woman having hour glass shape can rock every saree; a woman who is a bit overweight should take a bit of care while choosing saree for herself to look slim. In this article we will give you some tips on how to wear a saree if you are fat.
Wear a light fabric saree
Sarees which are of light weight fabric work best for your body type as it sticks closely to the body. Fabrics like chiffon, georgette, Italian silk and crepe will make you look slim. It will give your body a balanced shape. Avoid wearing a saree which is of stiff fabric like cotton and organza as they add volume to your body and makes you look fatter.
You might also be interested in how to wear a saree without blouse and petticoat.
Wear dark colored sarees
Dark colored sarees give a slim look and help in hiding flaws in your body. So, it’s best for women who are fat. Light colored sarees highlight all parts of your body and hence do not hide any flaws in the body. So, it makes you look heavy and fatter.
Dark colored sarees are also some of the most elegant and sensual sarees. If you don't want to wear pitch black to look more slim, we recommend you go for colors such as burgundy, navy blue, emerald green or dark brown.
Avoid prints on your saree
Avoid large big prints as it makes you look heavy. Small prints and motifs in flower prints and small leaf prints look best on you and will help you look slim. You can also wear saree having delicate embroidery and bead work.
Choose the border of the Saree
Choose a saree with narrow borders. You will also look good in sarees which do not have borders, or a plain saree. Sarees with narrow borders or no border will make you look both slim and tall. Avoid sarees which have broad or very heavy border.
Drape your saree to look slim
The way in which a saree is draped can change your look and make you look slim and, contrary to popular belief, you will need to tighten it as much as possible. Drape your saree so that it is not loose anywhere. Lessen the number of pleats while draping the saree or take a look at these ideas to wear a saree without pleats. This is because tucking too many pleats will add volume to your appearance. Adjust the pleats of your saree in such a way that they do not fall at one place only. We suggest you follow these steps to drape your saree to look slim:
- Begin by tucking the saree basically from your navel to your sides.
- Tuck once, leave some fabric loose, and tuck more once again right after the navel.
- Create a long shoulder pallu, which will make you look taller.
- Stretch the loose fabric on the left hand side to give shape and pin it up so this piece of fabric is tense.
- Get the loose fabric from the right side and create lower pleats, remember not to make too many, six to seven is enough. Hide the loose material firmly behind the pleats so it doesn't create extra volume.
- Set the pleats properly so that they are extra firm and tie them to the excess material.
- Tuck it inside and pin it to secure it.
- Create the pallu pleats by stretching the material from the front by taking the material from back to front and securing it to your left shoulder.
- Make just one plait, secure and start making pallu pleats (6-7)with the rest of the material, starting from the far corner of the remaining fabric.
- Once they are done, equal them and pin it up.
However, if your overweight is due to pregnancy it's different, as you don't want to put too much strain on your belly or your child. Take a look at how to wear a saree when pregnant for more tips.
Take a look at some new ways to drape a saree in our article on how to wear a saree in a new style.
What to wear under the saree
If you can wear compression tights or a girdle under your saree, this would make your figure look slim. However, do not be too self-conscious about your figure as lots of men love curvy women.
Regarding the top, not wearing a blouse or petticoat is not precisely recommended, and wearing a blouse with sleeves will help you create a nice figure too. It is recommended by experts to wear three quarter sleeves, these will suit you best and make you look slim.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Wear a Saree if You Are Fat, we recommend you visit our Fashion & Style category.
- Do not drape your saree's palla entirely on your shoulder and let it gracefully fall loose instead.