10 Handy Tips To Tie a Saree

Selecting a saree after spending hours climbing up and down of several stores is a mammoth task. Then getting it ready, the number of trails to check your blouse and length is another daunting task and imagine being clustered around safety pins, accessories, heels, make-up, perfume and a floor covered with saree when you want to tie it for a special occasion? Not the one that any of us want to be in, right? Here are some super simple tips which slightly departs from the conventional style of draping a saree which will make you look flawless.

Also Read: The sari is a trusted friend says, Rima Ghose in Saree Stories

1. PREPARATION IS THE KEY

• Draping a saree is a difficult task unless and until you have been doing so for years.
• Make sure you have your blouse, petticoat, saree, accessories, shoes, safety pins and all the other required elements to tie a saree next to you placed neatly. You don’t want to be walking around the house with a half-done saree, isn’t it?

2. FIRST, MAKE YOUR HAIR AND FINISH YOUR MAKE-UP

• One common mistake most of us do is to finish draping the saree and then do our hair and make-up.
• This will result in your saree losing its shape and iron, and also, we are most likely to find stains of foundation on our sarees. To make the process is smooth, do your hair and make-up and then tie your saree.

3. GET THE PETTICOAT RIGHT AND TIGHT

• Most of the people tie the petticoats on their left but it’s better to tie the knot on their right because that’s where the pallu will go up to your shoulders and this will cover the bulge and give a smooth look to the saree.
• The tightness of the petticoat depends on the type of the saree. If it is a silk saree or any lightweight saree, it’s fine to have the petticoat a little bit loose. If it is a heavy work saree with stones then make sure the petticoat is tight.
• Also, no matter what cotton petticoat is the Best!

4. WEAR YOUR FOOTWEAR BEFORE TYPING THE SAREE

• Be it flats, wedges or heels, it’s very important to wear them first and then tie the saree.
• The reason is so that the length of the saree is in perfect alignment with your heels. If you tie your saree while standing on the floor and then wear a 3-4 inches heels, the entire look will be spoiled as the heels will not incorporate with the saree and it will grab unnecessary attention.

5. IRON YOUR SAREE WITH STEAM AND ON THE TOP SIDE

• If your saree is not ironed or if you find it necessary to give it a smooth look, iron the saree with just the steam with minimal heat and iron it on the outer side because the inner side has thread work and there are chances that you can burn it or it may come off.
• Iron it in parts either on a large iron table or even top of your bed with a light bedspreads below the saree.

6. TOP TO BOTTOM APPROACH: PALLU FIRST

• Usually, people insert the saree in the petticoat first but that’s old school, so begin with the pallu.
• Measure the border’s length and then use it as the width to make your pallu. Once done, secure it with a pin.
• Next Iron the pallu with steam so that it stays intact for a while. Measure the length of the pallu you want and then follow the above procedure. Iron the entire length and secure it with a pin.
• The end result will be a single piece of ironed pallu which are secured with pins. Put the pallu on first and secure it with a safety-pin.

7. SAFETY PIN IS THE SAVIOUR

• While many might say that safety pins spoil the look, it’s the only saviour in the saree business. Make sure you have 5-6 safety pins securing those bits which you feel unsure about.
• Brownie point for having these designed safety pins for securing the pleats. It looks beautiful that way!

8. TUCK IT BIT BY BIT AND IN EQUAL LENGTH

• After having the pallu in place, take the other side of the saree, tie a knot and insert it in the right side, where the petticoat was tied. This will make the ‘s front looks smooth and better.
• Insert the saree in equal length and very slowly, bit by bit so that the length in the bottom is in proportion.
• The tucking in needs to be according to the length that you want.

9. NAIL YOUR FIRST PLEAT AND THE REST FOLLOWS.

• Once done with one round of tucking in the saree, make sure that the first pleat is in symmetry with your navel as this marks the centre spot to tuck in the pleat.
• Once you have your first fold, follow it to finish the process, secure it with a pin and then insert it.
• Make sure you put minimum two pins to secure the pleats. Adjust it accordingly.

10. HAIR STRAIGHTER TO THE RESCUE.

• The main problem that arises is the pleats sometimes look huge and are not thin and straight. Hair straighter to the recuse.
• Heat the hair straighter and then switch it off. Immediately take it and press the pleats for maximum four-five seconds. This will result in perfect pleats.

Try it out and let us know how helpful this piece was! Happy draping!!

Also Read: Dress Up Or Down, The Choice Is Yours

Reshma Ganeshbabu is an intern with SheThePeople.TV.