Salwar Kameez Trousers

Salwar Kameez Trousers Definition

Source(Google.com.pk)

The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak), left open below the waist-line, give the wearer greater freedom of movement.

Shalwar are gathered at the waist and held up by a drawstring or an elastic band. The pants can be wide and baggy or more narrow, and even made of fabric cut on the bias.

The kameez is usually cut straight and flat; older kameez use traditional cuts, as shown in the illustration above. Modern kameez are more likely to have European-inspired set-in sleeves. The tailor's taste and skill are usually displayed, not in the overall cut, but in the shape of the neckline and the decoration of the kameez. Modern versions of the feminine kameez can be much less modest than traditional versions. The kameez may be cut with a deep neckline, sewn in diaphanous fabrics, or styled in cap-sleeve or sleeveless designs. The kameez side seams may be split up to the thigh or even the waistline, and it may be worn with the salwar slung low on the hips. When a woman wears a semi-transparent kameez (mostly as a party dress), she wears a choli or a cropped camisole underneath it.

When women wear the salwar kameez, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck. For Muslim women, the dupatta is a less stringent alternative to the chador or burqa (see also hijab and purdah). For Sikh and Hindu women (especially those from northern India, where the salwar kameez is most popular), the dupatta is useful when the head must be covered, as in a Gurdwara or a Temple, or the presence of elders. For other women, the dupatta is simply a stylish accessory that can be worn over one shoulder or draped around the chest and over both shoulders.

The Shalwar kameez is sometimes known as "Punjabi suit," in Britainand Canada. In Britain, especially during the last two decades, the garment has been transformed from an everyday garment worn by immigrant South Asian women from the Punjab region to one with mainstream, and even high-fashion, appeal.

In India, the garment was originally confined to the North, but as a convenient and modest alternative to a sari - and also as one that flatters practically any body-type - it has become popular across the nation. By varying the fabric, color and the level of embroidery and decoration, the salwar-kameez can be formal, casual, dressy, or plain; and it can also be made to suit practically all climates.

Early History

Salwar is the generic term used to describe the lower garment developed in different regions. These include the Sindhi suthan, Dogri pajamma and the Kashmiri suthan.

The traditional dress of women in Sindh was the lehnga choli, of women in Kashmir was the Pheran flowing to the ankles, and the peshwaj in Jammu for women, also flowing to the ankles. The traditional dress of women of Punjab was the ghagra choli. No one knows when and where the salwar began to be used in the sub-continent. However, the extensive and wide spread use was prevelant in the Punjab with the influence of the Mughals. Punjabis in west Punjab began to wear the suthan. Its use then spread to neighbouring Sindh, east Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir. According to elders, Punjabi women started to combine the suthan with a kurta, and sometimes with a pajamma which would be covered with a ghagra when going outdoors.This tradition, only dying out relatively late in east Punjab: approx. 1950’s circa.

Over time, Punjabi’s discarded the use of the suthan in favour of the salwar to be combined with the kameez

Salwar Kameez Trousers