What To Wear? Traditional Dress of Kashmir Decoded For Him & Her
Look at how Kashmiris preserve their culture and history by wearing the traditional dress of Kashmir at their weddings, be it the bride, the groom or the family.
Weddings are a way to show your traditions, values and the incredible history of the culture. Even though wedding decor has become ultra-modern now, people still maintain their traditions through their outfits and different ceremonies. These are the subtle ways of remaining true to one’s roots and still following what the ancestors had been following for centuries.
When it comes to the traditional dress of Kashmir, one of the important elements is the Pheran that both men and women wear with slight modifications. They are made of wool and are basically made to protect the locals from the incredibly cold weather they experience in the Kashmir valley. However, these traditional clothes are quite monotonous and not that great when it comes to fashion. People do not wear the same outfit at weddings. Instead. They wear a slightly modified version of it. The outfits used at weddings have a richer look, just the way it is supposed to be.
A traditional dress of Kashmir is quite different from other parts of the country, mainly because of the weather conditions. However, more and more people are opting for slightly different variants of Kashmir marriage outfits as well. Keeping all this in mind, we have come up with a list of outfits that the Kashmiri bride and groom wear at weddings.
A. For Brides
1. The classic traditional look
Image courtesy: Sabina Shafi Photography
A beautiful extension of the traditional dresses of Kashmir, this velvet attire is perfect for a Kashmiri bride. The rich maroon fabric has beautiful embroideries at the blouse with golden, white and blue threads. The blouse has a jacket finish to provide extra warmth to the bride.
The dupatta too in this outfit is made of velvet, making it perfect to wear on a chilly winter day in Kashmir. You may pair it with some gold jewellery to complete the look.
2. A golden heavy lehenga
If you want the look of a traditional dress of Kashmir and to look different from the other brides, then this attire is perfect for you. The golden coloured lehenga with incredibly heavy embroidery throughout the attire gives you a very different look than a traditional dress of Kashmir.
The dupatta, the blouse and the lehenga, all have heavy golden embroideries on it. Wear the traditional pieces of jewellery to complete this different traditional look.
3. An ivory coloured outfit
Kashmiri brides have a different grace to them which is hard to explain. How about taking that grace to the next level by wearing a white lehenga? You will look nothing short of a princess in this attire with bronze embroidery on it.
The light colour embroidery does not overpower the outfit, giving you an elegant graceful look. The colours and the material used makes it ideal for a summer wedding. Furthermore, it has the perfect amount of urban fashion mixed in the traditional dress of Kashmir.
B. For Grooms
1. The traditional attire with a hat
A classic velvet Bandhgala suit with the traditional hat! You cannot get more traditional than this look. The navy blue jacket has intricate embroideries at the cuffs and the high neck finish as well. The buttons too have a similar finish to it. Pair it with a long chain of beads to complete the groom’s look with a traditional dress of Kashmir. The velvet finish of the outfit automatically makes it ideal for the winter season.
2. A modern yet simple look
Here the traditional dress of Kashmir takes a turn with a modern touch to it. A simple Nehru jacket with pants and that is all you need. Such an attire gives you the right amount of modern vibes while still sticking to one of the popular dress styles of the culture.
Just add a pocket square of a colour that matches the colour of your bride’s outfit to complement each other and look good together.
3. A golden jacket with Pagdi
People believe that the colour gold is more suitable for bridal outfits but it is not true all the time. Even outfits for grooms look great in this colour. This embroidered jacket with the Pagdi is a great example of the traditional dress of Kashmir to wear it for your wedding.
The embroidery too uses the golden threads to make it a completely golden outfit. Along with the jacket, you pair it with the traditional long chain made up of red and white beads.
It is not necessary that you wear the truest form of the traditional dress of Kashmir for your wedding as you obviously would want a bit more colour and glam in your wedding attire. Therefore, make sure you select the right kind of attires that has the perfect mix of modern touch to the traditional style of dresses.
Want to know where you can find great wedding outfits? Check out these stores near you!
