Saree draping can be such a hassle! Every bride looks for ways to style their sarees, even after the wedding's over. And you need new and fun ways to restyle your gorgeously scintillating saree. So, to show you how it's done like a pro, we're back with another SS Quarantine Session with famed draping artist Dolly Jain!

Dolly Jain is a professional saree draping artist, who knows more than 325 ways of draping (and is the world record holder for that!). She has not only draped for celebs the likes of Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, etc. for their wedding days but has also become a household name across the country for her fabulous techniques! In fact, her deep understanding of any and every piece o fabric, along with her tips on how to style them, are what brides of today need to look amazing on their d-day. 

So, for this live session, Dolly Jain greeted us with a warm message of encouragement for all the brides stuck in lockdown and moved on to show us how to drape a saree in a modern way, along with dupatta draping techniques. Furthermore, she answered queries about saree and dupatta draping that many women across the globe have.

Fusion Style Saree Draping With Dolly Jain

Draping The Saree Over A Pant 

The session began with Dolly showing the viewers how a traditional saree can look modern with just the drape of the saree changing. The model, who was her daughter, was wearing a crop top with a pant. while the draping artist decided to drape a bandhani saree for this piece.  

The idea behind this look was to inspire people on how they could take a saree from their mother's wardrobe and restyle it in a modern way. 

Here are the steps that you need to follow for this drape:

1. Instead of starting traditionally two inches from the navel, the draping began with her taking the pallu side and pleating it on the shoulder.

2. It is important to make narrow pleats, otherwise, the saree may look to broad. The trick is to learn how to make neat pleats.

3. Once you've reached the desired pallu length, secure it the entire pleats together with a pin, without attaching it to the shoulder.

4. Take the saree near the waist and leave a cowl, before tucking it behind on the pant. Then, take the side where the saree fall is attached and start pleating it in narrow pleats.

5. Secure the new section with another pin and then align them, before tucking them in the pant, just below your navel, right in the center.

6. Leave equal amounts of the cowl on both sides and tuck the rest in the back.

7. Now take the entire saree together and start pleating both ends together. Secure this combined pleat with a pin and tuck the entire saree at the back.

8. Quickly readjust your pleats in the front and your first modern-esque drape is done!

If you wish to fix your saree in one place, to ensure that the pallu doesn't move too much, use a waist belt to hold it all in one place. The waist belt should be worn on the slimmest part of your waist.  You can make it more trendy by attaching the end of the pallu over your wrist. 

Draping The Saree Over A Lehenga

The next way to style this saree is traditionally, but by wearing the saree on top of an Indian lehenga. 

Dolly reveals that she knows how to drape a saree in more than 325 ways, making her a World Record Holder. With all the new kinds of styles fabric coming out in the market every season, she tries to come up with new and unique ways of draping them. This way they not only showcase the best version of the saree but also come up with refreshing techniques which people can do at home while looking fabulous. 

(Pro Tip: Wear an underarm pad under your blouse, to avoid sweat stains)

The model slipped into a new-gen petticoat, known as the D Code, which Dolly has launched herself. The petticoat comes with double belts, which can be folded near the waist to shorten the lehenga by two inches if required. The gorgeous new age petticoat also comes with a pocket for convenience. 

Here are the steps to rock this look:

1. For this drop, all you have to do is take the previous saree without opening the pleats and tuck the part that goes behind.

2. Leave cowls on both sides and tuck the other half of it on the front, right under the navel.

3. Add a weight belt to make the look modern.

The drape is amazing, as the saree didn't require any kind of extra effort. All you had to do is take the already pleated saree and wear it on top of the petticoat.  The main tip here is to wear a matching blouse and petticoat/skirt, while your saree should be of a complimenting yet contrasting colour. 

Draping a Dupatta Over A Saree

Once you've draped a saree in this manner, adding a dupatta to it would only add to its glorious beauty. 

All you need to do is pleat the dupatta. The important thing to note here is that you should not cover both the shoulders, as the beauty of the blouse is hidden. Instead, use the same shoulder where you've put your first pallu. This way, the saree is fully fixed on her, and the dupatta doesn't move around too much. 

If you wish to wear the dupatta without hiding the saree's embroidery, then all you have to do is this: Remove the pallu, put the pleated dupatta, and then place the pallu over it. This way, you can still wear your dupatta without hindering the fine embroidery of the saree. It adds drama to the look without looking over the top. She also revealed that this dupatta on saree look can be worn by the bride's mother is she wishes to add extra glam on her look.

Queries Answered By Dolly Jain

Question: What is the best way to store wedding outfits?

Answer: The first thing everyone should know is that all light fabric can be hung on the lock hanger, which is closed on the sides. Take out your sarees from your polybags, and fold them and wrap them in a mammal (muslin) cloth. Saree fabrics are very delicate and when you put them in a muslin cloth, they can breathe better. For your lehengas, it's best to leave them in their packaging. However, if the wedding is months away, then remove the polythene packaging, and air them out. It is important to air your lehengas, especially if they are put in wooden boxes otherwise they will attract termites. Make sure you take your lehengas out, air them, and store them back from time to time. 

 

Question: Are lehenga bags good for storage?

Answer: They're fine as long as they are made of linen or Organdy. However, starch has to be removed from these covers because starch attracts pests as well. 

 

Question: Is there an alternative to underarm pads?

Answer: Yeah, if you're in an emergency, just use a panty liner or sanitary pad. It's just a hack, but I do advise an underarm pad. 

 

Question: How should one decide the draping style of their lehenga?

Answer: It depends on what you're wearing or the occasion. Nowadays if you see, every other guest is equally heavily dressed. But the bride has to stand out. And if she doesn't add that extra drama to her draping, she won't stand out. What I feel is, brides should do like two or three dupattas in their draping, with two on the shoulder and one on the head. I would also suggest brides choose a saree and two dupattas. Because saree is something that can be used later on more easily than a lehenga. 

 

Question: What's better, Single dupatta or double dupatta?

Answer: Double dupatta always! Two, three, four, the more the merrier!

 

Question: How can you restyle and store a net dupatta from your wedding outfit?

Answer: Always fold and store your dupatta. If there is just a border and jaal, then you can hang it on the lock hanger along with a muslin cloth. For draping, it depends on your outfit. if your blouse has a lot of embroideries, then you need to drape it in a way that your blouse shows. However, if your blouse is simple and your lehenga is heavily embroidered, then you need to drape it in a way where it emphasizes the embroidery of the lehenga. The main point it to flaunt the embroidery. 

 

Question: Does a bride look good if she is wearing a saree and takes a dupatta on her head?

Answer: Yes, it looks beautiful. Just ensure that you're saree is pleated well, while you can take the head dupatta as a veil. 

 

Question: What kind of pins do you use in a saree?

Answer: First thing first, have a pin organiser. You should always use a stainless steel double lock safety-pin. Sometimes, your fabric may get stuck in the pin's coil. What you need to do is, take a pearl and put the pearl/bead inside the pin before putting the saree into the pin. You can customise your pins with pearls to lock the coil and avoid it from tuning your saree. Also, use pegs to practice your draping skills. You should always have pegs on hand while wearing a saree to hold it in place without using too many pins.

 

Question: What kind of draping should brides on the heavier side choose to go for?

Answer: I suggest brides on the heavier side should choose to wear a pleated saree. Make sure your pleats are not broad, because broad pleats will make you look broader. The pleats should be your shoulder's width and not more than that. 

 

Question: For a busty bride, should she choose a heavily embroidered blouse or a heavy dupatta?

Answer: Instead of a heavy blouse, go in for a heavy dupatta. A heavily embroidered blouse will make your chest loo heavier. 

 

Question: How do you pleat a very heavy border dupatta?

Answer: Rather than pleating a thickly bordered dupatta, you should leave it open, as it looks more flattering.

The session was an absolute success and we hope you all liked it! Catch us live on Instagram at 6 pm every evening for more interesting content!

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