So you bought yourself a saree, because, well, who can resist a beautiful piece of fabric. But what next? Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to introduce you to a whole new world of Indian fashion accessories. Add a bit of quirkiness to your everyday look with simple add-ons, a funky jacket, a pair of Indian jutis (shoes) and the like. Here are five simple ideas to get you started.

Bangles

Bangles Ornaments

All over India, especially in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, you will find street vendors selling colourful bangles in all sizes and materials. Made of gold, silver, white metal, bronze, copper, sea shells, glass, wood, and what not, these bangles are more than just fashion accessories; they are a cultural symbol of sorts and are mostly worn by women in weddings, festivals and so on. A bangle is a versatile accessory – you could wear colourful broad wooden bangles with your casual jeans and a tee, or wear a bunch of glass or metal bangles with your bohemian dress.

Jutis

Punjabi Jutti at Dilli Haat

These are traditional shoes for men and women and are popular all over north India, especially in the states of Punjab and Rajasthan. These are usually made of leather and are heavily embroidered with gold, silver and multicoloured threads and beads. They can be quite ornate given the fact that they were traditionally worn by royalty; however, trendier, simpler ones are easily available and they are quite comfortable too.

Jholas

Jhola

A jhola is a handcrafted Indian bag that is usually made of cotton, jute, silk or some sort of fabric. These are usually embroidered and have motifs such as elephants, flowers and so on, while patchwork bags are quite common too. These bags are light, vibrant and usually not very big. In addition, you could also substitute your clutch with a little potli bag or purse – these are small clutch bags which are richly embroidered and studded with beads. A perfect accessory if you are going to a wedding or a party.

Dupatta

Dupatta

A dupatta is essentially a stole or a scarf and is traditionally worn with a salwar kameez – a suit for women. However, this accessory can be worn with anything just like any other scarf. You could tie it around your neck or let it flow down your shoulder; you could wear it with your trousers and shirt, or even with a dress. It is available in pashmina (a premium type of wool), silk, cotton, jute, georgette and so on. In North Indian weddings, the groom wears a dupatta with his sherwani (a wedding suit for men) and men can wear a plain one like a scarf with their casual clothes as well.

Payal

Indian Payal

Payal is the Hindi word for anklets and it is traditionally worn by women across the country, right from their childhood, sometimes. There are a variety of anklets in materials such as silver, gold, metal and beads – and some of them are attached to a toe ring by a little chain. They are worn on both ankles and were used to signify the presence of a woman in the house. They are however, becoming popular as fashion accessories too and it’s not uncommon to see gypsies and vendors selling them on the streets across the country.

So shake up your look a little with these fashion accessories and when you're not wearing them, you can always pop them into your spacious Satara dresser.

 

Image Sources:

Bangles:By Muhammad Mahdi Karim (www.micro2macro.net) Facebook Youtube (Own work) [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html) or FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

Anklets (payal) - By Bollywoodaustralia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Jutis (shoes) - By Ekabhishek (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons