Sherwani

SHERWANI

When it comes to an Indian wedding, sherwanis counts amongst the most popular dressing options for the groom. A traditional attire of Indian men, it was initially worn only by the males in Uttar Pradesh, along with the city of Hyderabad. However, with the passing time, sherwani came to be the ultimate wedding attire, wooing grooms in almost all the parts of India. Quite similar to an Achkan, or a doublet, it gives the perfect 'traditional' look to an Indian man. Combine it with a stole, mojris and Bandhni pagri and you are all set to make heads turn in your own wedding. Sherwani is somewhat similar to a coat, but extends down till the knees (sometimes even lower). One of the traditional garments worn in South Asia, especially India, it is worn on top of a kurta, a loose shirt that also reaches till the knees. A sherwani can be paired with a churidar, khara pajama or a shalwar. At times, it might be worn along with a dhoti as well. The dress is made from heavy suiting fabrics, has a close body fit and is fastened in the front, with buttons. Many-a-times, there is a lining underneath the sherwani.

HISTORY

The Sherwani appeared during the period of British India in 18th century, as a fusion of the Shalwar Kameez with the British frock coat. It was gradually adopted by most of the Indian aristocracy, mostly Muslim, and later by the general population, as a more westernized form of traditional attire.

It is the national dress of Pakistan for men, as it is not specifically associated with any of the provinces. The Founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah frequently wore the Sherwani. Most government officials in Pakistan such as the President and Prime Minister wear the formal black Sherwani over the shalwar qameez on state occasions and national holidays. In India, it is generally worn for formal occasions in winter by those of North Indian descent, especially those from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabadi-muslims.The Sherwani is closely associated with the nation's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. This led to a modified version of Sherwani known as the Nehru Jacket, which is popular in India. Many South Asian grooms wear them as wedding dress. Sherwanis are usually embroidered or detailed in some way.
The Fabric
There are a number of fabrics that can be used for the purpose of a sherwani. The one chosen by the groom will depend entirely on his personal preference as well as the budget. Generally speaking, different types of silk and poly-silk are the fabrics mostly chosen for wedding sherwani. You will find sherwanis in cotton also, but they not gel well with the lavish affair of an Indian wedding. Whatever be the fabric, Indian wedding sherwani is often heavily embroidered. In some cases, stone work, sequins and crystals are also used to adorn it.
The Colors
Red, maroon and golden comprise of the most popular color options, as far as sherwanis for the Indian groom are concerned. Apart from that, many of the grooms also prefer going in for colors like off-white, cream, brown and gray for their sherwani. Then, there is the universal black as well, which goes perfectly with any and every type of wedding. The exact color of the sherwani will depend upon the time of the wedding (day or night), the complexion of the groom and the personal preference of the groom.
Sherwani and its Styles -

Achkan -

 

It is light weight, without lining and has long sleeves with a coat-like appearance.

Chipkan -

 

Is the royal style of the Mughal kings. The upper half of this Sherwani fits closely to the body and well tailored. While the remaining portion or the lower part has the shape of a frock with a large circumference ends above the knees.

Jacket Sherwani -

 

The Sherwani comprises of set of three which includes the Sherwani, the jacket and churidar pajama.

Angrakha Sherwani -

 

Sherwani is fitted from above and flarey from bottom. Its length is longer than others. The style is known for its heavy embroidery pattern with zari or zardozi. Thread work, stone or bead work are also done to give a rich look to it and is to be wore with dhoti.

Sherwani and Patiala salwar -

 

Patiala is made of soft textured fabric. It helps to emphasize the multiple folds and falls of the piece.

Pathani Sherwani -

 

heavily embroidered jacket type top with loose pathani salwar. Raw silk is used as the most popular fabric. When it comes to an Indian wedding, Sherwin's comes amongst the most popular dressing options for the Indian groom. Many grooms now a days prefer wearing them as wedding dress. It looks very elegant, stylish and enhances the look. Sherwani is a type of coat or a jacket with opening in front with buttons. It can be worn along with the payjama, salwar, dhoti or churidar. It can be team up with kurtas, contrast color stole which is draped around the neck, churidar pajamas and Punjabi or Jhodpuri jooties. In most of the cases stole is maroon, red, golden or silver colored. The Groom Sherwani is incomplete without the accessories like Turban, Chain, Kantha, Kamarband and Klagis which are meant to symbolize prestige and royalty.
Angrakha Sherwani
Designed from a variety of silk like raw or noil silk, matka silk and brocade fabric, the Angrakha (also spelt Angarkha) Sherwani is known for its dense embroidery pattern, extensive embellishments and side-cut style. Zardozi work which involves use of zari work is the major feature of the embroidery done on this Sherwani. Usually, the Angrakha Sherwani comes with a matching color 'Dhoti' (a long loin cloth, worn traditionally by the Hindu community). Due to its dense and elegant zardozi work all over, the Angarkha Sherwani has the eminence of being one of the most liked traditional attires in India as well as across the world today. People of all ages love to wear this Sherwani, regardless of whichever communities they belong to.
Delicate embroidery work is almost synonymous with an Angarkha Sherwani. Craftsmen create heavy zardozi embroidery pattern on the Sherwani after days of hard labour. Apart from zardozi work, a range of multiple colour thread work and bead work are also done on the sherwani to impart it an ethnic look. The zardozi work at sherwanistore.com comes in a variety of patterns and shades. Mostly preferred shades of jardozi work include golden, maroon and antique. But you can also select other embroidery pattern shades, available with us.
The Angarkha Sherwani features extensive zari thread embroidery, as mentioned above. It requires a lot of expertise and skill to create the colorful patchwork and embellishments with kundan and stone. Sherwanistore.com can boast of a well versed creative team of craftsmen who carry with them a long standing reputation. These craftsmen (locally termed as 'karigars') hail from various states of India and are carefully handpicked by us.
An expertly designed Angarkha Sherwani adds an air of mystique to one's personality. It gives the person a complete traditional look, adding just the right touch. Classic yellow, off white and white are a few of the most liked colors for an Angarkha Sherwani. At sherwanistore.com, you can easily plan your attire if you wish to get yourself a traditionally crafted piece of this type of Sherwani. The Sherwani is made of raw silk fabric, which is available in different colours. And you can ask us for a colour that matches your mood and that suits you best. People like the Sherwani because of its charming craftsmanship and embellishments all over.
A number of accessories are available to complement the ethnic look that an Angrakha Sherwani gives. A fitting and well matching turban is the ideal accessory to go with the look of this type of Sherwani. Though, you can also choose accessories like Kantha, Kamarbandh and Stole to add a royal touch to your overall look. The stole is available in many shades is generally made of tissue crush and Rajasthani bandhej.