Glossary of Indian clothing

K - Z

Kairi

A green mango.

Kairi Buti

A floral motif in Indian textile design, based on the form of a green mango with a light curve at the tip.

Kalabatton

Silver-gilt thread, used in embroidery.

Kalgha

A popular motif in Indian textile design, broadly cypress-shaped and curving to one sides at the top; crest.

Kali

Gore wedge-shaped, triangular piece of cloth.

Kalidar Ghagra

Ghaghra (q.v.) made up of many gored pieces and thus flared in early Sanskrit literature.

Kanjari

Blouse like garment, worn a little long in front and generally backless, held together with tie-cords, with no shaped parts like cups. From Sanskrit Kanchuki.

Kantha

A mat made of fine cotton, hand quilted with cotton thread. The motifs are embroidered in running stitch using coloured cotton threads.

Kantop

Literally, 't0Pi, worn around the ears'. This kind of cap covers the ears and the back of the neck to protect these parts from excessive heat and cold.

Kapadu

Cloth used to cover the breasts. In Rajasthan and Gujarat a simple choli-blouse is sometimes referred to by this name.

Karchobi Work

Work similar to zardozi (q.v.) in which gold or silver metal threads are sewn on to satin or velvet with metallic threads to yield the effect of true embroidery.

Kasnis

Tie-cords or strings used for tightening.

Katoris

Cups; the word is used to describe breast-cups as in a choli (q.v.) or angia (q.v.).

Iaedryun

A short jacket, often richly embroidered, worn mostly in Kutch and Saurashtra, in combination with an embroidered payjama (q.v.).

Kimkhab

Silk fabric brocaded with silver and gold. The metal thread used for brocading is made from a fine strand of flattened metal wound over a core of silk, using yellow silk under gold, and white silk under silver.

Yjshtinuam

(topi) Boat shaped cap, worn close to the head. KULAH

Kurdi

A jacket or coat meant for outerwear. The garment popular under this name in Persia was known in India as a nadiji (q.v.).

Kurta

Variously described in the dictionaries as "a tunic, waist coat, jacket, shirt", the kurta became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries essentially as a slightly loose-fitting garment for outer wear, often with a round neck, of knee-length or even longer, with side-slits at the hem and generally flared skirt. It acquired great elegance as a garment in centers like Lucknow and Hyderabad.

Kurti

A shirt-like garment, with most of the features of a kurta (q.v.), but often worn a little shorter. When worn by women, it is defined as 'a short bodice reaching to the hips, with very short, if any, sleeves, open under the throat.'

Labeda

A loose, tunic-like garment worn by men, mostly in Nepal. Possibly from Persian libada.

Lehariya

A pattern in which wavy stripes are formed by a certain dyeing technique.

Lehnga

A kind of skirt. Worn generally in combination with an odhani, which is tucked into it at the waist. Possibly derived from Sanskrit lanka, standing for the waist, and anga or limbs.

Lungi

A garment-piece worn by men, as a long, straight skirt-cloth.

Mandeel

A kind of decoratively worn turban.

Mang-Tika (Manghtika)

Head-locket worn along parting of hair in the middle of the head. They have tiny hooks that can be attached directly to your hair or to pins in your hair.

Mashru

A fabric woven of silk and cotton, the warp of one material and the weft of the other. Literally, 'that which is in accordance with the shara, Muslim holy law, which disapproves of an arel made of silk.

Mirzai

A kind of jacket, often understood as a 'quilted coat'. it was generally worn sleeveless over a shirt as outer garment; worn sometimes also next to the skin, without anything underneath it.

Moshla

A cap, worn usually by children, covering, apart from the back, the back of the neck through a long, suspended flap.

Moti

A bead or pearl.

Mughlai Paijama

A payjama (q. v.) of the 'Mughal' cut.

Mukaish

Tiny disks of beaten Silver or Gold are carefully sown onto delicate fabrics to give it a shimmering look.

Mul

Cotton, usually in reference to Indian muslin, particularly the muslin woven in Bengal.

Nadiri

A kind of jackets, worn as an outer garment. The Emperor Jehangir described it in his Memoirs as "a coat they wear over a qaba. Its length is from the waist down to below the thighs, and it has no sleeves. It is fastened in fror4t with buttons."

Nath

A pin or ring traditionally worn on the nose by Indian women. (The nose rings we provide are fitted so that the wearer does not require a piercing in the nose to wear it.)

Natio

A kind of cap popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan. It consists generally of a woven piece and headband, with a long flap, which hangs at the back to cover the neck.

Nimainimatana

A kind of tunic, a modified version of the kurta (q.v.), generally made of fine material.

Odhani

A veil-cloth for a woman, often worn tucked into the side of the waist and drawn upward over the back and the head, the free end being draped over the shoulder. Literally, 'a wrap'.

Pagri

Turban.

Paijama

Trouser-like garment, worn on the lower part of the body alike by men and women. Literally, 'leg-clothing'. The payjama was worn in many cuts and shapes, much variation being seen in respect of girth, length, tightness, material, etc.

Pairhaniphiran

Loose cloak-like shirt reaching down to the feet. Very popular as an article of wear in Kashmir where it was made mostly of woolen cloth.

Pallu / Pallav

The decorative end of a saree that is usually draped over body or left flowing at front/back.

Pashmina

The wool made from fleece of the chin and underbelly of the rare Tibetan wild mountain goat.

Patka

A girdle or kamarband, worn usually over payjama (q.v.), and often very sumptuous and decorative.

Patti

A border or edging, usually made by super-imposing a strip of embellished or plain fabric on a finished garment.

Peshwaz

Long gown-like dress, consisting essentially of a choli (q.v.) worn rather high to which a front-opening skirt is attached. The garment was worn at an early point by men, too, but is essentially to be regarded as women's apparel. Worn with much refinement and elegance 'on occasions of household festivals'. Literally, "front-opening".

Petia

An apron-like piece of cloth attached to the lower end of a choli (q.v.) or kanjari (q.v.) and hanging down so as to partially cover the stomach.

Petticoat

A long flared draw-string skirt, worn underneath a sari to give it shape. Most of the sari is tucked into the waist band of the Petticoat and the end of the sari is draped over the shoulder.

Phulkari

Literally, "flowered work". Term used for a type of embroidery practiced by women in the Punjab for head-veils and other garment-pieces. The embroidery is worked in floss-silk upon coarse cotton cloth, in darning stitch over counted threads, being worked from the back of the fabric.

Press mark

Undesirable shinning lines on the right side of the garment due to incorrect ironing.

Pucker

To draw up into folds or wrinkles

Qaba

A full-sleeved garment for outer wear, worn by men, closely related to thejama . William Thevenot who saw this garment frequently at the Mughal court spoke of the "caba of the Indians" being "wider than that of the Persians, and 1 cannot tell how to express the manner of it more intelligibly, than by saying it is a kind of gown with a long jerkin fastened to it

Qamis

A shirt. Cf. French, chemise.

Resham

Fine needled embroidery done with silk thread by skilled artisans.

Sadri

A sleeveless jacket worn over a shirt or kurta, alike by men and women. The name of this popular garment derives possibly from aura, 'the upper part of the human breast'.

Salwar / Shalwar

Baggy drawstring trousers gathered at the ankle. Usually worn with Kameez and Dupatta.

Sari / Saree / Shari

A length of cloth with a decorated end panel draped around the body, traditionally worn by Indian women. Usually 5.5m to 9m in length and worn over a short/ long blouse and matching long flared skirt.

Sarong

A strip of cloth worn around the body, especially in Malaya. Worn around the waist or body in contemporary fashion, especially as part of beach/ holiday apparel.

Seam Line

Is the line which indicates where the seam should be stitched - or it is plainly the stitching line of any garment.

Sequin

A circular spangle for embellishment of clothes.

Sharara

A kind of loose, trailing payjama (q. v.) worn by women.

Sherwani

a coat like garment, worn by men close to the body, of knee-length, and opening in front with button-fastenings. Related to the achkan (q.v.); especially popular at the Hyderabad court and in Aligarh.

Sidha Paijama

Payjama (q.v.) with a straight cut.

Suralisurwal

A breeches-like garment for the lower part of the body, tight around the legs. Worn mostly in Nepal and contiguous areas.

Suithana

Payjama like garment, worn mostly by women; wide at top and comfortably roomy around the legs and ankles. Possibly from Sanskrit svasthana, mentioned in the Harshacharita.

Tahband

A kind of girdle or belt.

Takauchiya

A kind payjama (q.v.). Abu'I-Fazl describes it in the Ain-i-Akbati as "a coat without lining, of the Indian form. Formerly it had slits in the skirt, and was tied on the left side; His Majesty has ordered it to be made with a round skirt and to be tied on the right side."

Tanis

Tie-cords or strings used to fasten or tighten a garment when worn.

Teentah Topi

A topi (q.v.) consisting of three different pieces, stitched together.

Tiki

A round piece; generally tacked on to a garment.

TopI

Cap.

Trim

To cut off the ragged edges below the seam line to prevent the garment from being bulky and to give the seam a neat finish.

Tukma

Small, button-like boss used in conjunction with a ghundi (q.v.) or loop, for fastening.

Tussar / Tusser

A type of hand-spun wild silk made in Eastern and Central India.

Vajani

A kind of payjama (q. v.), worn in Kutch and Saurashtra, often richly embroidered.

Zardozi Work

Work in which gold or silver metal threads are sewn on a fabric like satin or velvet with metallic threads to give the appearance of true embroidery.

Zari

Metallic thread twisted over cotton or silk for brocading. Also referred to, in popular parlance, asjad

Zirah

A kind of coat of mail.