Plus Size Shalwar Kameez

Exotic Beauty

The plus size Shalwar Kameez or Shalwar kamiz is a wonderful style for the plus size woman.  The combination of a longer top with loose pants is both comfortable and disguises figure flaws. Sometimes know as the Punjabi suit, the Shalwar Kameez is the traditional dress worn by various peoples of south-central Asia.

It is the national dress for both men and women in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  

Shalwar are a sort of loose pajamas-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the bottom. The legs are pleated or gathered into a waistband.  There is a drawstring at the top of the waistband to hold up the shalwar. The pants are usually wide and loose fitting.

The Kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams are left open below the navel, which gives the wearer greater freedom of movement.  The kameez is usually cut straight and flat; older kameez use traditional cuts of long sleeves; modern kameez are more likely to have European-inspired set-in sleeves. The maker’s taste and skill are usually displayed not in the overall cut, but in the shape of the neckline and the decoration of the kameez.

 When women wear the plus size shalwar kameez, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck.   While originally used to meet local customs, such as covering one’s head in a temple, today, the dupatta can simply be a stylish accessory that can be worn over one shoulder or draped around the chest and over both shoulders.

The Salwar Kameez suit has gained popularity as a result of the professionalizing of its design, both on the subcontinent and in Europe, since the 1980s. Design professionals trained at fashion schools on the subcontinent or in Europe or America have created innovative new styles and silhouettes while relying upon, and helping to revive, old traditions of embroidery, dyeing, and other forms of embellishment. Thus new techniques have been developed for making these outfits based upon long existing craft skills.

These new interpretations have led to a dramatic expansion of markets for the salwar-kameez, both on the subcontinent and in such major cities as London, Durban (South Africa), Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Nairobi (Kenya), and other centers of multiple ethnic communities. In these cosmopolitan areas, salwar kameezs of all types and levels of quality are sold at a wide range of prices. Designer suits can cost thousands of dollar or even tens of thousands, while in the local market they can be bought for as little as fifteen U.S. dollars.

The salwar kameez  in the early part of the twenty-first century has emerged as a mainstream high-fashion garment, popular both on the Paris, London and Milan catwalks and on the street. In Great Britain it was front-page news when the salwar-kameez was worn by such fashion leaders as Diana, Princess of Wales, and Cheri Booth, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The suit thus has been reimagined as a “global chic” garment.

The salwar kameez’s draping shape is flattering to all figures.  In Asia and Europe they are made of many fabrics for different seasons, occasions and cultures.  Silk is a favorite choice for it shimmering color tones.  Wool can be used for winter outfits; cotton is a year round favorite. Many shalwar kameezs are covered with beautiful intricate embroidery, or embellished with sewn on pearls, mirrors or other decorative touches.   The plus size woman really can stand out wearing this beautiful ethnic outfit.