Gif! Gif!

Posted November 9, 2004 3:14 PM by Kevin J. Maroney

Second Kevin's request. I didn't see the Hugos; I was busy at the Loser's party (I was the scantily-clad waiter).

The whole thing is just too cool.

Posted November 9, 2004 3:18 PM by Xopher

Interesting! And do you know if ebay's a good resource for handmade cheongsams as well?

Posted November 9, 2004 3:39 PM by Popsciolist

It means you can buy semi-directly from Third World suppliers

What's the 'semi-' for? (I mean the question literally, no pun intended. This time.) How does it get more direct than ebay?

I love the way the webernet encourages connections between people who would never otherwise come in contact. If we're gonna learn to love our global neighbors, buying stuff from them is as good a start as any.

(...kameezes?)

G'Bless you.

Posted November 9, 2004 3:41 PM by Andy Perrin

We demand photos!

Posted November 9, 2004 3:45 PM by Jacob Davies

That is so cool. I have a salwar that I bought on a trip to a local Indian clothing store (we had gone to get a petticoat for the sari a kind Indian friend had given me for Christmas - I couldn't resist the salwar). It is incredibly comfortable as well as being elegant. However, finding salwars that fit my -er- strapping arms without squeezing was not an easy task. Made-to-order would be a dream.

I do, however, need to get John to take another picture of it complete with the gorgeous MJ Layman Original necklace and earrings specially made to match!

Posted November 9, 2004 3:48 PM by Jill Smith

Silly Kevin. Something like this demands a jpeg. (Or three.)

Posted November 9, 2004 3:48 PM by Andrew Willett

I would like to buy an Indian men's suit - is this also possible to do this way? I should have bought a few when I was there but didn't... Any ideas?

Posted November 9, 2004 3:50 PM by moe

I find myself wondering if you could work this sort of deal out with traditional tailors in places like Shanghai who make western clothing. Thinking about it, a small realspace storefront, a tape measure, a webcam, and some reliable international shipping could mean you could buy and sell custom garments from anywhere.

Posted November 9, 2004 3:50 PM by Josh Jasper

Andy Perrin wrote:
I love the way the webernet encourages connections...

I saw webernet, and immeadiately thought of a network of grills.

Time to go marinate something, and light some charcoal. I'm hungry.

Posted November 9, 2004 3:53 PM by Bill Blum

(n+1)'d on the request for a JPEG! This sounds lovely. I wonder if I could drop broad hints to my husband...:-)

Posted November 9, 2004 3:59 PM by Yoon Ha Lee

Some dark-ish pictures of the Hugo ceremony:

one

two and three

Having never tried on traditional Indian garments, I have no idea whether they'd suit me or what I'd like in them, but the idea is intriguing.

(I thought about this summer, when I spent a weekend in San Francisco and drove past a street of shops; my best friend from high school was getting married in a Hindu ceremony (and did get married, lest the tenses make you think otherwise) and formal dress was requested. I had no time, though, and was given to understand that they were very expensive.)

Posted November 9, 2004 4:11 PM by Kate Nepveu

Oh, I would love one - half the mothers in the schoolyard in the morning wear them, and they're so graceful and elegant and comfortable looking.

Also, indian shot silk is a treat to look at.

Along those lines, there's a table outside of Our Lady of Pompeii on Carmine Street on the weekends selling scarves made of this - it's yarn made in Nepal by a woman's collective out of scraps of silk sari fabric from India and it's incredibly beautiful.

Posted November 9, 2004 4:18 PM by julia

Photo? That's easy. People always post pictures of the Hugo Ceremony. Here I am with Patrick. I'm wearing a loose black gauze jacket over the salwar kameez, and in this light you can only see the red ends of my dupatta, not its intensely blue center; but this should be enough to give you some idea of the thing.

Popsciolist, I'm afraid you'll have to undertake your own research project.

Andy, I said "semi-directly" because it goes through eBay: a slight degree of intermediation.

Moe, if you'll click on the Bollywood link, you'll find that men's suits are their core business.

Josh, I've heard there are entrepreneurs who'll set up in a hotel room in NYC, spread the word that they're in business, and show fabric samples and take measurements, then go back to Singapore and have suits made up there for a fraction of their price if made in London or New York.

Kate, salwar kameez and saris look good on everyone, or at least everyone I've ever seen wearing one.

Posted November 9, 2004 4:25 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Julia, you'd look gorgeous.

Posted November 9, 2004 4:31 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Teresa: they very well might look fine to an onlooker, but I am a weirdly picky Kate about some aspects of my clothes. Perhaps sometime when I visit my just-married friend, I'll ask her to take me shopping.

They certainly look *comfortable*, which is all too rare in dress-up clothes (the outfit I bought a week before the wedding was spiffy, but the length-waist ratio was apparently designed for mutants. Spindly ones.).

Posted November 9, 2004 4:32 PM by Kate Nepveu

But do they have pockets?

I detest carrying a bag.

Posted November 9, 2004 4:43 PM by Menolly

I don't own any full salwar kamizes, but I sometimes wear just the top over dress pants or jeans. (The ones I have are from Maharashtra, which I think is sometimes shorter than some other regional styles-- mine come to the halfway point between my waist and knees, not below the knees.) Anyway, they're very comfortable and casual-looking when worn that way.

I especially like the Jaipur-influence ones with tiny mirrors embroidered into the fabric.

Posted November 9, 2004 4:58 PM by Rachel Brown

I remember seeing you at the Hugos and it really was a fabulous outfit. It's even better knowing how you got it -- as if it arrived via a science fiction story from not too long ago. Also, it's nice to be reminded that globalization doesn't have to be all bad. It's the details of how the system works that determines whose values are globalized. The difference here is that eBay and the shipper charge a fee for being middlemen, but they don't set the price of the goods or control the supply.

Posted November 9, 2004 5:01 PM by TomB

Amidst all the discussion of the garments (which are quite nice, btw) I find myself wondering about the etymology of salwar kameez, or in particular, the kameez part.

The French word chemise springs to mind, and I can't help but wonder if they come from the same Indo-European stem, or if it's a European word that's gone to India and taken root. Linguists?

Posted November 9, 2004 5:10 PM by Larry Brennan

No idea. I can tell it's the same word, but I don't know where it's been or what it's done.

Posted November 9, 2004 5:29 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

You can also get custom-made Vietnamese ao dai (pronounced sort of like "ow yai" in the Southern dialect, "ow zai" in the Northern) on Ebay. Some of the patterns are cheesy, but many are quite beautiful. I wore one in a friend's wedding and can vouch that they really do need to be made to measure, because the upper part of the dress (long tunic) is very close-fitting.

Posted November 9, 2004 5:30 PM by Sarah

When I moved back to Bangladesh from Canada at the age of five, I was introduced to the concept of shemizes. I always assumed that that was a Indo-Persian word - until one day, when I was flipping through the dictionary (I used to be a major dictionary geek) and I came upon the word chemise. Oh, and another name for the garment is kurta.
Me, I get my kameezes (you're right, in South Asian languages there's no -es to signify the plural) mailed to me from my doting mother for free. Still, it's nice to know of alternatives, which of course won't be as good.
Teresa, be prepared for purists muttering 'cultural appropriation'. These will generally be the same sort of people who complain that rock 'n roll (as distinguished from Vanilla Ice) is a rip-off of black culture.
Oh dear, I may have just begun a flame war.

Posted November 9, 2004 5:53 PM by Sajia

and if i recall correctly, "kurta" is related to "shirt".

Posted November 9, 2004 6:00 PM by shadowsong

I'll have a look when I get home to my dictionaries. It sounds plausible, but a lot of things in language that sound plausible Just Ain't So.

Posted November 9, 2004 6:03 PM by Xopher

Cultural appropriation? When we're buying and they're selling? That's like saying the rest of the planet is culturally appropriating Coca-Cola.

Posted November 9, 2004 6:09 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Oh, wow--this is almost as bad as my discovery of "real" yarn stores. I've spent the last hour just looking at all the beautiful colors. I just might need to make up a special occasion so I can buy one.

Another code word besides "any size" that shows up on these seems to be "custom stitching".

Posted November 9, 2004 6:27 PM by TChem

From OED online

kameez(e

[Cf. CAMISE.]

In S. Asian countries, a long shirt or blouse.

1955 [see SHALWAR]. 1966 J. & R. GODDEN Two under Indian Sun iii. 73 A coat and trousers instead of dhoti and kameeze. 1971 Femina (Bombay) 2 Apr. 51/2 An off-shoot of the same idea is a two-piece unit, basically a kameez and gharara, but the kameez-sleeves being of the same material as the gharara, extra colourful, while the body of the kameez itself is a plain dark self-colour. 1972 ‘E. PETERS’ Death to Landlords! i. 21 She had taken to the shalwar and kameez of the Punjabi women.

camise, camiss
[Arab. qamç under-tunic, shirt; occurring in the Koran, but generally thought to be ad. L. camisia, camisa: see CAMIS, CHEMISE; Mahn suggests Skr. kshauma linen stuff.]

1812 BYRON Ch. Har. II. Tambourgi ii, Oh! who is more brave than a dark Suliote, In his snowy camese and his shaggy capote? c1850 Nat. Encycl. I. 237 The national costume of the lower orders [in Afghanistan] is..a large shirt, ‘camiss’, worn over the trowsers, reaching down to the knees. 1859 SALA Tw. round Clock (1861) 143 The Suliote of the fruitship, in his camise and capote. 1865 S. EVANS Bro. Fabian's MS. 105 Snow-white the camise.

The shirt worn by Arabs and other Muslims.

chemise
[Two types of this word appear in Eng., both ultimately derived from late L.: (1) OE. cmes (? fem.), early ME. kemes, kemse:prehistoric OE. type *camisja-, from the late L. word; (2) chemise, a. O. and mod.F. chemise (ONF. camise, quemise, kemise, Pr. and Sp. camisa, Pg. camiza, It. camiscia, camicia):late L. camisia, camsa shirt, surplice (see Du Cange).
L. camisia appears first in Jerome c 400 (Ep. Vest. Mul. 64 n. 11 ‘volo pro legentis facilitate abuti sermone vulgato; solent militantes habere lineas, quas camisias vocant’). It is also in Salic Law (lviii. 4 camisia, and camisa), Isidore (XIX. xxi. 1, xxii. 29 ‘Camisias (v.r. camisas) vocari, quod in his dormimus in camis, id est stratis nostris’). Beside it is found the deriv. camisle, -is, campsle, OF. cainsil, chainsil fine linen, alb, etc. (see CHAISEL); also an uncertainly related camix, It. camice, OF. cainse, chainse, ‘alb’.
The ulterior history and origin of camisia are uncertain. German etymologists incline to consider it adopted from Teutonic, and related to OE. ham shirt, and Ger. hemd, OHG. hemidi, Gothic type *hamii, f. root ham to cover, clothe. Kluge supposes a derivative *hamisjâ-, which, if it existed, might perh. give a Romanic camisia, as German h gave c in OFrench, through Frankish ch. But besides other difficulties, no traces of the required word are actually found in any Teutonic lang., the nearest thing being ON. hams masc. (:hamiso-z) snake's slough. The Irish caimmse, Cornish cams, Bret. kamps an alb, and MCorn. camse an article of female clothing, are all adopted from L. or French.]

1. A garment: the name has been variously applied at different times; perh. originally (as still in French and other Romanic languages) the under-garment, usually of linen, both of men and women, a shirt; but now restricted to that worn by females, formerly called ‘smock’ and ‘shift’. Formerly also applied to some under garment distinct from the ‘smock’, as well as to a priest's alb or surplice (so med.L. camisa), the robe of a herald, etc. In recent use: a dress hanging straight from the shoulders. Also chemise dress.

c1050 Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 362 Camisa, ham, cemes. c1325 Metr. Hom. 124 His moder dremid..Al the mikel water of Temis Rin in the bosem of hir kemes. c1330 R. BRUNNE Chron. (1810) 122 In e snowe for syght scho [Matilda] ede out in hir smok, Ouere e water of Temse, at frosen was iys, Withouten kirtelle or kemse, saue kouerchef all bare vis.

c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 163 Hire chemise smal and hwit..and hire smoc hwit. 1562 LEIGH Armorie (1597) 133b, The Herehaught..in a chemise blanke, powdred and spotted with mullets sable. 1788 E. SHERIDAN Jrnl. 22 Dec. (1960) 138 Gowns all kindsChemisesRound gowns with flounce or not. 1789 Bath Jrnl. 29 June, A chemise of very clean gauze, put over a dress of rose taffety. 1808 R. PORTER Trav. Sk. Russ. & Swed. (1813) II. xl. 167 A standard made of a shift that belonged to one of the ancient queens..She would hardly make a present of so rough a chemise to her lover Broderson. 1835 URE Philos. Manuf. 392 Each [girl] is provided with fine flannel chemises by the proprietors. a1845 BARHAM Ingol. Leg., Witches' Frolic, He or She seizes what He or She pleases, Trunk-hosen or kirtles, and shirts or chemises. 1850 L. HUNT Autobiog. III. xxiv. 218 That harmless expression [shift]..has been set aside in favour of the French word ‘chemise’. 1922 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Feb. 77 Making the Popular Chemise Dress. 1958 Punch 17 Sept. 384/1 The summer chemise was the prettiest, most impudent, provocative fashion that we have seen for many a day.

¶Vulgarly corrupted to SHIMMY: chemise being mistaken for a plural; cf. chay, shay.

2. In various senses from mod.Fr. a. Mil. fire chemise (F. chemise à feu): (see quot.). Obs.

1751 CHAMBERS Cycl. s.v., Fire chemise is a piece of linen cloth, steeped in a composition of..combustible matters; used at sea, to set fire to an enemy's vessel.

b. in Fortification. (See quots.)

1704 J. HARRIS Lex. Techn., Chemise, in Fortification, is a Wall with which a Bastion, or any other Bulwark of Earth is lined for its greater Support and Strength; or it is the Solidity of the Wall from the Talus to the Stone row. 1853 STOCQUELER Mil. Encycl. 57 Chemise, in mediæval fortification, an additional escarp or counter-guard wall, covering the lower part of the escarp.

c. The lower part of a furnace.

1800 tr. Lagrange's Chem. II. 34 The anterior part of the furnace..in French la Chemise..A stone, called the Zinc-plate, placed at the bottom of the chemise in the furnace.

d. The iron lining or core on which a gun barrel is welded.

1881 GREENER Gun 231 All the better quality Damascus barrels are welded upon a ‘chemise’, or plain iron lining, which is bored out after the barrels are welded.

e. A loose covering for a book.

1893 Quaritch Catal. No. 138 1 In wooden boards..wrapped in a modern morocco chemise. 1928 E. G. MILLAR Eng. Illum. MSS. i. 3 It still retains its binding of this period with a sheepskin ‘chemise’. 1960 GLAISTER Gloss. of Book 65/2 Chemise, a cover of silk or chevrotain sometimes used in the 15th century as a protection for embellished leather-bound books.

Posted November 9, 2004 6:32 PM by Aquila

Teresa, in the latter case then it's cultural imperialism.
(Damn, where's the italicize icon on this browser so I can emphasize certain words with ironic intent?)

Posted November 9, 2004 6:46 PM by Sajia

This is the wave of the future... as an Indian growing up in India, I never bought a "ready-made" garment till I was about 18. Everything thus far had been tailored. The tailor I used to patronise had been in the business for 100+ years: his grandfather used to tailor my grandfather's clothes.

I hope this thing catches on even more. It's a win-win situation: you get tailored clothes for 1/10 the price, and they get 2x the money they would otherwise charge :)

Posted November 9, 2004 6:52 PM by Tonto

Too bad two of the three vendors aren't currently listing any auctions for women's saris.

And you looked divine at the Hugos.

Now I want one. *sigh*

Posted November 9, 2004 6:57 PM by Dawn B.

Kate, I have summer outfits in cotton gauze that are essentially the same thing and they're *very* comfortable.

Josh, there are ads in the WashPost constantly about this overseas tailor and another who are in a hotel suite for a period of time. The WashPost had an article on it recently:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14310-2004Oct31.html

Posted November 9, 2004 7:04 PM by Marilee

I am wondering when are we going to see bespoke suits for men using the same system. I would definitely pay for something that can be had for a 20% of what I would pay in the US.

On the other hand, taylors of the world are not known for their ebay abilities.

Posted November 9, 2004 7:09 PM by Camilo

I have gotten suits and shirts made by a guy from Hong Kong who comes to a few hotels on the west coast about 3 times a year. The results have always been great--they made my Brooks Bros. suit look cheap--and it costs about $450-550/suit depending on the fabric (it was $350 when I started using him 15 years ago).

The problem with doing a men's suit via Ebay is that a skilled person has to take a lot of measurements in order to make one fit right the first time.

Posted November 9, 2004 7:22 PM by me2i81

Dawn - While I haven't ordered from here, a number of my friends have had satisfactory experiences.

Posted November 9, 2004 8:18 PM by xeger

Teresa, did you answer the pockets question? The garments look utterly gorgeous, but I really-o truly-o need my pockets.

Posted November 9, 2004 8:22 PM by Madeleine Robins

Aquila:

Thank you.
I especially like the quotation from Byron [1812 BYRON Ch. Har. II. Tambourgi ii]:

Oh! who is more brave than a wiley coyote,
In his snowy camese and his truman capote?

Posted November 9, 2004 8:39 PM by Jonathan Vos Post

I've seen the question of "Is it culturally appropriate for women of other backgrounds to wear salwar kameez?" come up in various places online a few times over the years, and the answer, from various sources, has always been "Sure, go for it."

Posted November 9, 2004 8:45 PM by Menolly

Madeleine is really interested in pockets:

Teresa, did you answer the pockets question? The garments look utterly gorgeous, but I really-o truly-o need my pockets.

Some of them have pockets, usually built into the side seam, around hip height. It's much, much more common in the male version than the female. Ideosyncratically there's often one, rather than two as well. Since they're bespoke, you could probably ask them to put them in.

Posted November 9, 2004 8:46 PM by xeger

I saw webernet, and immeadiately thought of a network of grills.

If looks could grill, you'd be fed right now.

Posted November 9, 2004 8:48 PM by Andy Perrin

Andy Perrin:

If you had Interstellar Reply Coupons, you'd be home by now.

Remember that sequence of graffiti:

"I love grils!"

"You mean girls."

"What about us grils?"

Which reminds me of the note I saw on a perfume vending machine in Union Station:

"Out of Odor."

Posted November 9, 2004 8:53 PM by Jonathan Vos Post

Have you visited www.eastwesteducation.org? Its a charity that sells prepleated saris, salwar kameezes as well as kurta pyjamas for men. Only one size however.

Posted November 9, 2004 9:44 PM by Daya

Oh dear. Indiashop1 doesn't appear to have any items posted.

Posted November 9, 2004 9:56 PM by julia

Indiashop1 does have items for sale; after following Teresa's link and clicking "view items for sale," click on "ebay worldwide" when the screen comes up without any items for sale. You should see a page with ten items listed.

See if this page works.

Posted November 9, 2004 11:03 PM by Thel

thanks :)

Posted November 9, 2004 11:15 PM by julia

So after looking at a ton of interesting and pretty pages of shalwar kameez, I'm left with one question -- this is basically a big T-tunic over loose pants, made of interestingly exotic fabric, right?

They're gorgeous outfits, but I need an excuse to learn to use my sewing machine anyway, and it looks like the fabric is available in nifty colors that they won't sell actual clothes in.

Posted November 9, 2004 11:27 PM by Aiglet

Yes! Another way to find these vendors, especially if you're looking for an outfit associated with a particular ethnic group, is to type in the name of the type of outfit you are looking for into the eBay search engine. That's how I found a company on Vietnam that makes ao dai to order. The price is below rock bottom of what I was quoted by tailors in my area (Southern California). Shipping can be a bit hefty, but ordering more than one helps balance that out.

Posted November 10, 2004 1:15 AM by Pam

Aiglet, try here: http://www.folkwear.com/asian.html
Pattern #135, "Jewels of India."

Posted November 10, 2004 1:58 AM by Gen

No pockets, Mad, but you might be able to dicker for their inclusion.

Posted November 10, 2004 8:59 AM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Dawn--

If you follow Teresa's links to the vendors and then click on "eBay worldwide" the listings show up.

(I bought a salwar six years ago, not custom-made, but then was too self-conscious to wear it. Didn't know they'd become fashionable. Thank you, Teresa, for posting about this!)

Posted November 10, 2004 9:25 AM by jkr

Teresa, I infer by this that you've already tried and rejected the shopping here on my home turf (74th Street/Jackson Heights). We have at least ten, and probably closer to twenty shops within two blocks or so that sell saris and salwars. If not, I invite you to check it out; if so, I wonder how you found it to compare. (My better half informs me that her experience was generally good, but that large-busted women can expect to find a much more limited supply than otherwise.)

Posted November 10, 2004 9:27 AM by Bruce Adelsohn

And I was delighted to see that OED included an Ellis Peters reference from "Death to Landlords!" in the cameez definition. Ellis Peters/Elizabeth Pargeter wrote a lot more than just the Brother Cadfael novels.

Folkwear is a wonderful source of patterns, but Aiglet, if you are just learning to sew, they are not always the easiest patterns to use! They often have unusual construction methods or need fitting adjustments. You might find it easier to start with a similar pattern like Butterick 5944, which offers several sleeve and length variations for the top (http://www.butterick.com/indexflash.html, just type the pattern number in the search bar). The pants don't have pockets and are a bit wide in the legs to be traditional for the salwar kameez, but they would be easy to sew for a beginner. And you can always do a really old-fashioned pocket -- the type a woman used to wear under her skirt -- basically a flat purse on a belt that can be worn with multiple outfits (http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/18THBAGS.HTM).

Posted November 10, 2004 10:23 AM by Janet Croft

Gen, Janet --

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll have to go take a look at both places.

I keep thinking about remaking and replacing my entire wardrobe with things that aren't jeans-and-t-shirts but aren't formal, either -- now must be a good time to start.

Posted November 10, 2004 12:43 PM by Aiglet

Bruce, I'm less shy dealing with tailors in India and Pakistan. Also, if those shops are paying NYC rents and NYC wages, how cheap can they be?

Janet, Aiglet, I recognize the construction of that Folkwear kameez. You could hardly find a simpler shirt pattern. That one has been in use for millennia. It could probably be made up by someone using a flint-edged cutter and a bone needle.

Posted November 10, 2004 1:58 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Teresa -- the top does look simple, but I've sewn a number of Folkwear patterns with mixed results. Even the really simple-looking ones. The ankle closures on the trousers look rather fiddly from the illustration. You can see reviews of some Folkwear patterns at http://www.gbacg.org/Patterns/folkwear.htm; alas, not #135 "Jewels of India," but you can get an idea of the variation in how well their patterns work for even very experienced seamstresses, and how much alteration they had to do to get the look or fit they wanted. Butterick and the other "big four" pattern companies may be a bit more user-friendly and reliable for the first-timer, though not as authentic, but then I have not actually used that particular Folkwear pattern and it might be one of the easier ones. But hey -- if you're motivated, by a design or a fabric, even the most advanced pattern can be overcome!

Posted November 10, 2004 2:24 PM by Janet Croft

Teresa: I just spoke with M- and she tells me that her collection of salwars ranged from $15 to approximately $40, but that there are outfits ranging up to stratospheric in price, should you wish :-) They aren't tailored, and you'd have to see a few to examine the fabrics available in all the price ranges.

This is a neighborhood heavily Indian and Pakistani, so we have the expected "straight from home" shops in quantity and concentration. (Not to mention the best Indian food in the city, IMO. It converted me from not liking the genre to a true believer.) It's Queens, so not nearly as expensive as Manhattan. As for wages, if I ever hear of below-minimum I'll let you know; it's conceivable but not something I've heard of in any definitive way.

I certainly understand shyness and a preference for shopping from the comfort of one's home. Just kind of wondering about the comparison, is all.

Posted November 10, 2004 3:23 PM by Bruce Adelsohn

Hmmmm. That's very interesting.

Posted November 10, 2004 3:27 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

That's wonderful.

I must suggest, though, that they start using terms that are convention here in the USA, like "suit," "shirt," and "pants." Then I suspect they'll get a lot more business, so long as the stuff they make is of the conventional western style.

Posted November 10, 2004 7:49 PM by Craig Meyer

Another site to look at for pattern reviews has an easy to remember name: PatternReview.com

If you go to the section that is just on pattern reviews, you can select "patterns by company"; unfortunately no one there has reviewed Folkwear 135, but there are several other Folkwear reviews, so more fodder for deciding if you want to give the pattern a go.

My sewing adventure for the day has been working on a pair of jeans from a Vogue pattern. I'm pleased with how they've gone together, but I overestimated what size I needed, so they're a bit loose. Sigh.

Posted November 10, 2004 10:59 PM by Rose

When we were in Vancouver I spent some time in the Indian section of town looking for a salwar kameez. My experience was that most of the ones available ready made weren't intended for people as bountifully constructed as Teresa and I are. So I'm thinking this tailor made thing sounds good.

MKK

Posted November 11, 2004 2:26 AM by Mary Kay

Somehow, this thread makes me thing of the SCTV ad for the musical Indira, featuring Slim Whitman.

Indira! Indira! Indira!
Don't cry for me New Delhi...

Posted November 11, 2004 3:11 AM by Larry Brennan

Craig suggests:

I must suggest, though, that they start using terms that are convention here in the USA, like "suit," "shirt," and "pants." Then I suspect they'll get a lot more business, so long as the stuff they make is of the conventional western style.

I think I'm confused about your suggestion. Are you suggesting that the various shops making and selling Salwar Kameez give up their rather lucrative market, and start selling western style shirts/suits/pants? That seems rather silly, given that the market for tailor-made western garments is sufficiently poor that finding a traditional western tailor these days is a non-trivial excercise in many parts of North America.

Linguistically, from what I've seen, the Salwar Kameez is referred to in english by most vendors as a 'suit'. A 'blouse' is what you wear under a sari, as is a petticoat (and sometimes skirt, but not normally).

Posted November 11, 2004 9:25 AM by xeger

A shop in England is selling tailor-made western suits via E-Bay, for 89 pounds sterling. No idea of the quality but feedback is universally positive.

Posted November 11, 2004 12:13 PM by Jeremy Osner

What's their name?

Posted November 11, 2004 4:04 PM by LizardBreath

The seller's name is "Tailor_Made_Suits" http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3001&item=3939967790&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW is a link to the item, which is item #3939967790.

Posted November 12, 2004 10:45 AM by Jeremy Osner

I think I have one in my future. For holiday and formalwear. That is such a beautiful suit, and so suitable for many body types! I just saw a beautiful selection of fabric, but can't bid on it just right now.

Sigh.

Posted November 13, 2004 12:38 PM by Paula Helm Murray

If anyone who is familiar with salwar kameez can talk a little bit about fabrics, I'd love to hear it. I have (somewhat third-hand) a story of the unfortunate experience of a woman who bought a sari to wear to a friend's wedding celebratoin, where said woman was the only non-Indian present. The fabric she picked made it roughly the equivalent of showing up at a black-tie even in a gingham skirt.

Posted November 13, 2004 12:47 PM by mythago

mythago ponders:

If anyone who is familiar with salwar kameez can talk a little bit about fabrics, I'd love to hear it. I have (somewhat third-hand) a story of the unfortunate experience of a woman who bought a sari to wear to a friend's wedding celebratoin, where said woman was the only non-Indian present. The fabric she picked made it roughly the equivalent of showing up at a black-tie even in a gingham skirt.

I'd suspect a cultural mistake in that story. Most westerners are profoundly uncomfortable with the amount of glitz that's considered "proper" formal wear in India.

If you take a look at this picture or at some of the pictures on this page, you'll immediately notice that the more formal the wedding, the more elaborately embroidered, brocaded, and jeweled the garments (and their wearers) are.

A plain garment would be considered everyday clothing (and would also suggest that the wearer didn't have the funds to actually decorate their garments). It wouldn't be hard to make the leap to display of wealth as a part of the family alliance represented by marriage - but that's diving a bit further than fabrics.

Posted November 13, 2004 3:49 PM by xeger

xeger:

Is it the case that, on some parts of the Indian subcontinent, a woman brings no money nor property nor possessions with her when she marries, EXCEPT what she is wearing. Hence an incentive to maximize gold, silver, jewelry and expensive doodads sewn onto the wedding dress?

Posted November 13, 2004 8:29 PM by Jonathan Vos Post

Jonathon Vos Post said:

Is it the case that, on some parts of the Indian subcontinent, a woman brings no money nor property nor possessions with her when she marries, EXCEPT what she is wearing. Hence an incentive to maximize gold, silver, jewelry and expensive doodads sewn onto the wedding dress?

As an Indian who's wedding is due soon, I've learnt more than I ever wanted to know about the subject. So, briefly, here it is.

In my part of the country (Maharashtra), its customary for the in-laws to get the wedding clothes. This includes at least 5 sarees for the bride. After the longest shopping trip of my life so far, I can confirm that the kind of sarees you would wear for a wedding range from about Rs.1000(about $22) to ... well, there is really no upper limit. Thousand-dollar sarees do exist, and are so heavy with gold lace that they don't fold, they bend.

Salwar kameez, again, the kind you would wear for a wedding, are also in the same price range. They come for men, too, and are called "kurta-pyjama" The kind I'm going to wear for the wedding is called a "sherwani". The jacket is so stiff I call it a straitjacket.

Wedding shopping is a truly unique experience, about which I'll post if anyone is interested.

Posted November 16, 2004 1:20 PM by Amit

Wedding shopping is a truly unique experience, about which I'll post if anyone is interested.

Oh yes please! Shopping and wedding customs from another culture all at once. Shiny!

MKK

Posted November 16, 2004 3:26 PM by Mary Kay

Seconded! Do please tell us about it.

Posted November 16, 2004 3:52 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Thirded! I've seen Monsoon Wedding, but that's all I know.

Posted November 16, 2004 5:43 PM by Marilee

My salwar kameez came yesterday, and it is devoon. Exact fit, wonderful fabrics, faster shipment than I get from a US mail order firm (8 days!), way cheaper and better than some tacky dress from Lane Bryant. Will buy another once I see a fabric I like.

Indiashop1 rocks.

Go. Try!

Posted November 24, 2004 12:54 PM by cgeye

You might not go semi-direct to buy your salwar kameez. You can certainly buy through ebay but you can also buy directly from India if what you are interested in is custom salwar kameez

Posted December 5, 2004 3:22 AM by sam

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Next month, when Passover is over, I am buying one. I think I've found a new obsession for when I am done buying roses.

Posted April 17, 2005 10:08 PM by Ailsa Ek

Two above, the one by "sam" (though it's on-topic, so I'm not sure it counts).

Posted April 18, 2005 2:53 PM by Metal Fatigue finds (debatable) comment spam

If comment spam contributes to the conversation, has it passed its Turing Test?

Posted April 18, 2005 3:42 PM by Bob Oldendorf

I've wanted a salwar kameeze for years, so thanks for this info. I can't pull up any of the shops you mention on ebay for some reason. Can you possibly pass on another way to contact India1shop?

Posted April 18, 2005 7:38 PM by Diane O'Bannon

"When Passover is over," Ailsa? I know I saw your name as a bidder for a salwar kameez today. (I've been looking through the indiashop1 stuff, to see if they've got something I really like, having not gotten the one I sort-of liked.)

Posted April 18, 2005 8:46 PM by Vicki

Try Indiashop1. Yes, you can order custom made Men's suits from India, both ethnic and Western. Yes to custom made cheongsams, too. The custom made salwar kameez business is fine on eBay, but it's also booming on the internet. Try a Google search sometime. And one can also find Thai and Hong Kong tailors.

Mamalov

Posted April 28, 2005 4:55 PM by Lois

I'm a huge fan of the salwar kameez and of buying them custom made from ebay! I have bought 4 in the past two months and am thrilled with the quality. A good way to find them on ebay is to simply type in "salwar kameez" in the search box. My favorite sellers are:

signature_collection
bassantbahaar
rungday
lootsale
radhaboutique
bollywoodcollection
zelegant
poshak-e-khas

I linked to some of them below, they either do custom made salwar's or offer plus size salwar's.

http://stores.ebay.com/evening-chic_Traditional-Salwar-Kameez_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZQ2d1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZbassantbahaar

http://search.ebay.com/_Womens-Clothing_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfrppZ25QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ15724QQsassZrungday

http://search.ebay.com/_Womens-Clothing_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfrppZ25QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ15724QQsassZlootsale

http://stores.ebay.com/RadhasBoutique_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZzelegant

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZsignatureQ5fcollection

I can personally vouch for radhaboutique,signature_collection
bassantbahaar and poshak-e-khas as I have purchased from them and was thrilled with their communication, professionalism, excellent tailoring and shipping times.

Hope this helps some of those out there looking for salwar's!

Posted May 4, 2005 2:07 AM by tania

Try Uniquessentials.com

Best prices and great selection on SKs, Saris, Lenghas, Men's Suits. And plus they ship from US for a lot less, and every item starts at just $0.99!

Posted May 4, 2005 5:27 AM by Rachna Gupta

I have found some amazing ethnic clothing on eBay especially in the last few months. I have ordered well over 100 outfits in the last year or so(im an ethnic junkie). I have tried uniquessentials many times and am content with my purchases, althought the more they expand they seem to loose their customer service and quality, I still shop somewhat.

I have had many outfits custom made, but am strongly agaist sellers who sell with 24.99 shipping fees, and combine for 2.00 less each item. This is strongly a problem because the cost of the fabric and stitching combined, still leaves the seller with a profit from what they charge for shipping alone. I have a friend who sends me outfits for holidays and special occasions, and it only costs her around 12.00 USD to do so, so I hesitate towards 24.99 shipping sellers. In addition, they offer refunds less shipping and handling. Many buyers are contesting this and eBay will be enforcing new rules for abroad sellers I hear.

I buy almost everything from poshak-e-khas, uniquessentials, and independant eBay sellers who sell their own clothing(many women wear an outfit once and never again so its good for me!) I also buy jewelry and shoes to match my outfits. If anyone is interested, Beachcombers has the best selection of Khussa shoes both ethnic and indo-western. They carry the biggest selection on eBay, period. I only buy shoes from them. Prices are around $34 for a pair, but in stores they run over $60 and she has the best satisfaction policy. As far as jewelry goes, kg_inc (KhitabGul) is my favorite. He carries casual to formal wear jewelry at great prices. They are the only eBay store with large bangle sizes, plus be specializes in bridal/formal jewelry from $27-$80 dollars. He is not just an importer, but directly buys the jewelry from his family back home I think, thats why his prices are so good.

I hope this helps. Now im off to eBay to shop! ~Saiqa

Posted July 8, 2005 12:19 AM by Saiqa

I have found amazing website for salwar kameez. They have Miss India 2002 and 2005 working as models for them. Kaneesha's Plus size tunics are worth the visit. This site has wide range of Indian Clothing.

Posted August 31, 2005 6:30 PM by Shalwar

i just got my first salwar from ebay seller rungday , i just wanted to share it is wonderful. thanks for sharing all this information with us.

Posted September 6, 2005 1:54 AM by raveena

Oh, well, if you're going to leave eBay for this discussion, Priyanka's has a HUGE selection of salwar kameez at Priyankas.com, maybe even a thousand to choose from. Utsavsarees.com's selection is also wonderful; Renukasilks.com is good and for the higher end outfits, try salwar.com and indianplaza.com. Then there are Reems.com and eShakti.com and many, many more. I have had some wonderful trouser + kameez + dupatta suits from eShakti. Of that group eShakti is the only one I've had real experience with.

Back at eBay, there is a seller called Alanjum4 who not only lists fabrics for auction but who also, in his auctions, lists all the TYPES of fabrics he can get (or maybe it's only SOME of the types of fabrics he can get) and he's willing to find the fabric you want in the color you want and make WHATEVER you want out of it for you for what seems to me to be a rather light fee. So if you have ever said to yourself, "I wish they would make (fill in the blank) with x sleeves and a y neckline and in my favorite color, and have it all hand embroidered and cut just the way I want it and just to my size," i.e. if you have ever wanted to design your own clothing but didn't want to have to sew it, try sending him a request through eBay. He made an outfit for me which fulfilled a dream I've had for years!

And once again off of eBay, salwarkameezindia.com will provide the same service of alanjum4. It will cost you more, but there are more than 650 different designs in their "Custom Made Catalog" of salwar kameez suits to inspire the designers out there.

Posted September 6, 2005 3:22 AM by Lois

I have seen those sites, but Priyankas and the other sites can be over expensive! I think the idea of shopping online is to buy items for less and at better rates then retails stores without compromising on the quality.

Custom stitched clothing has exploded on eBay, with one problem. Shipping! Sellers are charging $20 for shipping then starting off items at only .99 only. Their refund policy only covers the items cost, so automatically if something goes wrong you only get back $1 basically. As much as I want to support international sellers, I prefere to buy clothing from the USA so if there ever are problems, the situation can be handled quicker and fixed. With all the complaints against international sellers, they will be cracking down especially with the India-Pakistan custom stitch sellers. I myself have spent some $200 on a huge order few months ago and lost it because of this refund policy, so would never do it again from India or Pakistan on eBay. Will just buy when I go back home, but purchase ready made ones online from the USA.

I do purchase at least 20+ items a month from Uniquessentials and their latest news is that they are going to provide custom stitched clothing from India at only $5 USA shipping, and the items are fully guaranteed and fully refundable...even shipping. With a deal like that honestly I won't shop elsewhere on eBay.
I did come across a new seller on ebay (well I just found them after all this time) of ethnic jewelry. Their ebay Id is Kg_inc (www.khitabgul.com) and they have some of the most beautiful designer neckalces! I was refered to them especially for my Eid jewelry since they are the only seller on ebay with formal or wedding sets. I ordered 2-3 of their large sets last week, (I still dont know what to wear for Eid!) anyways, totally awesome. I will never again shop in a retail ethnic store, retails stores mark up items at least 150% of the items cost, I know the sets I got are high quality and worth the asking price. Besides, ethnic retails stores don't ofer refunds or exchanges but he does online so that is cool. I think everyone should check out his store, its just amazing plus they sells bangles and some clothing, but specialize more with jewelry........Hope anyone looking for clothes or jewelry has some great new places! THanks
~Saiqa

Posted September 19, 2005 1:09 PM by Saiqa

I just wanted to let people know they should beware of LOOTSALES. I have had nothing but trouble with them since ordering a garment on May 19, 2005.

After MANY emails from me and a couple from them with promises to look into where my order was, they still did not deliver.

In fact their scam is to put you off long enough that you cannot file a formal complaint with EBAY.

They told me my order was lost. I asked for a refund in four emails over two weeks, and was totally ignored UNTIL I left a negative feedback on their site.

They retaliated with lies on both mine and their sites (saying I did not communicate at all and then that they could not make my garment because they did not have my measurements! I have an email from them dated May 20 stating they have my measurements and had put it on my private page for future orders!

They lie and scam and cheat their way thru. I am not the only one who has been treated this way. Go to EBAY and read their feedback. They have so many negatives.

Their final scam is to say they cannot give you a refund until you take back the negative feedback! I told them to keep my money then, because I want everyone to know how dishonest they are.

I have dealt with several others and have had nothing but wonderful service.

Terase

Posted September 30, 2005 2:27 PM by Terase

Thank you all for the userful consumer reports.

Terase, I went and looked at Lootsale's user feedback records on eBay. I see what you mean. They've been doing a little better of late, but I'd still be wary of doing business with them.

I'm sorry to say I've now had my own bad experience, in my case with Indianexotica. Unfortunately, I messed up my feedback so it doesn't show.

The trousers I received were nowhere near the right size. Since they were plain black cotton, I'm assuming that they were shipped from a common stock rather than being made to measure, and that the common stock didn't have the appropriate size.

That wasn't the worst problem, however. The fabric of the tunic and dupatta, in both cases a lightweight red cotton, was so heavily coated with fabric sizing that it was almost rigid, and scraped my skin raw. I hand-washed the garments in cold water, diligently trying to get the sizing out, and watched as my wash water turned a murky light gray.

Even after a good washing and several rounds of rinsing in clean water, the dupatta was so stiff when it dried that I could hold a two-foot length of it parallel to the floor without having it droop or bend. It took four or five launderings (gentle soap, cold water) to get the sizing out.

And then, when the sizing was out, the fabric puckered like crazy. It had thin intermittent stripes of metallic gold thread woven into it, and every one of those stripes humped up like large-gauge seersucker.

I've seen this kind of thing before with badly made clothing. The manufacturer uses heavily-sized fabric, which looks more substantial than it really is. The effect doesn't last. As soon as the garment is washed, the sizing dissolves, and the fabric melts down into thin cheap loosely-woven cotton. And since the cutting and seaming was done when the fabric was still rigid with sizing, the seams and other construction details sag, twist, and pucker, and generally just look sad.

(That's one of the indignities John Scalzi left out of his entry about what it means to be poor: living in a neighborhood where the merchants sell you clothing that goes from "new" to "tired-looking old rag" in one laundry cycle.)

I was seriously unimpressed. India is the motherlode of hand-loomed cotton. There's no shortage of attractive, reasonably priced, good-quality fabric. You have to be pretty mingy to shave costs by using material that shoddy. Those perfunctory black cotton trousers were equally slipshod and cheap. I won't be buying from Indianexotica again.

Posted September 30, 2005 4:15 PM by Teresa Nielsen Hayden

UniqueAuction.com large online auction portal. An ebay alternative offering Buy or sell in thousands of Internet auction categories like electronics, cars, clothing, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, and everything else on eBay. Start bidding today

Posted October 5, 2005 12:29 AM by Rocky Mirza

I have very good quality shalwar kameez,saree,trouser suit ,men's and ladies kurta..these all you can see onmy website ..i am in london you can chat with me by
infofashion@hotmail.com or email me for more information ..i used very good quality fabric in my collection.People they liked my design and style..

Posted October 13, 2005 12:01 PM by amber

U can also call on Perveen Dang to get your salwar kameez custom made at very nominal prices. I've been buying from her past 4 years or so and shes given me international class designs at almost cost price--shes too passionate abt her work to care for profits. U can call her on 011-91-9831121675 or email at asheeshdang@hotmail.com. Try her work out if u want to adventure!!!

Posted October 23, 2005 9:35 AM by Anamika

I think you all look very beautiful in them.

Posted October 23, 2005 11:40 PM by SMoogle

Hmmmm.........When did this turn into an advertisement and people sending me links and info for wholesale salwar kameez? Please take your business elsewhere, were just ethnic lovers not sellers, stop buggin me!

Posted November 3, 2005 10:43 PM by Saiqa

the prices and quality of this store from ebay india , that i had experience with just cannot be beaten .. i had all my saris with customstitched blouses and 3 salwar kameez's stitched to perfection ... all this in 11 days from payment made ! and shipping for each item worked out only USD4 . They have 3-4 stores on ebay india and offered me combined shipping across the sites , i guess the id is runalaila_in1 & 1hi2k and one more i do not remember ... however the common keyword is hypnosis & sa

Posted November 13, 2005 3:59 PM by carol

Or else just a lot of enthusiastic recommenders.

Posted November 13, 2005 5:47 PM by Jonathan Shaw thinks there may be comment spam

Just to clarify, indian salwar kameez is the same as pakistani shalwar kameez. There are only subtle differences.

Posted November 21, 2005 8:13 PM by Fawad Ahmed

paridhanlok.com large online clothing portal. An ebay alternative offering Buy all types of ladies & gents hi fashion garments like salwar kameez.sarees,lehnga choli & sherwani,kurtas

Posted November 25, 2005 3:30 AM by praveen jaiswal

you can also check out new Salwar Kameez designs online at Mystique Asia Inc. web store, best of all, they deliver world wide.

Salwar Kameez

Posted December 5, 2005 11:55 PM by Mystique Asia Inc.

I totally thank everyone for the recommended sellers on E-bay. I LOVE sari's and salwar kameez and have been thinking about buying some online (like a few other women have commented us "North American" sized women tend to have problems with ready made salwar kameez and even cholis). I am definately going to have to try the custom made salwar kameez. I might as well spend $39 for a salwar made in my size then $35 in the Gerrard St Bazaar in Toronto for something that fits more or less and has been stiched four times already. However that doesn't beat the salwar kameez I bought (after hours of trying them on) for over $60.00 that has had to be restitched in places. Thank you again!!! Namsate

Posted December 9, 2005 3:22 PM by Maggie

hi everyone...
this was just for your information, because it looked to me that you are all very interested in indian clothes... as somebody mentioned, the indian salwar kameez and pakistani version are the same... with a few minor differences owing to the climate differences, or to help ppl adapt to the terrain...
there are several options... those of you with nice long legs (like moi... hehehe) could go in for churidar pants... which are basically fitted pants. These look very good if worn with long kameezes (tops) or kurta tops...
then there's the patiala salwar... i guess it's just a local variation of the basic salwar... the difference lies in the fact that the patiala version has a lot more pleats and looks great with fitted tops...
there's also bell bottom pants... some people call them parallels...
and the present trend is based on the clothes worn by Rani Mukherjee in the film Bunty aur Babli... it has mainly got to do with bright contrasting colours... and kameezes with collars etc...
kurta tops with block prints are quite popular too, as are big borders and cap sleeves...
i hope this helps...

Posted January 8, 2006 5:06 AM by swati

this is for all the ppl who are wondering about the origin of the name "salwar kameez"...
well i don't think it was inspired by the french chemise... though there is a resemblance... i'm not too sure, but if i'm wrong, do correct me, the salwar kameez first started out as an islamic dress... and "kameez" is an urdu/hindi word for shirt (roughly, garment for the upper body)... this term is also applied to some garments worn by men...
so, in short (roughly), "kameez" refers to "shirt"...

Posted January 8, 2006 5:13 AM by swati

Well I am back and I've started sewing so I've got some news for anyone looking to make their own salwar kameez. I am waiting on the pattern from dansingnspirit.us/ in the mean time I kept my eyes out in the mainstream pattern books and I've come across a couple patterns that might be of some help. First one (that I have sewn already) is from McCall's pattern number 4002. I will warn you that this pattern is more then generously sized and I ended up having to resize the kameez. The downside is that since the "tunic and pants" go together the amount of fabric for both peices are added together. Best way to find out how much fabric you need for each peice is to cut them out and measure :( wish I could be more help there. I did the XXL pants and the XL shirt (and cut the shirt down more) and used around 4 metres of fabric. This turned out to be a wonderful Salwar Kameez, it doesn't have the pleats of the salwar pants but I can't tell the difference between by ready-to-wear salwar kameez or the one I made myself. You'll love this pattern's great results and it's SO EASY (the instructions for putting the pants/salwar part together is abit messed up but easy to figure out)!! Also the price is discounted if you buy it at Wal-mart. Don't forget to look at the $1.97 a metre fabric at Wal-Mart either that's where I got mine. Total for this salwar kameez (pattern and fabric) came in under $20 Canadian. The next pattern is from Simplicity and is only in the plus size (18W-32W) the pattern number is 4377. It's listed as pajama's but anyone that knows a salwar kameez will reconize the kameez top with the parallel-ish pants. I haven't tried this pattern yet but I am hoping to get to it next week. I will come back and let you know how it goes. Mind you both these patterns call for elastic waists but I've changed them to a drawstring. Thank you once again for your time and letting me post. Namsate.

Posted January 14, 2006 6:00 AM by Maggie

I found this thread while doing a google search for salwar kameez.

Thanks for the many suggestions and links; I've ordered 3 sets (as did Teresa above). Two from eBay tailors (IndiaShop and Radha's Boutique), and one from a direct online source (eShakti). I'm wondering if any of you have any experience with eShakti?

All prices, even shipping, seemed quite reasonable considering. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished products.

I am a short, very round woman who has a hard time finding comfortable ready-made clothing, and my sojourn in Jakarta in '95 convinced me that Western dress was not meant for everyone. A good friend from India introduced me to Salwar Kameez, and I had several made while in Jakarta. Unfortunately, clothing wears out. And I also changed sizes since then. I never even thought of eBay, d'oh!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who posted on this thread.

Posted February 2, 2006 1:27 PM by stellans

I buy many many indian items online and you can not beat radha's boutique for the price and quality.

Bought identical pure silk saree from radha

So I

and also try angelshoppe I got saree and paid in us dollars for saree from australian seller who direct ships from india, the result (since both rupee and aus dollars are both less than us dollar) is a wonderful deal!

I got saree from angelsshoppe for 4$ us. and shipping VERY cheap (since it was in aus $)

Behold...the power of Ebay!!

Posted March 19, 2006 5:33 PM by neo

LibasDesigns.com has wide range of Salwar Kameez, Sari, Lehnga, Skirts and Indian Kurti or Tunics. Please visit www.libasdesigns.com for more information.

Posted March 30, 2006 7:25 AM by Anita Gohil

Looks like a commercial post to me.

Posted March 30, 2006 11:54 AM by Mary Aileen Buss sees possible spam

Well here I am with more great news to share. I was at Walmart again tonight and took a look in the "simplicity" pattern book under the costume section and found a real gem it is pattern 4249 and comes in sizes up to a 20. It's a pattern of all the hot Bollywood clothes, there is two choli patterns, two lehnga patterns and a salwar kameez pattern with churidar pants. I haven't sewn it as of yet but it looks great and should be fairly simple to do. I have also discovered a great seller on E-bay I just have to share with everyone. This company dealt with all my silly questions (having never had a salwar kameez made for me) and they had my salwar kameez sent from Chennai to Ontario, Canada in just over a week. The sellers name is evergreenen and their store is Evergreen Enterprises. My salwar was exactly the right size and the work was excellent. I would definately suggest Evergreen to anyone looking for a beautiful made to measure salwar kameez for a great price. $13 USD for shipping and only $6 USD to have your fabric stitched. Can't beat that.

A note about a past post of mine about "simplicity" pattern 4377 that was only available in plus sizes, it turned out to be a pain in the neck and I ended up having to tear it a part and try to salvage the material using a different pattern. So I wouldn't really recommend this pattern after trying it. I wish everyone well, and again thank you for this site, I love reading all the comments and suggestions you've all helped me alot. Namate.

Posted March 31, 2006 4:32 AM by Maggie

These are commercial spams delivered to any site that trips any one of a number of keywords.

Posted March 31, 2006 7:28 AM by Dave Luckett agrees

I have been in the US since the last few years and have come to realize that buying directly from suppliers back home is much more economical. Most of the major boutiques have their own online store which makes life much more easier. I have been buying most of my desi clothing requirements from one such online store www.msytiqueasia.net

They not only have a very wearable collection, but are very proffessional in their work. The best part is that they also customize my clothes to my requirements.

Posted April 5, 2006 5:01 AM by Salma Habib

I too had a similar BAD EXPERIENCE with INDIANEXOTICA on ebay. I sent exact measurements and received a garment big enought for two of me.. with the same sizing in the fabric that made it stand out like a tent. They also drew the whole thing out until I could not make a claim thru Ebay or put in a negative feedback. I eventually returned the article but did NOT RECEIVE a REFUND. so, out over a hundred bucks, extra postage for a fast reply and no garment. I could not believe what I received. They offered to alter it, but then after the garment had be shipped and I had emailed them to this effect, they said we wont' alter or refund.. don't return the garment. ??

And Peter and Sue give you all kinds of excuses about their isp problems and being sick and such and tell you they didn't receive your emails.

True blue aussies my a**. Con artists taking advantage of being in another country where you can't hold them to Australian standards is what I say they are.

I have seen so many lovely salwar kameez in Sydney.. I think I will just try getting made locally. It will be worth it. I will know who I am dealing with.

so BEWARE - DO NOT SHOP On EBAY with IndianExotica. Cheap fabric, tons of sizing.. and you don't get what you are paying for.

You are better of paying more and getting a good quality garment.

Cheers.

Posted April 8, 2006 10:23 AM by mrandrmrswooly

task at hand- choose a birthday present for my wife

due date- a week from 04/06/06 (04/13/06)

a lot of- confusssionnnn...

what do i do- started searching for salwar kameez online (my wife's new wardrobe addiction) and came across this post...went down to ebay checked out a couple of stores, loved the stuff everyone had to offer...

a lot more of- confusssionnnn...

what do i do next- shortlisted 4 sellers and contacted them individually for adivice on what I should order for my wife...all of them replied with the most expensive alternatives, except for indianartcart...they asked my budget and suggested a neat summer outfit which would cost just $44.99.

i asked them if they could deliver it on time for Tina's birthday and the guy there- Akash said that it wouldn't be a problem...so i went ahead and used the buy it now option, paid for it and gave the measurements from an old SK of my wife's...

he said that "it wouldn't be a problem" but i had my doubts...

day 1 waiting... day 2 waiting... day 3 mailed ... day 4 got tracking...outfit delivered day 5... :-O ....

i was utterly astonished at their speed...they took the order...waited a day for the measurements...got it stitched...sent it from India...and i recieved it day 5...

outfit quality- akash suggested a jute outfit, which is supposed to be oober trendy this summer...i always thought that jute was used for stuff that wasn't clothing...but he proved me wrong...the fabric was super comfirtable and my wife just loved it and the best thing IT FIT PERFECT...

conclusion- i don't know how indianartcart did it...

if anybody wants to shop with them then go down to stores.ebay.com/indianartcart

my wife's told all her friends about them and i think they have a "buy 2 and get free shipping" offer going on...so check it outt...

-Chris

Posted April 25, 2006 12:56 PM by Chris

How astounding is it, Chris, that an article mailed from India reached you in only five days, considering that you posted your comment from India?

Posted April 25, 2006 2:06 PM by James D. Macdonald

Hi,
You can get beautiful sarees here. Located in bay area, California. http://www.shirdisarees.com
Though the price may look expensive but quality is great and the designs are exclusive. I have purchased quite a few sarees from here as well as my friends and we are really happy with the sarees.

Posted May 11, 2006 7:11 PM by Baishali

hello
well i am manufacturer in pakistan of 3 piece ladies shalwar kameez suits i want to introduce my product..i have a ladies boutique in lahore ,pakistan in the very big market of asia liberty i can show my design and i sure abt that u would definately like them...and if any party is interested to see my designs can openly contact me my id is rawy_Rulez@hotmail.com..and the prices very reasonable..u would enjoy wearing shalwar kaaameez of raveel s collection..looking for your goood respone.
thank you

Posted May 22, 2006 5:17 PM by raveel

Thank you very much.

Posted May 23, 2006 1:51 PM by Patrick Connors Sees Fairly Polite Comment Spam

Namsate,
I am just wondering a couple things that hopefully someone can answer for me :) What's the newest fashions in India for salwar kameez this season? And I've seen what looks like a popular style of pant (although I don't know the name) but it looks like the typical salwar pant however it looks like it has extra pleats and lots of fabric, if anyone knows the name and anymore info on their construction I would be so thankful.

Posted May 26, 2006 12:10 AM by Maggie

Alright I've answered half my own question the pants I was looking for are patiyala so now I am just looking for anyone that can give me pointers on how to make them. Thank you in advance.

Posted May 26, 2006 2:16 AM by Maggie

Hi all. This has been an interesting thread to read. I was looking for salwar kameez for myself because I always found them elegant and easy looking and they seem to look good on women of all body types. Today I went to my favorite thrift shop and this was a first for me - I cam across about a dozen or more in various sizes and types. I wound up buying a kameez by itself, quite a casual one, and a complete set, very elaborate and dressy with beadwork and embroidery, for a grand total of $11 U.S. Brought them home and they both fit like they were made for me. But it was intesting to see that McCalls and Simplicity make patterns - I love to sew and I plan to make many more of these in the near future. Thanks for all the cool information!

Posted June 3, 2006 6:46 PM by Linda

Dear friend,

i am sending some preliminary details about my company.
Dewey means morality and knowledge and both are the key factors to run
a
good and efficient business house. No need to say that these two words
are
the key idea behind the incorporation of Dewey Internationals.

Dewey internationals is engaged in promoting Indian handicrafts in
general &
Indian embroidery in particular, which includes a variety of regional
styles
like the chikan work, mirror work, phulkari darn work, bead work, jali
work
and many more to suit all styles and tastes of every age group.

For achieving its goal we had decided to open our own stores /
partner's
stores at various prominent places in all over the world apart from
grabbing
the export orders from various agencies/ bodies/ importers, which will
enable us to serve the public by providing them the quality handwork &
workmanship of international standards by high esteemed dedicated
Indian
professionals beyond the boundaries of our own countries.

as we r manufacturing against the orders only & as per the
specifications
given by the buyers. prices are also a part of our specifications. our
product range includes designer ladies garments - (ladiies tops, kurti,
suits, sarees, skirt, trousers, lancha, full range of wedding wears,
scarves, stoles etc,) designer gents garments( sherwani, kurtaetc) &
home
furnishings. for sample pics u can visit my site or ask me to send
bymail
too.

if u r sourcing any of these products from out side agency, just try us
once
for a better quality in competetive rates. we will manufacture ur
products
within the norm given by you.

f