How to wear a saree with a belt

Introduction

Did you know, the English word and accessory, “Cummerband” , originates from the hindi/persian word,” Kamar band” or the waist belt?

Wearing a saree belt is not new for us, we have been doing that for ages! We used it to hold the saree in place in an era of no safety pins. We used to call it the oddiyanam, daabu, vaddanam or the kamarband.

The decline of kamarband

It slowly fizzled out when safety and saree pins held the saree firmly in place and women got used to petticoats and blouses as well. For a period of time, the Kamarband made its appearance only in weddings , temple festivals etc. In Fact there was a point where the plain gold band almost stopped existing and we moved on with our lives.

The resurgence of kamarband

Enter 2021! With influencers picking sarees more than ever, there was an innate need to style it the best. The kamarband was dusted and revived as the “sareebelt”

Kamarband 2.0 is not restricted to metal, people are shopping this in leather, fabric as twines or the typical belt. There are metallic versions which are revamped and coming studded and plain as well.

Ways to tie a saree belt

The easy way to tie a saree belt is once you finish draping the saree and pinned up wherever necessary. Usually people use a store bought metal one for this.

Another way is to use a bit of the blouse or saree fabric and custom make you kamarband for each saree. Anyway, the saree has to make a visit to the tailor for blouse and falls and pico, it can be easily done.

You can also create a clash of cultures by combining a thin leather belt with an organza saree or a wide fabric belt with a block print cotton saree.

Conclusion

However you tie it, the Kamarband 2.0 trend looks like it is here to stay and help you slay!