15 Saree-Draping Styles To Try Out This Festive Season

Usually a nine-yard saree, the Maharashtrian saree is often called the Nauvari. This style of draping requires tucking the saree into the waistband at the back, giving it a look similar to a lungi, and then draping the pallu over the left shoulder. If you're looking to go entirely traditional, this is a great style to adapt. But make sure you have a nine-yard saree; this type of draping can be quite challenging to do with the regular six yards.

How To Style: You can go for a full-on Marathi look, like pairing it with pearl jewellery and a simple half-moon bindi. 

A great choice for weddings and festive occasions, the Gujarati saree is draped over the left shoulder, with the difference being that the pallu falls to the front. It is then pinned in such a way that it covers the chest, and the motifs and prints on the pallu are clearly visible.

How To Style: To give this saree drape a modern edge, pair it with a plain, basic blouse with contemporary cuts like a scoop neckline or go wild and get yourself a crisscross-back blouse. 

Pro-Tip: Explore the trendiest blouse styles

The Bengali drape is one of the most elegant draping styles there is. Famous in West Bengal and Bangladesh, the key difference with the aatpoure saree is that it is wrapped around the waist and then tucked at the back, the pallu is then draped over the shoulder and brought back to fall to the front.

How To Style: You can pair this saree with a blouse, an embellished blouse and put the look together with some subtle earrings. 

Pro-Tip: Check out our list of the best Bengali sarees to complete your look. 

With two variations, this one can be super traditional or have a fun modern twist. Basically, you wrap the saree normally and then when it comes to the pallu, you wrap it in a straight cut across your chest (as shown in the picture above). Bring it to the front over the right shoulder and pin it up to give your saree almost a dress-like look. In the traditional variation, the pallu covers your head.

How To Style: Since the saree plays a huge part in this style, let the blouse stay subtle and choose heavy earrings for accessorisation.

The Parsi draping style is probably the closest to the nivi, which is the draping style we usually see, and is great for a sophisticated look. The distinctive feature of this draping style is the way the pallu is draped over the left shoulder with big loose pleats falling on the chest, completely covering it.

How To Style: This style is super comfortable and great for evening parties when paired with a super-elegant blouse and jewellery.

This is the most common type of draping style and is seen on women all across the country and even beyond borders. This style consists of the pallu falling over the left shoulder, and the fall can be customised according to what you feel is comfortable. It can be left fully or partially open or have pleats.

How To Style: I'm in love with this georgette saree from Akhilam lately. It's simply pretty, the colour is in vogue, and can be paired with different kinds of blouses!

Coming to the more modern saree draping styles, the belted one has become popular in recent years. This one usually requires you to first drape your saree in the nivi style, with thin pleats across your chest and over the left shoulder, and then a belt is added around the waist to add a modern and cinched twist.

How To Style: Since this is an Indo-Western way of draping, you can pair your saree with a basic crop top (yes!) and oxidised earrings. 

Pro-Tip: A fan of the Sabya belt? Check out affordable but just as gorgeous alternatives here. 

This draping style has definitely become popular at weddings in recent years. It has pleats at the waist that are done in such a way that they give the illusion of being a skirt. The pallu is then taken over the right shoulder to the front, much like the Gujarati draping style. This one can be a bit tedious to handle, so we suggest using a lot of pins to keep the folds in place.

How To Style: Since this drape would mean the saree will look like a skirt, we suggest you not go overboard with the blouse and jewellery to balance the overall look. 

With a lot of stitched sarees now coming in, the dhoti style is a fun and modern draping style you can try this festive season. In this, the saree is tucked in the waistband to give the look of a dhoti and then taken over the shoulder in nivi style with thin pleats across the chest.

How To Style: You can wear a belt or just let it be, your call. Pair it with a modern-cut blouse and pick out a pretty potli and choker to complete the look!

There is a fifty-fifty chance you have heard of this one. So, for those who don't know, a Mekhala Chador is a two-piece outfit worn by Assamese women. Mekhala is the lower piece, which looks like a sarong, while a chador is the upper one. Mekhala gets beautifully draped around the waist, and the chador, the unstitched fabric, will be tucked in it and draped over the rest of the body.

How To Style: Oxidised jewellery would look AMAZING with this elegant look!

There are around 3 different Rajasthani saree drapes, but I'm going to talk about the seedha or front pallu one since it's not extremely traditional. Like Rajputi or Ghagra styles, front-pallu style is a must-explore kind this festive season as it looks effortlessly elegant. The pallu will be draped across the front after coming over the shoulder from the back.

How To Style: You can enhance this look by adding Rajasthani jewellery. 

For those whose hearts reside in the fashion from the 60s and 70s, the retro saree style is best for you. And when talking about retro, there is no way we won't talk about Mumtaz saree, named after the ICON Mumtaz. What distinguishes this drape from other styles is its sleek, tight silhouette that exposes the midriff and gives a tiered effect. Any lightweight saree would work with this one.

How To Style: Choose pearl jewellery to go 10/10 retro!

If you want to look like pure royalty, a double-drape saree is all you need to make your wish come true. It looks undeniably ethereal, and there are endless possibilities to style it. Sonam often justifies the beauty of this drape, and, well, she is a fashion icon, so taking notes is a must! Like wearing a net saree paired with a heavy chikankari dupatta, who would have thought it would come out like a look worth beholding for all the upcoming occasions? 

How To Style: If you want to cop Sonam's look, then we say cop it end-to-end and opt for beaded jewellery!

Janhvi, in one of her promotional looks, made it official that mermaid silhouettes are back for the festive season, and of course, with a bang! The drape needs to hug you somewhat tightly to the knees and has to flare out to the ankle. This way, your waist will be emphasised in the most graceful way.

How To Style: As it is a modern drape, we recommend you set it up with elegant silver jewellery and a damn-glam blouse!

The cape drape is not really a drape but a kind of saree to invest in this year. Looking at Sobhita in this super-sexy way of cape-style saree, we couldn't help but get shifted slightly from the topic. Long gone are the days of wearing embellished, cropped capes; now we have floor-touch, elegantly flowing capes coming in. A monotone look is just the right way to look like a diva this season!

How To Style: You can really play around with jewellery to make the fit more festive.