Wearing the sari – a distinctive style in every region
“ There are perceptible nuances that depend on where you come from . In the north of India , for instance , women cover their heads with a piece of sari , but not in the south ”, explains Nalini Treebhoobun , a Mauritian artist who has made the sari the heart of her work . In the cultural melting pot of the colonial period , these differences were easy to detect , but they have gradually faded away in Mauritius , where new ways of wearing the sari , shaped by external influences , have also begun to emerge .
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“ It was not strange to see women in saris without blouses . The Victorian period , with its strict codes around morality and virtue , saw the widespread adoption of the ‘ peignoir ’ – a loose blouse with elbow-length sleeves and a turned-up collar ”, explains Vijaya Teelock . The textile industry boom and the import of cheap fabrics in the 1920s and 1930s also had an impact on the traditional cotton sari . “ Somewhere along the line , a desire to break away from the past emerged . Today , satin , nylon or silk are the preferred materials ”, Teelock adds .
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