How to Wear Nauvari Saree in 3 Ways

Nauvari saree is from Maharashtra in India, it’s a traditional saree that actually is known for its Long Length of 9 yards (8.23 meters).

A normal saree is 5.5 meters or 6 meters while a Nauvari saree is or more than 8 meters. During traditional events like festivals or weddings, women love to wear Maharashtrian saree styles.

We will show how a Navwari saree draping can be done in 3 different styles. Using 3 styles of saree fabrics or saree types.

3 Ways to Wear a Nauvari Saree

The Saree has a basic style known as a Kashta (the tuck-in of the border at the back waist). This style was worn by warrior women during Maratha’s rule, as women had to ride horses and fight with spears. One of the Eras of Maratha, rulers of the Peshwas had the influence in the name of the Peshwai Saree.

The Kashta Saree – Nauvari Saree Draping

Although all three different saree styles have the Kashta, we will be explaining ways of making a kashta of a saree. In this style, we will show the normal kashta which is easy to make. Women wear the kashta saree draping to wars and during Maratha rule as they needed to go fishing or horse riding and needed comfort.

Watch How to Wear a Nauvari Saree

The Cotton saree is perfect for Kashta drape, which needs a firm texture and also is breathable fabric work day-to-day wear, and for festive wear, women wore silk fabrics. Below is the Video of a Nauvari saree draping Tutorial of Kashta Saree Look.

How to Wear Kasta Cotton Saree – Lavani Saree

The saree to be used will be a cotton saree in any color with a golden weave border so when we will wear the kashta saree style it will be visible. This saree style is also known as the Lavani Saree or Nauvari Lavani Saree style. Before you start wearing a sari, put on the blouse and tights which come till calf or knee-length.

Step by Step Kashta Saree Draping Guide

• To wear a kashta saree, we will make pleats on pallu and pin them from 1.2 m to 1 m in length.
• Take the inner section of the saree, wrap it around your waist at back and bring the end from front to right side, tie a firm knot of the saree here. Take the Pallu pleats and drape from left to back and again to the front side. Place at the left shoulder and pin at the blouse roughly.
• Adjust the front drape border here and then make a wrap-around, tuck roughly on the left side. You will have a front loop which is for skirt pleats.
• Take the saree lower edge of the middle section and pull to the front, this will make a dhoti or wrap effect on both legs from behind. Now tuck this from the bottom of the knotted fabric roughly, we will need this for the kela (a word used for the covering of pleats at the waist).  Make lower skirt pleats that open on the right side instead of the left side. Leave the first two top pleats on the left side.
• Align all pleats together and then wrap them from the big pleat fabric on left, covering all pleats till knee-length neatly. Now hold pleats at the top edge and fold them once in a bundle, use the waist border to cover it, so it stays in a bundle which is your kela. Then again take the fabric which was pulled from back to front and cover the kela again and tuck the rest in the waistline.
• Now split the lower pleats into two sides. Hold the lower edge from this section and pull it back between your legs for the Kashta. Pull it tight enough, so you have at least half a meter of fabric at the lower back knee level.
• Fold the border part, so it turns up the right side, and make pleats on the folded part. The border will face the left side, use pins to secure, and tuck it in the back waistline.
• Now adjust the front drape pleats where your outer border will be in the cowl covering the front mid-waist section. The pallu will not be aligned at the width section.

Variations of Kashta Styles in Saree Draping

1. The Single Kashta Border Drape – has one border visible at the backside, just like done in the guide above.
2. The Double Kashta Border Drape – There are two borders visible at back. We pull the edge and hold it from the top, make both side borders visible and tuck in the back.
3. Single Kashta border with no pleats – Similar to the first style but the kashta is pulled and tucked without pleating at the fold.

Also Read, Unique Styles of Saree Draping

Brahmini Nauvari Saree Draping

Normally these sarees are worn in silk, cotton, or cotton silk. The saree is drape just like the style as Single Kashta tuck behind. We have seen big Bollywood celebrities also wear this style in movies like Bajirao Mastani. The Pinga Dance saree draping is the best example of this style. The only difference is that the saree has a different step after tucking the kashta. The Front drape has a big cowl look and a side tucked border look.

Step by Step Brahmin Nauvari Draping in Silk Saree

• Begin draping this saree like the Kashta saree drape, steps given above. Do all steps till we make the kela and cover the pleats.
• The next step is to split the pleats from below, we will be keeping two extra pleats on the right side. This will be a point to pull saree back for kashta.
• Now tuck in the Kashta in the same way written in the above guide.
• Then pick the most inner border towards your inner leg from the right side, pull it tight till your thigh level. This will create a big cowl in front.
• Use a sopari to put it through the edge of your border pleat. Tie a rubber band to secure this ball in a saree. Tuck this part in your left side of the waist to secure the pleat from falling off.
• Next, adjust your bodice pleats just like in all Maharashtrian Nauvari saree draping.

Step by Step Brahmin Nauvari Draping in Georgette Saree

Most nauvari sarees are traditional styles, yet today the dhoti saree trend is a huge hype. Women like to carry this style of Saree draping. We can use a longer georgette nauvari saree with a solid thin border for this draping. Just like the Sonam Kapoor Dhoti Saree, we can give an extra different look with a simple step variation in Brahmin Nauvari Saree Style.

• Repeat all steps of a Brahmini Nauvari saree, till tucking of the right side cowl drape.
• Here we will not use the Sopari and tuck in waistline, but we will be making 2-3 pleats or more on this folded pleat we picked up.
• Now tuck this in the front side but towards the left side of the waist. Use a safety pin to secure this border and pleats to stay here on the waist.
• As the Georgette saree is thinner the pleats will create a good effect of cowl and pleats in front.

Peshwai Nauvari Saree Draping

Peshwai Nauvari saree is a very popular saree draping style in silk saree. The style is also an influence from the Maratha Peshwas which ruled during that era.

The only difference is the use of silk in contrast to borders is in a zigzag peshvai saree style. We can also see some women draping this style for Marathi weddings.

Step by Step Peshvai Saree Draping

• The basic drape is as usual until we make the kela. Now repeat the same way of lower pleat partition like in Brahmin saree draping.
• Make the kashta, the peshvai saree has only a single border kashta at the back which faces the left side. Now come to the front side to drape the border from the left side.
• Repeat the same step of tucking in sopari/ball in the waistline. Now we will make the zigzag border effect.
• Pull up a pleat under the first triangular border that we achieved by tucking the ball in the waistline. Place pleat fold under the border creating a triangular shape in zigzag and pin it with a safety pin.
• Keep doing this 5 or 6 times, you will have the zigzag effect till the floor-length. This zigzag Peshwari saree draping can be understood in the Video Tutorial. Watch the Video to Learn.
• Continue with arranging the bodice drape and shoulder pleats.

Simple Marathi Saree draping

Draping a Nauwari saree involves adjusting and making the messy front drape look as neat as possible. Yet today we also see ladies wearing a normal saree of 5.5 or 6 meters in a kashta saree style. We have a video on the Traditional Maharashtrian Dhoti Style Saree.

Today women wear the Marathi Saree draping style is by just adding a back tuck and without the front kela (Bundle of pleats at the waist). Some known celebrities also wear the simple Marathi Nauvari Saree like Sridevi in Nauvari saree and Rani Mukherji for their movie promo and festivals.

So those were the three different ways to drape a nauvari saree that We thought to be appropriate for Maharashtrian weddings or any other event. The one you can get right now from our site is one by the G3Fashion blogger who makes the Nauvari draping style simple to wear and style.