Monday, May 25, 2015

Celebrating Diversity with Liars INC by Paula Stokes! Parvati and sarees!

Hi there guys!

Welcome to another scheduled post while I'm on hiatus and actually driving one of my besties to the airport for her honeymoon and freaking out like there's no tomorrow about going to BEA since I'll be flying tomorrow!!

Today I am gonna do a lil bit of a random post that I was inspired for while reading Liars INC by Paula Stokes! Not only I loved the plot and the mystery but I also LOVED Parvati, the half-Indian third of the Liars! And once I read about her wearing a white saree at the funeral (nope, not telling you whose funeral) I knew I wanted to talk about about sarees and how to wear them on the blog!


Being with an Indian guy for 7 years means I've learn a thing or two about what to wear for a shaadi (Indian wedding) and a few ways of draping a saree (thank Youtube for tutorials!).

Sarees are traditional and have been worn for thousands of years, but they continue to be worn either for special occasions only or every day and for every occasion. Depending on the woman's preference or how traditional their upbringing and where they live is. Given that Parvati is half Indian and she wants to keep her heritage but not let it define who she is, I'm sure she'd love to wear sarees for special occasions, both joyful and sad.

There are two main colours that are very traditional in India, red (or reddish shades, even orange and pink can work) for a bride on her wedding (for the main ceremonial day with the actual marriage taking place) and then white for mourning and funerals. Black is not a colour to be worn at either occasion, but it's perfectly fine for receptions or other events! Wearing red to a wedding is a big NO-NO unless you are close family of the bride or groom.

For weddings and events, sarees ought to be silk, net or a similarly luxurious fabric and the more embroidery and bling, the better! For funerals and mourning sarees should be white, plain and without much embellishment if any.

And now I'll show you a few pics! Too much writing in this post so far!!









As you can see, there are many colours and fabrics when it comes to sarees and according to Wikipedia, about 80 ways recorded of draping them! Sarees can be more traditional or more sexy and once you get the hang of putting them on, they can be even more comfy to wear for events than usual western formal wear!

Now, some more pics, these will be sort of a tutorial on how to wear a saree! You'll see me putting the saree on one of my besties! ;)

First of all, you put on the blouse & petticoat (underskirt)


The petticoat needs to be tied tightly (my friend Esther was complaining about that) but you don't want the saree fabric to slip off because it's too lose and whoops, lost your saree!



You tuck in the saree fabric around so the border barely touches the ground (remember to wear the shoes)



You grab the loose fabric, pleat it and throw it over your shoulder, till it hits knee lenght, then grab the rest of the loose fabric in front.



 You pin the fabric and then do the pleating (that's always the hardest part to learn to do) and then tuck it in front and pin it again!


Then you grab the pallu and let it fall from the shoulder onto the arm, and pin it again on the back so it doesn't fall off!


And you're good to go!


Namaste!


I'll show you now a few video tutorials for how to wear a saree in a few different ways! They're fun and easy to follow! And explain it much better than I did with the photos, I'm sure!

Nivi Style - it's the more typical, traditional way to wear a saree, and you can never go wrong for wearing a saree this way for any and all events!



Hourglass/Mermaid style - this is a more modern way to wearing a saree is fantastic to wear a net saree and still hide the tummy a bit but go less traditional. It's also great to move around without worrying about the pallu of the saree!



Siren/Variation of Nivi style - Very similar to the Nivi style but again a lil more modern and comfy to dance and move around, a lil more revealing too. Perfect for receptions and parties!




And oh boy, I think that's all! This has ended up being a massively BIG post and if any of you guys have read till the end... THANK YOU!!



Liars INC by Paula Stokes

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.






       




18 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this! I loved Parvati and I adored the book. I have several Indian friends, some actually in India, some currently in the US, but they're all very culture and tradition oriented. I'll have to try this some day, which my sister's help because I'm aesthetically challenged. I've always wanted to wear one! Aren't they just gorgeous!?

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    1. Thank you, Maja! I adore wearing sarees and even if I no longer I'm part of an Indian family since me and my bf broke up, I still adore wearing them!! And I must confess I prefer them to regular formal dresses! ;)

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  2. Wow it looks complicated! So neat you can do it so well :D

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    1. Thank you Eileen! It's only hard the first few times, then it's easy as pie!

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  3. I love this post! It also made me think about something. There used to be quite a few women seen around my city wearing sarees, but not anymore. Hmm.. I wonder why? They are beautiful. :D

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    1. Maybe they decided to save it for the special occasions?? But yeah, they're gorgeous!

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  4. You are so lovely, Nurse Pili! I hope you have a great BEA. If you happen to cross paths with my friend Marcy Beller Paul, author of Underneath Everything, give her a squeeze for me :)

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    1. BEA was great but so exhausting! I came back home yesterday and slept for 16 hours!!
      I wish I could have seen this before I left so I could have looked for Marcy, but alas my phone & Blogger don't mix well, so I didn't see it before I left!

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  5. I adore this! I'm a big fan of traditional indian wear and as a kid I'd always wrap a long scarf around myself to make an impromptu sari of my own :)

    -Mari

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    1. Sarees are so wonderful! And yep, I can understand how you'd love to wrap scarves and pretend they were saris!!

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  6. I love this post Pili :D Thank you oh so much for sharing about it sweetie. <3 You look so so gorgeous :D I hope you are having the most amazing time at BEA. <3

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    1. Thank you Carina dear! I did have a brilliant if exhausting time!

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  7. Wow, look at you in all those wonderful saris! I've only been to one Indian wedding but I've always loved how beautiful the gorgeous clothing is. I've always wondered how you put one on, so thanks for the step by step instructions, hah.

    Such a fun post. I really liked LIARS, INC as well--I have had a draft of my review round-up of thrillers for ages, but I've been so busy and sick that I still haven't gotten to finishing it yet. Soon, I hope.

    Hope you're having a blast at BEA!!

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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    1. Thank you, Wendy!! Saris are something I love wearing and I plan to wear them even if I don't attend Indian weddings anymore!

      I do hope you'll be feeling much better soon!! *sends hugs*

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  8. Ooh really fascinating post, I went to one of my best friend's wedding and she's half indian and wore the most beautiful purple sari there. It was really colourful and vibrant seeing her and their family in the festive gear! They look quite complicated to put on though. Thanks for sharing, Pili!

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    1. They're not as complicated once you've done it a pair of times yourself! It looks more complicated than it really is!
      Thank you Jeann!

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  9. Great post! After all these years, I sometimes still have troubling wrapping a sari. Pleating is hard -_- lol

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. I got pretty good at the pleating, but I must confess I'm a bit out of practice! That's why I like doing the "desi parties" with my friends, so I have an excuse to wear a saree!

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¡Muchas gracias por vuestros comentarios, leerlos me alegra el día!/ Thanks a lot for all your comments, reading them brightens my day!!