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What is the difference between a Kurta and a Kurti?

Indian men in stylish kurtas

Indian men in stylish kurtas

Reprinted from IndianRoots.com

A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn by men in the Indian Subcontinent. It is a loose fitting shirt that falls just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer.

When a woman wears a kurta, it is called a kurti.

Kurtis are usually much shorter than the kurta worn by men and usually fall between the waist and the mid-thigh. They were traditionally worn with pajamas, salwars, churidars or dhotis, but are now also worn with jeans. Kurtas are worn casually as well as formally.

The word “kurta” comes from Persian decent and literally means, ‘a collarless shirt’. Basically of Indian origin, the kurti is a classic example of changing times. Always a part of the Indian ethnic attire, it was relegated to rural India for the longest time.

Ethnic and modern kurtis

Ethnic and modern kurtis

But with changing times the kurta/kurti has become a designer favorite. They have experimented and played around with the original design, tweaking it here and there, adding some embellishments, keeping the tradition intact, but made it more modern or new age! Fabrics, colors and cuts experimented with, by adding interesting dashes of intrigue. Some kurtis have been sported with unique styles such as the bandh gala, giving it a formal look.

With top designers working on Kurtis for movie stars and runway models, the Kurti has come to represent designer style fashion & comfort, which is a perfect combination for a clothing item. From slim to plus size women all want this comfortable ensemble. One can practically see every one from college going girls to middle-aged women wearing them nowadays.

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