A Patiala salwar (Its also pronounced as Shalwar in urdu) is a type of female trousers

Trousers

Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...

 which has its roots in Patiala City in the Northern region of Punjab

Punjab (India)

Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...

 state in India. The King of Patiala  in earlier times had its Royal dress as Patiala Salwar. The Patiala Salwar has a close resemblance to the pathani Suit which has similar loose lowers as salwars and long knee length top known as Kameez. Over the decade the dress

Dress

A dress is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice or with a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment.Dress may also refer to:*Clothing in general*Costume, fancy dress...

 now is not worn by men but has classically transformed itself with new cuts and styling into women's Patiala Salwar.

The reason why the patiala dress is preferred by most of the women of punjab and other regions of Northern India is its comfortability and durability in summers. Since the patiala salwar is very loose and stitched with pleats its a very comfortable outfit to wear. Its distinguishing characteristic is folds of cloth stitched together that meet at the bottom. Patiala salwars require double the length of material to get stitched. The fall of the pleats of the Patiala Salwar is such that it gives a beautiful draping effect.

Patiala salwar with lots of pleats is also referred to as Patiala "Shahi" salwar since it was worn by the shahi (royal) people of Patiala city in state of Punjab.

In popular culture

In Bunty Aur Babli

Bunty Aur Babli

Bunty Aur Babli , released in 2005, is an Indian Bollywood film directed by Shaad Ali and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan. It was the first film to feature both Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan, and featured guest appearances by Aishwarya Rai and Tania...

(2005), a new look to Patiala salwars and kurtis, were worn by film's lead Rani Mukherjee, designed by Aki Narula

Aki Narula

Aki Narula is an Indian fashion designer and costume designer and wardrobe stylist in Hindi films, who is most known for films like, Bunty Aur Babli , Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Dostana...

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