The key difference between sharara and lehenga is that the sharara has long flared pants, whereas the lehenga has a long skirt.
Sharara and lehenga are both Indian-inspired evening dresses. They are popular as wedding dresses as well. There are three variations of lehengas, and sharara is one. The other two are ghagra and lacha. Both lehengas and shararas are three-piece outfits. Sometimes, shararas are worn with two dupattas, and in such situations, one is used as a veil while the other is used to drape on the shoulders. This type is generally worn at weddings.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Sharara
3. What is a Lehenga
4. Sharara vs Lehenga in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Sharara vs Lehenga
What is a Sharara?
A sharara is a long dress with a fitted waistline that is worn with a kurta and a dupatta. They are made using materials such as cotton, silk, georgette, and net. Shararas are made from heavy fabrics with a heavy lining. A sharara flares out fully from the waist and hangs loose at the legs. It is loose around the thighs, so it looks like a skirt. The palazzo of this is a pair of flared pants, and they may or may not touch the floor.
Sharara has Lebanese roots, and its ancestors are found in Yemen’s Hamedan tribe. In those days, they were for queens and princesses only. This came to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal ancestry in the 16th century. Since then, it has been used widely in the Indian and Pakistani fashion industries. Later, it received publicity from Bollywood movies and its actresses. Generally, many brides choose shararas as wedding dress because it is more modern and stylish. This became very much popular in the 2000s.
There are several ways to style your dupatta while wearing a sharara, but it mostly depends on the type of jewellery you wear. The styles are one-side shoulder drape, draping it across both arms, draping it behind shoulders, draping it over your shoulder, tucking the ends under your arm, and slinging it across one arm. With this, you can use matching hairstyles like loose hair, side-parted hair, French braid, braided bun, high puffs with curls at the end, and crown twirls at the edge of the forehead.
What is a Lehenga?
A lehenga is a three-piece attire that is popular in the Indian subcontinent. It is also called chaniya, gagra, pavadai or lacha. This outfit comprises a lehenga, which is a long skirt that is secured at the waist, a fitted blouse, which is called a choli, and a dupatta. Since the blouse is short, the mid-riff of the wearer is bare. Women and girls of all ages love this attire. It is made with embroidered or printed fabrics and is worn for festivals, weddings, and other ceremonial occasions.
Lehenga was introduced during the Mughal empire when it was popular as a royal attire. Later on, the general public also started wearing this. Although the basic elements such as embroidery and the stitching style remain the same during this long journey, the variety of fabrics used has gradually changed. Earlier, they were made of royal fabrics, and then they were made from khadi and cotton fabrics for the public. At present, they are made from silk, velvet, brocade, lace, and net materials.
There are different types of lehenga styles. They are saree-style lehenga, A-line lehenga, straight-cut lehenga, jacket style lehenga, sharara cut lehenga, paneled lehenga ,and fishtail lehenga. Depending on the occasion, you can select the style that matches you.
What is the Difference Between Sharara and Lehenga?
The key difference between sharara and lehenga is that the sharara has long flared pants, whereas the lehenga has a long skirt. While shararas come with a kurta-like blouse piece, lehengas have short and fitting blouses.
Below is a summary of the difference between sharara and lehenga in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary –Sharara vs Lehenga
A sharara is a long dress with a fitted waistline that is worn with a kurta and a dupatta. It is worn with flared pants, and sometimes two dupattas are used. This is more modern and stylish. A lehenga is a three-piece attire that is popular in the Indian subcontinent. It is worn with a long skirt and a short, fitted blouse. Thus, this is the summary of the difference between sharara and lehenga.
Reference:
1. “Sharara Dress – A New Trend in the Fashion World.” Connect Kovet.
2. “Lehenga.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation.
Image Courtesy:
1. “A Beautiful Bride Standing while Wearing a Lehenga” Photo by (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Pooja Hegde celebrates Dhanteras in a cinnamon coloured sharara” By Bollywood Hungama (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia