Types of salwar suit: what each name means

Suits named after the trouser

In each of these the kameez is kept fairly plain in shape, because the trouser is the point.

• Patiala suit: a short kameez, hip to above the knee, over a Patiala shalwar, which is very full and falls in many deep pleats from the waistband to a cuffed ankle. It is named after the city of Patiala in Punjab. The shalwar guide covers the plain version.
• Churidar suit: a long kameez, straight, A-line or flared, over a churidar, a narrow trouser cut longer than the leg so that it gathers in rings at the ankle.
• Palazzo suit: a short or mid-length kurta over a palazzo, wide and flowing from the hip.
• Sharara suit: a short kurti over a sharara, which flares from the waist or hip to the floor. A gharara suit is its close relative, fitted to the knee before it flares.
• Pant-style suit: a straight kameez over tailored trousers, usually cigarette pants or a straight leg. Pant here just means a trouser that is not a shalwar.

Suits named after the kameez

Here the top is the feature, and the trouser underneath is usually slim.

• Anarkali suit: a long, flared, frock-style kameez with a fitted bodice and a wide skirt, traditionally worn over a churidar. Our kalidar frock guide explains how the panelled kalidar and the seamed anarkali differ.
• Straight-cut suit: a straight kameez, long and even from underarm to hem with side slits, over slim trousers, a churidar or a shalwar.
• A-line suit: a kameez that widens gently towards the hem, worn with almost any trouser.
• Angrakha suit: a wrap-front kameez that ties at the side, usually over a churidar or straight trousers.

Labels that describe something else

Some terms on the same shop pages are not styles at all.

• Punjabi suit: a regional name for a shalwar kameez, often but not always with a Patiala shalwar.
• Dress material: an Indian term for an unstitched fabric set, not a finished outfit. See Indian dress material vs Pakistani unstitched suits.
• Three-piece and two-piece: how many items are included. Three-piece means kameez, trousers and dupatta; two-piece means two of the three, commonly the kameez and trousers.
• Semi-stitched: partly made, typically with the side seams left open so the size can be set later.

Turning a name into an order

Names vary from shop to shop, so two palazzo suits can be cut quite differently. When you order made to measure, describe each half separately: the kameez cut and length first, then the trouser. A photo settles most questions faster than a label does.

On our quote form the trouser styles are shalwar, straight, cigarette, wide-leg, sharara, gharara and churidar. Patiala shalwars and anarkali-style frocks are not named choices there, so send a picture and ask; we confirm in the written quote what is possible on your fabric and design. Custom stitching explains the service, and a design quote is the place to upload your photo.