Drape it like it's hot

Linen for Monday meetings, crepe for client calls. Gen Z is bringing saris back to office. And turning them into a subtle power move

- Sneha Krishnan

Don't come at us, but the sari is the OG workwear. Indian women have worn them in the fields, they've herded cattle in them, climbed mountains in them, run households in them, orchestrated space missions in them, fought battles in them, went to the market in them and worn them when they first railed against the patriarchy. Don't let anyone tell you that a sari doesn't belong in the workplace.

So how come most women in the corporate sphere keep their saris only for Traditional Day and formal events? For a while, the sari had disappeared from the regular workday.

But leave it to the incoming generation of officegoers to bring it back, pleats, folds, safety pins and all. Beezy muls? It's on the office Zoom call. Linen? It's for that magic Wednesday, when clients finally shut up. No-crease sateen? It's for the trip to the co-working space to show proof of life.

Young women are flexing their #FirstSari looks on Reels, choosing not a grand debut, but a soft, casual drape. There are pleating guides, criticisms of shapewear petticoats (“They do ride up when you walk, guys!”) and guides on how to buy light but real silk. And because a sari is no longer occasion-wear, it's everywhere.

Glam for the grind