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Shalwar kameez
Trousers and tunic worn in South Asia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Shalwar kameez[2][3] (also salwar kameez[4] and less commonly shalwar qameez)[5][6] is a traditional combination dress worn by men and women in South Asia,[4][7] and Central Asia.[8][9]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Schoolgirls_in_Shalwar_Kameez%2C_Abbotabad_Pakistan_-_UK_International_Development.jpg/640px-Schoolgirls_in_Shalwar_Kameez%2C_Abbotabad_Pakistan_-_UK_International_Development.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Afghan_boys_in_shalwar_kameez_in_Badakshan.jpg/640px-Afghan_boys_in_shalwar_kameez_in_Badakshan.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Women_preparing_roti_for_visitors_of_Harmandir_Sahib.jpg/640px-Women_preparing_roti_for_visitors_of_Harmandir_Sahib.jpg)
Shalwars are trousers which are atypically wide at the waist but which narrow to a cuffed bottom. They are held up by a drawstring or elastic belt, which causes them to become pleated around the waist.[4] The trousers can be wide and baggy, or they can be cut quite narrow, on the bias. Shalwars have been traditionally worn in a wide region which includes Eastern Europe,[10][11] West Asia,[12][13] Central Asia, and South Asia. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic.[14]The side seams are left open below the waist-line (the opening known as the chaak[note 1]), which gives the wearer greater freedom of movement. The kameez is usually cut straight and flat; older kameez use traditional cuts; modern kameez are more likely to have European-inspired set-in sleeves. The kameez may have a European-style collar, a Mandarin collar, or it may be collarless; in the latter case, its design as a women's garment is similar to a kurta. The combination garment is sometimes called salwar kurta, salwar suit.[16][17]
The shalwar and kameez were introduced into South Asia by arriving Muslims in the north in the 13th century: at first worn by Muslim women, their use gradually spread, making them a regional style,[18][19][20] especially in the historical Punjab region.[17][21][22] The shalwar-kameez is widely-worn by men and women in Pakistan,[23][24] and is the country's national dress.[25] It is also widely worn by men and women in Afghanistan,[26] and some men in the Punjab region of India, from which it has been adopted by women throughout India,[27] and more generally in South Asia.[28]
When women wear the shalwar-kameez in some regions, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck.[29][30] In South Asia, the dupatta is also employed as a form of modesty—although it is made of delicate material, it obscures the upper body's contours by passing over the shoulders. For Muslim women, the dupatta is a less stringent alternative to the chador or burqa (see hijab and purdah); for Sikh and Hindu women, the dupatta is useful when the head must be covered, as in a temple or the presence of elders.[31] Everywhere in South Asia, modern versions of the attire have evolved; the shalwars are worn lower down on the waist, the kameez have shorter lengths, higher splits, lower necklines and backlines, and with cropped sleeves or without sleeves.[32]