How to tuck in your baati: A Guide
The baati garment is a long and loose dress. Ideally, in the traditional sense, the baati should be long, covering your feet. This means it will probably pool on the floor to some degree when worn. If a baati fits perfectly, to your ankles much like a dress would, it would be considered short. So how do you wear a clothing item that is intentionally too long?
There are many ways of tucking in a baati so that it fits better and reduces your risk of tripping. In this how-to-guide, we will suggest three basic ways of tucking in your baati.
1. The Pouch:
In the traditional manner, a silk skirt, called a gorgorad, is worn under a baati. This provides the perfect opportunity to tuck in an ample amount of baati fabric into the skirt's elastic waistband. The baati is then lifted from the front, sometimes revealing the skirt and its decorated hem, and stays relatively long at the back. The tucked-in material becomes a pouch that now serves as a pocket. Now you know where you can keep your phone! To complete this look, and to make it as comfortable as possible, adjust the size of your pouch to your liking, tug at your baati at places where it may be digging at you and you’re good to go!
2. The one-sided pinch and tuck:
This style of tucking in is very practical and usually done without much thought. The primary purpose of this style is to pick your baati off the floor. Simply collect a pinch of fabric, or bunch depending on the size of your baati, around your left or right hip, and simply tuck it into your silk skirt or leggings (or whatever you are wearing under your baati). If you want it to look a little more stylish, make sure to tuck it at the front of either your left or right hip. This creates pleats across your torso towards the tuck and pleats from the tuck flowing from your hip to the floor.
3. The double-sided pinch and tuck:
This style of tucking is just an elevation of the one-side pinch and tuck. Instead of having your baati tucked only on one side, you can tuck it at both hips at the same time. This style frames your torso area and creates flow for your lower half. It gives your baati a kaftan look and is a very elegant way of styling your baati!
Which of the above styles of tucking in a baati is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.