Karwa Chauth falls on Thursday, 29 October this year. The outfit is usually a red or maroon saree, a lehenga, often the wedding one brought out again, or a heavy suit. The day is long: dressed by late afternoon for the puja, sitting on the floor through the katha, then standing on a terrace or in a courtyard until the moon rises, which is after eight in the evening across most of north India. All of it happens on a day when you have had nothing to eat or drink since before sunrise. That last fact should shape what you put on underneath.
What bra goes under the blouse?
It depends on the cut of the back and the depth of the front, the same as any saree blouse.
A blouse with a closed back and a moderate neck takes an ordinary well-fitting bra, and nothing adhesive is needed. Which bra to wear with a saree covers the plain cases, including a padded blouse that needs no bra at all.
A deep or dori back removes the band, so the support has to come from the front. Up to a C cup the butterfly stick-on bra does it with nothing behind. From a D cup up, boob tape holds better because you set the lift yourself. The cut-by-cut version is in what to wear under a backless blouse.
A deep front is a different problem, since an ordinary bra shows at the centre. The bra for a deep neck blouse sorts that by how low the neckline goes.
A sheer or net blouse over a lined bodice needs only nipple covers, in a shade close to your skin.
Does the fast change what you should wear?
Yes, in two ways.
Go easy on compression. Firm shapewear presses on the stomach and the lower ribs, which is the last thing you want on a day without food or water. Choose the lighter piece, wear your measured size, and take it off if you start to feel unwell. How tight shapewear should be has the fit test: you should be able to breathe out fully and sit down without the garment making itself felt. If the choice is between a slightly smoother drape and a comfortable evening, take the evening.
Time the adhesive for when you need it. There is no reason to tape up at noon for a puja at five. Apply it when you dress, on clean dry skin with no lotion or oil, and it only has to last from late afternoon to after moonrise. That is comfortably inside the limits in how long you can wear boob tape.
What goes under the saree?
A saree hides the stomach and shows the hip, so the useful shaping is at the waist and below. A saree shapewear skirt or a shaping short under the petticoat smooths the hip and keeps the pleats flat. Shapewear under a saree and the petticoat guide compare the options.
For this particular evening, a short is the easier choice. It leaves the stomach free of a full panel, it is cooler, and it copes well with sitting cross-legged. The high-waisted thigh shaper shorts sit above the hip, which keeps them from rolling down when you sit and stand repeatedly.
Whatever you choose, sit on the floor in it at home before the day. A waistband that is fine standing can fold when you sit, and the katha is not short.
What goes under a lehenga?
If it is your wedding lehenga, try it on a week ahead. Bodies change in a year or two, and a choli that is now loose or tight is a job for a tailor. Adhesive cannot fix a blouse that no longer fits.
For the rest, what to wear under a lehenga covers the choli and the skirt separately. The short version is a stick-on bra or tape under an open-back choli, and high-waisted shorts under the skirt with their band tucked below the skirt's waistband, so nothing shows above it.
What about a suit or an anarkali?
Usually your normal bra. Check two things in daylight: whether a pale or thin kameez shows the bra's colour, in which case switch to a shade close to your skin, and whether net sleeves or a sheer yoke show the straps. For a sheer yoke, a strapless option or covers will do.
What about the dupatta and the pallu?
You will be lifting a sieve and a thali with both hands, so anything draped has to stay put without them. Pin the pallu at the shoulder and fix the edge that crosses the blouse with a strip of double-sided tape. The saree tape guide shows where the strips go. The same strip holds a deep neckline flat when you bend forward.
If your mehendi is going on the same day
Dress first. Tape and stick-on cups need clean, dry fingers to place, and wet henna rules that out for hours. Most people have mehendi done the day before, which avoids the problem.
At a glance
| The outfit | Underneath |
|---|---|
| Saree, closed-back blouse | Your normal bra; a short under the petticoat if you want the hip smooth |
| Saree, deep or dori back | Stick-on bra up to a C cup, tape from a D; short under the petticoat |
| Saree, deep front | See the deep neck blouse guide; tape the neckline edge |
| Lehenga with an open-back choli | Stick-on bra or tape; short under the skirt |
| Sheer or net blouse, lined | Covers alone |
| Suit or anarkali | Normal bra in a skin-close shade |
The short version
Dress for a long evening on an empty stomach. Pick the bra by the blouse: ordinary for a closed back, stick-on or tape for an open one, covers under sheer. Keep shapewear light, and prefer a short to a full bodysuit so nothing presses on your middle. Apply anything adhesive when you dress, not hours before, and take it off with oil the same night, as how to remove boob tape describes. If you are unsure about the blouse, the neckline finder will match its cut and your cup size to one option.
