page_title: Shalwar kameez
hierarchical_section_title: Shalwar kameez
caption_attribution_description: English: BADAKHSHAN, Afghanistan - Children take time for a photo during a Civil Military Cooperation mission in Gazanak village, where a school is being constructed for the locals.
context_page_description: Shalwar kameez is a traditional combination dress worn by women, and in some regions by men, in South Asia, and Central Asia.
  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. The pants 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, West Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams are left open below the waist-line, 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, or Punjabi suit.
context_section_description: Shalwar kameez  (also salwar kameez and less commonly shalwar qameez) is a traditional combination dress worn by women, and in some regions by men, in South Asia,  and Central Asia.
  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.  The pants 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, West Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia.  The kameez is a long shirt or tunic.   The side seams are left open below the waist-line (the opening known as the chaak), 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, or Punjabi suit.
  The shalwar and kameez were introduced into South Asia after the arrival of Muslims in the north in the 13th century: at first worn by Muslim women, their use gradually spread, making them a regional style,  especially in the historical Punjab region.  The shalwar-kameez is a widely-worn, and national dress, of Pakistan.  It is also widely worn by men in Afghanistan,  and by women and some men in the Punjab region of India, from which it has been adopted by women throughout India, and more generally in South Asia.
  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.  In South Asia, the dupatta is used to display modesty: 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. 
  Everywhere in South Asia, modern versions of the attire have evolved, the shalwars are worn lower down on the waist, the kameez have shorter length, with higher splits, lower necklines and backlines, and with cropped sleeves or without sleeves.
caption: Boys in Badakshan, Afghanistan, wearing kameez tunics, showing side seams left open below the waist.[1]
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