Saris of different designs and materials are available in a variety of colours. It is made out of cotton, silk and other synthetic materials. The cost of the saris varies according to the quality. The outer end of the sari or Pallu is most attractive especially on silk saris.

Women of Tamil Nadu wear silk saris on special occasions. The Brahmin community wear the sari in a slightly different way without wearing the long skirt. The length of the sari which they wear is longer (nine yards) than the usual one. It is wound separately on both legs in a proper way without restricting the person's free movement.

Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu and Mysore in Karnataka are famous for their unique silk and cotton saris.

Andhra Pradesh is famous for its cotton saris which is designed with jerry and thread. The saris woven at Venkatagiri and Pochhampalli in Andhra are famous. Cotton saris of Bengal is ideal as a summer wear.

In Kerala, women wear their traditional two piece cloth called mundu and neriyathu. The 'mundu' (one piece) is draped on the lower part of the body. The second piece; 'neriyathu' is worn on top, over a blouse in the same way as the saris. This mundu also called 'Settu Mundu' is the traditional attire. The mundu was worn in a different way by the women of the royal families.

Saris are worn in different ways in many places, especially in Gujarat, Manipur, Maharashtra and Coorg (Karnataka).

Saree is the oldest apparel in the world. Its earliest depiction is perhaps the Indus valley figurine, showing a priest with saree with flower pattern, indicating the likely origins of the sari in the Indian subcontinent. The oldest South Indian Epic, the Silappadhikaram, describes the ethos of South Indian sari beauty. The Kadambari by Banabhatta, describes exquisite drapery of women in the region south of the vindhyas. The clothing of ancient Indian women in the age of the Mauryan dynasty and Gupta Empire did not cover their stomachs. The upper garment of women was a scarf like cloth called the Uttariya, along with a breast band called the Sthanapattam or stanapatta. This was a garment tied in a knot at the back, and the lower garment consisted of a dhoti like clothing. The word sari comes from the ancient Tamil term siri or seere. Several references indicate that during the sangam period in ancient South India, a single piece of clothing served as both lower garment and head covering, leaving the bosom and midriff completely uncovered. This ancient form of the pallu-less saree was almost completely preserved as traditional clothing in Kerala, in South India till the 1970's. It was in the form of a two-piece mundum-neriyathum, with a gold-bordered shawl. The pallu was added much later to the saree.