• The loose, flowing fit makes the kurta suitable for everyday wear.Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images
  
  The kurta is a traditional loose-fitting blouse worn in India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Suitable for both men and women, it can be paired with other traditional garments or worn casually with jeans. Similar to the peasant tops that were popular in the hippie culture of the 1960s, the kurta has become fashionable in segments of the Western world, as well as a part of high couture.
  
  

Men's Kurtas

• Overall, men's kurtas are still the most traditional, with most designs offering a high collar and long, loose sleeves. But even though men's kurtas sport similar shapes and silhouettes, men have an abundance of options in terms of color, fabric and pattern. Bold, bright colors are common: purple with intricate gold embroidery or green with copper. Casual kurtas are often made from cotton, while formal ones are made from cotton silk or satin silk. Formal men's kurtas tend to feature heavy embroidery around the collar and neck opening.
  
  

Women's Full-Sleeved Kurtas

• Women's kurtas show more variation in style and design than men's kurtas. They come in lengths ranging from below the knee to just below the waist. Long, full-sleeved kurtas are the most formal option. Whatever the length of the sleeves, they are always loose-fitting, maintaining the same width from shoulder to wrist. Long-sleeved kurtas come with or without collars, although collars are traditional. Collars may be U-shaped or V-shaped and may be open, exposing the neckline, or closed. Like men's kurtas, women's full-sleeved kurtas come in many patterns, colors and embroidery options.
  
  

Women's Sleeveless Kurtas

• Short-sleeved or sleeveless kurtas are a very modern variation on the traditional kurta. Sleeveless kurtas resemble a summer dress and might have a less traditional scooped neckline. These kurtas may come with other variations such as ruffles at the shoulders or along the sides. But even these modern variations tend to preserve the intricate fabric patterns of traditional kurtas.