India's national costume for women is the sari. The Salwar Kameez is also a very popular dress worn by most of India's female population. Each state has its own style of wearing a sari. Western clothing is often worn by women in some metropolises, Goa and the North East regions as daily wear though there are many women who wear saris (particular in Kolkata) on a quotidian basis. Many tribal women folk don their own unique costumes.

The most common men's attire consists of the dhoti and kurta. This is worn in most of the western and central regions. The Sherwani is a very popular wear worn for special occasions. In many parts of India the lungi, a type of wrap-around is worn by the men folk; in some places it may or may not, dependent on social practice, be restricted to in-door wear. In cities and in town the most visible form of attire is the ubiquitous shirt and pant.

Jeans and other western wear are very common in the major metropolises and smaller towns.