The saree has often been described as 'the apparel that covers all...yet reveals all'. What is it about this length of cloth wrapped around a woman's body that adds so much allure? Visitors from distant kingdoms and empires to India since time immemorial have been tantalised by bewitching Indian women clad in sarees.

No exotic fancy dress, but a garment that is worn daily by women through the length and breadth of India, 5½ metres of continuous fabric. Unstitched. Yet a perfect fit for every figure. And not as complicated to wear as you might suppose.

Legend has it that when the beauteous Draupadi - wife of the Pandavas - was lost to the enemy clan in a gambling duel, the Lord Krishna promised to protect her virtue. The lecherous victors, intent on "bagging" their prize, caught one end of the diaphanous material that draped her so demurely, yet seductively. They continued to pull and unravel, but could reach no end. Virtue triumphed yet again in this 5,000 year old Indian epic, the Mahabharat.

Legend, fantasy, history or fact, it is the first recorded reference to the enduringly attractive saree - the longest, most popular style in the history of women's fashion. Over the centuries, there have been changes. The diversity of the Indian people is reflected in a variety of materials used for a saree and the way it is draped in different parts of the country.

In the South of India, the nine-yard length is draped between the legs to fashion flowing pants. The Coorgi's from central and South India wear it to look like a modern western full-length gown and some tribes use it to cover the topless. The traditional six-yard saree, however, is a classic and allows for generous pleating and draping around the body and over the shoulder - almost Grecian in its elegance. The basic draping of a saree, the folding, tucking and pleating, beyond that, the saree is an Indian woman's statement to the world. It could be of shimmering silk or the finest gauzy cotton. Perhaps a pastel-hued solid color or a riot of woven flowers. It may even be embroidered with golden threads, or finished with a richly tasseled border. It speaks of romance or riches, of sobriety or gaiety, of phistication or innocence. Men are intrigued by the demure floor-length attire and tantalizing display of a bare midriff in the back. It is said that a saree rarely fails to flatter a woman, making her feel fragile and feminine. It is an instant fashion, created by the hands of the wearer and subject to none of the vagaries and changes that plague the fashions of the western world. For these reasons,an increasing number of American & European women have begun enjoying the simplicity, yet flowing grace of the saree. The hostesses on India's national carrier, AIR-INDIA, wear the traditional six-yard saree instead of a more conventional in-flight uniform. The success of the saree through all the centuries is attributed to its total simplicity and practical comfort, combined with the sense of luxury a woman experiences.

The saree is mentioned in Hindu literature and depicted in Hindu painting as far back as 3,000 B.C. "The saree, it is said, was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver. He dreamt of Woman. The shimmer of her tears. The drape of her tumbling hair. The colors of her many moods. The softness of her touch. All these he wove together. He couldn't stop. He wove for many yards. And when he was done, the story goes, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled."