White and Off White Sarees for Women in Cotton and Linen

White and Off White Sarees for Women

A white saree is the calmest thing you can wear, and one of the most useful. In mul cotton it is cool enough for a summer office day; with a coloured border it is ready for Holi or a daytime function; in ivory linen with zari it carries an interview or a convocation. Our white and off white sarees come in mul cotton, mul modal and handloom linen. Below you will find the whites we have now, how white differs from off white, ivory and pearl, what to pair with it, and how to keep it bright.

White Sarees by Shade and Border

Pure white: Rangam is a handwoven white mul cotton with fine stripes at ₹2,499. The stripes give a plain white look a little texture, which helps in photographs, and it takes a gentle cold hand wash. For no pattern at all, Vanilla Mousse is a plain white mul cotton.

White with a coloured border: Bright Side is white mul cotton with a yellow border, and Salt Air is a seafoam white mul cotton with a lime border, both at ₹1,999. They suit daytime functions, summer and Holi, which holds mainly white and yellow cotton sarees, and both take a gentle cold hand wash. See all our border sarees for other edges.

White with polka dots: Moonlit Pearl is a white mul modal with hand block printed polka dots at ₹2,499, with a 1 m running blouse piece. The dots keep it light and relaxed for office days and farewells. See our polka dot sarees for more dotted prints.

White with a red border: the red and white saree is the classic look for Durga Puja, especially in Bengal. Kamakshi is white mul cotton with a red border and a gold zari edge at ₹1,799; dry clean it because of the zari. Devi is white mul cotton with gold and red detailing at ₹1,999, and it takes a gentle cold hand wash. See our red sarees for the reverse balance, and our Durga Puja saree guide for how to wear the look.

White and ivory with a gold border: ivory has a faint warmth that pairs naturally with gold zari. The Go to is ivory pure handloom linen with a gold zari border at ₹4,499, with a 1 m blouse piece. Linen is crisp and less sheer than mul cotton, so it is our first pick for interviews and formal events; dry clean it. For a little sheen, Meira is a plain ivory and gold handloom tissue. See our linen sarees and zari sarees for more.

More whites: Bohemian Rhapsody is a white embroidered mul cotton, Cream Canvas a white hand painted mul cotton, and English Primrose a white floral hand painted chiffon for parties. All three should be dry cleaned.

White, Off White, Ivory and Pearl: What Is the Difference?

Pure white is the coolest and crispest shade. Off white is a little warmer, and covers a family of shades: ivory has a faint yellow warmth and pairs naturally with gold; pearl is soft, with a faint grey cast; cream is deeper still, close to a pale beige. Off white shades are softer on most skin tones and forgive small marks, while pure white looks sharper and more graphic.

If you want something deeper than ivory, look at the beige sarees on our brown sarees page, and for more soft shades see our pastel sarees.

How to Style a White Saree

Blouse: a red blouse is the traditional pairing and works with any white saree. A white blouse with a white saree gives a clean tonal look; add texture through the sleeve or neckline so it does not look flat. Gold or zari blouses suit ivory and red border sarees, black gives a sharp graphic finish for the office, and soft pink, sky blue or mint keep a white saree light for daytime. With a bordered saree, match the blouse to the border: yellow with Bright Side, lime or mint with Salt Air.

Jewellery: pearls and silver suit pure white and pearl white. Temple gold suits ivory and red border sarees. With a red border, a red bindi and red or gold bangles complete the look.

Occasions: for the office and interviews, The Go to, Rangam or Moonlit Pearl read as calm and professional; see our office wear and formal sarees for interviews, and our interview saree guide. Graduating soon? See our convocation sarees in white, ivory and beige and read our convocation saree guide. For Basant Panchami, see our Saraswati Puja saree guide. For Republic Day and Independence Day, a white saree with a coloured blouse works well; our Republic Day and Independence Day saree guide has ideas. For the Kerala off white and gold look, read our Onam saree guide and see our Kerala kasavu sarees. In many communities plain white is also worn to prayer meetings, while some families avoid it at weddings, so check with your hosts if you are unsure.

For more pairings, read which blouse goes with a white saree.

Is a White Saree See Through?

White mul cotton is light and slightly sheer, which is part of why it stays cool. Wear it over a close fitting cotton petticoat: match the petticoat to the saree where you can, and if you have no match on a light saree, nude usually shows less than white. Handloom linen, such as The Go to, is more opaque. If you want a soft, sheer look for a party, white chiffon gives it; wear it over a petticoat too. Our saree petticoat guide covers fabrics and fit.

Fabric, Blouse Piece and Care

Every MAYIN saree is 5.5 m long and 45 inches wide. Mul cotton sarees such as Rangam, Kamakshi, Devi, Bright Side and Salt Air come without a blouse piece; Moonlit Pearl comes with a 1 m running blouse piece, and The Go to with a 1 m blouse piece.

Hand wash plain mul cotton and mul modal, such as Rangam, Devi, Bright Side, Salt Air and Moonlit Pearl, gently in cold water with a mild detergent, away from coloured clothes, and dry them in the shade rather than strong sun. Dry clean anything with zari, embroidery or hand painting, such as Kamakshi, The Go to and Cream Canvas, and all linen, chiffon, tissue and jamdani. To stop white from yellowing, store it clean and fully dry, folded in a cotton cloth rather than plastic, and refold it now and then. Our guide to washing cotton, chiffon and linen sarees has the details.

More Whites and Related Pages

For white in cotton alone, see our white cotton sarees, and for every cotton we make, from mul cotton to jamdani and tissue, browse our cotton sarees. White pairs naturally with black, so you may also like our black sarees. We ship free across India on orders of ₹2,000 and above, ship internationally, offer cash on delivery and accept returns or exchanges within 7 days.