The half saree is a popular drape worn by young girls before marriage in the Southern part of India. Also called the Langa Voni in Telugu, Langa Davani in Kannada and the Paavadai Daavani in Tamil, this traditional two-piece attire is a festival favorite and is worn by girls of all ages. The langa, paavadai or skirt is tied around the waist with a string and is worn with a short or long well-fitted blouse. The voni or the dupatta is draped over the shoulder and around the waist to be tucked in front.

Although they can be worn in monochrome, they are usually worn in contrasting colors giving the attire a distinctly playful look. Many sarees use a dual tone shade which gives the look of a voni draped around the waist. The perfect attire for young girls, art silk half sarees are best worn atop a long silk skirt.

The traditional half saree is available in a wide range of colors and designs and can be worn on any casual or formal occasion. Check out our half saree collection and choose the colors that best suit your style and persona.

A Langa Voni (Langa Voni Telugu: లంగా ఓణీ, Pavadai Daavani Tamil: பாவாடை, Langa Davani Kannada: ಲಂಗ ದಾವಣಿ) is a traditional dress worn mainly in South India by young girls between puberty and marriage. It is also known as the two-piece saree or half saree. Young girls between puberty and marriage wear this dress. Girls younger than this may wear it on special occasions.

It comprises a Langa or Paavadai, a skirt which is tied around the waist using string, and a Voni, Oni, or Davani, which is a cloth usually 2 to 2.5 metres in length. The voni is draped diagonally over a choli (a tight fitting blouse, same as worn for saree). Usually, the garment is woven with cotton or silk. A variant of this is the Gagra choli of North India (the difference between the two being the direction of draping the voni or dupatta).

The modern day "lengha-style sari," worn by Indians across the subcontinent mainly for special occasions, is inspired by the Langa Voni.

The half saree facilitates the transition from the childhood paavadai (skirt) sattai (blouse) to the saree, the more complicated drape worn by adult women. Usually the langa (paavadai) and voni are brightly colored and contrasting to each other. At a glance, the half saree outfit can look similar to southern styles of saree because the drape travels in the same direction: tucked into the front of the skirt, then wrapped around the waist, and then draped over the opposite shoulder.

However, the voni is shorter, and the wearer is not required to manually pleat the cloth, as is done when draping the saree. In addition, the voni is less restrictive, allowing the wearer to move her legs freely.