White was the traditional colour for the costumes of the people of Kerala, irrespective of their gender. The menfolk of the state still follow these rules and wear the white Mundu till date. In terms of dressing style, men are more old-fashioned than women. The mundu is a single piece dhoti like cloth that is tied at the waist and flows till the ankle. Kerala men raise this dress till their knees so that they are able to walk comfortably. Most of the men are bare-chested, however, men of higher caste wear a towel around their shoulders. Some of the men who have an inclination to dress the modern way, wear a shirt over their Mundu. This shirt is also crisp and pure white in colour. This is a costume that is preferred by men of most communities except the ones who want to dress in the western style. These people wear shirts and cotton trousers.

Kasavu Mundu is the most traditional dress of the Hindu men residing in the rural areas. This Mundu is a single-piece cloth that is made from pure cotton fabric. It is usually of 3 to 4 m in length and has an attractive silk border on it. While going out the house, Hindu men usually wear a white shirt over this Kasavu Mundu and a Neriyathu over their shoulders. They also apply sandalwood paste on their forehead and chest before stepping out of their house, so that they look dignified and neat. While in their homes, colourful Lungis, also known as Kayili, is the most preferred dress for the men of Kerala.

During their everyday lives, women prefer to wear saris, salwar-kameez and salwar-churidhar whereas men prefer to wear shirts and trousers. The youngsters of Kerala dress as per western styles and they continuously keep upgrading their style quotient based on the changing trends in fashion. The traditional dresses for men and women are mostly worn on important days like festivals and weddings. Novel dressing styles are also being witnessed in the recent past in Kerala.

Depending on their comfort levels, men and women have adapted themselves to the changing dressing patterns. Men are often spotted wearing T-shirts and trousers and women are spotted wearing salwars and churidhars as these dresses provide extreme comfort during travelling.