Director M. Night Shyamalan brought his wife, Bhavna Shyamalan, clad in a striking black and white sari.

And a number of individuals of non-Indian background wore ensembles with overt Indian touches, like Katie Couric and  EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, while Rebecca Olson Gupta (wife of Sanjay Gupta) went all the way with a bold fuschia sari.

Meanwhile, the red and gold sari worn by party crasher Michaele Salahi, aspiring reality TV star who may be on the forthcoming “The Real Housewives of Washington,” probably helped her and her husband gain admission to the dinner.

Saris have many benefits: they are visually arresting, comfortable and form flattering. But it’s rare for people who lack an Indian background to wear them. Probably the biggest obstacle is that, unlike a dress or pair of pants, putting on a sari is not self-evident. It involves tucking, folding and draping and if you’ve never done it before, it can be very intimidating.

But for those who lack an Indian friend to help them dress, there is a solution: YouTube.

YouTube is more than just a treasure trove of cat tricks, Lucky Charms commercials from the 1980’s and great sports moments, like the 1986 NBA slam dunk contest won by the 5’6” Spud Webb.

It also features videos that explain things that aren’t common knowledge unless you grew up in a particular society or culture. For example, there are a number of videos that tell you how to wear a sari – providing enough detail and explanation that it might be possible to replicate it yourself at home.

YouTube videos also offer explanations on hair care for African-Americans and how to wear a yukata (summer kimono). As I discussed in a previous post about the virtual world Second Life, geography, language barriers and a general hesitancy to ask a stranger a potentially sensitive question (such as “how do you take care of your hair?”) are real-world obstacles to the exchange of information. But there are people out there who are curious about, for example, how to wear hijab; and there are others who are eager to demonstrate. YouTube facilitates the easy sharing of such information.

iDiplomacy will be taking a break for Thanksgiving. Happy holidays!