Rock the desi avatar

They say as the country is, the same should be the guise; and, in recent years, the sentiment of ‘going vocal for local’ has undoubtedly caught up among fashion and Bollywood A-listers. While the pandemic restricted global travel, film actors are surely flying domestically in their best Indian attire. From Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Janhvi Kapoor to Sara Ali Khan, Kiara Advani, and many more Bollywood divas are strutting at the airport in traditional Indian clothing.

Desi divas

Till some time back, wearing Indian clothing for travel wasn’t considered “stylish” enough but thanks to the Bollywood actresses the mindset is changing. Brahmastra actress Rashi Mal mentions, “I believe marketing and brand repositioning can help change that mindset. A large majority of young people don’t think of Indian clothes when it comes to travel. They don’t generally associate Indian clothes with free movement and ease of use. For all you know this could be a huge untapped market. While travelling, I love a kurta paired with tights and a tank top with a nice India skirt makes for a roomy outfit that lets you sit any way you like.”
Whereas, actress Geetika Mehandru of the film Kabir Singh opines, “For me, comfort is a preference — and, an easy-to-wear Indian suit is the best option. A simple cotton dupatta and a long suit salwar with flat footwear paired with jhumkas are my go-to look. I feel it’s an elegant look and enhances Indian beauty, so I prefer it for travelling as well.”

Fly in style

While styling for airport looks, most designers and stylists go for a smart, casual, and comfortable ensemble with an international aesthetic. Fabrics that breathe easily, soft trims, and minimal embroidery just as enhancement or accents are always a preference, says designer Gopi Vaid. He recommends, “Invest in loose silhouettes like palazzo, dupatta, pants, overlay long jacket style kurta, kaftan with ankle cut-off pants and scarves. These styles are not fitted, allowing ease and flexibility of movement so they are quite popular for travel.”
For travelling, Indianwear can be teamed up with light jewellery and comfortable footwear. “Avoid dupattas and chunky jewellery as it can be inconvenient,” cautions designer Prakhar Gupta of the label Untung. He says, “In India, celebs set the tone for youngsters to follow. If we have more and more celebs endorsing Indianwear, it will be picked up by the youth. Ethnic dresses, easy straight-fit kurtas with pants would be my preferred options for travel looks. For me, Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty and Genelia Desouza carry effortless Indianwear looks for the airport.”

Accessorise wise

For every traveller, comfort plays an important role while choosing a wardrobe and traditional Indian outfits are shaping up the airport looks because of this very same reason. Designer Laksheeta Govil of the label Fizzy Goblet, adds, “They’re stylish, chic yet very comfortable and easy. My top favourite picks in this category would be a nice kurta set in soft handwoven fabrics, juttis that are quirky yet uber comfortable, easy-breezy kurtas that can be worn with jeans and paired with kolhapuris that add the style on the go. A few of my favourites are Kiara’s recent airport look and how she kept it simple with a yellow silk ethnic suit and paired it with juttis. Similarly, Sara Ali Khan always pairs her juttis and sandals so effortlessly that elevates a basic kurta look.”

"I believe wearing Indian clothes while travelling is very comfortable. Keep styling minimal with nice handcuffs or small earrings and footwear like juttis or kolhapuris. My favourites are a classic sari, kurta set, and minimal jewellery. For a kurta set, you can ditch a dupatta and and pair an Indo-Western style jacket with oxide jewels and juttis for a stunning look."
— Srushti Gupta, celebrity stylist