It’s time to look your festive best as the festival season kick-starts with Ganesh Chaturthi on Monday, So “bling” out your ethnic best with classy anarkalis, flowy lehengas, extended kurtas with long skirts and subtle sarees and crop tops. As the season of Indian festivals kickstarts, it brings with it a sense of euphoria. If you’re the one to fancy completely traditional, then go the whole hog with a crop top and a flowy lehenga.
If contemporary fusion is more your style, then get edgy with a tinge of kitsch, some quirky Indian prints (kathakali, elephant, Om, swastika, Ganesha or other such) in flamboyant colours. There’s no reason enough to skip out on all the festivities than now.
Ravina Belani, Ravina’s shares, “Burgundy is in vogue for a festive look with a mix of brocade and Ari work. Long jackets with thread embroidery and crush skirts are also trending along with ankle length flowing anarkalis.” Raj Shroff, Ravage feels one can get experimental when it comes to dressing up for festivals, “Festive fashion always comes with a bit of a stereotype and you can’t run away from tradition, but you can get experimental with colours, styles and silhouettes. For the younger lot, it’s modernisation of the silhouette, but there’s nothing like the Indian classic for the fashion forward.”
For someone who likes to get all playful and out of the box, even for a festival is Kangana Ranaut. Rethink ethnic states the Bollywood queen. “These days it’s all about giving your own twist to festival dressing. I like to don a bohemian look, as for me it’s all about expressing oneself. There are no rules and no standard dress code for a festival; it’s all about being fun and festive. I like to follow fashion blogs as they help educate me on my style quotient.”
You can even get playful with silhouettes that may resemble a saree but draped in a different style and paired down with terracotta jewellery, instead of yellow gold and diamonds for a refreshingly minimalistic yet festive look. Designer Anjali Sharma, French Curve states, “The best part about Indian festivity is the sheer experimentation allowed. The disheveled rich fabrics and the stunning minimal embellishments rule. The peplum and the cape is the hottest throw along with drapes and the layers are a strong accent. This season use as much colour as possible- either in tandem or monochromatic! Even though the flamboyance is omnipresent, there is this realisation that it’s imperative to give back.” Agreeing to the concept of giving back is designer Sounak Pushpita Sen Barat, House of Three. “Sustainability is trending — it’s all about the art of giving. Wear handloom, wear khadi! Help an age old traditional craft survive and resurrect. Indian handlooms are evergreen and will never go out of fashion.” That’s what Susan Fernandes, Astara believes in too. “Indian culture is rich in handloom weaves in cotton and silk, rich embroidery and embellishment. When it comes to Indian festivals, let the richness of the fabrics talk.”
