Dussehra, Navratri, Durga Puja, call it what you want but it all translates to just one sole meaning – joy and prosperity through the length and breadth of this beautiful country named India. Among the myriad reasons our country gives us to fall in love with it, one is its versatility, in culture, food, and fashion. The 9 days of festivities offer us one occasion to embrace and celebrate every Indian fashion, modern or contemporary. So here’s our 2 cents on how you can style your Navratri’s this season.
Contemporary Kurtis and Palazzos
Keeping the style a little contemporary for the first two days, we begin by teaming a statement kurti with Palazzos. Palazzos are very in this season and are a perfect blend of East meets West. To accessorize these wide pants, pick a heavy statement necklace, or a chunky earring that drops till your shoulder but not the two together. This makes for a perfect day look.
Long Skater Skirts
Here is another casual look for another daytime event. Skirts may be reminiscent of western fashion, but not these. These long flowy pieces, with their tinkling latkans, desi bright colors and vibrant embroidery and zari and stonework or brocade pattis echo with your millennial fashion. Style them with a crop top or a contrasting short kurtis and you are ready for a family brunch.
Kachhi Ensemble for Dandiya Night
Now we can be from UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, or what you have, we all love to shake a leg at the Dandiya night. Now Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai have set the bar really high, to make sure we live up to their expectations we have to up our games. To get the authentic Gujarati feel, we say you pick a ghagra with Kacchi work complete with multi-colour threads and mirrors. Make sure your Ghagra has enough gher to give you all the room you want to turn and twirl. Silver oxidized jewelry when matched with this ensemble, brings out the earthy essence of Gujrat.
Mahashtami Anjali look
Of late the Durga Puja has transcended the borders of West Bengal and is celebrated with great spirit in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi also. Devotees wait to offer the divine mother Pushpanjali on Mahashtami. To channel the ethereal Bengali beauty, opt for a Bengal cotton sari. If you don’t have a cotton sari, any other light weight sari will go. The women prefer the colors white and red for Ashtami, so why not pick one for yourself and accessorize with simple gold jewelry. Keep your eyes thickly rimmed with kajal, opt for a red lipstick and complete the look with a big red bindi.
Durga Puja Pandal Hopping
For pandal hopping in the evening, a Dhakai Jamdani sari would be the best. Don’t have a Dhakai? So problem! Pick a heavily embellished or zardausi saree in georgette or chiffon. A solid silk sari with an overstated border will also look stylish. About the colors – the more it is vibrant the better it is. Don’t hold back yourself, accessorize to your heart’s content. Reach for jadau, kundan, polka or heavy gold-plated traditional pieces.
Bandhej Sarees for Puja
To worship a different avatar’s for Goddess mother every other day, bright out your diverse avatar too. These light weight bandhej or bandhani sarees from Rajasthan and Gujrat look stunning and also give you the ease to run errands for the Pooja. If you find a bandhani saree with gotta patti work, own it – it will be an assent forever. The intriguing Bandhej sarees look best with Kundan necklace sets.
The Classic Lehenga
Another desi attire you cannot give a miss this season is the classic lehenga. Lehenga cholis are literally synonymous with Indian fashion, maybe only after sarees. Throw in an adorned lehenga with an interesting choli and dupatta. Pairing it up with a jacket instead of choli would also help you break the stereotype. But remember girls, this is not your wedding, so it’s better not to go full on bling and reach for a little-understated lehenga apt for festivities. Pick the one with heavy embellishments at the borders but also leaves enough fabric unworked.
Anarkali Salwar Kameez
Another youthful outfit for the festivities is the Anarkali salwar. I am still not over the hot pink anakali salwar, Sara Ali Khan wore to the Ambani’s Ganesh Chaturthi party. That Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla has given us some serious festival outfit goals and to match up we have to get to work. Pink, orange, and blue are the colors this season. Go for zari work or mirror embellishments, they all look amazing.
All the ensembles listed here can be easily found in a mall near you. To save yourself some time, you can always login to Flipkart, Amazon.com, Snapdeal, high5store.com, and Jabong from where we compiled this list. We take this opportunity to extend our best wishes to you and your family for a happy Navratri and prosperous Diwali.
