Ethnic Obsessions

Whether you favour floral, bling or pastels, you don’t have to compromise on style to dress modestly.

The fashion world has moved on from heavy anarkalis to graceful long kurtis, according to designer Nachiket Barve, who has styled Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Genelia D’Souza, and others. If you are looking for a more grandeur look, you can opt for lehengas with delicate embroidery or bling. Salwar kameezs’ with floral prints and moti work also look amazing. Deep colours such as dark blues, bottle greens, deep indigos and merry pinks look classy.

Nachiket says it’s all about bronze and Meenakari jewelry now. “Dress in a way that suits your personality more than simply following the trend. It’s about what you’re confident in,” he adds.

B-town stars like Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor carry ethnic wear really well. Kareena looked stunning in a deep blue long kurti at a recent press meet, and in another recent photoshoot, she wore a beautifully embroidered sharara.

Shelha Khan, a celebrity-designer, says, “You can opt for long flowy kurtis and shararas; especially chikan embroidered kurtis. For colours, black and white made a huge comeback this season, and so did pastels.”

Another thing that you cannot miss this season are colourful glass bangles, says Hyderabad-based designer Vijay Rana. “Glass bangles are ‘in’. When worn with long-sleeved straight-cut Patialas and duppattas, one can look really elegant. You can also opt for simple lehengas. And go for pinks; fuchsia pink and onion pink look very beautiful,” he adds. The designer says Indian with a tint of Western touch is what one must follow.

For men too, this is clearly the year for Indo-Western fashion. Ethnic garments paired with Western wear, Indo-Western sherwanis, bandhgala blazer, button less kurta-shirts and Nehru jackets look good on any man. Kolhapuris, jootis and ethnic sandals are ideal choices to team up with your clothing.

While it’s best to stick to whites and beige like Karan Singh Grover, you can also wear colours such as blue and sunny yellow.