One of my most adorable reader, Shai of Bows, Hearts & Everything Cute asked me for some tips on the latest trends in Indian suits. You can check out her blog here.
There have been some very versatile designs of suits that I have seen around lately. Though the basics remain mostly the same, the craftsmanship differs across different styles, cuts and details.

Color: Orange / Red Orange/ Coral – whatever you want to call it – is the hottest color of the season. Period. If you don’t have anything of this color in your closet yet, it is time to buy one☺. Some other hot colors are pastels, deep greens and blues or the color blocking (as on Sonam Kapoor). Almost half your job is done if you get the right color.

Style: From what I see, the ultra long anarkalis (those that touch the ground) are out. The suits or kurtas that are more in style right now are slightly shorter in length and hit at your ankle.

You can also change the regular A lines or kali style by wearing a brocade jacket on top of your suit. I see these jackets everywhere – on suits, sarees and lehengas. And, once you have the jacket, you hardly need a dupatta with the suit.

The bottoms vary from churidars, Patialas or straight –cropped trousers. The most in thing seems to be long sleeves, but they would depend a lot of the overall design of the outfit.

Fabrics: Winters are best for silk, raw silk and brocades. Crepes and chiffons with heavy embroidery also do well.

A few other tips:
- Pay attention to your dupatta. I personally like the stole style dupattas. Add variety by using contrasting borders around the dupatta.
- Deep back and broad front necklines work really WELL with long sleeves.
- If you want to add a brocade/ raw silk jacket, keep the inner suit simple (sans any heavy embellishments) and let the jacket take the center stage.

Hope you all find this helpful ☺

Sometime ago Not just a pretty dress asked me to do a post on traditional Indian jewelry. Most of my posts earlier this year have been on modern jewelry designs, but nothing better than plain solid gold, right? Specially if you consider the returns that gold investment have given :)

These are from Tanishq’s not so recent collection. I love how they have modern accents to them, while skillfully preserving the traditional heritage of gold. Perfect for weddings!

Indian ramps are dominated by women fashion, but lately some designers have also started experimenting with different outfits for guys. While the traditional sherwani still dominates most of the Indian weddings and festivals, there is a breath of fresh air with jodhpuris, short kurtas and loose bottoms for guys.

One option is to go with for a more traditional touch and experiment with cuts and lengths for versatility. The fabric used (brocade, raw silk) as well as the work (gold zari, stoles, buttons etc) give a classic look. Don’t forget to pay special attention to footwear – the kolhapuri jutis with intricate work on them will best complement this look.

IF you want to experiment a little more but stay in the Indian Spirit, the outfits below are perfect. The fabric used is much lighter and the colors are subtler. The cuts again make a big difference – these designs are more fitted and kurtas are shorter in length. A dupatta or stole can easily add an Indian touch while the footwear hint towards a more contemporary look. My personal favorite is the last one that has jodhpuri style pants.