What better than clothes and accessories that can transition between Indian and Western wear? I have seen a lot of Indian designers moving away from traditional blouses to versatile jackets / kurtis etc that can be worn either with a lehenga or your favorite pair of jeans or skirt.

A few things to keep in mind when shopping or getting these pieces tailored are:

- Stick with the basic colors – black, blues, whites, gold etc.

- Though most of the Indian tops (blouses) have heavy embroidery, the versatility of these jackets is in keeping them simple.

- Structured collars and/or shoulders are important. Pay special attention to them.

- The most common fabrics for these types of jackets are brocade, silk or raw silk. I personally like linen as well.

- Combine these with dark jeans or pencil skirt, shorts or little black dress and enjoy all the attention that you get ☺

P.S: This last one is my favorite and I hope to get something similar stitched on my next trip to India.

Ever since the time I have known a saree or a lehenga, I have always seen a short blouse with it. I mean a blouse technically is supposed be short, ending somewhere on your waist. But the designers are signing a different song these days. Runways in the latest fashion weeks have been marked with long blouses over lehenga and on sarees (see the pictures below)



I personally always felt that a long blouse would create so many layers that it may be unflattering on the body. But, seems the designers have found a cure for this too. Blouses fitted on waist, open from front and with deep necklines define the silhouette in the same way as short blouses do. Moreover these blouses can be paired with a salwaar (trousers) or churidaar too and voila, you have an additional outfit in your closet.

As far as pictures tell, the trend surely looks good and totally wearable. But, as we all know they (read models, designers make up artists etc) can make even a potato sack look good.

The question is do we see ourselves wearing this trend?

I love love love black. Not only it is the best color to wear when in doubt but it also is flattering on most skin tones and body types. When it comes to wedding however, black may not be the first choice for many people. One reason is the superstitions attached with black (I experienced that during my own wedding too!!!). The other reason is that as most Indian weddings are held at night & black may appear a bit dull and monotonous on the bride. This post addresses the second reason.
Whether for a wedding, family dinner or a night out with friends, rock in black with these options:


- Have black as a base printed bright gold motifs (butis etc) as print, giving just a hint of black to the entire outfit.(pic 1)
- Go for a plain chiffon black saree with gold or silver lace (gota) border paired with a gold or silver blouse. (pic 2)
- Black paired with dull sand gold – Not as bright as the first style but is sure sensuous and beautiful.(pic 3)



- Play with the dupatta – This is perhaps the most common way to wear black. You can choose almost any colored dupatta on a black lehenga and it will look good. But, don’t settle for usual reds, maroons and yellows. Go for something different like in the 4th picture below - pale blue, pink & lemon would be perfect for summers. Gold, though common, never fails with black. So when in doubt combine black with gold (pic 5 & 6).

When I see yellow, optimism, cheerfulness and hope comes to my mind. Yellow often goes hand-in-hand with that clean, grounded New England look, with lots of buttery porcelain and handmade papers.



For Indian weddings, combine soft, cheery yellow with bold colors like green, orange or fuchsia. Yellow with sky blue or turquoise is a perfect combination for a romantic beach wedding. Though this may be a slightly unconventional color for Indian weddings but if you are in the mood to make some heads turn, then this color is sure your cup of tea.

Gold can be a very tricky color to settle for if your wedding is in sweltering Indian summers. You don’t want to look too garish, draped in an outfit gaudy enough to overpower your whole persona. But, I do agree that gold is the most exotic color and here are few tips to help you wear this color in the right way.

1) Combine pastels with gold – The pastel colors offset the brightness of gold and add a more feminine touch.
2) For embroideries opt for dull gold zari or kundan gold, rather than heavy gold sequins or embellishments.



3) For summers, go for muted tones of gold. Opt for sheer light fabrics with delicate designs and patterns.
4) Use gota – Golden gota on the border of your dupatta , neckline of the blouse or along the circle of the lehenga will give a the requisite touch of gold, without overdoing the shimmer.

Browse through some of the latest designs in bridal lehangas from Vogue India. Use of intricate embroidery, uniform color pattern and delicate silhouettes make these so very sensual and glamorous. I particularly loved the style of the brocade jacket, instead of the usual choli and dupatta.




In the editorial shoes have been used to pop some color and spunk into the outfit. It might be a bit difficult play with this idea in real life (I mean shoes are hardly visible under the lehenga). But, you can take clues and dress up a neutral colored suit or a saree in a similar way. Nevertheless, loved the spread and had to share it with you guys.

Experiencing wedding blues is a common phenomenon as your D-day approaches. For those of you who also want to add some blue to their wedding outfits, have a look at the styles below.


Image Courtesy: www.mantraweddings.com

There are different shades of blue that you can experiment with – turquoise, dark or grayish blue or light blue. Blue is also one color that works well in both summer and winter weddings. A light sea green blue for summers or a wine velvet blue for winters are perfect for the brides who don’t want to stick with traditional maroons, reds and pinks.



Is blue the new red for Indian weddings? What do you think?

When it comes to styling your blouse (choli) for the lehenga you will have variety of designs to choose from. One thing that you must keep in mind is your body type. While bikini styles or halters may look very appealing in pictures, they might not look so good in real life. For more guidance on blouse styling according to body types,see the section on The Style.
Here are some front and back designs for your choli.

Designs in Short Choli


Kurta Styles


Back Designs

Styles With Two Dupattas: Here are some styles using two dupattas. One dupatta can be draped around the waist and the other one can be left flowing to cover the head.


Image Courtesy: Bridal Asia, Kolkatta Fashion Week, santabanta.com

Styles with a single dupatta: Here are some styles with a single dupatta.



Image Courtesy: Bridal Asia, pinkvilla.com


Image Courtesy: CTC Plaza via fashionandyou.com


Image Courtesy: Bridal Asia

Coming Up: Choli/Blouse Designs

While selecting your outfit be sure to choose the style that compliments your body type. You will find many beautiful pieces out there but be sure to try them on and see what works best for your body. Here are some hints.

Petite: Go for a style that adds height to your structure. Vertical embroidery as compare to overall jaal or embroidery along the kalis of the lehenga tends to add length to small frames. Go in for sleeveless or short sleeves. For cholis, you can easily go in for shorter cholis, showing your midriff. Leave the dupatta flowing at the back or folded and draped over the shoulder work to give some height illusion. Also, a light dupatta with heavy border all across will works best in creating a flowing look. Square or U-shaped necklines can also help to draw the eye upwards making smaller ladies appear taller.

Sleeveless/short sleeves blouse showing midriff


Lehenga Styles for Petite



Thin and Tall: You can experiment with a wide variety of styles. Opt for styles that are flowing in the bottom. A classic 15-20 kali lehenga would look great. If you don’t want to appear too tall, then go for dupattas that have full embroidery with a light or no border. Quarter or full sleeves will add elegance and sophistication to your look. Your choli design should be long extending to your midriff or slightly lower till the hips. But, don’t make them too long. Opt for deep necklines in front and the back.
Sleeves Designs for long hands:

Lehenga Styles for Tall


Pear shaped : This is the most common body type of Indians. A lines with some flowing at the bottom works best for women in this category. Avoid styles like fish cut or those which are too fitted around the hip area. You don’t want unwanted attention towards your bottom area. If you are busty then avoid heavy embroidery on the choli. Instead have a broad neckline with a well defined border around the neck. Also avoid high necks and, halters or collared necks. Make sure to ask you tailor to give a soft padding in the choli. A very heavy padding will make you look more heavy on the top.
Here are some designs:


Thick Waisted : Opt for cholis that end where the belt of your lehenga starts. Very long cholis will add more volume in your mid riff section. Shorter sleeves with deeper U shaped or sweetheart neck style works best with this choli type. Also, go in for deeper hues rather than soft shades, especially for the top. Make sure that there is some space between the end of your necklace and the starting of your choli. A slight showing of skin here will compensate for covering up of the midriff section. Don’t add an extra dupatta with the lehenga. It will make the whole look much more baggy.

I think the most important factor while deciding your outfit is the color. Trust me on this, sometimes color makes all the difference. You may want to stick with the traditional colors such as red, maroon, pink or golden . But you can experiment a little and try on different colors and see what works best for you. If you are anything like me and don’t want to wear red or maroon on your day, then go for some unique colors such as blue, wine, green or a combination of red and blue, red and green or pink and blue.

The important thing is that the color should compliment your skin tone and it should enhance the beauty of the design you have chosen. And, the best way to see what looks best on you is to go and try out lehengas with different colors. Sometimes we tend to stuck on a particular color and don’t try out other options. For instance you might have always visualized yourself in a soft pink lehenga, but may be a red and golden compliments you more. So, my advice here would be try on as many options as you can( until and unless you are rock sure of what is best for you) and then take your pick.

(On the aside – When trying on different outfits, the salesmen would assure you that along with the make up, lighting and proper draping of the dupatta, the lehenga would look absolutely fantastic – even though it is not looking so right now. Don’t buy into this. The lehenga should look good in your most natural self. The make up, lights etc would of course enhance the look. But, first the color SHOULD look good when you are sans any special effects (read foundation, blush and ultra bright lights).

Feast your eyes on some of gorgeous color palettes.




Image Courtesy: desirebysimran.com,santabanta.com


Image Courtesy:lovepaki.com




Image courtesy: Bridal Asia and Ctc Plaza



Coming Up: Different Styles of Lehenga

The workmanship on the outfit is another important area. Well for starters, you should know that there are lot of options to choose from. You can have heavy zardozi work, beads, multicolored stones, emerald, pearls, silver and gold threads. The decision would depend on the overall look, your budget and of course what you want for yourself.

Feast your eyes on few samples of different works below:

1) Pearl and Dabka Work : Pearls add elegance to the lehenga and give a very nice definition to the border. In Katrina's lehenga below, the dupatta is simple overall with just a heavy border around it. This lehenga is a departure from the usually heavily embellished lehengas and is perfect for the modern day bride. This is personally my favorite style of dupattas.

Pearl Work in bright and soft colors



2) The Gold thread and Zardozi : This is the most traditional and opulent kind of work. You will find in ample of designs. The below lehenga is all covered by golden thread and zardosi, giving it a very rich, heavy and traditional look. It also has a long choli as compared to short ones that are common today. Also notice the well played contrast with green emerald drop necklace and the maangtika. I think a green dupatta (in the color of the border) would have looked equally fabulous.



Zardozi and Gota Patti work




3) Silver Thread - Silver thread accentuates pastel colors. If you are going in for soft colors this is probably the most common type of work you will see. Notice how the silver gota border enhances the beauty of the outfit.
This work looks best if you pair it with diamond (or similar white colored stones or pearls) accessories. If you are planning to wear something in gold or kundan then options 1 & 2 above are the best.


Image Courtesy: Bridal Asia and santabanta.com

4) Sequins and Stones: These two designs are heavily embellished with sequins, stones, butis and zardozi. Lot of similar type of work is seen in bridal sarees and suits also.

White Stones & sequins


Image Courtesy: Bridal Asia

Colored Stones & sequins


Image Courtesy: Zeenat Boutique

5) Intricate designs: If you want a rich traditional look without giving into all the bling and ostentation, then these intricate designs with bold colors and festive folds may be your cup of tea.


Image Courtesy: pinkvilla.com

6) Frills Work: Frills seem to be dominating this season. From casual tops to oscar gowns to traditional Indian attire – frills are everywhere. A frill lehenga is the perfect culmination of historical opulence and chic style for modern day brides.


Image courtesy: Birdal Asia and santabanta.com

7) Flower Power : If there is any style that has gain immense popularity and commercialization across all types of Indian wear, it is the flower style. When used with heavy embellishments and in deeper hues, this style gives a soft romantic and youthful look, while looking rich and classy at the same time.


Image courtesy: Bridal Asia

Coming up: The color of the Lehenga

When it comes to bridal dresses in India, there is a huge variety of fabrics to choose from. From pure crepes, silks and brocades to net, georgette and satin – the shops have them all. You will find lot of designs in silks, raw silks and pure crepes. Net fabric is back with a bang these days and is found everywhere in sarees, suits and in lehengas. But there are few things that you might like to keep in mind before zeroing in on the fabric.

1) The weather – You don't want to be standing and sweating in brocade if your wedding is in our scorching summers. Save heavy fabrics like raw silks and brocades for winters. In summers, slightly lighter variety of silk, crepes or net works best.

2) The color and the design – Well, we all know that certain colors look best when worn in certain fabric. For instance, if you are going for soft pastel shades a pure crepe fabric would accentuate the color more than a brocade or silk. However, if you want to go in for deeper richer hues than nothing beats silk.

3) The whole look – Ultimately it's how the whole piece is put together that makes all the difference. The fabric, color, design and the work on the lehenga should all compliment each other.

Take a peak at some of the fabrics:

Crepe Lehenga with Raw Silk Choli


Photo Courtesy: Lakme India Fashion Week

Brocade Lehengas


Photo Courtesy: Bridal Asia & santabanta.com

Lehnega Styles in Net


Photo Courtesy: santabanta.com

Velvet Lehenga Styles


Photo Courtesy: Lakme India Fashion week, vdiexports.com & highheelconfidential.com

Coming Up:

Workmanship on Lehengas