From beautifying your house to dancing up to the beats of Garba numbers, the nine-day navratri festival means all this and more. With every other night demanding your best look ever, it can get difficult to choose clothing that is trendy enough to turn heads and comfortable enough to get down.
Here are my top 20 dandiya dresses that can make you chic, trendy and fashionable for Navratri, and also have an air of tradition about them. There is something in this list for most body types.
Lehengas Galore
Lehenga, Ghaghra, Chaniya Choli….whatever variant you fancy, Dandiya nights are the perfect time to show off your traditional attire. Although you can wear pretty much anything to Dandiya and Garba events, I find them to be the best excuse to deck up in Indian attire. Let’s start off with some gorgeous lehengas for the season.
Jacket Lehengas are turning out to be the next big thing. Suneet Varma’s ‘Decorative Arts of India’ collection has myriad hues of traditional Indian motifs and embroidery. Mirror work and lots of exquisite embroidery make this a must-have piece for Navratri.
I love this turquoise lehenga from 9Rasa for its sheer simplicity and eye-catching color. Sometimes, that is all you need to stand out in a jungle of prints and embellishments.
‘Tis the season to experiment with your cholis. Longer Cholis look fashionable and keep out of sight your little secret stretch marks, love handles, tummy fat and the likes. To top that, this stunning piece has an ombre effect and beautifully blends from yellow to orange finishing off with a broad band of silver at the hem. What’s not to like?
The lightest mint green tiered skirt goes beautifully with the bold black high-neck choli in this design. A-line or flared lehengas will make movement easier if you plan to get down on the floor.
Blue and red has been a favorite color combination in Lehengas. This A-line jaquard patterned lehenga gives it the touch of 2015 by adding in a solid yellow dupatta. The motifs are traditional, but not too loud to take away the focus from you.
Another lovely thing about this lehenga is the recent trend of longer half and three-fourth sleeves. Flabby arms are misery to all of us. As much as we love to have perfectly sculpted arms, we only too frequently realize that we have a Dandiya night event to attend, and nothing suits those arms. One important thing to do here is to stay away from halter necks; they create a little fold up around the armpits.
Going traditional this season is what every girl wants. The plethora of Chaniya Cholis with gota or zari (brocade) or kodi (conch shells) and aabhla (an embroidery style), available online and in local stores never fail to make great choices for Garba fashion. But if you like to create your own style, you can pair plain gota border skirts with a vest or tee and accessorize. One little tip: If you have a heavy bust or an apple shaped body, tie your ghagra a little above your navel to remove the unsightly love handles from sight.
Keep it classy and simple in this satin lehenga while you are busy dancing the night away to the beats of ‘Pankhida’. This lehenga style is perfect for pear shaped bodies as it flows along with your body instead of giving it extra volume. Needless to say, dark colors also make you look slimmer.
Ok…so I am officially a fan of mirror work. This beautifully detailed Lehenga and Choli would equally good in all black as it does in the festive orange.
If you are planning a pre-wedding Garba event or do not mind splurging for no reason (who needed a reason to splurge, anyways!), this exquisitely embellished pink and silver lehenga by none other than bollywood favorite Manish Malhotra should be a no-brainer for pink lovers. ‘On Wednesdays, we wear Pink’, remember?
A Saree Never Fails to Impress
Maybe you don’t want to buy a lehenga at this point or are saving it for the wedding season ahead, a saree is always a foolproof choice that you can rinse and repeat to any occasion all year long. Creative Indian designers have given the traditional bandhej a glammed up makeover in this electric blue saree with bright yellow blouse.
Salwar Kameez – Chic and Comfortable
No matter how jazzy your salwar kameez is, you can always count on it to keep you comfortable enough to want to shake a leg. Anarkalis, Kurtis, Patialas – take your pick and create the perfect Dandiya outfit.
Jackets have become the must-have for this season. I love this ‘India meets Queen Elsa’ look for winter party nights. The ice blue will immediately set you apart from the crowd and the mirror work vest can be paired with many more items in your closet to create new looks. Layer it with vests over skirts and shorts for more fusion outfits.
Show your glamorous side this Dandiya season by opting for this unusually refined, yet sexy look by Anita Dongre. The high slit crimson kurta beautifully shows of the gold embroidered straight pants.
I love pretty much everything by Payal Kapoor but chose this outfit for its sheer effortless elegance. You will not need much to accessorize this lovely anarkali.
Dhoti Pants – The Ultimate Fusion Wear
Navratri might be the time to show off your Indian spirit but in no way does it imply that you cannot create style statements. If you have been there and done it all and are looking for something new this season, look no further than dhoti pants.
High neck and sharp dhoti bottoms will give you a lovely frame. If height is not a problem, skip the heels and pair them with traditional flats.
A saree and dhoti rolled into one. The bandhani drape makes this the perfect glamorous look for Dandiya parties.
Sparkle and shine with Blue and Gold. Go ultra glam with this midnight blue dhoti pant outfit with a bodice embellished completely with mirror work.
Indo Western
If lehengas, sarees and salwar kameez are getting too predictable for you, create your style with these inspiring designs. A very modern twist to Indian wear, they combine the best of both worlds and are perfect when you simply want to stand out this Navratri.
Silk gives this dress a distinctively Indian look and the asymmetrical hemline is played up with aari work.
Another lovely example of fusion – this dress has a Phulkari emroidered halter neck bodice.
We have a real head turner all right! The coral sweetheart neckline tube top coordinates perfectly with the lime green embellished shorts in this outfit from Suneet Varma’s Decorative Arts of India collection.
What have you planned for your Daniya night? Drop your comments to share your outfit ideas with other Dot Com Women.