What to wear for Rakshabandhan

Rakshabandhan is here and what better time to flaunt your desi outfits? Dress to impress this Rakhi with a few of my tips…

If you're celebrating at home

For a day time rakhi event at home, wear pastels and light weight outfits. I love the Indo-western combination of breezy solid colored palazzo pants and a short, fitted kurti. Pair the two pieces in contrasting colors and add heavy oxidized bangles and jhumkis to glam it up. Color pairings that look amazing :

1. Red and deep blue
2. Parrot green and magenta
3. Orange and black
4. Gold with anything

Stick to darker colors on the palazzos if you're a little bottom-heavy and vice versa.

For a night time celebration at home, wear an outfit with slightly darker hues with details like stone work or sequins. A maxi skirt with a crop top and dupatta is perfect. Add sparkle with a statement necklace and stacked bangles.

If you're going out

For lunch, the same rules apply : wear summery colors- bright pink, purple, blue and accent with metallics. I love a traditional salwar kameez paired with an indian jacket instead of a dupatta. Keep it chic with dainty earrings and a sling purse.

For evening events, opt for a flowy anarkali or go fusion with dark wash denims, a tank and a jacket with an ethnic print. Add a long chain necklace with a funky pendant and finish the look with sleek heels or ankle boots. For a more relaxed outfit, go with a dress - mid-length or maxi with Indian motifs. I love maxi dresses by Global Desi. Pair these with some earrings and a bracelet and you're outfit is complete!

Have a great Rakshabandhan!

Stylespiration Series : Ananya from Two States

Indo-western fashion is one of my go-tos whenever I have to attend an Indian festivity which is not so very traditional. I even work this trend in college for some change in my regular western wardrobe. Ananya is the probably the best icon to follow if you want to get this look. Her style echoes her free spirit and her clothes have a bright colorfulness that can make a mundane outfit stand out.

Long skirts with Indian prints paired with western tops and T-shirts

This is my favorite look in the whole movie. Ananya pairs printed, flowy maxi skirts with solid colored tanks and tees. She wears chunky jewelry like big earrings and stacks of bangles to pull her outfit together. Look for ethnic skirts with a solid color with a large border or printed skirts with vibrant patterns. Pair these with contrasting tops, stacked bracelets or bangles and chunky wedges.

Short kurtis and shorts

I can hear you going "WHAT?", but it does really seem to work. In the movie, Ananya pairs a short blue kurti with denim cut-offs and totally owns that look. This look is not for the faint-hearted. If you're hesitant in incorporating this outfit into your daily wardrobe, save it for beach outings or places where the temperature is high. If you don’t want to show too much skin, pair the look with knee-high boots for a bohemian twist.

Ethnic kurtis

This is more on the Indian side, but her kurtis do have contemporary necklines and designs. Pair these with heavy earrings and you're all set! Look for different styles like short, medium and super long(which is the current trend). Wear these with leggings, patialas, salwars and jeans for a huge array of outfits. You can mix and match dupattas, stoles and short ethnic jackets for a trendy vibe.

Sarees

Super bright sarees with traditional designs are Ananya's thing. She wears the traditional Chennai silk sarees in bold, youthful colors like hot pink, blue, green and yellow. If you have an occasion to donne a saree, take inspiration from Ananya and don’t be afraid to wear a Kanjeevaram saree. Pleat the pallu and drape it across your shoulder in a single, thin patch rather than opening it up. 

Jewelry

Ananya wears a lot of chunky bracelets, necklaces and earrings. She wears jhumkis multiple times in the movie as well as a lot of statement pieces like hoops with colorful stones set into them and traditional gold earrings for her saree looks.

So the next time you have to wear ethnic, it doesn't have to be the same old outfit. 

Kurti Kraze

Kurtis are a wardrobe must-have for Indian girls. They are appropriate for almost every occasion. You can wear them to college, work and for festive occasions as well. Here are a few tips for styling your favorite kurti…

The desi girl look

Pair your kurti with a salwar or churidar and a dupatta for the traditional salwar kameez or churidar look. Add a few bangles and big, bold, statement earrings and you’re good to go.

The college girl look

Dupattas can get pretty fussy if you have to drive a bike or carry a heavy bag. For college, it's best to pair your kurti with some contrasting leggings. They're super comfortable and look chic on everybody. Pair printed leggings with solid colored kurtis.

To vary your looks, get different styles of kurtis. Get some short ones, some long ones, collared and button-downs for unique outfits. Pair these with jhumkis and bracelets. Add a pair of wedges or stylish mojadis(balle flats style ethnic footwear) to complete the look.

The Indo-western look

You can wear this look to college or work or even while going out. It's fun, comes with minimal fuss and won't ever go out of style. You can mix it up and work with what looks good on you.

1. Pair a short or tunic style kurti with skinny or straight leg jeans. Wear a dark wash denim with lighter kurtis and light wash denim with darker kurtis. You can experiment with distressed and ripped jeans, but I would recommend staying away from printed jeans. Still, if you like the look, go for it!
2. Pair your mid-length kurtis with jeggings for a cooler, relaxed look. Add some printed jackets to give your outfit something extra.
3. Pair long and asymmetric kurtis with wide-legged pants or palazzos. Add a statement necklace and high heels. If you don’t like palazzos, cigarette pants also work well.
4. Wear long kurtis with a maxi skirt for the ultimate fusion look. Make sure there aren't too many clashing prints though.

The festive look

For festivals or special occasions, wear your salwar kameez set with heavy jewelry. Opt for dupattas with stone work or intricate beading. Add some traditional bangles, a cute potli bag, heels and you're all set! Festivals are the perfect time to go bold with colors. Reds, oranges, fuscias are all apt for these ocassions.

So go ahead and rock that kurti girl!