It is so unlike me to post another blog with in a week . As Navaratri celebrations has already started, with few days already behind I wanted to give some outfit ideas for Dandiya nights. You can use your basic traditional outfits and pair them with accessories to look outstanding. Have you read my previous blog about wedding shopping? if not please make a note to read it once you are done with this blog.

Navaratri is an Indian Hindu Festival which is celebrated in autumn every year. Navaratri literally means nine nights. Goddess Durga is worshiped for nine days and on last day it is celebrated as Vijaya Dasami or Dusherra, the day of victory. Each state of India celebrates this festival in its own way but the main theme is victory of good over evil.

In southern parts of India where I grew up, Goddess Durga is decorated and worshipped in nine different forms starting from Baala (child form) on first day, Skandamata on Second day, Annapoorna (3), Maha lakshmi(4), Gayatri(5), Saraswathi(6),Lalitha,Durga(7), mahishasura mardini(8) and Raja Rajeshwari(9).  People worship Goddess Durga with great reverence by chanting prayers , special offerings (naivedyam) , gollu (Dolls display) etc. In some parts it is celebrated as Bathukamma.  Bathukamma is prepared by arranging different flowers. Women from neighborhood join to sing and dance praising Bathukamma. In west Bengal is it celebrated as Durga pooja. In Gujarat, Navaratri is one of the biggest festivals. Dandiya which is now a days played almost every where during Navaratri is originally from Gujarat. I don’t know much details about why it is played but Garba raas and Dandiya raas are two dances that are usually performed wearing chaniya choli and kediyu which is worn by men.

If you are planning to attend Dandiya then what to wear is a big question if you are not familiar with that culture. To me you don’t have to have chaniya choli, Any traditional outfit with vibrant colors will do and if it has mirror work it goes well with the Guajarati traditional outfits. My ideas with basic outfits:

1. Choose a multi-colored saree and tie it in Guajarati style ( The pallu pleats which usually run backward over the shoulder should come front . Make sure pleats won’t come done your knees). If you know how to tie regular style saree, Gujarati style is pretty easy. YouTube has tons of videos on how to tie Gujarati saree.
2. Any lehenga will work. You could wear in regular style or use dupatta to drape it in Gujarati style
3. Long Skirts which has that traditional touch . You could wear with a crop top by adding contrast dupatta. If you are not comfortable dancing in a crop top and dupatta you can choose wearing a regular shirt or top and add in some black metal or oxidized silver to bring in glam
4. You could also pair palazzo pants and kurti , to add a chic look you could add in a scarf or mirror /embroidered jacket .

Below are my pictures with above styles. I don’t have a matching top for skirt so as they say when in doubt wear black I used two variations of black tops and paired with some oxidized silver accessories and scarf. Instead of palazzo, I revamped by old Patiala pant .

• Outfit deets: Saree and lehenga:  Old ones which I reused
• Pink skirt: Purchased it from a handloom vendor in Hyderabad
• Oxidized silver: Few from my jewelry collection and few from amazon.com

Happy Navaratri to you all. See you all in my next blog.

Kurtis have evolved so much in past few years, from the basic cotton casuals to heavy party wear. There are lot of choices in kurti designs.  Kurtis can be picked either for Indo western or traditional look. They come in different lengths and patterns . Different lengths include waist or hip length, hem or thigh length, knee length and floor length .  For those who are not comfortable wearing short pant tops but don’t want to give up on jeans , hem length Kurtis are a perfect choice to pair the jeans.  Kurtis can be paired with skinny/distressed jeans or jeggings/leggings or a Skirt.  You can style Kurtis to suit the place you are going.  Add heavy earrings, bangles for a Indian traditional touch.  Pair it up with belt orJacket or scarf for a Indo western look. I think a light color kurti with minimal accessories is classy and comfortable for office wear. Below pics shows few different patterns that are in trend for a while.

Here are the details for each dress:

1. A casual kurti styled with contrast colors . Brown Kurti and red flats bought from a local handloom shop in Hyderabad.  “Always say yes to Handlooms”
2. Yellow Asymmetric kurti from Jabong https://www.jabong.com/women/. Quality and fitting are amazing. If you are an online shopper , you should definitely try it.  Blue Flats from handloom shop.
3. Mustard and blue kurti with short overcoat . This is from a retail shop Rithika , Hyderbad.
4. Navy blue and Orange Floor length with long overcoat kurti, I think it actually looked like a skirt paired with long kurti.  Rithika, Hyderbad.  I do like this shop as they have lot of variety but only problem is sometimes quality of the cloth have to be checked before buying specifically if you do machine wash.

Hope you like the post.

See you in next post.

Hello there,

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year Celebrations. Happy and prosperous New year to you all.  What did you all wear for the parties? Here are my few looks from the party week.  Continue reading →

Hello Fashionistas,

In this blog, I am talking about a midi or long length skirt which looks modern yet conservative, if you don’t want to show your skin yet look modern you can get the perfect modern look by styling the long length skirt correctly. Continue reading →