So, what are you celebrating a week from now? Vidyaramba, Bommai Kolu, Ayudha Puja, Simollanghan, Durgotsava, Sharodotsav or Navratri Puja? Different names for the same festival celebrated with some differences, the underlying story interlinked across the regions in some way or the other. What also is one across the geographies is the colour that we could wear each day of the 9 days! The colours, intrinsic to the festival, beginning from day 1, are orange, white, red, royal blue, yellow, green, grey, purple and peacock green.
So, how do you style yourself?
Let’s try and give our closet a good dekko and come up with combos that innovatively use all that you have rather than go shop hopping.
This is the time to air your traditional wears or indutvas. A small raid on your brother, boy friend or father’s wardrobe for stoles, the crinkled-pleated ready-to-wear dhoti, cuff links, ties and casual shirts will buzz your glam quotient.
Pull out your mum’s saris, dupattas, ghagras, salwars.
A good look into your own, in the lowest and highest shelves that don’t see you giving much love.
Now to get going. For instance, if day one the colour code is orange, slink into the crinkled ivory dhoti, pair it with a short angarakha tunic in orange, could also be the same hue as the dhoti, a bright orange stole and floral accessories to match. Depending on how comfortable you are at heights, come-hither stilettos or the down to earth but blingy jooti with a potli or a small genuine leather or fabric fanny-pack worn cross-body, completes your look.
An age group where you don’t see yourself going cross-body? Ditch the fanny-pack and stick to the potli or a cloth or leather bag. No ‘vegan’ anything except food. They are nothing but mostly a misnomer for all things not good either for the planet or us the people.
I don’t quite see the men brave enough to pull our their mum, sis or girl friend’s one-tone ghagra to pair with a bandhgala kurta and stole, but try pulling out a heavy sari and wearing it dhoti-style with the suave jodhpuri linen coat.
Not too adventurous? Stick to the sari or your kurta-palazzo but accessorise different. A contrasting dupatta or the half sari or chador pinned into broad pleats — let it fall down your left shoulder in the front, and tucked into the sari on the right with girdle pleats.
You get the drift. Happy styling!
