When Bollywood met Designer Anarkali Suits

Ask a typical Indian woman what she loves. The answer is simple: Bollywood and designer Anarkali suits. Indian fashion is rampant with all sorts of Anarkali suits. Short, long, gaudy, simple, basic, minimalistic, fancy, and the list goes on. Our Bollywood beauties are no strangers to these extensive designer Anarkali suits. Knowing all you people so well, we’ve gone and taken the liberty to create a list that’s definitely going to help you select your designer Anarkali suits! Go ahead and feast your eyes.

Don Draper is totally correct when he says ‘Make it simple, but significant.’ And Anushka Sharma does just that in this beige Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla designer Anarkali suit. The whole look is so effortlessly chic, that we can’t stop our admiration. You go, Anushka Sharma!

Kalki Koechlin rocks this black Sabyasachi Anarkali with the utmost elegance. This designer Anarkali suit is practically moulded to her lithe body and accentuates her delicate features.

Hats off to Kangna Ranaut for opting for this uber colourful Manish Arora Anarkali. Only you, Kangna, can carry off this designer anarkali suit with obvious style and flair!

Our favourite Bollywood diva of yesteryears, Sonali Bendre Behl, looks simply breath taking in this Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla Anarkali. It’s difficult not to fall in love with this golden creation wrought with intricate mirror work.

Jacqueline Fernandes walked the ramp for the brilliant Tarun Tahiliani, and how gracefully so. She looked ethereal in this orange designer anarkali suit. But it was when she did a perfect twirl that the audience held their breaths in awe and adoration!

Madhuri Dixit couldn’t have looked more beautiful in this floral Anushree Reddy outfit. It’s the perfect fusion of simple and elaborate. The skirt has an ombre appeal due to the stunning orange hues. What makes this outfit really stand out is the heavily embroidered bodice.

We have never seen anyone carry ethnic clothes off with so much panache as Karisma Kapoor does. She wows us in this white Shantanu and Nikhil designer anarkali suit. The long trail of buttons and minimalistic accessories are just perfect. Not too little. Not too much.

We have looked far and wide and our conclusion is that Bollywood’s resident fashionista Sonam Kapoor takes the crown for being most creative with her designer anarkali suits. She opts for soothing, soft colours and novel, unique designs that are sure to make a fashion statement. The first outfit is by Payal Pratap and gives the whole concept of Anarkali a very modern feel. Ridhi Mehra takes things to a whole new level with this gorgeous minimalistic outfit with the perfect amount of flowers to make it stand out. Bollywood’s new favourite is the emerging designer Shehla Khan. Sonam Kapoor looks exceptionally poised in this ethnic floral creation.

As a rule, we’d like to save the best for the last.

A woman’s dream designer is Manish Malhotra, no doubt. All he has to do his wave his magic fashion wand on Priyanka Chopra and the result is something so very exquisite and opulent that we are rendered speechless. One word: Bravo.

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Indian Sarees for Weddings and Innovative Draping Styles to Try

A diverse country with varied traditions and different customs, to say that India is a complex nation would be just to state the tip of the iceberg. In a country with a rich heritage of thousands of years, change has been a constant. But there have been some aspects of our lifestyle that have never really died down. Like women wearing the saree for an auspicious occasion, especially weddings. Wearing Indian sarees for weddings is something that most women look forward to.

Donning Indian sarees for weddings can imbue you with a grace that is difficult to achieve in any other outfit. And while you may think that it can get a tad too mundane with the conventionally tried and tested draping style, the reality is that the six-yard wonder, especially exquisite Indian sarees for weddings, are clothing options that you can wear innovatively every time without ever getting bored. We tell you our favourite styles of draping this fabulous outfit.

Indian Sarees for Weddings in a Bengali Style

If you are a fan of the Shahrukh Khan version of Devdas, then chances are that you loved the typical Bengali look that Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai sported in the movie. Feminine, classic, and with an ethereal quality about them, they took your breath away. Try the drape they wore in the movie.

Unlike a conventional saree, the pallu of an Indian saree for a wedding when worn the Bengali style is draped over the left side, brought in from behind and under the right arm, and then draped over the right shoulder. Of all the different draping options for Indian sarees for weddings, this style stands out for its simplicity and elegance.

The Gujarati Style of Draping the Indian Sarees for Weddings

A couple of years ago, Indian television was taken over by series featuring Gujarati households, and if you have always found their saree draping style interesting, then you should definitely give it a try. The difference in this style for wearing Indian sarees for weddings? Instead of pleating the saree on the left side, it’s pleated and tucked in on the right side and the pallu of the saree is draped from the back to the front on the right side. This draping style is the perfect option when you want to highlight an elaborate border on the saree.

Draping Indian Sarees for Weddings the Half-Saree Style

Want to channel Deepika Padukone’s look from Chennai Express, then this is the style to master. Not only does it look gorgeous, it also makes your waistline look slimmer. Win-win, we say! How do you achieve this look? Well, pleat and drape the saree as you would normally. Now pleat the pallu and bring it over your left shoulder, pinning it there. Take one corner of the pallu, wrap it around your waist, and pin it under the pleats on the right side, forming a V in the front.  Traditionally associated with younger girls, it is a drape that can look beautiful even on older women when tried with Indian sarees for weddings.

The Mumtaz-style Drape for Indian Sarees for Weddings

Remember the cult classic ‘aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche’ featuring Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz? The way she draped her saree in that song started a movement which is seen time and again to this date. Opt for a vintage-inspired look with this draping style. Wrap your saree tightly around your lower body several times to give it a narrow look and then fling the pallu over your shoulder. This is great option for Indian sarees for weddings when you want to wear them to pre-wedding event like a cocktail party.

Indian Sarees for Weddings and The Modern Drape

Are you more of a world bride? Someone who mixes the Indian with the global? Do you want this to reflect in your draping style? Then this drape would be perfect for you. Wear your traditional Indian saree for a wedding with a polo neck top instead of a blouse and a pair of slim-fit trousers instead of an underskirt. Draped like a dhoti but worn with a pallu like a saree, it can be a showstopper of an outfit.

While these are some of the most popular styles for draping Indian sarees for weddings, there are many more variants out there that you can experiment with. It’s just a matter of getting the drape right. Because once that happens, you are sure to steal the limelight.