It’s the beginning of festive season in the Indian subcontinent. With Teej and Raksha Bandhan around the corner, Onam approaching fast. Soon it will be time for Navratri and Dussera. Before you know it Diwali will be here. Needless to say, I miss celebrating these festivities in India. Doesn’t mean I can’t play dressing up. 😉 Talking about dressing up. I love the colors yet, I like to keep it simple and timeless even when it comes to Indian festive outfits.
Growing up I used to be enamoured by some women both from reel and real life. Women, who always looked good. Picture Shabana Azmi from Masoom or Rekha from Silsila. For the young generation picture Anushka Sharma on her wedding reception. That’s the beauty of classic pieces. Decades later they still look classy and beautiful. That’s the timelessness I’m talking about.
Why timeless?
Trends come and go, simplicity is forever
With trendy fast fashion, a million fashion brands marketing through gazillion social media posts. It can be overwhelming to just go through the current trends. Honestly I’ve never been rich enough to say “oh that’s so last season!” There’s a joy in carefully curating your wardrobe that you enjoy for years to come.
Easy on your purse
You don’t need to worry about continuously adding to your wardrobe with every new trend coming in every season. One quality piece can last almost for life. Don’t get me wrong. I get the attraction for both something new and something affordable. Over the years, with multiple impulse purchases, I’ve learned though that getting something quality with classic style lasts much longer. I reach for it more, I trust it more and it stands the test of time.
Easy on the planet
At some point while I was growing up it became a norm to have a new outfit for every occasion. Especially since social media, it became almost a crime to repeat the same festive outfit in pictures. Whether we call industrial revolution giving rise to capitalism and consumerism or just our own weakness to go for the new shiny thing. That’s a topic for another post.
Nowadays, there’s a lot of talk about how it’s neither a healthy habit for our mental peace nor has it served our planet well. I haven’t researched it enough to claim that my little habits in consuming less will have a monumental effect on saving the planet. However if it does result in some success I am all for it!
Peace of mind
More for serenity and clear conscience, hopefully we can get back to old ways of keeping and repeating our outfits for years. You will see me sharing some of the pieces I have for almost a decade and many that will last longer. 🙂
What are my favourite outfits that I term as timeless, classic and classy? Here you go –
Silk sarees
Curious about the origins of Saree? Well this outfit dates back to at least Indus Valley civilisation (2800 – 1800 BC). There’s much to be explored about Indian history and archaeology so I won’t be surprised if we find it out even older. Have I loved saree since I can remember? Of course! While my western friends were dressing up as brides as toddlers, we were (at least my generation ;)) were stealing mom’s dupatta, or a bed sheet and figuring the science behind draping a saree. In the decades that followed, my love for saree hasn’t reduced even an iota.
Talking about keeping it classic and timeless. First thing that comes to my mind is silk and silk blend. Again as a toddler one of the sarees I loved on my mum was, Surprise! a Banarasi silk saree. Silk is accepted as classic and classy everywhere in the world. We’ll continue our talks of origins of silk and silk road in another post. For festive saree outfits, keeping in mind simple, elegant and timelessness. I mostly go for no patterns ( except bandhej ;)). Pair it with the right jewellery and you look like a million bucks. (It definitely feels so!)
Now being from Rajasthan I totally understand the heat and not looking forward to any fabric touching your skin. I bet on natural fabrics to avoid irritation and allergy. To keep it light I like a cotton and silk blend or for a very light option chiffon is wonderful. A pure chiffon fabric makes it feel like almost zero weight.
Kurtas with a classic cut
The tradition of salwar kameez (Commonly known as suits in India) originated sometime in the Mughal era. Became an everyday and festive outfit in Punjab and northern parts India. Now it is a common outfit in India. In my lifetime I’ve seen a few versions of it. 🙂 From super form fitting to loose and comfortable. Kurta lengths ranging from above the knee to floor length.
Since I am hankering about simplicity and classic styles. I’m talking about a straight cut kurta length ranging anywhere from a little below knee to a few inches above the ankle. Pair it with a pair of straight pants, tapered pants, leggings or the old salwar style. With one style of kurta you can achieve a variety of looks. You can dress it up or down. Sticking with the theme of classic and timeless, I like to go for either solid colours or classic patterns. For my petite frame I like to keep the pattern not too bold. Bejewelled colours like the yellow one are perfect choice for a festive occasion.
Lehenga
For those super festive days. Lehenga is a magical outfit. Some accounts state that it became common during Mughal empire however if you look for the Ghagra version it goes back to 320 BC in Uttar Pradesh. I can relate to the old depiction of Krinsha with Radha and Gopis in this attire. The overall outfit has certainly evolved over the period of time.
Coming back to today. This is certainly one of my favourite outfits for very special occasions. Hence it’s difficult for me to come up with a solo picture. When it comes to Lehenga depending on the occasion I can keep it simplsih (you know what I mean ;)) to actually going Sabyasachi grand! Even then keep it classic with cuts, fabric, patterns more traditional the better. Lastly, lots and lots of flair! 🙂
Hope you enjoyed this post. Wish you a wonderful festive season!
Until next week. Ciao!
