The elegance of sherwanis is unequalled; (From above) Showstoppers from Ashish Soni, Samant Chauhan and Raghavendra Rathore; Pix by Jagan Negi

The sherwani is edging back into male wardrobes — and no, it’s not just because the wedding season is poised to make a comeback. When you think of formalwear, you can safely think of a sherwani. As a sherwani fan you’ll be in good company. Earlier this year cricketer Yuvraj Singh wowed the audience at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week when he walked the ramp in a Raghavendra Rathore classic sherwani. More recently actor Akshay Kumar wore the sherwani with élan in his hit film Singh is Kinng.

“Sherwanis are elegant like no other garment and perfect wedding attire. But now they are doing very well as formalwear,” says Rathore. He says that sherwanis and their shorter versions, achkans, are the flavour of the season. Designers like Rathore, Ashish Soni and Gunjan Arora, among others, are experimenting with lengths and embellishments. Rathore says that sherwanis can be teamed with not just churidars but also formal trousers.

For Rathore, there is nothing to beat a classic, well-tailored achkan or sherwani. He says that originally Indian maharajahs popularised the garment, embellishing it with elaborate jewellery rather than embroidery. In recent times, Bollywood’s glitz and glitter has influenced the sherwani and now it’s accentuated with zari and embroidery work.

According to him, sherwanis look best when cut from woollen fabrics or alternatively brocades and silks. Rathore’s colour palette is dominated by creams though he takes customer preference into account and also fashions them in vibrant colours and embellishments that they want. His classic sherwanis come with price tags that begin at Rs 40,000 and go up to Rs 85,000 for those in brocade and silk.

“The sherwani has not just been making a fashion statement but has been offering an alternate to the business suit,” says designer Gunjan Arora of Sirali.

Sherwanis have evolved from being just wedding function attire, they are hot picks for all kinds of formal occasions; (From top) Creations by Siddharth Tytler, Zubair Kirmani and Gunjan Arora

In Arora’s collection, sherwanis have gone shorter than mid-calf while the embroidery, patchwork and quilting is done with steel threads. The collection is high on burnt greens, greys and black and shades of rust. The patchwork sherwanis cost Rs 14,000 while those with quilting come for Rs 30,000.

Designer Samant Chauhan’s line of sherwanis is flamboyant and flaunts bold brass beads, abstract patchwork patterns as well as digital prints. A striking feature in his collection is the straight-line stitches arranged in such patterns that they create an optical illusion. He’s gone with fabrics like Bhagalpuri silks and raw linen mixed with Lurex. For a very basic sherwani with very few embellishments, you’ll have to spend Rs 15,000 while a digitally printed one will cost upwards of Rs 35,000. Says Chauhan: “The digital print fabric alone costs about Rs 1,000 a metre which pushes up the cost.’’

For some bling and a vibrant colour palette, take a look at designer Siddartha Tytler’s cheerful collection. Tytler’s sherwanis for the upcoming wedding season come glamourised with a good amount of bling and applique work executed on imported crêpe and heavy velvets. More than the embellishments, what lends grace to this attire is a perfect fit, reckons Tytler. “Getting a sherwani stitched according to your frame is the wisest thing to do or you might end up wearing a boxy outfit,” says Tytler.

Tytler likes to add oomph to his sherwanis with a stole. “I always add a stole with sherwanis which makes them look more festive,” says Tytler. A basic sherwani designed by Tytler will set you back by Rs 24,000 while one with embroidery and handwork will cost Rs 85,000.

Designer Zuber Kirmani, who recently designed a sherwani for musician A.R. Rahman, believes that the sherwani is back in focus as formalwear. His forte lies in giving texture to the garment. “What looks like geometric prints on my sherwanis are actually patterns woven into the silk-linen fabric,” explains Kirmani. The patterns used while texturing are inspired from Kashmiri Khatamband patterns (that’s Kashmiri ceiling art).

Besides heavily embellished sherwanis, Kirmani also designs sherwanis which can be worn on formal evenings out. His collection of heavily embroidered and textured sherwanis in ivory and black is priced between Rs 25,000 and Rs 32,000.

A few extras can add subtle glamour to the sherwani. Rathore says that a pocket handkerchief and well-co-ordinated smart shoes will do the trick. So make room in your wardrobe and slip in a sherwani.