Jewel tones

Forget pastel. Forget black. And white. It’s all about jewel tones. Have you got yourself an outfit in topaz yellow, emerald green, sapphire blue or ruby red? They look festive, they look beautiful and you have to have at least one Puja outfit in this colour palette to make a dazzling impression. Shiny fabrics like satin and silk and non-shiny fabrics — both work well, the choice is yours.

 

Lycra churidars

They are the best functional fashion achievement after jeans! They’re easy to pull up and down and oh-so-comfy, especially during the Pujas when leg show is a no-no. “No one is wearing regular churidars anymore,” say Dev and Nil. So team it with a tunic for an Indo-western silhouette or go all Indian with an ethnic kurta and flowing dupatta. Buy them in all bright colours to add spunk and style to anything you wear. Westside and New Market are the places to look — available in S, M, L

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Blouse basics

This is the most important item on the list. Tailors are notorious for not giving the blouse on time so you have to bombard them with calls and visits and at times, even resort to threats. If you still haven’t decided what design to go with, here is style tip from Sabyasachi Mukherjee: “Dress up your tangail and woven saris with very embellished, old zardosi blouses. A conservative blouse works well with a slinky sari and a sexy blouse juxtaposes a simple sari, this study of contrast makes it very interesting. The era of short-sleeved-backless blouses is gone. It is either a modest lawyer-neckline blouse or a super sexy (nine-inch front and 10-and-a-half-inch back).”

 

Kalamkari

This modest form of block printing from Andhra Pradesh has stormed the style scene this festive (and fall-winter) season. Busy floral jaalis or elaborate mythological figures — kalamkari is the ‘it’ look. Its nice, earthy feel gets a glam makeover once it meets gota or crushed silk. If you still haven’t got yourself a kalamkari ensemble, pick one from Bidyut K. Biswas’s collection stocked at Kali. Or if your tailor is really, really sweet, rush to New Market and pick up fabric for him to stitch over the next two nights!

 

 

 

 

 

Luxe lurex

The girls have been strutting about in metallics for a while now — shoes, belts, bags and so on. Now it’s his turn to go heavy metal, say Dev and Nil. Lurex is a super hot fabric of the moment. But if you feel it is a bit much for you, choose anything that has a shine — subtle or OTT. A metallic tint looks nice on jackets, shirts and waistcoats. Of course, belts too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waistcoat

“A waistcoat is to a man what a handbag is to a woman,” says Sabyasachi. So now you know why waistcoats have taken over the world — boardroom to dancefloor. During the Pujas, waistcoats are doubly important. They can dress up the most drab kurta and make it so now and ethnic. Waistcoats are a perfect solution when it is too hot to layer and a kurta alone is too simple, adds Sabya.

 

 

 

 

 

Slip-ons

Do not make the mistake of wearing shoes that require any extra effort (laces, velcro or complex straps). Pandal hopping calls for comfort and convenience first. So go for jootis, leather chappals and anything that doesn’t take more than one second to slip on or off.

 

 

 

 

Jeans

The Pujas is a great time to buy an extra great pair of jeans. Shopping for denims requires extra enthusiasm, determination and grit and isn’t Puja shopping all that (and more)! Go for blue or black. And give prime importance to fit. These jeans hug Akshay Kumar very well and you should look for something that does amazing things to your body type. Where should you head? When in doubt, go to Levi’s say the style bhais.