Tips on choosing Party Lehengas
Choosing the Lehenga According to the Body Shape
There’s nothing like a fitted dress to glam up your style quotient and make you the ‘talk of the town’! Irrespective of how much you weigh, and what’s in trend, to dress up smartly so that your best features get highlighted is the need of the hour. For instance, a peplum blouse with a full flared lehenga would look good on an apple-shaped built made high-waist. The wide flares would make the waist look smaller and body look proportionate! An empire cut choli or a long blouse with a dupatta draped in the front covering the waist would complete the attire. It is best to avoid designing the ensemble with heavy embroidery or big patterns around the waist.
For women who have heavier hips, an A-line or flared lehenga with an off-shoulder blouse would be appropriate. The choli can also have a boat neck in bright hues or should be heavily embellished. The lehenga belt should ideally be set on the narrowest part of the waist to take the attention away from the hips and should be paired with a net dupatta to highlight the waist. Fishtail lehengas are a big no for a pear-shaped body.
For women with a heavy torso, heavily flared lehengas suit the best, with a heavy embroidered look or embellishments with minimal work on the blouse styled like a kurti and the dupatta.
Care And Maintenance
Ethnic apparel is available in a mass variety and is usually heavily adorned, embellished, made of different fabrics in intricate designs. A lot of them are complicated creations with weaves, embroidery and trimmings giving them an elaborate texture and visual appeal. One of the most difficult parts of having such heavy and stylish outfits in your wardrobe is their upkeep. Thanks to all the glamour, metallic borders, fabrics and colours, maintaining the outfits in their original form and in top shape are rather challenging.
Some key things to keep in mind in ensuring the best care for your special clothes is to avoid perfumes, spray, deodorants or mothballs. Pure zari used typically for border work is susceptible to rust and chemical exposure, and the same holds true for metal or silk threads. Delicate clothes should not be exposed to normal wash after every wear, they are best dry cleaned. When dressing up with grooming sessions, hair or makeup, ensure you cover your dress with a towel or dressing gown.
If you tend to sweat a lot, be careful to wear absorbent pads or disposable underarm shields under your expensive cholis, kameez or blouses. Regular ironing is a big no for your designer clothes! Steam iron them, but drying them completely is a must too. If your outfit gets stained, treat it immediately. For oil stains, sprinkle some talcum powder which is unscented and let it sit in, once the oil gets absorbed, rub it off gently and wash if required. You can also use petrol to wipe off coffee, tea or curry stains from the silk fabrics.
Stitching Tips for Those with a Broad Build
There are a lot of varieties and alternative available for most women of the petite or proportionate body structure. But for women with a heavy built or heavier body type, ready-made options are rarely available and if they are, the fitting can be quite skewed. Fashion can be individualised for its wearer if it's done properly, keeping in mind some important features.
There are many designers who can help style your lehenga in proportion to your body shape, especially your bust if you’re on the heavier side, keeping the latest trends in mind. Usually, most women with a heavy bust line don’t prefer low V necks, hence going in for a high cut lehenga with a boat neck choli or round neck would look really appealing.
Stitching your lehenga with an asymmetric will look very ladylike and its outline would be very elegant. The neckline should be balanced well, with the bust line area skimmed, with the top not too clingy. The blouse shouldn’t be embellished too much or adorned with work in excess especially around the bust, as it would more weight to that part of the body.
The blouse should be kept minimal, plain and simple, and instead accessorized with a long beaded- necklace with multiple strands in contrasting colours if possible to balance the neck style. Block solid hues are the best colour options in blouses with a slightly loose fit. High neck blouses can minimise the heavy busts too. For women with heavy bust lines, multicoloured blouses in light hues should be avoided completely. For floral printed lehengas, solid hues should be used for blouses which contours the bust line. Avoid fabrics like satin, cashmere or lycra as they add to the bulk, horizontal stripes or halter necks are a no for blouse wear and keep shimmer to a bare minimum on the blouse to keep unnecessary attention at bay.
Lehenga Designs for Party Wear
Embroidered Cotton Silk Long Tunic Style Lehenga
This readymade Art Dupion Silk Lehenga is elegantly styled with beads, stones, zari, mirrors, applique, bullions and patch border work. Combined with an Orange cotton silk kameez and an Orange net dupatta the lehenga is golden coloured. The length of the kameez is 47” and lehenga is 40” and the set is priced at Rs. 7,379.
Floral Printed Flared Lehenga
This Floral Printed Flared Beige Lehenga is semi-stitched party wear in Bangalore Satin, weighing 0.3kgs and a length of 42”. The lehenga is lined with a silk blend fabric and has a 2.7m flare. It comes with an unstitched blouse in satin fabric measuring 0.8m. The set is priced at Rs. 1,003.
Banarasi Art Silk Woven Lehenga
A Banarasi Art Silk semi-stitched and woven Lehenga is coloured black & red in A Line-style and comes with a black zari woven blouse with a round neck and half sleeves. The lehenga length is 44” and it is apt for party wear, priced at Rs. 2,969.
Crepe Printed Lehenga
This vibrant and semi stitched Lehenga Choli in Crepe is multicoloured and styled in Geometric Patterns. With the lehenga length of 4m and 1m of unstitched choli, this ensemble is priced at Rs. 1,799 and is best dry cleaned the first time, and normal wash from thereon. This beautiful set can be accessorised with some stylish jewellery and high heels.
Designer Plain Georgette Lehenga
This plain Georgette Lehenga in wine colour is a designer piece made with lacework, a flair of 3m, and length of 49”. The choli is free sized made of georgette fabric and golden in colour with a width of 44”, length of 15” and padded with lacework. The set also comes with a Georgette dupatta with lace work and length of 2.25m, all of it priced at Rs. 1,299.
Jacquard Lehenga Choli
A sea green party wear lehenga choli comes with a navy blue blouse with a printed peacock motif. The blouse can be stitched up to size 42. The lehenga fabric is Jacquard, the blouse fabric is Velvet and dupatta net. The Sea Green Lehenga has printed work and the set is priced at Rs. 2, 880.
Designer Heavy Embroidered Raw Silk Lehenga
A heavily Embroidered Raw Silk Lehenga in black, these beautiful designer pieces are embellished with sequins, zari and embroidery work. It comes with a matching fabric choli with similar design and a satin lining with a Can Net and net Dupatta with rich border work. The lehenga length is 44” and has a flair of 3.5m. The set is priced at Rs. 3,299.
Dainty Rama Coloured Soft Silk Lehenga Choli
Designed with a gorgeous embroidered work and lining, the dainty Rama coloured Lehenga is made in Soft Silk with a matching coloured blouse also of the same fabric, all of which is semi-stitched. The entire set looks like a beautiful array of vibrant flowers with some pretty embellishments through the length of the skirt and the blouse sleeves. The Lehenga can be customised up to bust size 44", Lehenga Length 48", Waist size 38", and Dupatta size 2.5m, priced at Rs. 1,500.
Floral Print Designer Lehenga Choli with Stone Work
This Floral Printed White Silk Lehenga is adorned with stonework and comes with a cream coloured blouse also in silk and a blue chiffon silk dupatta also with stonework and a floral border. The lehenga is styled circular, the blouse can be custom stitched and would look lovely styled the off-shoulder way, with the fabric decorated with same floral pattern and stonework. The set is priced at Rs. 6,560.
Printed Art Silk Circular Lehenga
A Printed Art Silk Lehenga in beige, this mesmerising ensemble has the lehenga styled circular with a poly shatoon lining, emblazoned with floral print and resham work, it comes with a semi-stitched faux georgette and net kameez in red with a faux chiffon maroon dupatta. The unstitched lehenga is 42” in length, while the blouse piece is 52” and the set comes priced at Rs. 4,977.
Bonus Tip: Ideas to Reuse Your Expensive Lehengas
Dressing up in elaborate and elegant clothing for special occasions is every woman’s wish and well-deserving too. However, once the occasion and festivities are over, the expensive ensemble in all its refinery is confined to a dark corner in a box or bag somewhere in your closet. But there’s one way you can use your heavy and expensive lehenga ensemble for different occasions without noticing its repetition or compromising on its intricate designing.
- Anarkali – with just a stitch, you can sew a net fabric to the choli and attach it to your lehenga skirt. The flare of the lehenga remains untouched and can easily be converted into a stylish Anarkali suit quickly! You can transform its magnificent work by attaching zari or booti work on its borders and add tassels or latkans on the sides. You can enhance the look further by making up your eyes with a smoky makeup and don designer high heels for footwear.
- Dupatta – There’s really no compulsion to wear a dupatta with the lehenga as such. You can pair it with other outfits, like with a plain salwar suit or combining it with a contrasting pair of suit set. You can even explore converting the dupatta to a shrug, a kurti, a flared top or a transparent jacket or a cape for party wear. Should you wish to make it into a kurti, team it up with brocade shoes, with a high and wavy ponytail and highlighted cheeks and eye corners.
- Jacket – Try an indo-western jacket with heavy brocade work over your lehenga, making a full closure at the front with self-styled buttons. You can choose to make a jacket with silk, khadi or Banarasi silk fabric with a traditional styling.
- Mix And Match – You can combine the heavy lehenga with a plain choli or a heavy choli with a plain skirt or a heavy dupatta with a plain salwar kameez. You can work around with bright colours on the top and finish off with simple antique jewellery with a folded clutch and nude make up.
- The Modern Choli – In a heavy lehenga ensemble, the skirt usually takes away most of the attention and accolades. If you’re willing to try something new and different, complement the lehenga with a simple but designer choli, for instance, a peplum blouse or a striped crop styled blouse, or a boxy embroidered blouse.
- Half And Half Dupatta Saree – Drape your dupatta the saree way and style it ethnically like never before! You can drape the dupatta like a pallu on another lehenga set with contrast colours and team it up with a choker necklace and light makeup.
- Kurti Stitch – A heavily styled lehenga can be paired with tailor stitched kurta or kurti from the ensemble dupatta, or wear the kurti with a contrast coloured pair of dhoti pants and smokey makeup with a bright lip shade.
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Amp Up Your Lehenga Look With New Draping Styles
All set to rock the party with your chosen lehenga? If you want to change things up then take a relook at styling options. Explore the exciting new trends for draping your lehenga to try something different. You could go with a saree-inspired drape lehenga, a cowl-neck effect with dupattas or opt for a gorgeous front drape. Check out latest online resources including fashion magazines and YouTube videos to try out the most flattering ones. Another option - observe what's hot with Bollywood stars and incorporate them, you are sure to be ahead of the curve then!