Silk Saris

Silk Saris are amazing. Sure, Chiffons and Nets and Halter Blouses carry a lot of pizzazz and sex appeal - but nothing, and I mean nothing, looks as divine as a rich, Silk Sari. In my opinion, they are the true definition of Indian style - always beautiful, always vibrant, and always graceful. Here are some that I'm loving lately..can't wait to wear one soon. 

source: google images

genelia d'souza at her sangeet

bollywood actress genelia d'souza looked seriously STUNNING at her sangeet in manish malhotra. one of the prettiest brides i've seen - cannot wait to see the rest of her looks.

source: fashioncirqle.com

sonam kapoor at elie saab couture, spring 2012

interesting fusion look. i don't know how i feel about it, though. it's definitely 'thinking outside the box,' but i'm feeling a bit of a grandma vibe with the shrug and sari together. on their own though, each piece is great - the gorgeous mandarin collar sari in pretty pink, and the delicate yet stunning elie saab shrug.

source: www.modepilot.de

manish malhotra, lakme india fashion week, spring 2011

this collection was "very spring." the color palette was easy & breezy -- whites, pale greens, aquas, and beiges. overall, pretty.

source: wedding sutra blog

masaba gupta saris

talk about funky fresh -- masaba gupta saris definitely have a quirky cool style. "different" doesn't even seem to cut it. while i love the fun approach to a traditional sari, i'm not sure if i'm absolutely loving it yet. i do like once-upon-a-time actress mandira bedi's sari -- the colors, stripes, the way it drapes. it's very modern. sonam kapoor's look is what i'm iffy on. she always has fun with fashion, which makes her pictures a treat to see, so i do applaud her for that. but the hand print sari, the ultra sheer drape, and the black blouse going up a little too high in the middle, is just not working for me. something looks off. she still looks great though -- she is working the bengali-style big bindi, traditional earrings, and clean, elegant hair.

whether it works for you or not, this is a cool young designer to watch.

*update -- oh my, is ms. bedi is wearing a bikini top as a blouse? let's just say that's not the best idea. good thing she has it covered up with the sari drape.

sources: smashing cinema, rediff

ritu kumar's latest suit design

love this fun and funky creation from indian designer ritu kumar -- this ad was featured in vogue india's dec. 2010 issue, and it immediately caught my eye. it's a fun alternative to all the anarkalis we've been seeing everywhere -- anarkalis are long babydoll type dresses, with a huge circumference at the bottom (causing the dress to flare out a lot) and they are worn with tight leggings, called churdidars. although i still love anarkalis very, very much, something new and fresh is always much appreciated.

it's hard to tell exactly, but it looks like this outfit has a kurta top in baby pink, which is basically just a long tunic in a straight cut, worn overtop a white and black tie-dye skirt (which gives the flared-out dress aka anarkali effect). the model is seen wearing no churdidars underneath, but of course that is just for the editorial. in real life, baby pink chudidars to match the kurta top would look great. the yellow/golden chunni, or stole, adds another pop of color, but again for real life, i might choose a less distracting color -- or maybe no chunni at all. either way, it's something different and something new, and i hope to see more of it in indian fashion.

source: scanned in from vogue india, dec. 2010