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I want my festive outfits to be comfortable enough for an entire day but colourful and dressed up enough to feel special. Here are five ways I’d style a kurta this festive season.
I’m celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at home this year, and with the festive season coming up next month, I’ve already started thinking about what I want to wear. This is my favourite time of the year to dress up. I love the colours, jewellery and little beauty details that can make even a simple Indian outfit feel celebratory.
But I also have a very specific approach to festive dressing. I want to be comfortable.
I would much rather wear an easy kurta that I can sit, move around and spend the entire day in than a heavily embellished outfit that looks beautiful but needs constant adjusting. The trick, for me, is to make the comfortable base feel festive through colour and styling.
Give me a bright kurta, statement earrings, a few bangles, kajal and a bindi, and I am happy.
So instead of treating the kurta as just one part of an outfit, I think of it as the comfortable starting point. The styling around it decides how festive the final look feels.
Here are five ways I would style a kurta for different festive occasions.
1. Bright kurta with simple bottoms and statement earrings
This is probably the easiest formula when I want to look festive without putting too much thought into the outfit.
I would start with a bright-coloured kurta and pair it with simple straight pants, trousers or comfortable palazzos. The idea is to let the colour of the kurta stand out instead of adding too many competing elements.
Then I would bring in the festive details through the accessories. A pair of statement earrings, bangles, kajal and a small bindi can make a simple kurta look much more occasion-ready.
This works particularly well when the kurta has a beautiful colour but isn’t heavily embroidered. You don’t necessarily need elaborate embellishment when the colour and accessories are doing enough.
What I would look for
- A bright or jewel-toned colour
- A comfortable silhouette that allows easy movement
- Simple bottoms that don’t compete with the kurta
- One noticeable pair of earrings
- Comfortable traditional footwear
Best for: Daytime pujas, family gatherings and festive celebrations at home.
The trade-off: If the kurta is already heavily printed or embellished, adding large earrings, bangles and a statement dupatta can make the outfit feel too busy.
2. Add a dupatta when I want a more traditional look
Sometimes the easiest way to make a comfortable kurta feel festive is to add a dupatta.
I would choose a lightweight printed, colourful or lightly embellished dupatta and let it become the additional festive layer. The rest of the outfit can remain quite simple.
This is particularly useful if you have a kurta in your wardrobe that you normally wear for everyday occasions. Adding a different dupatta can change its personality without requiring you to buy an entirely new outfit.
I would pair this with jhumkas or another pair of statement earrings, a few bangles, kajal and a bindi.
What I would look for
- A dupatta that adds colour or texture
- A fabric that is comfortable enough to wear for several hours
- A simple kurta that gives the dupatta room to stand out
- Jewellery that complements rather than competes with it
Best for: Pujas, family celebrations, festive lunches and occasions where I want a more traditional Indian look.
The trade-off: A heavily embellished dupatta can look beautiful but may not be the most practical choice for a long celebration. If comfort is the priority, I would choose something lighter.
3. Pair the kurta with palazzos when comfort matters most
Festive celebrations can easily turn into several hours of sitting, standing, eating, moving around and helping with things. That is when I would prioritise an outfit that doesn’t feel restrictive.
A comfortable kurta with palazzos or another relaxed wide-leg bottom gives the outfit an easy silhouette while still looking put together.
I particularly like this formula for daytime celebrations because it doesn’t require a lot of layering. A bright kurta does most of the visual work, while statement earrings and bangles bring in the festive element.
I would also pay attention to the length of both pieces. A very long kurta with extremely wide bottoms can overwhelm the outfit, particularly if you prefer a more streamlined silhouette.
What I would look for
- Lightweight and comfortable fabrics
- Enough room to move easily
- A kurta length that works with the wider bottom
- A bright colour or interesting print
- Footwear that is easy to walk and stand in
Best for: Long daytime celebrations, hosting at home and occasions where I know I’ll be dressed up for hours.
The trade-off: Wide silhouettes can look voluminous, so I would keep either the kurta or the bottoms relatively controlled rather than making both pieces extremely oversized.
4. Wear a kurta with a skirt when I want something more dramatic
A kurta doesn’t always have to be paired with pants.
If I want to make an existing kurta feel completely different, I would try it with a long skirt. This gives the outfit more movement and volume and can make a familiar kurta feel much more festive.
I would particularly choose this combination when I want the outfit to look more styled without reaching for a heavy lehenga or an elaborate festive set.
The accessories can stay fairly simple if the skirt has a strong print or embellishment. If both the kurta and skirt are understated, however, this is where I would bring in bigger earrings, bangles or a more noticeable bindi.
What I would look for
- A kurta with a shape that works comfortably over the skirt
- A skirt that complements rather than exactly matches the kurta
- Enough movement to walk comfortably
- One or two strong accessories
Best for: Evening celebrations, festive dinners and occasions where I want a more dressed-up silhouette.
The trade-off: A long skirt gives you more volume and drama, but it is less practical than a simple kurta-and-trouser combination if you know you’ll be moving around constantly.
5. Keep the kurta simple and let the accessories do the work
This is the formula I would choose when I don’t want to buy another festive outfit.
Take a simple kurta you already own and change everything around it. Add brighter earrings, stack a few bangles, wear kajal and a bindi, switch your footwear and introduce a colourful dupatta if you want another layer.
The clothes don’t necessarily have to be elaborate for the outfit to look festive. Sometimes the styling details do more than embroidery ever could.
I also like this approach because it makes festive dressing less dependent on buying something new for every celebration. The same comfortable kurta can look completely different depending on the accessories and colours you pair with it.
What I would look for
- A comfortable kurta with a clean silhouette
- Accessories that have enough colour or shine to stand out
- A bindi that works with the overall colour palette
- Bangles that add movement without becoming uncomfortable
- Footwear that you can actually spend several hours in
Best for: Anyone who prefers comfortable clothes, wants to rewear pieces from their wardrobe or doesn’t want to spend heavily on festive dressing.
The trade-off: Accessories can transform a simple outfit, but too many statement elements at once can make the look feel cluttered. I would choose one main focus and build around it.
My festive kurta checklist
When I am choosing what to wear for a celebration, I would rather think about how the entire outfit will feel after several hours than simply ask whether it looks good in a photograph.
These are the things I would check before getting dressed:
- Is the kurta comfortable enough to sit and move around in?
- Does the colour make the outfit feel festive without needing excessive embellishment?
- Can I wear the bottoms comfortably for several hours?
- Is the dupatta easy to manage?
- Are the earrings and bangles comfortable enough to keep on?
- Does the footwear work for standing and walking?
- If the clothes are simple, can accessories give them enough personality?
- Can I reuse the same kurta with different accessories or bottoms?
My favourite festive picks:
The festive dressing formula I keep coming back to
For me, festive dressing doesn’t have to mean wearing the heaviest outfit in my wardrobe.
I want to be able to sit through a puja, move around the house, eat, talk to my family and spend the day celebrating without constantly thinking about what I’m wearing. That is why a comfortable kurta makes such a good starting point.
The colour, earrings, bangles, kajal and bindi bring in the festive mood without taking away the ease of the outfit.
And that is probably my favourite way to dress for this time of year:comfortable enough to wear all day, colourful enough to feel festive and styled enough to make me feel like I made an effort.
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