Indian Wedding Outfits for Older Guests
Indian Wedding Outfits for Older Guests
You have been invited, and you would like to wear the clothes properly. Good — that is the best possible instinct, and it is easier to do well than you might think.
Guests who dress for the occasion have a better time. They get pulled into photographs, people come over to talk to them, and the day opens up in a way it does not for the guest in a blazer at the back.
Wearing Indian clothes to an Indian wedding reads as respect and as delight. Hosts love it. That is true at any age, and it is true whether or not you have worn any of this before.
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The part worth saying out loud
Plenty of what hangs in shop windows is styled on a twenty-five-year-old — sleeveless, cropped, close through the middle. That is a shop-window decision, not a description of Indian clothing. The tradition is enormous, and much of the most beautiful of it is long-sleeved, full-skirted, high-necked and built to be worn all day.
So the question is never whether these clothes are for you. It is simply which of them you will most enjoy wearing, and that is the good part of the afternoon.
If you are also wondering whether you are welcome to wear them at all, that one is settled and we have written about it properly in can I wear Indian clothes as a non-Indian guest?
The pieces people fall for
Salwar kameez — the one we reach for first
A long tunic over loose trousers, finished with a dupatta scarf. It is elegant, it is covered, nothing needs pinning, and it moves with you whether you are standing, seated or on the floor. If you want one thing you can put on in the morning and forget about entirely, this is it.
Anarkali or a gown
One piece, with the fullness falling from just below the bust. Nothing to adjust all evening, and because the shape carries the outfit, the fit really only matters at the shoulders. It is the most dramatic thing you can wear for the least effort, which is a very good trade.
Palazzo or sharara suit
A tunic or fitted top over wide, flowing trousers. Cool, easy to walk in, wonderful in photographs because of the movement, and a step dressier than a salwar kameez without asking anything more of you.
A sari, properly draped
A sari is a single uncut length of fabric, so it has no size at all — it is draped to whoever is wearing it. It is the most beautiful thing in the shop and it suits everybody.
The one thing that makes it effortless is having it pinned properly before you go. Come in and we will drape and pin it for you, $20 a person. Done that way it stays exactly where you put it from the ceremony to the last dance, and you never think about it again.
For the men
A kurta pajama covers it for most male guests — a long shirt over loose trousers, no tie, nothing to fuss with, and considerably more comfortable than a suit by hour six. Add a Nehru jacket or a vest over the top and you are dressed for the reception.
Dressing for a long and lovely day
Indian weddings are generous with time. There is often a ceremony, a gap, and a reception, and the best-dressed guests are the ones still enjoying themselves at the end. A few things make that easy:
- Lighter embroidery wears beautifully. Densely worked pieces are gorgeous and also genuinely weighty across the shoulders. Lighter work photographs just as well and you will forget you have it on.
- Trousers are a gift if there is floor seating, which some ceremonies have. A salwar kameez or a palazzo suit handles it without a thought.
- Sleeves are a style, not a compromise. Full and three-quarter sleeves are utterly standard in Indian formalwear and always have been. Asking for them is asking for the classic version.
- Wear the shoes you love standing in. There is usually more walking between car, venue and hall than people expect.
Sizing, which we make easy
We carry extra small through 5XL, for both women and men, out on the floor rather than as a special order, so you try things on and see for yourself. Blouses are fitted individually, and many saris come with unstitched blouse fabric — meaning the sleeve length, the neckline and the back are yours to choose rather than a factory's.
Not knowing your size is the normal starting point, not a hitch. We measure people all day. There is more on our size range here.
The three colours to leave at home
There are far fewer rules than people expect, and really only three worth knowing:
- Skip white, which is worn for mourning in many Indian traditions. The happy exception is a Parsi wedding, where white is exactly right.
- Skip red, which tends to belong to the bride, especially at the ceremony.
- Generally skip black, which is set aside at some celebrations.
Everything else is open, and the brighter the better. Indian wedding guests wear colour with real confidence, and you will feel more part of it in emerald or gold than in navy.
What it costs
These are our normal prices, the same ones on our price guide.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Kurta pajama | $75 to $125 |
| Vests | From $100 |
| Sari draping, per person | $20 |
| Petticoat | $15 |
| Blouses | Fitted individually |
Come in and let us do the thinking
No appointment needed. Tell us whose wedding it is, which events you are going to and how long you will be on your feet, and we will bring you three or four things that will work rather than pointing you at a rail. Most people are sorted inside half an hour, and enjoy it more than they expected to.
18507 Pioneer Boulevard, Artesia, CA 90701, in the middle of Little India. Free parking in our own lot directly behind the store, which is worth knowing because street parking here fills up.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays. Tuesday to Friday from 12:15 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 11:15 AM, closing at 6:45 PM. Earlier in the day is quieter, and trying things on unhurried is half the pleasure of it.
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