Summer is the ideal time to wear a choli. Whether you are dressing in a more casual style, plan to keep with the classic tradition, or are a bride-to-be, chances are you’ll have an opportunity to don a glorious choli during the season of weddings.
If you happen to be going to a festival, are a bride preparing for your summer wedding, or just a guest, a choli is a perfect choice of outfit for the occasion. Its versatile style options, cuts, fabrics, and colors make it easy to find the perfect look. Here are four choli styles to wear this summer that will definitely get you noticed.
1. Casual
First, let’s look at a few options when you want to keep it casual. Festival days are usually the time when one can veer off the traditional path and choose a more unique choli. It’s the time a lot of women like to show off new looks or try out new accessories.
Think about your fabric choice when keeping it casual, not to mention the weather. You’ll want something made in cotton for its breathability. Select light colors, like yellow, green, lavender, pink, turquoise, and peach.
For something more modern and youthful, try a tie dye theme. If you want to go more on the traditional end of casual, choose a floral pattern or large colorful prints to stand out from the crowd. Thankfully, options are endless for casual choli looks for the summer.
2. Traditional
If you prefer to stick with a more traditional choli design for the hot months of the year, the good news is you won’t want for options. Staying within traditional boundaries is ideal and easy for when you are a guest at an Indian wedding this summer. Stay cool with lighter, and colorful fabrics, but keep it more subtle, and most importantly – comfortable!
A floral design works well for a traditional choice, go for a more understated pattern to stay more classic. Or, choose a satin fabric with floral design for a nice balance between casual and fancy. With a subtle shimmer, this material catches the light which enhances the entire look.
To stay traditional in your choli, but also have it work for summer, choose satin or silk with a light touch of embroidery. This not only keeps the weight of the garment down, but keeps you from stealing the show with your fashion choices. A more subtle design in a slightly fancier fabric can also easily work in your more casual settings.
3. Dressy
Even if you’re not getting married yourself this summer, the chances are very high that you’ll be part of someone else’s celebration. You can go the more traditional route as a guest at the wedding party, or fancy it up a bit and stand out from the crowd (without overshadowing the bride of course!)
Choose one of the traditional choli colors: gold, pink, yellow, or orange and you have a good foundation to build your fancy version. Don’t be afraid to choose a bold color, even if you aren’t the bride. Go for embroidery, or embellishments that won’t weigh down the outfit.
Less is usually more, so instead of decorating the choli itself with lavish ornamentation, consider focusing the majority of the detail on the dupatta (shawl), hem area of the dress, and around the wrists and collarbone. As long as your choli doesn’t mimic or match the bride’s there is no reason you cannot be creative and express your own style.
4. Bridal
Traditional and casual elegance should come together when choosing a summer bridal choli. You may opt for a more elegant material like satin or silk, which will catch the light and shimmer. Or, you can do the more traditional route with a red velvet or silk – just keep in mind the weight of the dress will increase from there, so you want to have your comfort in mind as well.
No matter how you start to build your wedding outfit, this is the time to go all out with your design ideas.
There is no better occasion to embrace heavy embroidery and glittering sequins for a dramatic entrance. Think of the history of the choli and go with royal colors for accents like gold and silver. Indian weddings are lavish and exceptionally detailed – allow yourself to lavish in these beautiful clothes and feel like the queen you are.
No matter which four choli styles you are looking for this summer, you can’t go wrong by following these suggestions for casual and more fancy occasions. Stick to the basics, and be expressive and fun when going casual, and if you need to keep it traditional, or find the perfect look for your big day, cholis will make it easy to look classic.