In the recently concluded Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, where one prominent trend was outfits fashioned from handlooms and the artisan-inspired look, there is nothing other than neutrals and whites that complements the look just perfectly! Designers Alpana and Neeraj, JJ Valaya, and Manish Malhotra also displayed the white trend complemented with royal appeal, in jackets, Indo western dresses, and quirkily designed and worn sarees, as well as jewelry.

So, whether it is a white Kurti with floral prints, a white saree in self-woven chanderi cotton, which looks stylish and  formal, or white salwar kameez with beautiful hand-painted Kalamkari prints, or a white Tunic with copper sequins, there’s no other color that can beat the charm of white! Offering a beautiful medium for weaves, prints, designs, embroidery, or even embellishments, its time to get your hands on sarees and  salwar kameez in white hues, worn with whites or accentuated with bold colors.

And when it comes to accessories, don’t go with the cliched pearl necklaces and silver jewelry. Instead, add a touch of gold with bright earrings and or a chunky bracelet in golden hues, to lend a golden gleam to the while outfit. You can also accessorize the outfit with golden jooties, a bright, colorful potli pouch, or a golden hair ornament and dazzle your way through the summer!

And since the celebrations are spun around colors, there has to be some color play in what you  wear on the occasion too! So, this Holi, ditch the customary whites worn during the festival, and add touches of vibrancy to your outfits with a splash of colors. So, here are some interesting dressing options for the festival:

A bright splash with Salwar Kameez– Remember the “Rang Barse” number that we all dance to during Holi? It stars Rekha in a Salwar Kameez, which is the perfect attire to dress up in, due to the comfort it offers. Salwar Kameez in natural fabrics like cotton, khadi, and cambric with a splash of bright color combinations like white and purple, pink and ocher, or soft prints sprayed on the backdrop of a white combination can perk up the glamor quotient for Holi dressing.

Turn on the fun with Tunics – The more fun, flirty equivalent of salwars, tunics teamed with harem pants or a pair of denims make for great Holi gear. In interesting combinations like yellow and blue, or orange and green, and in fabrics like cotton and chiffon, tunics can add a lot of flavor to Holi celebrations.

Sizzle in Sarees – Whatever the occasion, sarees in bright combinations instantly add a sensual touch to dressing! When worn with halter necks or backless blouses, they are sure to get you in your liveliest Holi mood. Sport them with accessories like quirky necklaces and hair adornaments for enhanced style.

So, whats going to be your Holi hue this time?

Embroidered Essentials: Embroidery—whether it is hand embroidery with the delicate Resham or thread work, can give the saree a miraculous facelift. And when the embroidery is across the entire length of the saree border, in bright colors, it adds instant style to your look.

Sultry Scallop: Scallops, or curved projections on the edge or a the fabric, can glamorize the simplest of sarees. Available in the classic half-moon shape or various other curved designs, scallop border sarees are a complete rage!

Pretty with a Patch: Crafted from brocade, zari, velvet, or other plush fabrics, patches adorned across the saree border can make it an unusual, interesting evening outfit.

A brush of Brocade: Probably the most common borders for a saree, brocade with its gold color, especially used in thicker fabrics like silk, can never look uninteresting.

Luxe and Lacy: Lace is the perfect border for a saree in light weight fabrics like cotton, Georgette, or even net. And it’s completely in trend too!

So, amp up the way you’ve dressed up in sarees, with sarees that border on rich, embellished borders, and make a stylish sensation this spring!

Embroidered apparel can go into various different directions—like folkloric embroidery, which is evoked in traditional Indian costumes, and the extreme opposite—opulent embroidery which uses bright accents and unusual ways to present itself. A dense Paisley motif on the back of a Tunic, a beautifully embroidered high neck blouse that goes with a sheer saree, a plain, monotone kameez paired with a contrasting embroidered salwar, sandals with embroidered floral motifs—there are many distinct styles in which embroidery manifests itself in the most eclectic ways this season! And with a host of cool options, there is going to be something for everyone enhanced with embroidery.

Using Silk threads to embroiderIndian motifs in bright colors and unusual designs adds that instant spark of luxuriousness to any saree or salwar kameez. So, get set to see a lot of luxe outfits with lush embroidery, which either gorgeous and cutting-edge embroidery or one that reflects the vintage looks, with a more traditional approach! Dense or sparse, bright or muted, thread or metallic, embroidery apparel are a definite must-add to you spring closet this season!

Retro-inspired designs, geometric shapes, distorted patterns and abstractly abstract prints are going to create a sartorial stir, with their presence not only on sarees, salwar kameez, or tunics, but also on accessories. They’ve caught the fancy of designers, and left their impact on printed shoes, earrings, necklaces and belts.

However, when considering an abstract print outfit, it’s always important to remember that less is more! That, however, shoudn’t restrict you from going flashy and bold with abstract prints. The key is to match an abstract printed dress with pale accessories and shoes. Imagine wearing a leopard print saree, with matching sandals, earrings, and well, sunglasses, which will make you look sooooo like Richard Parker’s twin!

On the reverse, you can also pair a uni-colored tunic with an abstract printed, loosely hung waist belt, or floral print kitten heels, and see your outfit get an instanty facelift. But if it’s for spring, abstract printed it has to be—with designs ranging from sprayed-on prints, vertical stripes (recommended if you want to look thinner), darts and arrows, geometric-inspired forms like an array of circles, triangles etc, or amimal-inspired fashion, which is no more limited to the cat family. Zebras and giraffes have also caught designers’ fancy, and offer you a lot to add to your wardrobe this season– scarves, dupattas, churidars and kameez, saree pallus, handbags and a whole lot more…

It’s the season of talking abstract, really!

Every year, Pantone comes up with a color for the year, taking into account a lot of influences around the world–the entertainment industry, art collections, popular travel destinations, and socio-economic conditions, availability of new textures, and upcoming sports events that capture the world’s attention.

Green, therefore, was selected for its lively, radiant nature, and enrichment, and is related to gems, the color of money, and the Emerald City, Seattle; a color which talks about abundance and rejuvenation.

Sported by International celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, Amy Adams, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, and even the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, the color sets the tone for the year, offering a great balance in life, and the head and the heart.

So, this Women’s Day, treat yourself to the luxurious and resplendent sarees, salwar kameez, tunics, jewelry and handbags in the Official Color of the Year 2013, Emerald Green. You can do all green outfits, because different shades of green come together to offer a magnanimous look! Or, add hints of green to your outfit for the color blocked look, by combining a bright hued dress with a green carry-all, or emerald earrings or a necklace to add pops of color to a pale or neutral hued saree or salwar kameez!

And here’s wishing you a Happy Woman’s Day and a flourishing future ahead!

On the occasion of the Taj Mahotsav, we’ve introduced our Taj-inspired collection, which offers rich Anarkali suits, reminiscent of the beautiful Mumtaz Mahal and her royal dressing style, with elegant kalis and bright hues of crimson, blue, ochre, green and orange in plush fabrics of brocade, velvet and net. Celebrating the finesse of the beautiful monument, the collection also offers elegant Chikankari Churidar Kameez entrenched with delicate chikan thread embroidery in floral motifs, inspired from the floral inlaid jaalis of the tomb.

Influences of the alluring geometric patterns in the alleys, with beautiful gold and mosiac cutwork is skilfully captured in a collection of Banarsi sarees in the royal silk fabric.  Enriched with zari and zardozi, each saree from the collection spells tradition and aristocracy. While the Taj Mahal is said to capture the diverse moods of a woman with its changing colors during different times of the day, the saree collection also represents the colors and shades reflected in the monument during the day and night–from silvery whites to yellow golden and darker hues.

So, come, behold and revel in the mystery and exotic beauty of the everlasting styles from the Taj-inspired collection!

And when the one day of the week that is dedicated to love, the Valentine’s week, is all about giving, receiving and falling in love over chocolate, that’s reason enough to give your love another chance! But, this Chocolate Day, you can court this irresistible mistress without breaking your diet plan.

From bittersweet cocoa to dark chocolate, chocolate inspiration has seeped into dresses, shoes, and bags this season! So, indulge in salwar kameez and sarees in tempting chocolate-inspired hues, sarees with shimmering chestnut colored knotted blouses, or caramel-colored tunics to look completely delicious.

You can also choose clutches and hair ornaments in delectable brown shades, and neck pieces and earrings which are completely crave-worthy! So, what would you like, looking as luscious as a melting hot chocolate or eating one?

This, also, is one day when the whole country unites in wearing the colors of the Indian flag and being united in soul and spirit! Here’s how you can dress up in the tricolor in style:

White Glory: What’s better than a crisp white Kurti? A crisp white kurti with collars! Pair it with bright green bangles and Kohlapirus to create youre own eclectic style this Republic day!

Taking a cue from Nehru: Time magazine declared Nehru as one of the top ten fashion icons from politics. This Republic day, celebrate by sporting fashion the Nehru way—with a bright hued Nehru jacket, Nehru collars and a cap in Khadi.

Orange Fantasy: Orange in all its hues was the hottest colors of the past year, and is going to be strong this year too. You can don it in many a different ways—throw and orange scarf around the neck, wear a dual colored orange and pink saree, or team up your kurti with a bright tangerine dupatta.

So, this Republic Day, reinvent the way you dress up by teaming things in a style less ordinary, and sporting the tricolors that symbolize peace, hope and love.

A very Happy Republic Day to all of you from Team Utsav Fashion!

That’s right—the best part about the fashion trends this year is that you can mix, match and wear just about anything that you fancy, without much ado, and still not be crucified for committing a fashion faux pas! Is there a better way to let your personality stand out? We don’t think so!

On the same note, here are three styles for different dos, which will let your personal sense of style shine through, while you steal the limelight anywhere you go:

Soaked in Modernity: Set the tone of the New Year with a modern, youthful and vibrant collection comprising Anarkali suits in white, dual-toned sarees and more in sheer fabrics and kaleidoscopic hues. Perfect for a casual day and evening wear, these pieces will redefine your style like no other!

Designer Statements: If you love to dress up luxuriantly, leaving the onlookers breathless to catch another glimpse of your dress, our designer collection is made just for you. Statement pieces—sarees in peacock-inspired shades, a short green choli with a fitted brocade lehenga is just what you’re looking for!

The Party Piece: If you love to party, and like experimenting with different styles, shop from the party-prefect collection. Comprising multi-colored tunics, short kurtis, and bright sarees, it’s difficult to resist getting these!