Power dressing at work can be segmented into crisp shirts, tailored pants, blazers and skirts universally. Courtesy of the prevailing diversity and richness of Indian culture, traditional attires like ready to wear kurta sets, sarees, etc, have become a part of our staple wardrobe. Adapting the workwear dress code to an Indian sensibility can offer the most intriguing change to your formal style. Marrying classic and contemporary elements to find the perfect balance is an ideal approach to nailing the dictum. Think of lightly printed kurtas that are perfect for clocking in 10 hours of working feeling breezy, minimalist sarees that can move from desk to dinner with a few styling tweaks, and quintessential Indian baubles that add a cultural dimension to your style.
Clean-Cut Kurtas
Nothing beats the elegance of ready to wear kurtas, no matter where you wear them. Invest in a sizeable collection of ready to wear tunics and clean-cut kurtas that transition into workwear, experimenting with prints, patterns, and artisanal weaves that offer a rooted yet polished style. Sakshi Girri’s floral coordinates can transition you into a boardroom stunner effortlessly. You can redefine power dressing with both elegance and edge in chevron-printed & hand-embroidered set by Label Mansi Nagdev. Cotton and Clay’s bright version of a ditsy hand block printed can easily slot into your ‘Casual Friday’ dress code.
Draped Dhotis
While dhotis are natively rural, Indian designers have iterated the draped silhouette into a noteworthy style statement that appeals globally. Consider wearing the off-beat silhouette to shake up your dressing routine for the week. Aakar offers a refreshing take, pairing a mustard shirt top with a minimally draped dhoti. On the other hand, Evra by Nikita Khurana makes a case for an Indo-Western look you can ace if you’re bringing in festivities while on duty. Qala Clothing’s cotton schiffli tie-dye dhoti set will require minimum effort to accessorise.
Elegant Sarees
Pre-stitched sarees are prominently embraced as the uniform by many multinational corporations based in India. However, if your dress code allows you to experiment, wearing a modernised ready to wear saree is ideal to place a bet on. Khara Kapas offers the right tone of minimalism with abstract mosaic prints rendered on soft mulmul. Consider styling it with your blazer for a coming-of-age power-dressing style statement. Similarly, The Right Cut delivers an unprecedented take with drapes and a statement blouse that can take you from AM to PM effortlessly. If you wish to tap into your roots on a festive day at work, Dohr India offers the right amount of elegance and comfort to channel from 9 to 5.
Native Crafts
Embracing ingenious patterns like bandhani, leheriya, or block prints sans embellishments can also offer a very intriguing flair to your formal style. Trade your mundane days with radiating looks by Pallavi Jaipur—the flowy leheriya-shaded tunic set offers the perfect vivacity you need to meet an off-shore client. Dash and Dot’s bandhani draped dress can perform effortlessly as a statement-making piece on different days of the week. Capisvirleo blurs the line between polished workwear and casual wear with this oversized tailored tunic and pants featuring tie & dye patterns. Top off the look with silver drop earrings.
Traditional Finishing Touches
Besides adapting Indian silhouettes into power dressing mode and choosing accessories like silver jewellery, Kolhapuris, and juttis deliver the most enduring traditional spin to your look. Accentuate your button-downs with a silver chain or earrings. If you frequently move from desk to dinner dates, invest in silver earrings by Tribe Amrapali and Sangeeta Boochra. Eye-catching juttis by 5 Elements and Kolhapuris by Tic Tac Toe are perfect bids to lend a rooted charm to your dresses, button-downs, and wide-leg pants.