PurvX › Desi fashion guides › What to wear for Diwali
Festive style guideDiwali is the most dressed-up night of the year for many desi families. Here is how to choose a festive outfit, the colours that suit the festival of lights, and how to dress for a daytime puja versus an evening party.
Quick answer
For Diwali, wear bright, festive ethnic clothing in warm or jewel tones with a touch of gold. Women wear a lehenga, saree, anarkali or salwar suit; men wear a kurta pajama, often with a Nehru jacket. Many people wear new clothes, and a daytime puja calls for something a little more modest than an evening party.
Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other communities, and dressing up is part of the joy. The tradition is to wear festive, often new, ethnic clothing in bright colours with a little shine, the same warm glow as the diyas and lights.
There is no strict rule, but two things hold across most celebrations: wear colour rather than muted neutrals, and lean traditional or festive rather than casual. A daytime Lakshmi puja usually calls for something a little more modest and comfortable, while an evening party is the moment for sparkle.
Any festive ethnic outfit works for Diwali. Pick based on the event and how dressed up you want to be.
A flared skirt with a fitted blouse and dupatta, the most festive choice for an evening party or family gathering. Browse preloved lehengas.
Elegant and timeless, and a classic for the puja. A silk or shimmer saree suits the occasion beautifully. Browse preloved sarees.
A long, flared frock-style suit worn with churidar trousers. Graceful, comfortable and easy to wear all evening.
A tunic with trousers and a dupatta, or flared sharara trousers. Great for a daytime puja or a relaxed gathering. Browse preloved suits.
New to these styles? See our guide to Indian outfit types.
For most Diwali celebrations, a kurta pajama is the natural choice: a long tunic over slim trousers. Add a Nehru jacket, the short structured waistcoat, to make it more festive and put-together without the formality of a full sherwani.
For a grand evening party, a sherwani or an embroidered kurta set raises the occasion. A silk or brocade kurta in a jewel tone reads as festive on its own. Browse preloved menswear.
Diwali is a festival of light, so warm and rich colours suit it best. Reliable choices include:
Many people avoid an all-white or all-black look for a traditional puja, since both can feel out of step with the festive mood. For a modern evening party they are less of a concern, but a touch of colour or gold always feels right. More in our colour guide.
If you are attending a daytime Lakshmi puja, choose something modest and comfortable that you can sit in on the floor: a salwar suit, anarkali or simple saree works well, ideally in a fabric that will not crease badly.
For an evening Diwali party, this is the moment for your most festive piece: a lehenga, a heavier saree, or an embroidered kurta set for men, with metallics and statement jewellery.
A festive outfit you may wear once or twice a year does not have to cost full retail. Buying preloved lets you own a designer or handcrafted festive piece for a fraction of its original price, and many pieces have been worn only a handful of times.
Festive lehengas, sarees and suits from real desi wardrobes, at a fraction of retail. Every order covered by PurvX Purchase Protection.
Browse preloved festive wearFrom the PurvX marketplace
Jewel tones, gold and sparkle, all preloved.
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Good to know
The questions guests and search assistants ask most.
Wear festive ethnic clothing in bright or jewel tones with a touch of gold. Women typically wear a lehenga, saree, anarkali or salwar suit, and men wear a kurta pajama, often with a Nehru jacket. A daytime puja calls for something more modest than an evening party.
Warm festive tones like red, orange, mustard and gold suit the festival of lights, along with jewel tones such as emerald, royal blue and magenta. A little shimmer or gold zari work catches the candlelight and reads as festive.
Many people avoid an all-black look at a traditional Diwali puja, since the festival is about light and colour. For a modern evening party it is less of a concern, but adding colour or gold always feels more in keeping with the occasion.
Wearing new clothes on Diwali is a popular tradition, seen as a fresh start for the new year that Diwali marks in many calendars. New does not have to mean newly bought, and a preloved piece that is new to you fits the spirit just as well.
Men usually wear a kurta pajama, often with a Nehru jacket to make it more festive. For a grand evening party, a sherwani or an embroidered silk kurta set in a jewel tone works well.
Keep reading
More from the PurvX desi fashion library.
Browse preloved lehengas, sarees and festive suits from real desi wardrobes, at a fraction of retail. Every order covered by Purchase Protection.
