Stunning in a 'sherwani'

Manoviraj Khosla describes the grandeur of sherwani in simple terms

Fashion designer Manoviraj Khosla suggests that over time, a sherwani has become more than just an attire for a wedding. “If teamed well, a sherwani can be worn for a nice evening party and even family functions,” he adds.

Very similar to a coat, a sherwani can be of three lengths — knee-length, mid-length and sometimes, can go even below the knee. While picking up a sherwani, the two most important things that one must look out for are the cut and the styling of the coat. A sherwani maybe made out of different types of fabrics with silk and brocade being a popular choice, but what truly brings out the grandeur in the garment is the embroidery.

A classic sherwani has a basic embroidery on the collar, handcuff and straight down in the front. “This basic embroidery is very unimaginative. To be more trendy, one must try and experiment with the positioning of the embroidery,” says Manoviraj. “One can also keep it plain and simple and play around by blending two to three fabrics or even add trimmings at the ends,” he suggests.

One can choose a colour depending on what time of the day the function is held. “Many a time, people end up wearing dark colours for a morning function. Not only is this unfashionable, but also can cause discomfort to the person,” adds Manoviraj. For the day, Manoviraj suggests bright colours on a light fabric like linen or cotton, which are perfect to beat the summer heat.

“Generally, they say the collar is very important and a lot of people go for the Chinese collars. But try wearing a ‘sherwani’ without a collar in a linen material and no embroidery, it will be stylish and apt for a morning event,” he says. As for nights, Manoviraj suggests dark colours with woven fabrics. “If you are the experimenting kinds, then try some digital printed fabric instead of embroidery,” he adds.

Teaming up your sherwani with the right accessory is also very important. And the first thing that comes to one’s mind is the stole draped around the neck, which should go well with the sherwani. “It is a good option, but if you do have a nice embroidery on your ‘sherwani’, then a stole will only spoil it as it ends up hiding the embroidery,” he says.

As for the bottom, one can either team it up with a well-fitted trousers or jeans for the casual-yet-stylish look. “One of the cardinal sins that men make while wearing a ‘sherwani’ is teaming a heavily embroidered brocade sherwani with a churidaar. As far as possible, avoid this as it does not go well at all,” says Manoviraj while adding, “go for well-fitted tapering pants or straight-fit ones, even the Jodhpuris are a good option.”

Giving the sherwani a complete look is the footwear. According to Manoviraj, mojris and jootis are the best option. “However, if you are uncomfortable in them, you can go for sandals as well,” he concludes.