Bollywood · September 2026
From Patola and Kanjeevaram to a corseted saree and a farshi salwar in lime green, September brought a distinctly Indian fashion conversation to Bollywood.
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Janhvi Kapoor in a Patan Patola saree, Ganesh Chaturthi 2026
Ganesh Chaturthi ran for ten days this year, ending with Anant Chaturdashi and the Ganpati visarjan on 25 September. As Outlook Luxe put it in its round-up of the festival’s celebrity looks, those ten days offered a snapshot of how Indian festive dressing is changing. We looked at the same looks and asked a simpler question: what do they tell us about Indian style right now?
The looks
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Look 01
Janhvi Kapoor
Gujarat’s double-ikat Patan Patola by Nidhi Tambi Kejriwal, in deep pink and blue, draped Gujarati-style — the textile itself was the statement.
Sources: Outlook Luxe · Boldsky · Free Press Journal
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Look 02
Alia Bhatt
An icy-blue custom Masaba Gupta saree with zardozi and a strapless corset blouse — then, for visarjan, a fuchsia short kurta over a lime-green farshi salwar.
Sources: Outlook Luxe · Boldsky
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Look 03
Kareena Kapoor Khan
A mustard Anamika Khanna anarkali with a heavy zari border, softened by a single pearl necklace.
Source: Outlook Luxe
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Look 04
Ananya Panday
A yellow Bandhani by Arpita Mehta with a gold border — and turquoise earrings as the one unexpected note.
Source: Outlook Luxe
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Look 05
Kiara Advani
A pink Chanderi saree, kept quiet so an emerald-and-diamond necklace could do the talking.
Source: Outlook Luxe
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Look 06
Aditi Rao Hydari
Away from the festivities: leather on leather at Milan Fashion Week.
Source: Outlook Luxe
What we noticed
01 — The textile was the headline. Patola, Kanjeevaram, Chanderi and Bandhani were named as often as the designers.
02 — Old techniques, new construction. Zardozi on a saree, worn with a structured corset.
03 — Historic silhouettes, unexpected colour. A farshi salwar in lime green is not your grandmother’s version.
04 — One piece of jewellery, chosen carefully. An emerald necklace, a pearl strand, turquoise earrings — each look let one piece lead.
Our read, based on the looks documented by Outlook Luxe, which itself described the festival’s looks as blending heritage textiles, sculptural jewellery and unexpected colour.
Tradition, without looking traditional
Our read
None of these looks rejected tradition. Most of them leaned on it harder than ever — naming the weave, the region, the technique. What changed was the way it was worn: a corset where you’d expect a blouse, a salwar shape from another century in a colour from this one, a single necklace instead of a full set. It’s the same instinct we noticed on the streets of Paris this month. The most interesting clothes have a history. They just don’t wear it like a costume.
Your take
Which September look would you actually wear?
Tell us your pick — and how you’d wear it
About the images: photographs of these looks belong to the photographers, publications and people in them. We only show an image here once we have permission or a licence to do so, and we credit it.
