The beauty of an Indian traditional garment lies in its versatility. Be it a saree or your most precious lehenga, you can drape them in so many different styles to create your personalised fashion statement.
For a special occasion, be it your own wedding or your sibling's D-day, here are some easy ways to drape your lehenga dupatta in style and look like a complete diva.
Recommended Read: Use This Hack To Make Your Wedding Album Look Absolutely Royal
Front flow dupatta style is classy and elegant. To drape your dupatta like this, pleat it neatly and pin it at the left shoulder, so that it falls behind you, up to the back of your knees. For the front part, let the dupatta reach up to the floor, then fold it up and bring it over your forearm.
You need to be conscious about the way you handle this dupatta style and ensure that it does not slip off your arm. While it might not be the best choice for your marriage ceremony, it is absolutely perfect for the reception.
This is one of the most common but easiest draping styles of all time. It is a classic and goes for every kind of occasion, be it a wedding, reception, mehendi and sangeet ceremony.
All you have to do is tuck one end of the dupatta on the right side of your waist. Then drape it from under your left arm and throw it over your right shoulder like a saree pallu. You are now ready to rock in a lehenga saree!
MUST READ: This is the most sought after colour for wedding lehenga this season! Learn How To Rock Your Wedding Look With This Bright And Beautiful Hue!
The casual drape style is suitable for lehengas that have a heavily embroidered blouse since this style does not cover the choli. Tuck one end of the dupatta at the left side of the waist. Loosen it up and take the dupatta from behind your left arm over your head. You can also let the dupatta rest over your right shoulder.
A second option in the same style can be that instead of leaving the fabric loose at the back, you can let it flow freely on the front side. At the front side, you can wrap the loose end at your wrist. This is a perfect draping style for the modern Indian bride, who wants to look traditional and chic at the same time.
This is one style that looks completely magical. It goes around the front as well as the back.
Take one end of the dupatta and tuck in on any side of your waist. Then bring it forward after leaving a considerable free flowing part of it on your back. Once, you bring it forward, let the dupatta fall over your choli as shown in the picture. Pin into your shoulder and throw it over your shoulder. Make sure the dupatta is well-pleated in order to carry this royal look well. This draping style is sure to earn you numerous appreciative and awed looks on your special day!
Don't know how to use your wedding lehenga after your wedding? Read here to know what you can do with your wedding ensemble to not let it go waste after your D-day!
This one is a classic and a great style for heavily embroidered dupattas as it gives you a chance to showcase the exquisite design properly. Pleat one end of the dupatta, arrange the pleats neatly and pin it on the left shoulder so that the dupatta falls forward freely, preferably lower than your waist. For the other end of the dupatta, bring it to the front on the right side.
Now, you can either wrap it around your right hand’s wrist or tuck it in the corner of your lehenga, so that it forms a nice ‘U’ at the back. You can also take the dupatta over your head for the wedding ceremony.
You can never go wrong with this style, and using double dupatta with your bridal lehenga only enhances your overall look. India's ace designer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee started the trend of double dupatta and we are going gaga over this trend. Many Bollywood brides have gone for this trend and looked absolutely jaw dropping on their D-day.
Using two dupattas, one for draping and the other to cover the head will make you look like a royal bride. You can experiment with the colours, styles and fabrics of your two dupattas to stand out as a bride. Also, while opting for the double dupatta style, always use the longer one to cover the head and the shorter one for the drape.
Brides who don't want a minimal look and wish to look like a royal princess can go for this trend. Double dupatta style can look great on plus-size brides as they can easily hide their problem areas with these dupattas. The one dupatta with heavy embroidery can be draped to cover either the tummy or the love handles on the sides, it will do wonders to your overall look.
It is a good idea to drape the heavily embroidered dupatta in various styles mentioned above and use the lighter dupatta to cover your head. You can also use a silk or velvet dupatta for draping and net dupatta to cover the head as it has a better fall. If you are wearing a monotone lehenga and wish to add a dash of colour to it, then choose one dupatta in a contrasting colour to brighten up your attire.
Recommended Read: Bipasha Basu's Wedding Looks For Every Bride To Take Inspiration From
So, now that you have seen quite some styles to drape your dupatta, get ready to rock your traditional look. You can take inspiration from these styles and create your personal style statement too! Happy styling!