Diwali 2025: Designers embrace subtle elegance over traditional glitz

The new Diwali mood is all about intention. The sparkle is subtler, the silhouettes freer, the craftsmanship more personal. Designers are moving away from heavy embellishment and predictable shine, choosing instead to play with handwoven fabrics, fluid drapes, and colours that breathe. The result is fashion that feels thoughtful yet celebratory, pieces that glow from within, meant to be worn, and remembered.

Arab Crab’s Gayatri Vazirani brings ease and edge to festive dressing

Festive fashion doesn’t need glitter overload to feel celebratory. Designer Gayatri Vazirani, founder of Arab Crab, believes true style is understated. “I’d love to see more women embrace the subtlety of the saree, albeit with a stylish twist,” she says. “It’s evergreen and extremely versatile.”

Vazirani calls the saree timeless, but far from static. “With the right design, accessories and embellishments, it can look absolutely stunning,” she says. She points to global red-carpet moments where the drape has taken centre stage. “Celebrities worldwide are wearing sarees, and they’re certainly turning heads with their style statement.”

For Diwali 2025, Vazirani’s focus is effortless elegance. Her new Instant Saree captures that idea, a ready-to-wear drape that eliminates pins and pleating. “The pleats and pallu are already in place, so you can slip into it like an outfit. No fuss,” she explains.

“I wanted to keep the soul of the saree intact while making it effortless for today’s woman,” she says. Finished with Arab Crab’s signature motifs and embellishments, it channels a modern diva energy, equal parts tradition and ease.

Awigna’s Varsha and Rittu champion refined sophistication over excess

Festive fashion doesn’t always need sequins to make a statement. Designers Varsha and Rittu, the duo behind Awigna, believe sophistication shines brighter when grounded in craft. “This festive season, I’d love to see people embrace contemporary silhouettes that balance modern ease with timeless elegance,” says Varsha.

The designers urge a shift from surface sparkle to substance. “Instead of leaning into overt sparkle, the focus could move toward intricate craftsmanship,” Rittu explains. They see beauty in texture, handwork, and detail. Muted tones, they believe, can still feel celebratory when paired with thoughtful embellishments. “It’s about creating a festive mood through refinement, not excess,” says Varsha.

For Diwali 2025, Awigna stays true to its core, expressive prints and effortless form. “Our signature piece would be a statement printed ensemble that blends contemporary design with festive flair,” says Rittu. The look celebrates the modern woman who wants freedom in movement and confidence in colour. “For us, it’s about celebrating tradition with a modern twist,” the duo say in unison, a philosophy woven into every stitch of their brand.

Designer Jigar Mali brings minimalist style to the festive season

For Jigar Mali, Diwali style doesn’t have to shout to be seen. He believes true celebration lies in restraint. “This Diwali, I’d love to see more people embrace the beauty of minimalist elegance,” he says. “Instead of sparkly fabrics and heavy embellishments, think understated styles that celebrate tradition through subtlety.”

Mali imagines festive wardrobes built on texture and tone, not glitter. “A simple silk or cotton kurta in deep emerald or navy, paired with tailored palazzos, can feel incredibly refined,” he explains. He loves the idea of elevating it with a handcrafted dupatta; think fine embroidery, unique weaves, and details that whisper craft. Accessories, he adds, should stay minimal. “Just a pair of statement earrings or a single cuff bracelet can finish the look. It’s a conscious, modern way to celebrate.”

His signature for Diwali 2025 is a modern kalidar that blends elegance with festive spirit. Mali plays with colour duos such as Aurora Pink and Burgundy Wine, Peacock Blue and Peacock Green, Rani Pink and Orange, Mustard Ochre and Olive Green, Olive Green and Maroon. Each design carries his signature embroidery along the bodice and panels, paired with a softly draped dupatta edged in subtle borders.

“It’s about timeless beauty,” he says. “The collection embodies the essence of Diwali — celebration, craft, and grace — without the noise.”

Designer Ohaila Khan redefines festive wear with individuality and fluid form

For Ohaila Khan, Diwali style isn’t about repetition. “I’d love to see people move beyond the predictable idea of festive dressing,” she says. “It doesn’t have to mean red, gold, or the usual mirror and gota work.”

Khan envisions a shift toward pieces that feel personal and timeless. She champions muted palettes, corseted blouses with pre-draped saris, and draped skirts styled with fluid capes. “These looks balance structure and softness,” she explains. Even unexpected details — feathers, fringes, modern cuts — can, in her view, create “a beautiful dialogue between heritage and modernity.”

For her, festive wear should never be a one-time look. “It’s an investment,” she says. “Something you can restyle for a sangeet night, a destination wedding, or any occasion that calls for quiet glamour.”

Her signature piece for Diwali 2025 captures that ethos — the Kaftan Saree, a silhouette that merges ease with allure. “It’s a modern interpretation of the saree, cinched just slightly at the waist, balancing sensuality with effortlessness,” Khan explains.

In her Layla collection, the Kaftan Saree appears in blush nude, edged with fluid fringes and a serpentine trail of pearls at the shoulder. The cropped blouse shimmers with leaf-inspired embroidery in pearls and bugle beads — intricate, not loud. “It’s modern yet rooted,” Khan says. “Fluid, flattering, and designed to celebrate every woman’s body with ease and understated allure.”

Designer Ritika Mirchandani brings focus back to form, texture, and quiet confidence

For Ritika Mirchandani, festive fashion doesn’t need excess to make an impact. “Festive dressing has always been linked to shimmer and grandeur, but I believe there’s beauty in keeping things simple,” she says. “When the design itself shines, you don’t need extra sparkle to feel festive.”

This Diwali, Mirchandani wants the spotlight on craftsmanship — silhouettes that celebrate structure, texture, and movement. “Pieces that focus on shape, texture, and fine detailing instead of heavy embellishment feel more timeless,” she explains. It’s a philosophy rooted in refinement, not restraint.

Her signature look for Diwali 2025 reflects that balance — a floral kurta paired with a sharara and a black corset with lehenga. “It blends tradition with a touch of edge,” she says. “Delicate embroidery meets clean structure.”

The result is festive yet effortless, strong yet graceful. “It’s for the modern woman who celebrates with ease and confidence,” Mirchandani adds — proof that understated design can be just as striking as sparkle.

Designer Sameer Patel celebrates mindful craftsmanship and quiet luminosity

For Sameer Patel, true celebration doesn’t have to dazzle — it can glow softly. “Festivity doesn’t always have to shout,” he says. “It can whisper with confidence.” He believes the season’s beauty lies in subtlety and substance.

Patel envisions a Diwali wardrobe built on texture and craft, not excess. “Imagine a handwoven ivory kurta in pure mul or chanderi, paired with one statement piece of jewellery or an heirloom dupatta reinterpreted with modern tailoring,” he says. To him, textures like matte silk, Benarasi, raw cotton, linen, or jamdani hold as much celebration as sequins ever could. “Let the craftsmanship do the talking,” he adds. “Diwali is light, not glitter — it’s about radiance from within.”

His defining piece for Diwali 2025 is an ivory ensemble — a handwoven kurta detailed with tonal embroidery and delicate threadwork that catches light subtly. “Ivory carries its own kind of luminosity,” Patel explains. “It reflects purity, calm, and celebration without needing colour or sparkle.”

He calls the design serene yet powerful, a reminder that craftsmanship, not embellishment, is what truly makes something festive. “It’s understated, but deeply celebratory in spirit,” he says. “A piece that celebrates light, not glitter.”

Suchita Ujjain Atelier celebrates quiet craft and timeless colour

For Suchita Ujjain, true luxury doesn’t sparkle, it breathes. “This Diwali, I’d love to see people embrace the quiet power of handwoven textures and naturally dyed tones,” she says. Her palette leans toward deep indigos, earthy browns, and burnt rusts, colours that hold warmth without noise.

To her, the essence of celebration lies in touch, not shine. “True elegance lies in what’s felt, not flaunted,” she explains. “A kantha stitch or an Ajrakh drape can speak louder than sequins ever could.” She calls it “luxury in its most intimate form”, clothes that reflect values through craftsmanship. “Understated doesn’t mean underwhelming,” she adds. “It means your clothes whisper your values instead of shouting for attention.”

Her signature piece for Diwali 2025 captures that sentiment — a fluid indigo-dyed kaftan dress in modal silk, longline and side-slit, detailed with Ajrakh block prints and minimal threadwork. It’s paired with a fringed Ajrakh scarf in wine, turmeric, or madder red.

“It’s festive, but forever,” Ujjain says. “A piece that doesn’t scream ‘festival-only,’ but feels timeless and yours to reimagine — one piece, many moments, from puja to dinner to getaway.”

Sureena Mirchandani believes style should always bring a little drama

For Sureena Mirchandani, subtlety has never been the point. “Dressing like a pataka is always my style,” she laughs. For her, the festive season is about joy, sparkle, and unapologetic flair.

Mirchandani believes the real statement isn’t the outfit, it’s the attitude. “When the outfit is worn with confidence, a sparkling mirror, or a stylish drape, you automatically look different, like a drama queen,” she says.

Her approach to Diwali dressing is simple: have fun, own the spotlight, and let your personality outshine the sequins. “Confidence is the best accessory,” she adds, and that’s the kind of sparkle that never fades.