A staple in most women’s festive wardrobes, an anarkali is an opulent traditional Indian design consisting of a fitted bodice attached to a long flared kurta. Bridal and couture designers, Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, Anamika Khanna, Manish Malhotra, Anjul Bhandari and Nakul Sen all specialize in their own unique version of the anarkali. For lighter occasions and festivities, Ensemble curates anarkalis from designers like Jayanti Reddy, Petticoat Lane, Ritika Mirchandani, Monica Nidhii, Punit Balana and Torani. A classic anarkali style is versatile in purpose and with the right accessories it can be worn right from a Diwali party to your best friend’s wedding.

The merchandising team at Ensemble works closely with designers to ensure the latest, most exclusive and on-trend collection of anarkalis at the best prices, both for our online shop and 5 stores across Mumbai and Delhi.

Ensemble collaborates with India’s best designers to ensure its anarkali offering is well curated across designs, colours, embroideries and prices points. Various types of anarkalis can be differentiated by their level and type of embroidery. Design stalwarts, Sabyasachi, Anamika Khanna, Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, and Manish Malhotra are known for their heavily embellished anarkalis which can be worn for mehendis, sangeets, engagements and receptions. By reviving traditional techniques and crafts, Anjul Bhandari, Nakul Sen and Anand Kabra focus on creating anarkalis which are reminiscent of old world glamour. To bring their artisanal pieces to life, these designers use authentic zardozi panels, resham thread embroidery, parsi gara, chikankari, mukaish and badla, foil work, heavy sequin work and vintage Mughal borders.

For its light and occasion wear offering, Ensemble work with range of designers promoting their signature styles like gota patti of Simar Duggal, panelled Anarkalis with gota dupattas of Itrh, aari & dori work by Torani, sequins folklore embroidery by Varun Nidhika, marori work by Punit Balana, zardozi artwork by Jayanti Reddy & waistcoat anarkali styles by Petticoat Lane – Ensemble offers a spectrum of traditional anarkalis promoting historic Indian art & craft taken from various states. Encouraging the modern art and fusion of contemporary elements with traditional Indian silhouette, Ensemble curate a line of bohemian & feminine anarkali sets with its design partners. Tiered ruffled styles of Monika Nidhii, mirror work by Ritika Mirchandani, full embroidered jacket anarkali styles of Ridhi Mehra, 3-D embroidery gown Anarkali pattern by Sunaina Khera, printed styles by Payal Singhal, applique work by Abhishek Sharma & delicate French knots & resham work by Aikeyah Couture fall under the sub-category of new-age Anarkali designs.

At Ensembleindia.com, one can find a vast variety of exclusive designer anarkalis appropriate for any occasion.

SHOP OUR CURATED ANARKALIS COLLECTION AT ENSEMBLE ONLINE

Elaborated on fit & flare concept, the traditional Anarkali style is made up of a long, frock-style tunic and features a slim fitted bottom with or without dupatta. The frock style tunic is traditionally made using vertical panels adjoined with each other known as “kali” in Indian fashion lexicon, thus Anarkali is often termed as “Kalidaar” too. Originated from Lahore city of Pakistan, Anarkali suits owe their name to the fictional character of Anarkali, a courtesan in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar. Over time, Anarkali suits evolved with its design elements, lengths & surface ornamentation patterns. Contemporary influence in new-age designs have resulted in various indo western forms of the traditional silhouette.

The classic traditional Anarkali attire involved three components - a flared kurta, churidaar and a dupatta. From varying lengths of the kurta, deviations in paired bottoms and drapes of dupatta, various Anarkali designs have been seen since the origin of the fundamental silhouette. The most famous styles of Anarkali patterns are floor length anarkali, Pakistani anarkali suit, cape style anarkali, jacket style anarkali, layered anarkali suit, gown style anarkali, palazzo anarkali suit, asymmetrical anarkali style and churidar anarkali suit. Blending other garment patterns like angrakhas being translated into wrap anarkali style and bringing contemporary elements like strap & tube gowns practiced in anarkali form, dupattas being replaced with scarves or cape is attached to the bodice to omit the dupatta, there are these versions developed of the classic Anarkali style.

A quintessential bridal trousseau option, Sabyasachi’s zardozi embroidered heavy Anarkalis, Anamika’s resham embroidered sets, Rohit Bal jalabias & Tarun’s draped anarkalis can be paired with the heirloom jewellery for wedding ceremonies. Elegant chikankari set by Anjul Bhandari, sequinned dupatta thread work anarkalis of Nakul Sen & velvet embroidered authentic styles by Anand Kabra are apt for a bride or groom’s mother for an Anand Karaj ceremony or a reception. Wear it with jadau neckpiece, mangtika and traditional kadas. Classic floor length anarkali styles by Petticoat Lane, palazzo anarkalis of Simar Duggal, easy angrakhas styles by Manish Malhotra, aari anarkalis by Heena Kochhar, and subtle embroidered silk anarkalis by Jayanti Reddy are appropriate for festivals, pooja & day-to-day celebrations. Pair it with gold jhumkas, handcuffs & mojris for an authentic Indian look. For an ethnic sangeet or a grand mehendi ceremony choose gown anarkali styles of Anushree Reddy or gota panelled styles by Itrh. Classic jadaus & minkari sets will compliment these anarkali styles. For destination wedding & poolside ceremonies choose from designers like Payal Singhal, Ridhi Mehra, Ritika Mirchandani & Ridhi Mehra. Wear these anarkalis with feather tassel earrings, bohemian chokers and offbeat hand jewellery. Fun & eclectic, they are apt for a beach haldi and sangeet function. For an indo western cocktail, applique styles of Sunaina Khera & French knot resham embroidered anarkalis by Aikeyah Couture are perfect. Wear it with your classic pearls and diamond set.

Your desired look, target occasion and embroidery choices help in choosing a perfect anarkali. Choose for solid styles and classic Indian art & craft for statement anarkali styles. Invest in classic heirloom Anarkalis sets with zardozi & aari work, chikankari embroidery, bandhani marori craftsmanship, hyderabadi gota etc. These will be passed on through generations. We recommend you to go for easy minimal work anarkalis for day-to-day functions. The same can be styled with different dupattas, accessories & can be dressed up or down as per the occasion. Choose for the styles which come with separate components – like a jacket with anarkali or embroidered waistcoat or a cape. These elements can be reused with several other garment styles too. Your body type also help in picking the right piece. For a perfectly worked out body– go for fit & flare style – where bodice is fitted and flare down from under bust. For easy and forgiving options choose A-Line Anarkali styles which have flares all over.

While Madhubala initiated the trend & made Anarkalis to be a mainstream garment in Indian fashion industry in the 1950s, Anarkali saw its grand comeback in the late 2000s. Almost all the B-town actresses are seen wearing Anarkalis for various ceremonies, festivals, weddings & professional work too. Different actresses right from Madhuri Dixit Nene, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Shilpa Shetty, Dia Mirza, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Sonakshi Sinha, Katrina Kaif & Sonam Kapoor Ahuja etc. have dazzled in designer Anarkali suits made by eminent fashion designers of India. Aditi Rao Hydari in Tarun Tahiliani ivory anarkali, Vidya Balan in Debyani, Tamanna Bhatia in Ridhi Mehra cape anarkali, Bipasha Basu in Manish Malhotra, Aishwarya Rai in Rohit Bal, Deepika Padukone in Sabyasachi, Sonam Kapoor in Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla & Karisma Kapoor in Punit Balana have been seen in ethnic anarkalis making a statement.

For over three decades Ensemble has run stores based on curation, quality, service and trust. We thrive on discovering and promoting new talent and providing them a platform. Almost every top designer in India today has begun their journey with us. With our new online shop, we now hope to bring the Ensemble experience to all cities in India and to our worldwide community.

Shop by designer, by occasion or by category, ensembleindia.com gives you access to the latest designer collections and designer bridal clothing directly from the fashion week runway and ateliers of India’s leading designers. The Ensemble Eye section features the most authoritative curation of luxury Indian fashion by our in-house fashion editors. Create a wishlist at ensembleindia.com for our stylists to understand your style and make a shortlist for you and then book an in-store appointment via the website to try it all on! Our stylists will guide you through a delightful journey of discovering the designers and special pieces that speak to your individual style and work for your body shape and budget. Don’t live in India? Our website help chat and Whatsapp business chat are also active. If speaking on the phone is more your style, use the ‘Speak to a Stylist ’ feature and call our most experienced in-house stylist Arabella at Call +91-9372742843 between 9am and 6pm IST, Monday to Saturday.

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