Festive times demands festive colours. Diwali is a time for revelry and fashion reflects this revelry as its entire palette goes gold. Clothes accessories, shoes- the whole nine yards gets a shiny makeover. Great news for the Indian women as all shades of gold go well with our dusky complexions. 

This is one time when valour gets the better part of discretion. At diwali you can dress to excess, secure in the knowledge that you will not look out of place, when you are visiting relatives or inviting friends over to your place. Never mind minimalism - go all out to maximise your glamour quotient.

People nowadays are tending to shy away from heavier fabrics. The trend that one is likely to see this season is definitely one which favours lighter fabrics and snugger fits. Stripes, geometric, dots and zigzag in bright bold colours seem to be the flavour of the season. Other colours for the festive season to get noticed in are burgundy, red, and shades of peach.

Embroidery using crystals is the hot trend everywhere. Swarovski crystals are used by designers ranging from Versace and Vivienne Westwood, to Hemant Trivedi and Tarun Tahialiani. 

So for those of you who want a bit of sparkle this diwali check out the Swarovski Textile Designing Component shops- in Mumbai Madras and soon to open in Delhi and Bangalore. In-house creative teams will be on hand to guide you. If you have the budget, have a one-off piece designed… it’ll get you sparkling.

For women who still prefer sarees, the look demands tiny embroidered blouses with lot of crystal on it with beautiful Austrian or French lace sarees. Also embroidery-using sequins with a metallic sheen on sarees are just the thing to add glamour to the festive season. 

Those who prefer a different look can wear an embroidered ghagra worn with a blouse that has similar embroidery with a half saree draped around. The effect is dramatic

This Festive season cast the traditional in an offbeat role. Since men nowadays are more open to experiment, try kurtas and churidars in different fabrics like jacquards and silk in unusual colours like burnt rust, ochre, olive, navy and gray are perfect to make an impact. 

Men should make the most of diwali by opting for styles which they could'nt really carry of in an ordinary work day. That translates into ethnic wear : dhoti-punjabis, churidars-kurtas, angarakhas and bundis.