Traditional and contemporary men’s kurtas from Indian fashion designers

Traditional Indian dress for men has changed over time and has included many different styles of clothing, but one style that has been worn consistently is a kurta.

What is a kurta?

A kurta in its simplest form is a long robe that normally reaches to the knee. It is a loose fitting garment with long sleeves and often a buttoned front placket.

Materials vary depending on the end use of the kurta, but typically include cotton for everyday or casual wear and silk for special occasions. For a very elaborate looking kurta, richer fabrics such as brocades are also used.

Many traditional Indian kurtas feature embroidered details on the front placket, shoulders, and sleeves. The type of embroidery depends on the region where the kurta originates from. The very exquisite work of Lucknow Chikan is an example of extravagant details.

Traditionally, the kurta is worn over loose pants called Payjamas. Pants that fit along the calves and have multiple calf pleats are called Churidars; Churi means bangles and the effect the folds have is that of many bangles stacked up. Churidars are common for weddings or more formal occasions. The payjama is basic and can be worn for informal or formal events.

In modern times, if you need to “dress up” in a kurta, you must also wear a dupatta or stole, which is usually hung around the neck. Wearing a dupatta is purely optional, but it can add a whole other dimension to the look of the kurta. Dupattas are usually brightly colored and can also feature beautiful embroidery.

Designer Indian Kurtas

Kurtas are staple garments in traditional Indian dress. Indian designers create styles to suit all kinds of requirements and tastes, from simply embroidered styles to highly detailed and heavily embroidered styles. The use of very fine fabrics and subtle details are usually the unique points of Indian Kurtas designers.

The reinterpretation of traditional styles in a modern and stylish way is a trademark among Indian designers like Abraham and Thakore. Designers like Siddartha Tytler and Abu Jani – Sandeep Khosla create traditional styles.

Contemporary-style kurtas can take various forms, including the use of buttoned cuffs, metal details like on a pair of jeans, and detailing around the front pocket. Abraham & Thakore have experimented with almost all of these detail elements in their Men’s Kurtas.

Traditional style kurtas are usually straight cut and use simple fabrics that are embroidered or rich fabrics that are lightly embroidered. A combination of very rich fabrics with rich embroidery is rarely used.

Beware of color combinations and the use of clever patterns and styles from Indian designers. These make the Kurta stand out.