Samarpita Yashaswini is a Content Producer for Fashion (HT Shop Now) at Hindustan Times Digital. She has five years of experience in lifestyle writing, specialising in fashion, beauty, and trend-led commerce content. She covers everything from seasonal must-haves and wardrobe essentials to brand reviews and styling edits that make everyday dressing easier and more exciting.
Over the years, she has interned with Times Internet and Desi Martini, and worked with Pinkvilla and Schbang, building a strong foundation in digital storytelling and audience-first content. At HT Digital, she writes and creates fashion affiliate content for both the website and social media, blending trend awareness with shopping practicality. Her work sits at the intersection of style and strategy combined with equal parts aesthetic and analytics. A self-confessed fashion enthusiast, Samarpita has a sharp eye for colours, prints, silhouettes, and textures. She notices the fall of a fabric, the mood of a palette, and the difference a good cut can make. Her expertise lies in translating trends into wearable, relatable style and helping readers shop smarter, not louder. She later completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Advertising and PR from MICA, Ahmedabad. Samarpita believes fashion content doesn’t need to be complicated or overly eloquent. It should be simple, fun, and genuinely helpful, guiding readers through daily style decisions with confidence and joy. Ganesh Chaturthi may be a festival rooted in devotion, but the celebrity fashion around it has become its own source of festive inspiration. This year, Radhika Merchant, Shilpa Shetty, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Katrina Kaif and Kiara Advani offered very different ideas for dressing up for Bappa. And what I like most about these looks is that you don’t need a celebrity wardrobe to borrow the ideas. You can take one element — a rich silk saree, an Anarkali, a traditional border, statement jewellery or even a particular colour combination — and build your own Ganesh Chaturthi outfit around it. Here are five celebrity looks from this year’s celebrations that I would actually use as styling references, along with easy ways to recreate the mood without trying to copy the outfits exactly. Radhika Merchant’s Ganesh Chaturthi look was probably the most traditionally grand of the lot. For the celebrations at Antilia, she wore a custom Manish Malhotra handwoven Kanjeevaram silk saree in a deep pink shade with intricate gold detailing. The saree was designed with her classical dance performance in mind, including pleats that allowed movement during her Bharatanatyam presentation. She paired the rich saree with layered traditional jewellery, including green stones and pearls, while flowers in her hair completed the look. The important takeaway isn’t that you need a custom Manish Malhotra saree. It is the combination of one rich traditional textile, gold detailing and carefully chosen jewellery that gives this look its impact. Look for a pink, magenta or deep rose silk saree with a gold border rather than trying to find an identical Kanjeevaram. Keep the blouse relatively simple if the saree already has substantial detailing. Then add one traditional jewellery element — jhumkas, a necklace, a maang tikka or bangles — rather than wearing every piece you own. A gajra or a few fresh flowers in the hair can also give a simpler saree that unmistakably festive feeling. The shopping rule: Let one element look luxurious. Everything else can be restrained. If Radhika’s outfit was all about regal silk, Shilpa Shetty’s visarjan look showed how powerful a distinctly regional outfit can be. For Ganesh visarjan, Shilpa wore a bright yellow Nauvari saree with a pink border and traditional Maharashtrian jewellery. She completed the look with a traditional hairstyle decorated with flowers. You don’t necessarily need to learn how to drape a nine-yard saree. A ready-to-wear Nauvari saree can give you the same visual effect with considerably less effort. Look for a yellow or mustard version with a contrasting pink, green or red border. Then concentrate on the accessories. Traditional Maharashtrian-style earrings, a nath, green bangles and a gajra can make a simple saree feel much more intentional. If you’re attending a Ganesh Chaturthi puja rather than a visarjan procession, you can also take just the colour palette from Shilpa’s look and wear a conventional yellow saree. The shopping rule: You can borrow a regional styling idea without copying the entire outfit. Kareena Kapoor Khan went in a very different direction for the Antilia celebration, wearing a yellow Anarkali by Anamika Khanna with pearls. This is the look I would save if you want festive dressing to feel elegant but don’t particularly want to wear a saree. Start with a yellow, mustard or ochre Anarkali. If the outfit is relatively plain, add pearl earrings or a delicate pearl necklace. If you choose an embroidered Anarkali, I would skip heavy jewellery and let the outfit carry the look. You can also make the outfit feel more contemporary with a neat bun, soft makeup and a small structured handbag. The shopping rule: If your outfit has volume and movement, keep the accessories clean. Katrina Kaif offered another take on the Anarkali, but in a much quieter colour palette. She wore an olive-green Anarkali with a Rajasthani-inspired dupatta, creating a look that felt festive without relying on the usual bright pinks, reds and yellows. This is probably the celebrity look I would point towards if you don’t naturally gravitate towards very colourful festive clothes. Olive green can still look celebratory when the fabric, embroidery and accessories are doing enough of the work. Look for an olive, sage or muted green Anarkali with gold or tonal embroidery. Then add a contrasting printed dupatta instead of trying to match everything exactly. Gold jhumkas, a small bindi and neutral footwear would keep the outfit festive without making it overly formal. And if you already own a green kurta set, you may not need to buy anything new at all. A richer dupatta and a pair of statement earrings can completely change its appearance. The shopping rule: Don’t underestimate a muted colour. The right embroidery and accessories can make it festive. Kiara Advani went in the opposite direction with a pastel pink Chanderi saree and statement jewellery. This is the look I would save for anyone who likes traditional Indian dressing but doesn’t want their Ganesh Chaturthi outfit to feel too heavy. The lighter colour and airy-looking saree create a softer festive mood, while the jewellery prevents the outfit from becoming too understated. Look for a pastel pink, blush or dusty-rose Chanderi or Chanderi-inspired saree. You can pair it with a contrasting blouse if you want more definition, or keep the blouse tonal for a softer effect. Then choose one statement jewellery piece. A large pair of earrings can be enough. You don’t necessarily need a necklace, bangles, maang tikka and earrings all at once. For a daytime puja, I would also keep the makeup fresh rather than trying to recreate a full red-carpet face. The shopping rule: Pastel does not have to mean boring. Jewellery is what can take a soft saree into festive territory. Looking at these outfits together, there is one thing I would take away from this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi fashion. The best part of a celebrity outfit isn’t necessarily the outfit itself. It’s the styling decision behind it. Kareena keeps the Anarkali elegant by allowing the yellow and pearls to do the work. Katrina shows that festive dressing doesn’t need to revolve around bright colours. And Kiara proves that a pastel saree can look celebratory when styled with enough intention. That is actually much more useful than trying to recreate any of these looks piece for piece. Want Radhika’s look? Look for silk, gold borders and traditional jewellery. Want Shilpa’s look? Try a yellow saree with a contrasting border and Maharashtrian accessories. Want Kareena’s look? Choose a yellow Anarkali and let pearls provide the finishing touch. Want Katrina’s look? Start with olive or sage green and add a printed or traditional dupatta. Want Kiara’s look? Pick a pastel saree and make the jewellery the statement. And if you’re pandal-hopping, attending several pujas or spending hours at a family celebration, I would make one final change to the celebrity formula.
She began her writing journey in 2020, but her love for fashion started long before that. She studied at Delhi Public School and graduated from Miranda House, University of Delhi in 2019, where she also wrote for the college magazine. Because she was actually dancing during the visarjan procession, this is also a useful reminder that festive dressing doesn’t have to mean standing still and posing for photographs, and. Because it gives you movement without requiring the constant adjustment that some sarees can involve, an Anarkali also makes a lot of sense for Ganesh Chaturthi. Because the saree, jewellery and flowers all reinforce its traditional mood, radhika’s look works. Because she commits to a distinctly Maharashtrian aesthetic instead of adding random contemporary pieces, shilpa’s works.
Choose comfort before the photograph.
A beautiful outfit that you can sit, walk, eat, dance and pray in will always get more wear than one that looks spectacular for the first 20 minutes. Tried and Tested: I reviewed 3 very different bags and this one stole the show for me Tried and Tested: The only 3 handbags you’ll ever need for office Commutes and casual outings 5 Jeans styles to know this season and the wardrobe problems each one solves Disclaimer: At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products.
That, to me, is the real trick to recreating celebrity festive fashion. Don’t copy the celebrity. Copy the styling idea. Hindustan Times has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority.
