Nine nights of dressing up need not mean nine elaborate outfits. This Navratri, statement jackets are emerging as the easiest way to transform wardrobe staples into dance-floor-ready looks. Because why invest in another elaborate outfit when one statement layer can transform your wardrobe?
Denim jackets are also becoming canvases for hand-painted portraits, personalised names and intricate embellishments. Designed to be layered over kurtas, skirts, chaniya cholis and even everyday separates, these custom creations offer Gen Z shoppers a playful way to stand out while investing in pieces they can wear beyond the celebrations. Forget rigid fits and complicated sizing. Apron-style jackets fastened with strings are emerging as an easy way to transform kurtas, skirts and even everyday denim. Shweta Dassani from Silhouette The Design Studio creates raw-silk Navrang jackets, combining bold colours with embroidered Devi faces, mirrors, beads, cowries, tassels, parrots and peacocks. The reversible bestseller offers a different colour and pattern on either side. “I wanted to create one piece that could instantly turn a non-Garba outfit into a Navratri look. Since making every size was difficult, we designed tie-up jackets that can be worn by men, women and children. Woven into colourful gamthi work, the lights outline embroidered patterns and make each spin stand out after sundown. Denim jackets are being dressed up with genuine Kutch embroidery, bandhej and leheriya panels, mirrors, cowries, beads, tassels and hand-painted art. Longer white jackets carrying colourful Gujarati textiles are particularly popular, while portraits and names are turning the layer into wearable memorabilia. “Denim jackets are always a big hit, and singers performing at dandiya and Garba nights often get custom pieces. Now, Gen Z is leaning towards authentic Kutch work, featuring mirrors and cowries. The experiments extend from jackets personalised with the wearer’s name to hand-painted portraits, Rabari mirror work and reversible patchwork crops. For more, follow @htcity , @htcityshowstoppers , and @htcity.delhijunction
READ: Navratri 2026 | From matchmaking to queer joy and girl gangs: Delhi-NCR dances to match hearts, beats with their own tribes Designers are experimenting with reversible raw-silk layers, LED-lit gamthi work, Kutch embroidery, mirrors, cowries and colourful Gujarati textiles. READ: Navratri 2026: 15 events to bookmark for dholida and dhamaal at dandiya-garba nights in Delhi-NCR For those determined to shine brighter than the venue décor, LED jackets are bringing literal illumination to the dance floor. “Our family has worked in gamthi wear for 50 years, but footwear inspired us to begin customising more pieces four years ago. We have sold over 7,000 jackets and ship worldwide,” says Aashka Sachdev of Sunshine Gamthi, Bhavnagar.
Our reversible version can also be styled repeatedly without looking the same,” says Dassani. Bandhej and leheriya detailing on white jackets is also trending,” says designer Ekta Mistry of Atharsh. Today, we make gamthi jackets with or without LED lights, all matched to a client’s chaniya choli.
