Gowns for Women

Gowns for Women - Buy Designer Indian Gowns Online

A gown is the easiest formal outfit to wear: one piece, no drape to manage, nothing to re-pin. The Indian gown sets zari, sequins, kardana and embroidered net onto a floor-length Western pattern. Our range runs from a clean sequinned cut for a cocktail evening to an embroidered net gown for a reception.

What is an Indian gown?

An Indian gown is one floor-length stitched garment on a Western pattern — fitted bodice, a skirt falling from a seam between bust and hip — finished with Indian surface craft. Strip the embroidery off and you have an evening dress. Stitched to a size, it needs no draping and no dupatta; a cape or attached trail often stands in.

Indian gown vs lehenga, anarkali and saree: what is the difference?

A lehenga choli is three pieces — skirt, blouse, dupatta — with the waist exposed. A gown is one continuous piece from shoulder to floor, so the line is unbroken. A saree is unstitched cloth that becomes an outfit only once draped. The gown is the least demanding, and the least traditional. See our lehenga cholis for the ceremony, our sarees for the drape, our indo-western range for fusion.

Gown or anarkali?

An anarkali is a kurta silhouette: fitted through the chest, flaring from a high seam under the bust, over a bottom. A gown has no separate bottom and no dupatta, and its seam can sit at the waist, the hip, or nowhere at all. An anarkali reads Indian first; a gown reads formal first.

Designer gown fabric guide

Net is the workhorse of the Indian gown: sheer and light, it carries dense embroidery without collapsing, and always needs a lining. Georgette is fluid and moves as you walk. Satin is heavy, high-shine and unforgiving of whatever sits underneath. Organza holds a sculptural shape but creases; velvet belongs to winter weddings. In an Indian summer, weight matters more than fibre name.

Which gown silhouette suits your body shape?

An A-line is the safest cut: fitted at the top, widening to the floor, skimming hip and stomach without gripping. A straight column asks for an even line from bust to hip and rewards height. A mermaid grips to the knee before it flares, so plan for sitting down. An empire seam sits under the bust and skims everything below. Cape sleeves broaden the shoulder and balance fuller hips; a V-neck lengthens a short neck.

Which colour gown for a reception, sangeet, haldi or mehndi?

Match the shade to the function, not the season. Haldi is a daylight event, so marigold and orange photograph correctly in sun. Green is the traditional mehndi colour. Sangeet means warm artificial light that turns pastels grey, so rani pink, purple and deep blue hold up. For a reception, go deeper or metallic: wine, maroon, midnight blue, or the champagne-and-gold family, which reads expensive under chandeliers without competing with the bride.

Gown for wedding: how to style it

A gown is one uninterrupted surface, so it needs less jewellery than a lehenga. If the yoke is embroidered, skip the necklace and let statement earrings carry the look. Heels matter: the hem is cut to a length, so decide the shoe before the alteration. Carry a clutch or potli; a shoulder strap cuts across the bodice and ruins the line.

How to wash and store a gown

Dry clean anything embroidered, sequinned or built on net: the work fails before the cloth does, and a machine drum pops sequins and snags kardana. Plain georgette and crepe hand wash cold, but never wring them — press the water out in a towel and dry flat in shade; sun fades dye faster than washing does. Iron on the reverse under a cloth. Store the gown on a padded hanger in breathable cotton, not polythene.

Buy designer gowns online at Shree Shivam

We have been selling Indian ethnic and bridal wear for over a decade, with free pan-India shipping and a seven-day return window. Our wedding clothing covers the bigger functions, our sharara sets are a traditional alternative for a sangeet, and our co-ord sets take the contemporary end. Dressing as a couple? See our tuxedos.