Indo-Western for Men

Indo-Western for Men - Buy Indo Western Suits Online

An indo-western is what a man wears when a sherwani is too much and a suit is too little. An open-front jacket over a kurta, trousers cut like tailoring rather than a pyjama, and no closed collar anywhere. It borrows the shoulder of a Western jacket and the length and drape of Indian dress, which is why it photographs well at a sangeet and does not look like costume at a reception.

What exactly is an indo-western outfit for men?

Three pieces, usually. A jacket that hangs open from a mandarin neck and falls somewhere between the hip and the knee; a kurta underneath, plain, so the jacket does the talking; and trousers with a proper waistband and a clean break at the shoe. Some versions swap the trousers for a churidar or a draped dhoti. The defining feature is the open front - nothing buttons across the chest, so the outfit reads as layered rather than armoured.

Indo-western vs sherwani: which one for which function?

A sherwani is a long lined coat that buttons to a band collar and falls past the knee. It is the most ceremonial thing in Indian menswear and belongs to the groom on the wedding day. An indo-western is open, shorter and lighter, and it moves. Groom at the mandap: sherwani. Groom at the sangeet or the reception, or the brother, or a friend who wants to be well dressed without competing with the groom: indo-western.

Indo-western vs jodhpuri

A jodhpuri suit is bandhgala - closed at the throat, hip length, cut close, and severe in a good way. It is the formal end of Indian menswear and reads almost like a business suit. The indo-western sits beside it with the same formality but far more room for pattern, drape and colour. If the evening calls for restraint, jodhpuri. If it calls for presence, indo-western.

Indo-western vs kurta pajama and tuxedo

A kurta pajama is unlined and soft - right for a haldi, a puja, a daytime function, and too relaxed for an evening. A tuxedo is Western black tie: satin lapel, bow tie, dress shirt. The indo-western reaches tuxedo-level formality without asking a man to wear neckwear, which is why it has taken over Indian reception dressing.

Which fabric should an indo-western jacket be?

The jacket carries the outfit, so its cloth matters more than the kurta's. Raw silk and art silk hold a crisp shoulder and take embroidery without puckering. Jacquard and brocade bring their own pattern woven in, so they need no surface work at all. Suiting blends drape closest to a Western jacket and travel best - they come out of a bag with fewer creases, which matters over a three-day wedding. Velvet is a winter cloth: heavy, warm under lights, and unforgiving in a Raipur summer.

The kurta underneath should be plain cotton silk or a matte blend. Its job is to give the jacket something quiet to sit against.

Indo-western colours for weddings, receptions and sangeet nights

Black and charcoal are evening colours - a reception, a cocktail, anything after dark, anywhere a photographer will be using flash. Jewel tones such as teal, deep green and aubergine are the sangeet and mehndi palette; they read as festive under warm light without going near the bride's red. Ivory, beige and pastels belong to daytime - a mehndi morning, a haldi, an engagement lunch. Grey is the one that goes anywhere, and the safest choice for a guest who does not know how formal the evening will be.

How should an indo-western fit?

Everything rests on the shoulder seam. It should sit exactly where your shoulder ends - a jacket cannot be fixed anywhere else, and a shoulder that overhangs makes the whole outfit look borrowed. The jacket length is a proportion question: mid-thigh suits most men, longer suits tall ones, and a short man in a knee-length jacket loses his legs. Sleeves stop at the wrist bone. Trousers should break once on the shoe, no more.

Our sizes run on chest measurement. Measure across the fullest part of the chest with a shirt on and pick that number; alterations to the waist and length are straightforward, alterations to the shoulder are not.

How to style an indo-western outfit

Keep the feet simple - mojaris in a tone that picks up the jacket, or plain leather loafers with a black or grey one. One piece of jewellery at most: a brooch at the mandarin neck, or a pocket square, never both. If the jacket is embroidered, the kurta stays plain and the trousers stay plain. If the jacket is plain, that is where a textured kurta earns its place. Women dressing for the same functions will find the equivalent in our indo-western range for women, and there are matching pieces for the youngest guests in ethnic wear for boys.

How do you care for an indo-western suit?

Dry clean only, and only when it needs it - every wear is not a cleaning. Hang the jacket on a broad wooden hanger so the shoulders keep their shape; a wire hanger will put a point in them within a season. Store embroidered pieces in a muslin bag rather than plastic, which traps moisture and dulls zari over a monsoon. Fold nothing along an embroidered line. If a thread pulls, cut it flush - never tug it.

Where to buy indo-western for men in Chhattisgarh and MP

Shree Shivam has been dressing weddings in central India for years, with stores in Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Bhopal and Chhindwara. Everything here can be seen and tried at any of them, and our staff fit menswear for a living - worth an hour of your time if the function is a big one. If you are shopping the whole wedding rather than one outfit, start at wedding clothing.