Diwali outfits in Ottawa
New clothes at Diwali is the one tradition nobody skips. Come early — the good festive pieces go first, and every year somebody leaves it until the week before.
Diwali falls in early November this year, and in Ottawa that means the festive shopping happens while it is already cold and dark — which quietly changes what you want. A gorgeous organza suit is a different proposition when you are getting from the car to the house in November than it is in July.
Shop about a month ahead
There is a genuine rush in the two weeks before Diwali, and it is the one time of year when the answer to "do you have this in my size" is most often no. Early October is comfortable. It also leaves room to get a hem right rather than making do.
For women
Diwali is the occasion for the pieces that are too much for an ordinary evening. Dola silk with real weight to it, organza with sequin or hand embroidery, deep jewel tones — emerald, wine, sapphire, and the traditional reds and golds. Gold work reads beautifully under diya light and in photographs taken indoors, which is where most Diwali photographs are taken.
A heavily worked Punjabi suit is the most common choice and the most practical: you can cook in it, sit on the floor for puja in it, and go on to someone else's house in it. A lehenga is the more dramatic option if you are hosting or attending one big evening rather than moving between several.
For men
A silk or dupion kurta with subtle thread work at the placket and cuffs, worn with a churidar or a straight pajama. Cream, gold, deep maroon and bottle green all work. This is the register above everyday cotton and below a wedding sherwani, and it is the single most useful thing in most men's Indian wardrobes because it comes out three or four times a year.
For the children
Kids grow out of festive wear between one Diwali and the next, which is why parents leave it late and then panic. Bring them with you if you can — small kurta sets and lehengas need to be tried on for length more than anything, and a five-minute fitting beats two returns.
The bit people forget
Juttis. Every year, someone buys a beautiful suit and wears last year's shoes with it. New leather juttis need a few days of wearing in, so buy them with the outfit rather than the day before — and if you are going between houses in November, carry them and change at the door. Salt and slush are the end of embroidered leather.
Dressing the whole family in one visit
Most Diwali shopping here is a family doing four outfits at once, and it is much faster than four separate trips. It also means the colours end up deliberately different rather than accidentally identical in every photograph.
Message with how many people and roughly what sizes, and things will be out ready. The boutique is open seven days, 9am to 8pm — ring about an hour before you come.
Shopping for Diwali?
Tell us how many people you are dressing and roughly when you can come in. Early October is the calm window; the fortnight before is not.
Barrhaven, Ottawa · Open 7 days · 9am – 8pm