We’ve all seen someone in our family or a friend of our grandparents wearing this traditional Indian dress and looking completely at ease in it. Then we saw it take a break from the fashion circuit until it recently resurfaced in a very trendy and modern avatar and quickly became everyone’s favourite. We’re talking about the very homely Dhoti kurta that Indian men are sporting on every occasion these days, from a Diwali get-together dinner to their children’s mundan ceremony. Fashion designers eliminated the traditional method of tying the five-yard long dhoti by making it pre-stitched while maintaining the essence of the garment. We have some versions of this dhoti kurta that are a must-have in every man’s closet right now.

• Go for the South Indian look

In southern India, the dhoti is worn with an angavastram, which is a type of shawl, rather than a kurta. We know you wouldn’t want to be dressed like that in northern India unless you were attending a south Indian wedding. In that case, you can also skip the angavastram and drape the dhoti in a lungi style with a plain shirt. To achieve a more traditional look, drape the angavastram or a shawl over your shoulders. Another winning combination is a white dhoti with a white cotton kurta.

• The Pathani Kurta and Dhoti Combo

A Pathani kurta can be paired with something called a dhoti salwar. This one is stitched like a salwar and simply needs to be worn like one, looking every bit at the modern version of the traditional dhoti. There are no tying issues or concerns about the dhoti coming undone. Choose a light-coloured dhoti salwar, such as beige or white, and pair it with soft-coloured kurtas in turquoise blue, pale pink, peach, and coral. If you want to wear the outfit to an evening event, try pairing it with colours like grey and black or maroon and mustard.

• Dhoti Kurta with an Open Jacket

Intricate embroidery works open jacket in pastels paired with a similar colour tone short kurta and dhoti is the ideal attire for an Indian wedding day ceremony. Looking for something a little more solemn and appropriate for the evening? Choose a velvet jacket with mirror work on the collar and a black pre-stitched dhoti.

• Bandgala Jacket with loose Dhoti Salwar

Fawad Khan nailed the look in his most recent Bollywood film, wearing a Bandgala coat cum jacket and a dhoti salwar. You can up the style quotient of your ensemble by wearing a dupatta.

• Sherwani with Dhoti

If you’re at ease with it, you can pair a traditional dhoti with a brocade sherwani for men to create the ideal retro meets traditional look.

• Silk Dhoti Kurta Combo

For all your festive occasion needs, choose a silk kurta in a bright colour like yellow and pair it with a gold border lined dhoti, either draping or pre-stitched.

• Do it Gujarat Style

Wear the traditional men’s jacket or kurta called kediyu with a dhoti to the party. This jacket is adorned with mirror work and is tied at the sides. The technique is known as kutch work, and it can even be worn as an open jacket over short kurta and dhoti pants.