Diwali is on Sunday, 8 November this year, and for most people it is not one outfit. There is the puja at home, a card party or two in the week before, a family dinner, and visits to relatives where you are on a sofa one minute and on the floor the next. The clothes change each night. What goes underneath can be planned once.
What does Diwali ask of an outfit that a wedding does not?
Three things.
You bend forward a lot. Lighting diyas, making rangoli, touching feet and serving food all happen from the waist. A neckline that looks fine standing can fall open when you lean, and a blouse that rides up will show whatever is under it.
You sit on the floor. A waistband or a shapewear edge that behaves when you stand can fold or dig when you sit cross-legged for the puja.
You eat. Diwali dinners are long, and anything compressing your stomach has to allow for that.
There is also the matter of open flames. Keep a loose dupatta, a long pallu and floaty sleeves pinned close when you are near diyas. That is a reason to secure them, quite apart from how they look.
What goes under a saree?
Choose by the blouse. A closed back and a moderate neck take your ordinary bra. A deep or tie-up back needs something with no band: a stick-on bra up to a C cup, tape from a D. A plunging front needs a low centre or adhesive. Three guides cover the three cases: the bra for a saree, what to wear under a backless blouse and the bra for a deep neck blouse.
Under the drape, shaping at the hip is what shows, since the pleats cover the stomach. Shapewear under a saree compares a petticoat, a saree shaper and a bodysuit.
Then fix the pallu. A strip of double-sided tape holds its edge to the blouse so it does not slide off your shoulder every time you bend, and the saree tape guide shows where the strips go.
What goes under a lehenga or a sharara set?
For a lehenga with a short or open-back choli, a stick-on bra or tape on top and shorts under the skirt. What to wear under a lehenga splits it by choli cut.
A sharara or gharara set usually has a short kurti with a normal back, and takes a normal bra. Check the kurti in daylight. Festive fabrics such as organza, georgette and net are often sheer over a thin lining, and a dark or lacy bra reads straight through them. A smooth bra in a shade close to your skin disappears. If the yoke or sleeves are unlined net, straps will show, and a strapless option is cleaner.
What goes under a gown, a cape set or a crop top and skirt?
Indo-western outfits borrow their necklines from dresses, so treat them as dresses.
A draped gown is usually fitted through the body, which makes it a bodycon problem: every edge shows. What to wear under a bodycon dress covers both the bra and the shapewear.
A cape set has a bustier or a bralette top under the cape. If the top is structured and lined, wear nothing or nipple covers. If it is soft, treat it as a strapless top.
A crop top and skirt leaves the midriff bare, so anything worn under the skirt has to stop below the gap. What to wear under a crop top explains how the hem decides.
For any neckline you are unsure of, the neckline finder takes the cut and your cup size and gives one answer.
What goes under a kurta set or an anarkali?
Usually just a well-fitting bra. An anarkali is fitted through the bust and flares below, so the bra matters and shapewear does not. A straight kurta set is the easiest outfit of the week. What to wear under a kurti covers thin fabrics and side slits.
How do you stop a neckline gaping when you bend?
Tape the edge to your skin. A short strip of double-sided tape just inside the neckline, pressed for a few seconds, holds a V-neck, a cowl or a wrap front flat through an evening of leaning over diyas. Apply it to clean, dry skin with no lotion. It works on blouse hems too, if a short blouse rides up when you raise your arms.
Which shapewear can you eat dinner in?
The one in your measured size, at moderate compression. The test in how tight shapewear should be applies: you should be able to breathe out fully, sit down and eat without the garment announcing itself. Try sitting cross-legged in it at home before the puja.
For a saree or a lehenga, high-waisted shorts are the lighter choice and leave your bra alone. For a fitted gown, a bodysuit has no edge at the waist to show. The all-in-one sculpt bodysuit has straps that come off for a strapless neckline. Shapewear for wedding functions has more on long events.
Which pieces can you wear again the next night?
Most of them, which matters in a week with four outfits. Silicone stick-on bras and reusable covers wash and go again, and the butterfly stick-on bra is good for up to about 30 wears. The fabric uplift cups are reusable as well. Tape is the exception, since each application is cut fresh from the roll, so a 5 metre roll of boob tape is the thing to check you have enough of.
Give your skin a rest between nights. Take adhesive off with oil, as described in how to remove boob tape, and alternate with a band bra on an evening when the outfit allows it.
At a glance
| The outfit | Underneath |
|---|---|
| Saree, closed-back blouse | Normal bra; shorts or a shaping skirt if you want the hip smooth |
| Saree, deep or tie-up back | Stick-on bra up to a C cup, tape from a D |
| Lehenga with a short choli | Stick-on bra or tape; shorts under the skirt |
| Sharara or kurta set | Smooth bra in a skin-close shade |
| Draped or fitted gown | Seamless bra or stick-on; bodysuit |
| Cape set or crop top and skirt | Covers or a strapless option; nothing above the skirt's waistband |
The short version
Plan the underpinnings once for the whole week. Choose the bra by the cut of the blouse or the neckline, tape any edge that gapes when you lean forward, and pin loose fabric near diyas. Keep shapewear to a size and firmness you can sit and eat in. Reusable cups and covers will see you through every night, and tape needs a fresh strip each time.
