Top 11 Kurta Trends for 2020 that are Ruling the Runway

Are you looking for ethnic dresses to wear when you step out to grab your essentials or for your next online meeting? Well, then you are in the right place! What better than kurtas? Read the article to find out the top kurta trends for 2020 that have everyone talking!

indian kurta trends 2020 stylish kurti designs
(L to R): Tarun Tahiliani, Jayanti Reddy, Ritu Kumar, Falguni & Shane

Hey gorgeous! Do you like to go ethnic but want to keep it both comfortable and trendy at the same time? Do you often encounter yourself drooling over stylish kurtas while window shopping or in your news feed? This season we noted some amazing kurta trends and we would like to share them with you.

Ethnic wear never really goes out of trend for Indian women. Till date, kurtas are one of the most loved women’s ethnic wear. Before adding a new kurta to your existing lot, you might wanna check out the most trending kurtas. We went through multiple designer collections of eminent designers and tracked down various celebrity looks. After days of relentless scanning and sorting, we were finally able to put together the best trends for you. Thus, here we bring to you the top 11 kurta trends for 2020! Without much ado, let’s walk you through them.

Indian Kurta Trends for 2020

1. Long Anarkali

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(L to R) Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi, Jayanti Reddy

For the past six to seven years, anarkalis have often found a prominent place amongst most of the designer and bridal collections. Even though we prefer fresh trends making up the top spots in our forecasts, anarkali found the #1 spot in our list of kurta trends for 2020. This Mughal garment was showcased in different prints, patterns, and styles.

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(L to R) Anita Dongre, Manish Malhotra, Sue Mue

In fashion weeks and designer’s IG feeds, printed anarkalis with broad embellished borders, solid-colored anarkalis with heavy dupatta were a few regular styles spotted this season. The intricately designed floor-touching anarkalis will add to your elegance. You can wear it with a churidar or pair it with palazzos, and stand out during your festivities.

2. Fusion Inspiration

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(L to R) Torani, Falguni Shane Peacock, Payal Singhal

New trends are a perfect mix of inspiration and creativity. The western and eastern silhouettes seemed to have galvanized the creative instincts of designers this year. We saw kurtas with long capes, loose robes, and printed kimonos. Kimono of the east is a T-shaped garment, which is also the national garment of Japan, while robes and capes are a current fashion statement of the west, that find their roots in ancient Rome. Fusion kurta is one of my favorite kurta trends for 2020.

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(L to R) Ragini Ahuja, Sabyasachi, Ritu Kumar

The kurta with a floor-touching cape paired with sheer leggings and feather shrug by Falguni Shane Peacock has me drooling! Slowly, we are sprinting towards dupatta-less fashion. Although dupattas are lovely, capes or kimonos look chicer. Such kurtas can be the perfect-wear if you are planning to go ethnic with a tinge of modernity.

3. Menswear Inspiration

Kurtis are becoming androgynous and it’s high time we embrace genderless fashion in India! Styles that typically belong to menswear collection such as bundhgala, sherwani, tuxedo, and suits were spotted in the latest kurta designs. We observed sharp cuts, high collars, broad shoulders, and edgy silhouettes. You can team such kurtas with straight pants or palazzos. It gives you a plush look and represents your vision and confidence. Kurtas inspired by menswear inspirations attracts attention. We don’t mind added attention, do we?

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(L to R) Sue Mue, Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal

I personally love the yellow kurta with sharp front slits by Sue Mue. Menswear-inspired kurtas also give you a more professional look. Although, some designs might be a bit over the top owing to their heavy structure. Perhaps, due to the humid climate, you might not prefer these for a mid-day event. But you can always walk into an evening party decked up in one of these.

4. Kurta Dress

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(L to R) Urvashi Kaur, Karishma Sahani, Jayanti Reddy

Found in abundance this season, kurta dress is another fusion wear which is gaining popularity on the grounds of ease and comfort. Kurtas that can be worn without necessarily pairing them with bottoms or dupattas are termed as kurta dresses. 2020’s trendiest styles are narrow up to the waist with a flared structure and no side-slits. Bright and pastel colors, checks  and floral patterns were a few prominent styles we spotted. Often buttons, pom poms and tassels were used to add tiny embellishments to these plain dresses.

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(L to R) Anju Modi, Payal Singhal, Ritu Kumar

Collared neck and pre-sewn dupatta give these kurta dresses a rich saree-style look. Whereas, asymmetrical cuts and a layered structure give them a fluid look. Hassle-free fashion is the way to go. Plus, you don’t have to worry about finding matching bottoms or dupattas. Wear it with a jacket or just as it is and you’re good to attend a formal event. Or team it up with some trendy accessories and march up to a party!

5. Short Anarkali

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(L to R) Reynu Taandon, Tarun Tahiliani, Sue Mue

After years of seeing floor-touching anarkali gowns, the evergreen classic anarkali is back in trend, à la Mughal-e-Azam! As the name suggests, short anarkalis are anarkali kurtas that fall down till your knee or mid-calf. We witnessed a range of both heavily embellished and light anarkalis included in the designer collections. Short anarkalis with full sleeves or quarter sleeves were most common. I love the halter neck one by Reynu Taandon. Kriti Sanon looked elegant in Tarun Tahiliani’s peach-colored, short anarkali that she wore for her movie promotions.

A heavily embellished anarkali paired with a matching sharara or palazzo along with a dupatta would make for stunning party wear. Whereas the comparatively lighter anarkalis can be a good pick for casual parties. While shararas and palazzos make for a great fit, you may consider taking a break and go for dhoti pants as well. The irony here is that short anarkalis are not too promising for short people. As they will make you look even shorter. Such a bummer!

6. Peplum Kurta

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(L to R) Reynu Taandon, Manish Malhotra, Jayanti Reddy

Peplum kurtas are narrow till your waist and flare out from there, going down to the hip or thigh. We have seen several models sashaying in embroidered, printed, and solid-colored peplum kurtis. These styles enhance the structure of your upper body and give you a more feminine look by making your waist look narrower and hips fuller.

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(L to R) Vrisa, Rina Singh, Ritu Kumar

You can pair them up with skirts, shararas, or even dhoti pants. Peplum kurtas made it to our top Indian fashion trends of 2020 however, they are not suitable for all body types. They’re a no-no for the pear-shaped figure but rectangular body types can rock in these at weddings, receptions, or personal engagements.

7. Draped Kurtas

Unique and asymmetric drapes are the new A-line! Since time immemorial fabric has been draped around the body. In the past few years, draping has resurfaced as a leading fashion trend. Major designers are revisiting the history of such clothing and creating incredible designs using the age-old concept of draping. Draped dresses often bring out the beauty of your contour.

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(L to R) ShantanuNikhil, Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani

The elegance of these kurtas made it to our list of kurta trends for 2020. These beauties can be a touch expensive, but they certainly are one of the top trends in kurtis right now. Fluid draped kurtas with pre-sewn dupattas are all about mixing grace with modernity, and we love hands-free fashion! Draped kurtas would be great for the evening parties and dinner dates.

8. High-low Cuts

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(L to R) Anju Modi, Ritu Kumar, Tahweave

Kurtas with high and low cuts have been making statements. Be it short front with long loose sides or long fronts with short sides, these layered silhouettes make you look glamorous. We spotted similar kurtas with embellished collars, quarter sleeves, and light structure. This season, Aditi Rao Hydari, who closed the autumn collection of Ritu Kumar, sported a glamorous blue, high-low kurta, whose prints were inspired from Odisha’s appliqué work.

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(L to R) Ritu Kumar, Karishma Sahani, Janyanti Reddy

You can pair the long asymmetric kurtas with straight pants or churidars along with a dupatta. Pick a palazzo or dhoti pants for the shorter ones. Even skirts are a great match! You can wear silver jewelry or pearls to complete the look. These types of kurtis are lightweight and a high comfort ratio makes them apt to wear during small strolling sessions or while going out to grab your essentials.

9. Broad Belts

Belts are not an alien concept, designers have been fusing western belts with Indian traditional attires for many seasons now. Be it a short kurta or a long one, belts always add to its worth. The designer collections of this year had kurtas, both short and long partnered with broad belts or scarves. High low kurtas, kurta dresses or drape kurtas, belts unite them all.

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(L to R) Sue Mue, Urvashi Kaur, Ritu Kumar

We saw belts finding a respectable spot in the designer collections over the past few years. Yet again, they appeared as kurta trends for 2020. Leather belts on pastel-colored kurtas can give you a groovy look. While solid-colored kurtas with printed scarves tied around your waist will make you look more modish. Broad belts are a good choice for people having a rectangular figure, as they enhance your waist.

10. Loose Breathable Kurtas

indigene-ka-sha-rina-singh-loose-breathable-kurta trends for 2020
(L to R) Indigene, Karishma Sahani, Rina Singh

Comfy is the new cool! We saw plain, loose kurtas as an emerging trend this season. Among these, we noticed neutral colors such as beige, off-green, grey, and earth. Given the Covid situation, most of us are confined to the safety of our homes.

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(L to R) Urvashi Kaur, Karishma Sahani, Torani

This avant-garde style of comfortable clothing is catering to our needs of lounging around our homes. And as expected, it’s the lesser-known designers who are actually filling this need for practical fashion, as none of India’s top designers are focusing on the wearability. These loose kurtas will bond well with your body. Pair these loose kurtas with similar loose bottoms, palazzos, or even skirts for that matter. If you happen to live in a humid place, then this is the right pick for you!

11. Sleeves of Interest

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(L to R) Anita Dongre, Sue Mue, Anju Modi

This year the numerous styles of sleeves caught our attention. The list of kurta trends for 2020 will be incomplete without mentioning kurtas adorned with a variety of sleeves, such as slit sleeves, loose sleeves, bell sleeves, ribbons, ruffles, net, and what not! You think of it and they had it.

My favorite is the translucent blue kurta by Sue Mue with knotted ribbons attached to the end of the quarter sleeve. The range of slightly embellished sleeves added an impressive look to the kurtas. You can go for these latest kurti tops with distinctive sleeves to break the monotony.

Designers did their job and we did ours! Now, it’s your turn, tell us which one you liked the best. Short anarkalis or the long ones, robes or belts, loose or fitted, what’s your style?

Well, that’s a wrap from our side on top kurta trends for 2020! But don’t forget to keep us informed by tagging @shilpaahujadotcom on your Instagram posts when you nail any of these trends!

Image Credits: Instagram (refer individual account names above)

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