The Top 10 What to Wear Items in India – The Fashionista’s Guide

what to wear when traveling to india - the fashionista's guide

I was pretty clueless the first time that I packed for India. I was so excited about the warm weather and had all these cute, flirty little dresses that I was ready to pack on my trip. I had quite the wake up call when I was told that shoulders and legs should be mostly covered when visiting India and modesty is an important attribute to consider when traveling to India!

When traveling to India, I wanted to look super fashionable as I was planning on shooting tons of killer content for the blog and social media. Here are my tips on what you need to bring to India if you are looking to shoot amazing content, be comfortable, and look stylish at the same time!

I visited Southern India, mostly in Karnataka on the Golden Chariot during my trip in February and the weather was about 80-90 degrees at the time

1. Flowy Dresses and Long Skirts

My number one go to in india is long, flowy dresses. There was a nice breeze most days and we spent much of our trip checking out different temples and other amazing sites. Long dresses always look amazing in photos when there is even the slightest of wind blowing! I recommend choosing a dress with a light fabric.

Colorful dresses with bright prints are key, they really pop against the dusty yellow or stone backdrops of many of India's monuments. However if you want to bring one great black travel dress, that's an option also!

2. Scarves

It was pretty hot when I was visiting India so scarves are an awesome choice. They really fit into the style of India also. I don't use scarves around my neck, it's way to hot for that, but scarves are killer for tying up your hair, it was generally too hot to keep my hair down in India!

3. Sunglasses

You'll definitely want to pack a couple pairs of sunglasses during your tip to India. The sun will usually be beating down and they look cute on your face! I love mirrored sunnies currently. I like to pack 2-3 pair or you can just bring one pair and purchase a couple more pair along the way.

4. Comfortable Pants

I didn't bring any jeans to India or any tight pants. Since India tends to be hot, all I packed were loose, flowy pants and light fabrics.

5. Jumpsuits

Why bring jumpsuits to India? Because you should bring jumpsuits everywhere, they are so "in" right now! But seriously, jumpsuits (not rompers) are perfect for India. Again, loose and airy fabrics

6. Kimonos/Cover-ups

Not literally Japanese Kimonos, but the stylish floaty fabric kimonos that you can throw over your dress or jumpsuit. This works perfectly if you have the cutest dress that you want to bring along on your trip but it is sleeveless and shows your shoulders. You can still bring that dress on your trip, just throw a kimono over it!

7. Sandals

Unless you are doing some serious hiking on your trip, I prefer sandals instead of sneakers in India. Sandals are just much more breathable. The important thing is that you select comfortable sandals for the trip. I wouldn't recommend wearing sandals that you have never tried before in India before. One of the sandals that I brought along with me gave me blisters - it was my first time wearing those sandals! I wore the other sandals that I had brought on the trip the entire time they worked great!

As a back-up, it would be good to bring a pair of tennis shoes for the gym or whatever and a pair of flip flips for easy of walking around your hotel for example. 

8. Backpack or Crossbody Purse

I just brought a backpack with safety zippers to India in lieu of a purse and it worked great! I also love a great crossbody purse for travel or sling backpack purse. I definitely didn't want to lug my huge purse that I use in my daily life all the way over to India!

9. T-shirts, Tunics, Blouses

Anything goes here, just don't bring any heavy fabrics and make sure that your shoulders are covered!

10. Earrings and Jewelry

What I especially loved about Indian women is that they are super accessories! Here in California, where I live, we mostly wear pretty light accessories in our daily lives but Indian women are often decked out in heavy bracelets and earrings just to go to the grocery store. I absolutely love it! Bring the best of your statement jewelry to India, you'll never look out of place!