Mermaid Or Fish Cut Lehenga Choli: The Most Figure-Flattering Style

The lehenga choli is one of the most popular Indian outfits, appreciated the world over for its beautiful silhouette and vibrant look. It consists of a blouse and a floor-length skirt, often worn with a flowing dupatta or scarf. There are many different varieties in the lehenga choli, including new and trendy designer cuts inspired by western fashions.

One such trendy garment is the fish cut lehenga choli, in which the skirt is well fitted till the knees and then flares out in a circular design.

This look closely resembles the tail of a fish which is where it gets its name from. It is also called the jalpari or mermaid lehenga as it invokes the grace and beauty of mermaids because of its distinctive fish shaped silhouette.

The fish cut lehenga was first spotted on runways and fashion ramps as it is essentially a designer innovation. The fish or mermaid cut is widely used in western fashion in elegant evening gowns and the use of it in a lehenga choli is therefore an Indo western fusion.

Flatter the Figure

Fish cut lehengas are considered extremely glamorous because of their unique and distinctive cut and flattering look. They are almost always worn on special occasions as they have a high glamour quotient. The fish cut lehenga pattern suits all types of figures and is a great way to look modern and trendy without giving up on the traditional factor.

There are a number of different fish cut lehenga designs women can choose from. This flattering cut looks extremely glamorous and hip, which is why it works even when it comes without any additional decoration in the form of embellishments or embroidery. A minimalistic plain fish cut lehenga design has a certain grace and elegance which cannot be matched.

However, rich and heavy fish cut lehenga choli designs are extremely popular as well. Many of them come with beautiful and ornate panels on the flaring out part below the knees, decorated with gota patti, cut dana, ek taar, zardosi and booti work.

They may also have pretty resham or zari embroidery and colorful ribbon borders. The most ornate fish cut lehengas, such as the bridal variants, come with rich and heavy designs all over the lehenga, made with glinting gold and silver threads or a multitude of bright colored silk threads.

Perfect for Weddings & Receptions

Fish cut lehengas are most often seen at formal or celebratory occasions like parties, weddings and festivals. Though women from the older generation prefer to get lehenga cholis custom made at their local tailors, younger women prefer to browse the gorgeous lehenga choli designs online and get their favorite choice customized and home delivered.

This is because the tailors may not know how to make a fish cut lehenga and other such trendy designs which are much loved by modern women. Not many local tailors know the methods of fish cut lehenga drafting and may therefore end up making a mess of it. It makes much more sense to shop for these gorgeous outfits in designer collections and online boutiques.

Fish cut lehengas are usually made of fine and flowing materials with a beautiful drape, such as chiffon, georgette and woven silks. They may also have layers of fine fabrics such as satin and net, tissue or lace; alternatively, a heavy fabric may be embellished and added to the border of the plain silk lehenga.

Style it right

When wearing a latest fish cut lehenga, women almost always go with a more modern looking blouse to match with it. The lehenga itself is so unique and fashionable that it doesn’t make sense to pair it with a boring choli.

Designers usually go for daring designs like backless, sleeve-less and deep neck to enhance the beauty of the blouse and to contribute to the modern look of the garment. Long cholis are almost never worn with the fish cut lehenga; instead, short, corset type blouses are the norm.

Fish cut lehengas are an extremely trendy ethnic garment at the moment and are heavily featured in designer bridal collections and high fashion catalogues of ethnic clothes. Many Bollywood actresses have worn the fish cut lehenga for their movie premieres.

It is a favorite with glamorous ethnic fashion divas because of its elegant, sensuous and flattering look. It is largely worn for special occasions, such as parties and weddings, which is why it is also usually accessorized in a very glamorous and glitzy fashion.

The type of jewelry chosen would depend entirely on the fabric, embellishments and color of the outfit. The lehengas with colorful and glittering panels will pair well with colorful crystal jewelry in matching shades, while the lehenga cholis decorated with golden zari and zardosi work should be worn with heavy gold jewelry sets. Those who want a more understated and elegant look can opt for a pair of Polki earrings and leave the neck and wrists bare.