Tradition, textures & tug of the monsoon

The city’s fashionistas suggest how people can elevate their style statement this Margazhi season

- RAKSHITHA PRIYA G

MARGAZHI is never just another month in the Tamil calendar; it’s a feeling stitched between devotion and drama.

There is something cinematic about Margazhi mornings, especially the mist that hugs the pavement, the hum of bhajans, and the city dressed in temple gold. The month feels like a festival woven from memory, yet it unfolds with new textures each year. Sabha schedules stack up, kutcheris spill into every corner of the city, and audiences arrive dressed for an unspoken runway — silks swaying under stage lights, jewellery catching the sparkle of spotlight glare. And just when wardrobes begin to bloom, the skies shift tone, sending showers that threaten hems and hairstyles alike. But fashion during Margazhi has always been a performance: part nostalgia, part resilience, and part quiet rebellion. This season, style steps into the spotlight — not in spite of the rain, but because of it.

Seasonal styling

For many, Margazhi style begins with the reverence of the month itself. “Margazhi is the ninth month of the Tamil calendar and is known for spiritual growth,” says Anjileena, designer and founder of The House of Anji, calling it a time steeped in kutchiericulture and temple energy. It is also, she notes, a month that “brings out the classical side of fashion for Tamil Nadu baddies. But balancing Margazhi style with the monsoon season in South India can be a little challenging.”