Ethnicwear trends 2010: The best styles!

Gowns may have become popular on the Indian fashion circuit of late, but ethnicwear is still the number one choice when it comes to formals! Take a look at the trends for 2010 as seen on the Lakme Fashion Week runway.

We start off with Mugdha Godse showstopping for designer Pria Kataaria Puri's Royal Rajputana Collection. A very princess-y pink and red ghagra choli dripping in crystals proves that bridal bling is back with a vengeance.

The most popular colour of the season when it comes to Indian garments is definitely sky blue -- Abdul Halder chose it to highlight this gorgeous number with rich gold embroidery. And the sharp silhouette goes to show that everything feminine doesn't need to be soft and fluffy.

This empire-waisted anarkali by Puneet Nanda of Satya Paul strikes all the right chords -- the subtle olive tone provides the perfect backdrop for the shimmery white embroidery.

Vivek Oberoi was all smiles in this all-white Digvijay Singh ensemble -- the relaxed pajamas have a dhoti-like appearance without the draping effect, while the white jacket-kurta is a new, novel garment.

Halder also chose to highlight how ethnic clothing can be sexy with this purple jacket and matching churidaar pants -- a sensual black bikini worn underneath affords just the right amount of skinshow.

Alesia Raut looks a picture of beauty as she twirls this vibrant yellow anarkali by Manish Malhotra -- now that is feminine fluff at its best!

You can always rely on Indian designers to bring together the best of east and west. Seen here is another Malhotra creation modelled by Nicole Faria -- note the fading effect of the sari, the dupatta draped around the neck and the choli's single, long sleeve. All three are hot trends for 2010, emulated by several other labels on the ramp.

Halder presented a number of innovative new outfits as far as ethnicwear goes and although we're not crazy about this one, admittedly, we saw a lot of the same at fashion week -- men wearing sparkles! Not for everyone, but undeniably a presence.

Mandira Bedi was one of Satya Paul's four stoppers, wearing a vibrant but not gaudy drape that efforlessly throws rainbow hues around. Even Western garments often sported this pretty mix, with a few variations. As for that sexy little fuschia blouse, well, that's something that will never go out of style!

Big, bold prints were floating around like nobody's business and Kataaria Puri chose patterns of the late iconic Maharani Gayatri Devi's jewellery to highlight many of her drapes.

Thankfully, designers toned down the use of velour as compared to 2009, using it in just the right quantities to set off garments like this corset and ghagra in gathers, modelled by Sanea Sheikh.

Masaba Gupta's effusive new menswear label 'Litmus Test' was all about casual but sophisticated, urbane-looking ensembles like this long kurta and sunny dhoti pants. The key here is to look effortlessly cool.

As far as heavy embroidery goes, contrasts don't seem to be the leading choice at all -- seen here is Amruta Patki in a rich gold-on-gold ghagra choli.

For consumers who want more bang for their buck, Purvi Doshi put together a line of outfits that can be worn a host of different ways and this geometric sari was no different -- you can see the other black floral side of it peeking out from below the pallav.

If it's see-through and white, you can be sure it's very 2010! Nanda's drape shows off sparkles against a wispy, tightly-wound fabric that shows off your figure to the fullest.

Last year, the 'Y' silhouette was in -- voluminous cuts tapering as you go lower down. This time around, the opposite seems to be true. Check out Freddy Daruwala in purple dhoti pants and a straight high-necked jacket by Malhotra.

A cheery, flairing little dress kurta does justice to the pants underneath and we saw a lot of these at the LFW -- they look like ballerina tutus and have a flirty air about them.

When you think dots, you probably think itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini, but Nikasha Tawadey thought ghagra choli -- and hey, it works! The tulle ruffles look like they've been borrowed from a gown, which makes the design even more appealing.

Instead of heavily-worked pallus, saris on the runway sported uniform designs evenly spread across their length and breadth -- this light drape by Anita Dongre is smattered everywhere with gold and silver.

And finally, we have clashing prints, that have now found their way into ethnicwear. How else do you explain this Nilanjan Ghosh design?