Manish Malhotra over the years has become a household name when referring to Indian fashion designers. In recent times Sabya for sure has become the favored one by many celebs, but Manish has already cemented his legacy in the industry.

Manish is the face we see when we hear “Bollywood Fashion”. His iconic saree blouse, sequins, color use and work. It all screams Manish. His garments are always sparkly and eye catching. The best word I can think I could think of to describe them is: blingy.

I know the Millennials and Gen-Zers now call his designs “old fashioned”. I disagree. As a millennial I still love his blingy looks. You go to a big fat Punjabi wedding and you wanting to be adorning Manish Malhotra.

I love Manish’s usage of color, pastels, but at the same time the deep rich shades do co-exist. All his patterns are beautiful and his love for fashion clearly shines in his clothing. I am specifically talking about Alia’s blue and white patterned lengha – it immediately reminds me of of Toile de Jouy fabric. It works so well on the lengha – well apart from the big fat border lining the bottom.

Now one takeaway I do have is that Manish’s designs do cater to a very specific silhouette. When it comes to his blouse cuts, they aren’t exactly flattering on plus size women. But then again most Indian celebs don’t exactly represent the general population.

Manish Malhotra is truly an expert when it comes to anything white. These are my favorite pieces when he mixes his own love for pastels/whites with mirror work. I have yet to find a piece that I don’t like. They are stand outs and universally beautiful.

A lot of times Manish outfits have that signature sequin style and revealing blouse cuts. This is what he was initially became known for. When the naysayers come at them for ‘too many sequins’, I can understand… to an extent. Yes. Sometimes it’s overdone, to a point of garish – but that’s the beauty of fashion! There’s options for all types of tastes.

Manish’s versatility has to be commended – especially in the recent years. He has kept up with trends and set so many of his own. That bikini blouse paired with a saree has become iconic. Modernizing traditional cuts is controversial, I personally love it.

Beading, sequins, silhouettes, I think he does a great job at everything. He may be a “jack of all trades”, but since when is that a bad thing? HE’s a designer that will go with the vision of the individual wearing the garment. This may be controversial, but in my list of favorite Indian fashion designers, Manish is definitely in my top 10.

Manish Malhotra has stayed strong as a top designer in the industry for a reason. He really does know what he’s doing.