The bandhgala: where it belongs, and where it doesn't

The bandhgala is the most useful piece of Indian formal tailoring a man can own. It is also not for every occasion. Wear one to the haldi or to a friend's card party and you are the only man in the room who misread the invitation. Here is where it belongs, and where it does not.

Where it belongs

1. Very good.

   The wedding reception.

   A bandhgala or jodhpuri suit is a classic reception look across north India, for guests, family and often the groom.

2. Good.

   The wedding night, as a guest.

   At the baraat, jaimala and dinner, a bandhgala or jodhpuri is among the most common things men wear. Close family at the pheras often wear a sherwani or a kurta with a Nehru jacket. Many families avoid black at the ceremony, so ask.

3. Very good.

   An evening engagement.

   The ring ceremony in a ballroom or on a lawn after dark. Dark colours if you are a guest; ivory or a pastel if it is your family's engagement. One pocket square or one brooch.

4. Good.

   The sangeet.

   If you would rather not wear an Indo-western, a bandhgala works, especially in a warmer colour. Lift your arms in it at the fitting: you will be dancing.

5. Good.

   An invitation that says Indian formal.

   Or "black tie or Indian formal". A bandhgala is what the card has in mind, alongside a sherwani or an achkan.

6. Good.

   A formal dinner or award night.

   A corporate Diwali evening, an embassy reception, a gala. Where other men wear a dark suit, a bandhgala is the Indian equal.

Where it does not

1. Don't.

   The haldi or the mehendi.

   Relaxed, often outdoors, sometimes messy. A kurta, with a Nehru jacket for the mehendi.

2. Depends.

   A Diwali card party.

   At a friend's house, most of the room will be in kurtas and Nehru jackets: join them. At a large club or farmhouse party, a dark or velvet bandhgala is fine.

3. Don't.

   Every day at the office.

   As daily wear it reads as overdressed. Keep it for formal official events and the evening.

4. Don't.

   Wool in the heat.

   A day wedding in May, or an October afternoon. Save a wool bandhgala for the November to February evenings.

Evening, Indian, formal: bandhgala. Daytime, festive, at home: kurta and a Nehru jacket.

Three that cover it

Buttoned to the collar.The Jaipur and the Noir close fully, bottom button included. The Jodhpur Neo is the open-necked exception.

Five antique-gold buttons.The only decoration. Enough.

Matching trousers, or ivory.Both are correct. Ivory trousers make it more festive.

Polished shoes or plain juttis.Never trainers.

When to order

For a wedding on 11 or 12 December, order by 27 November. That leaves two weeks for the making and a fitting about a week after the first visit. Rush delivery takes seven days. For a reception between 2 and 6 December, order by 18 November. A cutter comes to your home or office in Gurugram or Delhi. Book it here.

Deciding between a bandhgala and a sherwani? We compare them here.