Photo: Bollywood Hungama · CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ranveer Singh Style File: How India's Boldest Dresser Wins
When most Bollywood men were still choosing between a black tux and a navy one, Ranveer Singh walked the carpet in a pearl-encrusted skirt, a giant sunhat or a head-to-toe shocking-pink suit — and dared anyone to laugh. That refusal to play safe is the whole point. In an industry where male stars treat fashion as a uniform, Ranveer turned getting dressed into performance art, and in doing so became the most talked-about style icon Indian menswear has produced.
His looks trend, get memed, spark think-pieces and, crucially, give other men permission to experiment. This is a style file on how he does it: the signatures, the best ethnic moments, the designers he trusts, and why his wardrobe matters far beyond the red carpet.
The signature: maximalism with zero apology
The core of Ranveer Singh fashion is a simple, radical idea — more is more. Where the default Indian male aesthetic is muted and minimal, he reaches for the loudest version of everything: clashing prints, metallic gold boots, sequinned jackets, fanny packs worn as statements, oversized sunglasses and elaborate hats.
Colour is his weapon. He has worn powder blue, lavender, blush pink and electric yellow in full suiting, proving softer or brighter shades can still read as powerful rather than timid. There is a strong retro streak too — many of his ensembles nod to 1970s and 1980s flamboyance, all wide lapels, psychedelic patterns and theatrical silhouettes.
What ties it together is attitude. The clothes are extreme, but he wears them with such total conviction that the question stops being "is this too much?" and becomes "how is he pulling this off?"
The brain behind the wardrobe
Much of this image has been shaped with his long-time personal stylist Nitasha Gaurav, who has dressed him for years. Trained at the London College of Fashion and New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, she brings a serious technical eye to looks that can appear deliberately chaotic.
In interviews she has described the process as intuitive and collaborative — she puts options on the table, and whatever genuinely excites him is what he wears. Her recurring observation is telling: he dresses without seeking anyone's approval, and that lack of self-consciousness is exactly what sets the looks free.
Film wardrobes are a separate craft. For Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, costume designer Eka Lakhani built his character's loud, lovable Punjabi-Delhi wardrobe — a reminder that his on-screen and off-screen style both lean into excess, but are engineered by different specialists.
The designers and labels he favours
Ranveer's wardrobe is a mix of Indian couture royalty and global luxury houses. A few names come up again and again:
- Sabyasachi — his anchor for ethnic and ceremonial dressing. The couple wore custom Sabyasachi at their 2018 wedding, and the designer remains his default for sherwanis and festive Indian looks.
- Manish Malhotra — for high-drama red-carpet ethnic wear with a modern, embellished edge.
- Gucci — central to his international image. He has been a regular front-row face for the Italian house, wearing its monogrammed coats, prints and maximalist tailoring that mirror his own sensibility.
- Rohit Bal and other Indian couturiers — for occasions that call for heritage craftsmanship.
- Streetwear and avant-garde labels — sneakers, bold logo pieces and experimental cuts that let him mix high fashion with playground energy.
The genius is in the blending. A Sabyasachi bandhgala can meet sharp Western tailoring; a luxury monogram coat can sit over a tracksuit and gold chains. He treats Indian and global fashion as one shared closet rather than two separate rulebooks.
His best ethnic and red-carpet looks
Strip away the gimmicks and Ranveer is, at heart, a superb wearer of Indian clothes. His wedding looks — ivory and gold sherwanis, layered necklaces, an embroidered safa — are widely saved as groom inspiration across the country.
Some of his most memorable moments include:
- The 2018 Sabyasachi wedding — old-world, regal, tightly coordinated with Deepika's lehengas, and still a reference point for big-fat-Indian-wedding grooms.
- Festive sherwani and bandhgala appearances — proof that he can do restrained heritage glamour when the occasion demands it.
- Maximalist global red-carpet looks — bold coats, statement hats and gold accessories that turn an entrance into an event.
- Indo-Western experiments — kurtas with bombers, dhoti-style draping with structured blazers, juttis paired with tailored trousers.
These ethnic looks matter because they keep him grounded. For all the viral eccentricity, he is also a credible ambassador for Indian craft — handwoven silks, real embroidery and homegrown couture houses.
Why he became a genuine style icon
Plenty of stars wear expensive clothes. Far fewer change what an entire demographic feels allowed to do. Ranveer's real impact is cultural: he made self-expression an acceptable goal for Indian men's fashion, not just looking "appropriate".
For decades, the unspoken rule was that a serious man dressed quietly. By treating colour, jewellery, skirts and prints as legitimate male choices and refusing to be embarrassed, he widened the field. As his stylist has put it, he tends to do something first and others follow — and you can see that trickle into weddings, party wear and how younger men now shop.
He is also a marketer's dream. His fame as a dresser has made him one of the most visible brand faces in India, fronting campaigns precisely because his name is shorthand for fashion daring. The eccentricity is not a distraction from his career; it is a pillar of it.
The criticism — and why it doesn't stick
Not everyone is a fan. His boldest outfits regularly draw mockery, and "What is Ranveer wearing?" has become a recurring social-media sport. Critics call it costume rather than style, attention-seeking rather than taste.
But that reaction arguably proves the point. Fashion this loud is designed to provoke a response, and indifference would be the real failure. He has also shown range — the same man who wears a meme-worthy ensemble one week can deliver a flawless, dignified sherwani the next, which makes it hard to dismiss him as merely loud.
What comes next
As a married father — he and Deepika Padukone welcomed daughter Dua in 2024, with reports of a second child on the way — there is curiosity about whether his style will mellow. So far, the evidence suggests evolution rather than retreat: sharper tailoring and more couture polish, but the appetite for risk intact.
There is also steady speculation, according to media reports, about a possible Met Gala debut, which would be a natural stage for his theatrical instincts. Whatever the next chapter, the legacy is already set. Ranveer Singh took the idea that an Indian man's clothes should be invisible and tore it up — turning the simple act of getting dressed into one of Bollywood's most watchable shows.
