What to Wear to Diwali in London

Packing philosophy

Dress in layers you can peel at a door. NOAA's Heathrow normals give November 11.5°C by day and 4.5°C at night, with measurable rain on 17.7 days, most of it fine drizzle. London celebrates twice. Diwali on the Square fills Trafalgar Square on Sunday 25 October from 1pm to 7pm, and the clocks go back that morning, so the second half of the afternoon is dark. Diwali itself falls on Sunday 8 November, when Neasden Temple lights up and the Annakut follows the next day. Wear the kurta and churidar, a merino base underneath for the square, and a long coat over the top. At the mandir the coat and shoes come off, and what is underneath has to meet the dress code on its own.

What the dress code actually is

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at Neasden publishes a strict visitor code: tops must cover the shoulders, chest, navel and upper arms, legwear must fall below the knee, and footwear comes off at the entrance. The temple lends sarongs free to anyone who arrives uncovered, but arriving dressed for it is the courtesy. For a guest, Indian dress is welcome at a Diwali celebration and at a friend's home, and a kurta is the easy version: a straight tunic over churidar or straight trousers, with a stole. Wear it plainly. A bindi or tilak is a religious mark, so leave it unless a host offers it at the puja. Choose colour, since Diwali is a festival of light, and gold works on anyone. Diwali on the Square is a public, free festival run by the Mayor of London with the city's Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities, so anything warm and bright is right there.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Ruby silk-cotton straight kurta, gold zari at neck and hem

   A knee-length straight kurta is the guest's answer to Diwali dress, and it meets Neasden's code by itself: long sleeves over the upper arms, a hem that covers the knee over trousers. Ruby with gold embroidery is a festival colour that still reads under a grey London sky. Silk-cotton breathes in a hot mandir hall after a 4.5°C walk.

2. 
   02

   Ivory cotton-silk churidar, ruched at the ankle

   A slim churidar keeps the leg covered to the ankle, as the temple asks, and the ruched hem stays clear of wet pavement in a way wide trousers do not. Ivory lightens a ruby kurta. There is room for a thermal legging underneath on the Trafalgar Square afternoon.

3. 
   03

   Ivory fringed cotton stole

   Wear it over one shoulder as a dupatta, then wind it at the neck for the walk to the station. A wide cotton stole also covers your shoulders if the kurta you packed is sleeveless under the coat. Plain ivory keeps the ruby and gold as the colours.

4. 
   04

   Camel belted wool wrap coat, below the knee

   It has to be longer than the kurta, or the tunic hem hangs below it in the drizzle. A below-knee wrap coat covers the whole outfit on a 4.5°C night and belts shut without buttons fighting embroidery. Camel sits warmly with ruby and ivory, and it comes off in one movement at the mandir door.

5. 
   05

   Black fine-merino fitted base layer, thumbhole cuffs

   Six hours in Trafalgar Square on 25 October, much of it after the early dark, is a cold afternoon standing still. A fitted merino crew under a silk-cotton kurta adds warmth without bulk, and thumbholes keep the cuffs from riding up under the kurta's sleeves. Take it off for a heated temple hall if you run warm.

6. 
   06

   Black leather penny loafers, chunky lug sole

   Footwear comes off at every mandir, and you will do it on a wet step with a queue behind you. Slip-on loafers come off in one movement where laced boots do not. A lug sole grips drizzle-slick pavement on the walk to Neasden, and black leather wipes dry.

7. 
   07

   Small white drawstring pouch bag

   A pouch on a drawstring is the potli shape, and it carries what a festival night needs: phone, card and a few coins for the offering. It hangs from the wrist while your hands are full of sweets and diyas. Keep it small; a large bag is one more thing to guard in a crowded square.

8. 
   08

   Men's charcoal wool-blend Nehru waistcoat

   Over a kurta, a sleeveless Nehru waistcoat is the menswear version of dressing up for Diwali, and wool-blend adds warmth where a silk one adds only shine. The mandarin collar sits flat under an overcoat. Charcoal goes with an ivory or ruby kurta alike, and it stays on indoors when the coat comes off.

A suggested look — ruby kurta with gold embroidery, ivory churidar, ivory cotton stole, camel belted wool coat, black lug-sole loafers.

What to avoid

• Bare shoulders, arms or knees at a mandir — Neasden's code covers all three
• Laced boots — shoes come off at the door
• Expecting light after five on 25 October — the clocks go back that morning
• An umbrella in a packed square — the drizzle goes round it
• A bindi or tilak as decoration — it is a religious mark