Sep 20, 2026 4:00pm IST
Fashion Comeback Of The Season: Boleros Are Back For Every Reason
Fashion is cyclical and every couple of years, a new trend emerges. This season, it is the return of the ‘little jacket’: a go-to garment that can be worn in multiple ways—with a sari, or lehenga, a flowing skirt or even high waisted trousers. It’s a staple piece of fashion in every Indian woman’s wardrobe and can be accentuated with the right accessories to transform a simple evening dress. Variety India reaches out to designers, fashion experts and stylists across Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru to delve into the resurgence of this trend and get their interpretation of the importance of the little jacket that can dramatically transform any outfit into a work of art.
NACHIKET BARVE; FASHION DESIGNER, MUMBAI
Which fashion trend will make a comeback this year?
Jackets are coming in; which are an important part of their wardrobe because how many weddings can you keep buying clothes for so you want stuff which can be worn and styled in multiple ways and not just worn for one occasion.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
Fashion is cyclical. There’s been a resurgence of the early noughties, late nineties kind of a vibe. People who have not lived through that era feel a certain kind of novelty and connection to it.
YASHODHARA SHROFF; FOUNDER AND MD, FFOLIO, BENGALURU
What's the comeback trend this year?
I think the short jacket will make a strong comeback in a luxurious, fashionable and stylish way – without looking overtly military. It is versatile and can easily be adapted using Indian textiles and craft in many beautiful ways. It also suits our climate and can be styled to look very feminine.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
The jacket has evolved from a purely functional piece into a statement item. People are nostalgic for fitted, short jackets inspired by military styles, and they are also moving away from oversized silhouettes. While today’s versions are not the same, they draw inspiration from jackets of the 1990s and 2000s.
PRASAD BIDAPA, FASHION IMPRESARIO, BENGALURU
What's the comeback trend this year?
The sari blouse as outerwear. The traditional sari blouse is now being worn as a crop top with jeans and lungis. The world is finally catching up to what we always knew. Also, the quiet brocade: After three years of minimalist quiet luxury, maximal Indian textiles—real Zari, brocade and Kanjeevaram—are making a comeback. They no longer feel costume-like; instead, they are being cut into modern, minimalist shapes, much like the bolero.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
After quiet luxury, women are ready to reveal a little waist and shoulder again. The bolero frames the body instead of hiding it. InStyle’s picks—from Zendaya in Schiaparelli to Kate Hudson and Millie Bobby Brown—show how stylists use the bolero on the red carpet because it photographs beautifully and can make a strapless gown feel like two different looks.
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SHIVAAN SETH, BETTER BASICS, DELHI
What's the comeback trend this year?
Fleece. Within basics, and particularly within the kind of luxury-leaning wardrobe we design, the potential here is enormous, because it is genuinely comfortable and it reads well. A cropped fleece hoodie or zip jacket makes an excellent winter treatment, especially for North India, where the cold is real but brief. And the easier fabrics, the pure cottons we work with, carry the same shape straight through to summer.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
Proportion is doing the work that logos used to do. A shorter line lifts the waist, sharpens the shoulder and makes an ordinary trouser look considered. The way people dress has also collapsed into a single wardrobe: one outfit now carries you from a meeting to dinner, and the short jacket is the piece that makes that possible. Tailoring has returned on one side, athleisure holds firm on the other, and the cropped jacket sits exactly where the two meet.
GAYATHRI REDDY BHATIA, CO-FOUNDER, THE SVERVE
What's the comeback trend this year?
The return of the waist. I see the defined waist making a strong comeback. Not necessarily through corsetry but through belts, sculpted silhouettes and more intentional proportions. After years of oversized dressing, I think fashion is ready to bring the waist back into focus.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
I think the resurgence is partly a reaction to the dominance of oversized, relaxed dressing. For several seasons, fashion has been about volume—oversized blazers, bombers, slouchy tailoring. Not that that’s dying but now there is a renewed appetite for ladylike dressing and polished tailoring. The Fall 2026 fashion conversation is very much around updated femininity- think modernized Chanel-style suits, Dior-inspired bar jackets, evening jackets and pieces that feel decorative rather than purely functional.
And I think there is something very sexy about a tailored little jacket right now because it makes an outfit feel dressed without necessarily making it feel formal.
NIDHI YASHA, FASHION DESIGNER, DELHI
What's the comeback trend this year?
Texture. Specifically fringe, and everything that shows the hand that made it. For years, the finish was the point, everything smooth and sealed and resolved. Now people want to see the weave, the slub, the knot, the edge that was cut and left alone. Fringe is the most obvious version of it, but it is the same instinct underneath. We are done with clothes that look like they came from nowhere.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
Honestly, [Matthieu] Blazy. His first Chanel collection landed this year, and the whole industry walked into tweed behind him. But that is just the spark. The real reason it caught is slower. People are tired of clothes that arrive and vanish. They want something with weight, a weave they can feel, a garment that ages instead of expiring. The little jacket is armor you can walk into any room wearing.
VIVEK KARUNAKARAN, FASHION DESIGNER, CHENNAI
What's the comeback trend this year?
I think we’re going to see a stronger return to refined minimalism, but with a more relaxed attitude. The pendulum has been swinging between maximalism and quiet luxury; the next phase will be about strong silhouettes, beautiful fabrics and thoughtful details celebrating craft rather than obvious branding. The boundaries between traditional menswear & womenswear, casualwear and occasion-wear are continuing to blur.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
Fashion is always cyclical, but what makes these jackets relevant again is the current desire for pieces that feel both nostalgic and contemporary. These jackets have that perfect balance. They can add structure to an outfit without making it feel overly formal. The influence of ’70s & ’90s fashion, along with the current trend toward a more individualistic, less “perfectly put-together” dressing, has helped bring the tiny jacket back.
AMRITHA RAM, CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF KH HOUSE OF KHADDAR, CHENNAI
What's the comeback trend this year?
Maximalism has been on the rise for a while now, as elements of ’80s style have been popping up on runways — floral-print dresses and jackets, bold earrings, not to forget the pearl, embellished tops, and lots of rich, deep, bold colors and a faux-leather look. Maximalism is a key driver for the coming year, with sequins, animal prints, and ’80s silhouettes as key elements. Tailored suits with sculpted shoulders will grow three sizes. Funnel necks will be the base of every outfit.
What has led to the resurgence of the little jacket?
The tiny jacket has returned because fashion is revisiting shrunken, highly feminine proportions, particularly the late-’90s and early-2000s silhouette. Its appeal today is less about practicality and more about proportion and styling; a very small, structured jacket creates contrast with fuller trousers, long skirts or voluminous dresses.
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