Zootii Trends: The Accessories Everyone Is Wearing This Festive Season (Kids, Adults & Pets)

Grown-ups: the bag, the earring, the hair

This season's adult accessories have one thing in common: they are personal. ELLE India puts it neatly: "Handbags are becoming a canvas for self-expression, decorated with charms, ribbons, keychains and miniature keepsakes" (ELLE India).

Handbags are becoming a canvas for self-expression, decorated with charms, ribbons, keychains and miniature keepsakes

ELLE India

Adults
01 Bag charm stacking, a.k.a. "bag personality"

The loudest accessory story of the year. Deccan Chronicle reports that Google searches for "bag charms" rose 168% in 2025 and Pinterest searches rose 700%, with an estimated 33,100 monthly searches from India alone (Deccan Chronicle). Plush "kidult" charms started it. The grown-up version mixes beads, pearls, initials and one tiny joke.

How to carry it

1. Use an odd number (3 or 5) and anchor it with one hero charm, such as an initial or a name, then add two smaller ones.
2. Clip everything to one handle or strap ring so the bag still closes and sits flat.
3. Stay in one colour family (pastels, metallics or brights) so the cluster looks curated, not cluttered.
4. For silk and zari, swap plush charms for beaded or metallic ones.

IN: a curated, personal charm cluster / OUT: one logo charm, or a bare bag

All
02 Names, initials and "only mine" details

Personal maximalism is the mood. ELLE India writes that "accessories are becoming part of the storytelling" (ELLE India), and HerZindagi notes bags now carry "charms, toys, initials, ribbons, trinkets and tags" (HerZindagi). The point is not more stuff. It is stuff that could only be yours.

How to carry it

1. Wear one personalised hero piece per outfit so it reads as intentional.
2. Initials are subtle (office totes); full names are playful (kids' bags, gift wrap).
3. Pair one heirloom piece with one new personal piece for a collected look.
4. Siblings or couples: same initial charm, same colourway, two bags.

IN: initials, names, keepsakes / OUT: big logos and head-to-toe matching sets

Adults
03 One oversized jhumka, nothing else

News18 calls statement earrings the season's "one non-negotiable": "pick one piece, go big on it" (News18). Hindustan Times quotes a jeweller predicting the sculptural earring as one of the strongest festive silhouettes (Hindustan Times).

How to carry it

1. The one-hero rule: big earrings means no necklace.
2. Balance with a modern neckline: corset, off-shoulder or a structured blouse.
3. Hair up (sleek bun, braid or claw clip) so the earring is fully visible.
4. For long Diwali nights, choose hollow or lightweight metal versions.

IN: one statement earring, clean neckline / OUT: the full matching set for every event

All
04 Hair as jewellery: parandas, beaded buns, gold-thread braids

Hair is now a place for jewellery. Vogue India's festive beauty round-up spotted gajras, parandas and even ghungroos in celebrity hair (Vogue India), and Hindustan Times' Navratri hair list is led by two accessory looks (Hindustan Times).

How to carry it

1. Garba night: a tight braid with a paranda or gold cord stays put for hours.
2. Puja or family lunch: a low bun with two or three jewelled pins.
3. Kids: soft-grip clips and short parandas rather than heavy pins.
4. Match the hair metal to your earrings and keep everything else quiet.

IN: jewelled braids and buns / OUT: open blow-dried hair as the default

Adults
05 Hands-free festive slings

Vogue India's verdict on the annual gold clutch: "It's time to retire them." Its Navratri edit rounds up 12 embroidered and embellished cross-body bags, from Rs 2,182 to Rs 1,69,500 (Vogue India). Dancing, pandal hopping and buffet queues all go better with free hands.

How to carry it

1. Wear the sling across the body at hip height so it stays put during garba.
2. Pick craft details (mirror, Rabari patchwork, brocade) that echo the outfit without matching it.
3. Clip one small charm to the strap ring so your bag is easy to find in a party pile.
4. Weddings: switch to a chain-strap mini cross-body.

IN: hands-free embellished slings / OUT: the same gold clutch, again

Adults
06 The conversation bag

"Bags do not have to be bag-shaped," says Vogue India's whimsy guide, which also suggests a kitschy charm on a belt loop (Vogue India). One witty accessory on a serious outfit is the season's most confident move.

How to carry it

1. One novelty item per outfit. Keep everything else simple so the joke lands.
2. Shaped, holographic or metallic bags shine against black, ivory or one solid festive colour.
3. At formal events keep the novelty small: a mini bag or a single charm.

IN: one witty, unexpected accessory / OUT: the serious matching bag-and-shoe set

All
07 The tote (and backpack) as a canvas

The New Indian Express met Delhi University students who own around six totes each and customise them by "drawing butterflies, adding beads and attaching charms" (The New Indian Express). Rotate charms, not bags.

How to carry it

1. Keep one neutral tote and give it a single name or initial charm, then add seasonal charms on top.
2. A printed or holographic tote is the statement, so wear it with plain clothes.
3. On kids' backpacks, put the name tag inside the zip-pull and the fun charm outside.

IN: personalised, lived-in totes / OUT: anonymous, unmarked bags

Adults
08 Brown vintage sunglasses (and bigger shields)

GQ India's 2026 sunglasses list runs from oversized shields ("If your sunglasses cover roughly 30 per cent of your face, you're probably doing 2026 right") to tinted lenses, chunky acetate and wide aviators (GQ India). For festive day events, brown vintage frames are the easy win.

How to carry it

1. Brown or tortoiseshell frames work with ethnic and western outfits: the safest single buy.
2. Tinted lenses can stay on at daytime mehendi and haldi.
3. Shields need a simple outfit; skip them with heavy jewellery.
4. Want to change your frames' mood without buying new ones? Lens ART frame stickers add a pattern to the sides of your glasses, and you can swap them weekly.

IN: brown vintage frames and shields / OUT: black wayfarers as the only pair

All
09 Beads, mirrors and visible craft

GQ India reports that Fendi's Fall/Winter 2026-27 Baguette, compared online to Navratri embroidery, carries 39,500 beads and 475 mirrors, hand-embroidered over 138 hours (GQ India). Indian craft is the luxury story, and beads are the easiest way in.

How to carry it

1. Let beads carry the colour on a plain outfit: a beaded charm or clip is enough.
2. Mix one beaded piece with one metallic piece; three textures is a fight.
3. Mirrorwork bag, solid outfit. Mirrorwork outfit, plain bag.

IN: handmade beads and mirrors / OUT: flat plastic trims

Kids: comfortable outfits, accessories that sparkle

Kids' festive wear is getting softer and more playful. A new festive kidswear collaboration from Mi Arcus and Papa Don't Preach leans on unicorns, pomegranates, bold colours, soft fabrics and "minimal embellishment" (Adgully). That leaves the sparkle to the accessories, which is good news for anyone who has watched a child scratch at a sequinned collar through a two-hour puja.

Kids
10 Bows, headbands and Y2K clips are back

Vogue's fall hair report quotes celebrity hairstylist Lacy Redway: "I feel like we are not done seeing thick headbands and exaggerated bows" (Vogue). The grown-up revival makes this the easiest trend for mothers and daughters to share.

For the clip side of this trend, our guide to Korean hair clips covers eight looks, from stacked snap clips to matte claws.

How to carry it

1. A satin bow at the top of a half-up style works with any lehenga or kurta set.
2. Add a row of three snap clips above one ear for colour, and match one clip to the outfit. Not sure which clip is which? See our guide to the types of hair clips.
3. Mother and daughter: the same bow in two sizes is the easiest Diwali twinning photo.
4. Choose soft-grip clips for long functions so nothing pulls.

IN: visible, playful hair accessories / OUT: hiding the clip

Kids
11 Soft festive outfits, re-wearable all season

News18's family festive wardrobe guide recommends thinking "in looks rather than individual garments" and coordinating rather than matching family colours (rust, ivory, emerald, wine, muted gold) (News18). One comfortable base outfit can go from Diwali to Bhai Dooj to a winter wedding with a change of accessories.

Refreshing an old denim jacket for the season? Our guide to iron on patches shows how to apply them so they last, and where they look best.

How to carry it

1. Pick a comfortable base (cotton-lined lehenga, soft kurta set) and add sparkle with a clip, bow or mini bag.
2. Coordinate, don't match: one family colour, worn differently by each child.
3. Label what goes out: a name tag on the mini bag saves a hunt at crowded family functions.
4. Gifting? A build-your-own Diwali Hamper Box for Girls or Diwali Hamper Box for Boys lets you pick the little extras yourself.

IN: soft outfits, sparkly accessories / OUT: heavy, itchy outfits worn once

Pets: the best-dressed guest at the party

Pets are in the family photo now, and they are dressed for it. Livemint notes that "carriers, collars, toys and even beds are getting a fashion upgrade" and picks a festive scarf-bow bandana for dogs and cats (Livemint). In Kerala, The New Indian Express found kasavu frocks for Shih Tzus, kurtas for Labradors and bandanas "for pets that would rather skip the full outfit", with one store saying demand "has only been increasing" (The New Indian Express).

Pets
12 The festive bandana (and a bow collar for cats)

How to carry it

1. Start with a bandana: the least stressful festive piece for pets that dislike outfits.
2. Breathable cotton only, nothing near the face, and no bells or small parts they can chew.
3. Cats: a breakaway collar with a bow, never a full outfit.
4. On Diwali night keep dressing light and make sure an ID tag is on the collar; firecrackers scare pets. And keep the mithai away from the dog (ABP Live explains why).

IN: a festive bandana and a family photo / OUT: full costumes and shared sweets

Coming up on Zootii Trends

This was the big picture. Next, we go deep: how to stack bag charms so your bag looks curated, Diwali outfit ideas for kids, the claw-clip-bow-headband guide for girls (and mums), the jhumka edit, and a safe, stylish guide to festive pet wear. Bookmark this page; we update the Trend Map as the season moves.

Sources

• ELLE India
• Deccan Chronicle
• ELLE India
• HerZindagi
• Free Press Journal
• News18
• Hindustan Times
• Rediff
• Vogue India
• Vogue India
• Hindustan Times
• Vogue India
• Vogue India
• ELLE India
• The New Indian Express
• GQ India
• Hindustan Times
• GQ India
• Hindustan Times
• Adgully
• News18
• Vogue
• Times of India
• Livemint
• The New Indian Express
• Vogue India
• ABP Live
• ET BrandEquity

Celebrity looks are as reported by the publications linked above, between August and October 2026. Zootii is not affiliated with the people or brands named, and none of them endorse Zootii. Images: editorial photographs created for Zootii Trends with models; they do not depict any real celebrity.