Diwali entertaining is becoming more intimate, with elegant dinners, fine wines, exquisite cocktails, and carefully curated guest lists. Nobody wants their present relegated to the re-gifting pile. This season, chefs, designers and luxury labels are raising the bar with indulgent edibles, collectible objects and covetable design pieces for hosts who have seen it all.
Chocolates and mithai get a sophisticated makeover with Mumbai chocolatier Prateek Bhaktiani’s Morni, Ether Atelier’s Diwali collection, inspired by feathers and rangoli. Manam Chocolate’s The Homecoming Edit offers an equally tempting selection. For an extravagant gesture, Mira Kapoor’s Foodstories Anthology brings together 22 gourmet discoveries, from fine oils and vinegars to chocolate, coffee, saffron and whole summer truffles. Whisky lovers, meanwhile, will appreciate Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s India-exclusive Festive Blend, infused with cardamom, saffron and rosewater.
For gifts that outlast the festivities, Amaldhatu’s Dvi Dhatu series marries stainless steel and copper in sculptural forms, while Veena Chandran Studio’s Fracture Vessel celebrates imperfect surfaces. Pure Home’s Kansa collection gives traditional bell metal a contemporary sensibility. For the style-conscious, IST 1947’s Arka watches reinterpret the changing light of an Indian day, while Ikigai by Chandni Sinha offers a gender-fluid Kutchi hand-embroidered jacket. Côte & Bloom’s Marée keepsake box pairs a sculptural pearl oyster shell with richly grained mahogany. And for the card-game connoisseur, Goyard’s Tapis de Jeu, a green wool-felt playing mat with a signature canvas carry case, is an unexpected luxury.