Current Ankara Styles: 50 Mindblowing Ideas to Show Your Tailor (2024)

One marvelous thing about the ankara fabric is that it never goes out of style. Instead, it keeps incorporating contemporary fashion to create new trends that leave you drooling. But before you wear that ankara piece you made a few years ago, have you realized there are more current ankara styles to choose from?

These latest African-inspired designs have spectacular cuts, details, and prints. The reason for their uniqueness isn’t farfetched; African fashion designers are fusing traditional designs from different African cultures with Western styles to create gorgeous contemporary native wear.

If you’re ready to detox your wardrobe and replace old pieces with up-to-date ankara styles, you’re on the right page. Get ready to celebrate your individuality and elevate your style with the latest ankara styles we’ve thoughtfully curated in this post. They’ll help you transform all your native wear outfits from bland to chic so you can exude confidence and become a masterpiece at any event.

Why Invest in the Current Ankara Styles?

Ankara styles are a reflection of our cultural heritage as Africans. The vibrant hues, intricate patterns, and multicolored prints make them a must-have staple for every Afrocentric wardrobe.

If making a fashion statement is what you love to do, embrace these styles and flaunt your taste. Though they may be in vogue, they still keep you ahead of the dynamic fashion curve.

Furthermore, whether you’re gracing a formal or informal event, these current ankara styles can transform you into a work of art, attracting stares and compliments with ease. They’re a sure way to create a blend of tradition and contemporary fashion. The best part is, you can use your fabric to sew any style you deem fit. And that’s because ankara fabrics have no limits when it comes to versatility.

So, if you’re ready to showcase your unique personality, embark on this journey of self-expression with your ankara fabric. Use it to create debonair pieces from dresses to two-pieces, skirts, pants, tops, and what have you. You’ll stand out from the crowd while embodying your Africanness and upping your everyday look.

Ready to unleash your inner fashionista? Let’s see what these styles are made of.

Dashing Ankara Styles to Refresh Your Wardrobe

Are you looking for cute styles to make with the new ankara fabric you just got? If yes, you’re about to see current ankara designs that’ll elevate your African traditional dress sense.

These beautiful designs, patterns, and perfect color combos allow for a limitless creativity that transforms you into a walking work of art.Here they are:

Ankara Tops

Every day, new ankara top styles emerge. And while you can categorize these tops by their necklines, you can also categorize them by their sleeves and cuts too. Here are some popular ankara top styles include:

Peplum Tops

If you want to hide your belly or take yet keep attention around your waist, go for this style of top. It involves incorporating a ruffled, gathered, or flared-out fabric around your waist. This makes it perfect for hiding belly fat while adding volume to your silhouette.

Feel free to pair this style with pencil skirts, flared skirts, tapered pants, palazzo pants, etc., whether ankara or not.

Crop Tops

If you love to show your midriff, take things an African step further by making a crop top with your ankara fabric. You can feature any neckline and sleeve of your choice whether long or short. You can also pair your top with high-waisted jeans or bottoms made with ankara fabric; you’ll love your look regardless.

Ankara Tops with Distinct Necklines

Would you like to wear an off-shoulder top or you’d rather your top featured a -neckline, boat neckline, keyhole neckline, sweetheart neckline, or any neckline of your choice? Go for it. There are no limits to the necklines you can carve with your fabric.

Furthermore, if showing or not showing your cleavages is your thing, it all boils down to the type of neckline you go for.

Tops with Statement Sleeves

Bored with the regular short, long, or three-quarter sleeves and would like to try something different? Give statement sleeves a shot then. This includes voluminous sleeves like puff sleeves, Canadian sleeves, butterfly sleeves, etc. They help you stand out better.

Ankara Corset Top

You can also make a beautiful corset top with your ankara fabric. Just like asoebi corset styles, ankara corset tops are perfect for when you want to cinch your waist. Feel free to pair it with any pair of bottoms or take things a step further by making a corset jumpsuit or dress.

Ankara Dresses

The current ankara styles for dresses also feature the properties of ankara tops. That is, they can have the same necklines or sleeves. From ankara short gowns to long ones, here are some of them:

Ankara Bodycon

Feel free to create a tight-fitting piece with your ankara fabric. You can make it long or short, it all depends on your preference. The important thing is the dress hugs your body enough to flaunt your curves and frame your silhouette.

But before you invest in this style, here’s something to note: it may affect your freedom of movement. So, to avoid this, your tailor would have to either make it a stretchy smocked dress or keep a slit behind to ease movement especially if the length gets to or beyond your knees.

Wrap Dress

This style features an adjustable wrap design that allows you to create a customized look to emphasize your feminine features.

Ankara Slit Dress

Would you like to give people a glimpse of your thighs while donning a dress? Then add a slit to your dress. You can keep it at the front, side, or the back. Furthermore, how high your slit is depends on how much skin you’d like to show.

Current Ankara Styles for Flared Dress

If you have a straight or apple body type and would like to give your lower body an illusion of volume, go for a flared dress. While it blouses out around the waist, your upper body remains fitted.

Maxi Dress

Maxi gowns are great at hiding your legs. They’re perfect for cold weather or when you want to exude that rich aunty vibe. Classic styles like abaya and other loose-fitting long dresses come in handy here.

Mermaid Dress

This is a maxi dress that’s form-fitting enough to flaunt your shape and free-flowing enough to allow free movement. The dress fits snugly to your body and only flares out at the knees. It’s a piece you should consider when you want to make a bold fashion statement with your fabric.

A-Line Dress

If you need a shift dress that’s comfy and stylish, go for this one. They’re form-fitting arund the bodice and flare out at the waistline to form a triangle shape that looks like the capital letter A. These styles are designed to emphasize a narrow waist, wider hips, and the bust line.

Current Ankara Styles of Skirts

Any type of skirt you’d love to wear can be made with this fabric. The best of them include:

Pencil

This style is suitable for formal settings. It’s tight-fitting and can be paired with a matching ankara top or a dress shirt.

Current Ankara Styles of Flared Skirt

This style is similar to flared dresses, only that you’ll have to pair it with a top you deem fit.

Layered

As the name implies, layered skirts have multiple layers. Otherwise known as tiered skirts, they add volume, depth, and movement to your attire, thus transforming you into an eye-candy work of art.

Six-Pieces

Our mothers love this style and one reason is that six-pieces skirts are great at adding definitions to your lower body. As the name implies, the skirt involves cutting your fabric into six flared or A-line pieces and joining them to create a semi-mermaid skirt.

Ankara Two-Pieces

Coordinated sets make dressing upeasy and fun. No need spending time looking for the best bottoms or top to wear. Just wear your two-piece and get going.

You can decide to make any style of skirt, shorts, or pants with a matching top. Your options for ankara two-pieces are limitless.

Ankara Pants

Thinkng of sewing a nice pair of trousers with your ankara fabric? Go ahead and choose from any of these:

Tapered Ankara Pants

This is a straight-cut design that doesn’t flare out. It’s almost like pencil trousers, only that it provides enough room for your legs to breathe while still remaining tapered.

Bell Bottoms

Just like regular bell bottoms, ankara bell-bottoms flare out around the knees. They’re standout pants that work with any style of top.

Ankara Palazzo

Ankara palazzo pants are loose-fitting and sometimes flared. This makes them suitable for any body type, particularly apple and straight, to add more accents to their lower body.

Current Ankara Styles of Jumpsuits

These are one-piece clothes that incorporate the look of a pair of pants and a top. Ankara jumpsuits allow room for flexibility as you can make any style of top and pants and blend them as one.

Ankara Outerwear

Looking to make pieces you can use in ayering your outfits? Then think:

Ankara Kimono

Ankimono made with ankara fabric is the perfect blend of style, color, and functionality. Wear this to the office, beach, or any casual event, andturn heads.

Ankara Blazers

Would you like to don a suit but want to keep things Afrcian? Sew an ankara blazer then. You can make it a two-piece or a one-off blazer you’d pair with any skirt or pair of pants you like.

Ankara Sleeveless Jacket

You can also make a sleeveless ankara jacket or duster and use it to layer your outfits. This style allows your sleeves (and the sleeves of your top or dress) to shine.

There’s No End to the Current Ankara Styles

In conclusion, every style of top, dress, trousers, shorts, two-piece, etc., that exists can be made with ankara fabric. And that’s because these styles can combine different elements as one.

For instance, you can have a peplum jumpsuit with an off-the-shoulder neckline or a tiered skirt in the form of a dress. You can also pick a decent style for church or show some skin. And you can choose to make them strictly with ankara fabrics or combine lace, plain fabrics, organza, etc., to create a unique attire.

What’s more? Since there’s enough room for creativity, feel free to mix your ankara fabric with other ankara fabrics. That works too, you know and if you’d like to know more about it, read up our piece on how to mix different ankara fabrics. Other than that, feast your eyes on more of the latest ankara styles below:

Related