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Fusion, diffusion, blends, textures, ethnicity, abstractions, geometry and symmetry in colours and styles from the traditional to the modern to the post-modern define the world of madness in fashion that keeps evolving every day of the year. So, what kind of fashion does the festive ambience of Durga Puja or Navratras demand? Will young ladies wear red-bordered white saris on the Ashtami day with lots of flowers in their hair? Will the newly married brides deck up in their wedding finery and visit their neighbourhood pandal on Dasehra afternoon to participate in the sindoor khela?
Trendy and traditional, folk and upbeat, gowns and lehngas — young men and women are going crazy with every kind of jewellery and festival wear one can imagine, coming out of their regional Bengali label and proudly going global. The pre-puja fashion trends begin in September with the best designers and fashion houses descending on Kolkata to showcase their latest designs. At one such fashion fiesta called the Kolkata Fashion Fair — Pehchan — 70 labels from across India and beyond came to town with clothes, art, gems and jewellery, home accessories, skincare products and shoes. The bouquet included costume jewellery from Bangkok, party and festive fashion wear from Pune and designer wear from Pakistan. Men, no less fashion conscious than their female counterparts, refuse to be left behind in the fashion race. They are all for a spread of variety — jackets, blazers, bandhgalas, sherwanis, tapered trousers and party-style pointed shoes. For women, it can be anything from silver, beige, rose pink, all shades of red and Sabyasachi’s favourite combination of black and white. Designer Anand Kabra, known for his passion for mythology that dictates his creative designs, has come up with culottes, palazzos, sarongs and kurtas, embellished with cutwork, embroidered and then burnt to look like lace. He says he was inspired by a stained glass window from Notre Dame Cathedral and drew from its "colours, transparency and folds." Filmmaker-actor Rituparno Ghosh settled for an assortment of Bhagalpuri saris and dupattas, a multi-coloured Pashmina shawl, an ikat kimono and a Sami quilt embroidered by the snake charmers of North-West India. Ramona Narang showcased her modern woman designs comprising evening gowns, shouldered and strapless, floor-grazing and super-short, flowing silhouettes with colours ranging from sober black to beige, metallic bronze, gold and silver and happy candy shades like hot pink, coral and blue. Reynu Tandon showcased her golden collection inspired by the Mughal era. "I wanted an old-world charm in my clothes," says Tandon. She presented a line of anarkali suits, lehngas and saris paired with itsy-bitsy blouses, embellished with geometric gota work with zardozi and brocade, specially suited to the festive season. Colours like cream, off-white and beige have been offset with magenta and red, set in relief with some indigo and orange. Kurtas are now worn with lehngas, jackets with saris and sari pallus are wrapped like a muffler. These were specially designed in keeping with the Durga Puja colours. Jewellery designer Eina Ahluwalia picked up five timeless trends for the "goddess called woman." One of these is metal lace jewellery that has a vintage touch, is feminine with fretwork and filigree. — SAC
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The festive spirit of Durga Puja is in the air. Young men and women — outgrowing their regional Bengali label and going global — are on a shopping spree, purchasing trendy and traditional jewellery and clothes
