The coming year will be huge for Calcutta in terms of serious fashion, predicts Anamika Khanna. The designer goes on to explain: “All these years, it has been a market where ‘just whatever’ was put into, and all without a thought. This will change in 2007. The city has a dearth of truly fashionable people and everybody dresses like everybody else. This should also change this New Year.”

While that sums up the fashion mood set to dominate the city this year, there’s much more to the Calcutta style story in 2007. Our designers reaching newer heights, the city hauting up with new design dens, style extravaganzas like Stylefile and Blenders Pride Fashion Tour dotting the social calendar…there’s quite a bit to watch out for.

GoodLife looks ahead… the people, the places and the picks for 2007.

Trends

The calm mood of the past year cheers up and showing off your curves with body-fitted silhouettes is the way to go in 2007.

“While last year was about hiding yourself in bubbles and volumes, this year will be about dressing sexy with silhouetted shapes,” says designer Nil of the Dev and Nil duo.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, however, feels that while internationally slim will be in, Calcutta will still see volume. “Since we are two seasons behind, volume was almost absent here in 2006. This year we should finally see some.”

The focus of fashion is on colours, while embellishments take a backseat. “The biggest trend that will be felt in Calcutta is that embroidery will no longer be the biggest thing in an outfit. The emphasis shifts to the colour palette — lots of acid brights combined with muted clear tones and neutrals, like an acid yellow played with beige and white,” explains Sabyasachi.

Dev and Nil agree. Lighter shades like ecru, yellow, golden, pale green and khaki will dominate the spring-summer mood they say. “Later in the year, we will see quite a sprinkle of colours. Black and red will be big again, as will bright purples. Basically, we’ll see the comeback of Indian colours in a big way.”

People

It’s a mix when it comes to the style people’s plans in 2007. Action-packed for some like Dev and Nil and “relaxed” for others like Sabyasachi who has vowed to “slow down and get a life” this year. Not in the mood for fashion weeks, Sabya will however showcase in the Olympus Fashion Week, New York, come September. A big task is Pradeep Sarkar’s Choodiyan, starring Rani Mukherjee of course.

Kiran Uttam Ghosh’s new company Kewl Couture should be on its feet with her studio opening this year.

Abhishek Dutta’s big plans include Lakme Fashion Week and Pret-a-porter Paris in September. Fashion weeks apart, Abhishek will be launching his flagship store in south Calcutta.

Shantanu Goenka is showing in Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in March. His new collection will “take the story of Elizabeth’s Trunk a few steps further”.

Anamika Khanna will be part of London Fashion Week this year too. She has “no plans for extending her Outram Street studio yet, though some new additions will be made”.

That apart, the city’s participation at the national fashion weeks is only set to go up with every passing season.

Style stops

“The retail scene in Calcutta is changing every day. With the boom in the retail industry, fashion is finally reaching the mass level. People are experimenting a lot more and so, also buying much more,” says Shantanu Goenka.

Last year was as big as it gets — style hubs like 85 Lansdowne, Prana and Belong opened their fancy doors to Calcutta’s fashionista.

Simayaa will be launching its 800 sq ft couture boutique, Siyaa, by February-end. The store will house special occasion-wear to capture the big fat Indian wedding market.

“We are also planning a hardcore western-wear section between the Simayaa and Siyaa,” says proprietor Rachit Agarwal.

Kiran Uttam Ghosh will be launching her swank studio in south Calcutta, her first exclusive address in town.

Designer Medhavini Khaitan will be launching her studio in the early part of 2007. The address for the 500 sq ft men’s wear store is fixed for 96 Garden Reach, near Hugli. “We are looking at men’s wear — everything from office wear to party formals to slightly couture range of shirts and jackets along with suits made on order,” says the young designer.

Prana, the lifestyle store on Ballygunge Circulal Road, will launch the Prana Platform for debut designers to “showcase their talent right”.

City designers apart, Calcutta will see some Mumbai biggies (read Manish Malhotra and Surily Goel in a bigger way) filling up racks here.

A few leading stores from Mumbai and Hyderabad are on the not-too-distant horizon. Mumbai-based fashion stop Aza for one is scouting for space in the city.