sabya’s Tilottama take Bipasha Basu: Smouldering Koena Mitra: A good friend Celina Jaitley: Catty

The Sananda Tilottama finalists got a rare treat on Tuesday afternoon — a chance to get styled by a certain Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who will be doing their looks for the first round of their final night. Dressed bedroom-casual in a white T-shirt and cotton pants, Sabya tried various permutations and combinations to zero in on that perfect look for Riya, Indrakshi, Priti, Dipna, Sonika, Poonam, Rajkanya, Rusha, Arpita and Mayuri.

The girls left a happy bunch in the end, but the styling session was not an easy job, for the designer or his models. “I was really nervous because you see what happens is when you are doing a fashion show contestant, they are not your usual models. They are girls of different bodies, shapes and sizes. And it makes me nervous to work with a group of people I have never worked with before,” he said. But Sabya was happy with the Tilottama 10. “They are all very sweet girls. I could see the excitement. Fantastic. This is the first time I am styling for Tilottama. These are clothes that if you don’t style, they don’t look nice at all. It is a very difficult collection; it is very Boho. And I am just waiting for the response. Hopefully it should look very nice,” he added.

Within seconds one look was deconstructed and another put together. “Cut it off and make it into a small little pencil skirt for me,” he instructed an assistant for Rajkanya’s costume. “What about black stockings and sheer skirts? We had made it for Jyothsna”. “Wear your skirt a little lower” (to Arpita). “Change into a body-suit and then wear your top” (to Poonam). “Nayanika, get her black knee-highs” (for Riya)… he went on and on.

Post-styling, Sabya made the girls catwalk for one final check. “If there is a problem with the garment, I’ll change it,” he explained. “Nice it is looking. Make them walk in a huddle,” he told Nayanika Chatterjee, the grooming guide. “A beautiful French jazz” was his suggestion for the music.

Pictures by Pabitra Das

THE GIRLS PUT ON THEIR DANCING SHOES AT SOHO

Getting groomed can be a tough job, so the Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama finalists were in for a treat when they let down their hair on August 12 at Soho. Clubbing replaced catwalking as the gang of glamorous girls showed off their moves in hip-hugging dresses. Mocktails and cocktails around a flaming bartop made up the tipple tale, as the girls raised a toast to the Sunday finale.

Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya