What: 85 Lansdowne Summer Edit curated by Indrani Dasgupta
Where: 85 Lansdowne, 85B Sarat Bose Road
When: April 26, 11am to 8.30pm
Labels showing: Dev R Nil, Vishwa by Pinki Sinha, Varsha Wadhwa, Vasundhara Mantri, Rohan Arora, Duet by Priyanka Baid and Lovetobag by Ayushi
Price point: Starts at Rs 10,000
Indrani Dasgupta decoded the 85 Lansdowne Summer Edit for t2.
Tell us about the Summer Edit…
We have a set of three fashion designers, two bag designers, one for shoes and one for jewellery. These are all from the stable of 85 Lansdowne, who have put together a collection for summer. Of course the curation has some of my signature sentiments.
These are all classic pieces which can take you from day to night. They are elegant, non-fussy, sophisticated and some amount of fun. But at the end of the day, it’s about being comfortable in what you are wearing. There are elements of nature running through the collections. The brief was what I’d be happy wearing in summer and happy travelling in.
What’s the mood of the collections?
When I worked with each of the designers, we have kind of stuck to what they do well and what they are known for. For example, Dev and Nil are working with beautiful fabrics and they are doing a lot of yellows, very light, almost bleached-out pastels, very airy fabrics, lots of linen, cotton, mul mul… very summer-friendly fabrics. Pinki Sinha works with Benarasi silks and for the first time she has worked with chanderis, one of my personal favourites as far as fabrics go. We have mixed and matched silhouettes — flowy angarkhas with cropped pyjamas and shararas — making it fun.
Varsha’s clothes are feminine and in the colour palette of white and black with some pops of coral. Her’s is also very chic — wide-legged trousers and palazzos with crop tops and shrugs. The detailing is minimalistic.
Vasundhara is making jewellery that is easy to travel with. A statement necklace or a cuff… that’s again me. I don’t like to overdo the jewellery, I like to wear one piece that makes that statement for you.
Priyanka Baid has done nice hand-painted bags that are very summery. Lovetobag by Ayushi has lovely evening bags too.
The idea of taking the pieces of the various designers is that they kind of flow into each other, separates coming together beautifully.
Rohan has done heels higher than he usually does. He is also doing some block heels, beautiful mules and lovely embroidery that he does anyway. The colours from the clothes come through in the shoes as well, so that completes the look.
What are your summer classics?
I am wearing a lot of whites this summer. And there is a lot of white in this collection as well… from the shoes to the bags and the clothes. That is something that complements the Indian skin tone and there is nothing quite as refreshing as crisp white and creams. My personal favourite is the eggshell white... slightly creamier white. I think it is very flattering and it is easier to put things together with it. A white dress is great. You can wear it with a pop of colour in the shoe for the night and go a little bit more experimental with make-up and accessorise with bold jewellery.
For your travel, you need a nice hat to keep yourself cool. And sunglasses. Also, a nice big tote which can also fit in your outfit for the night.
SUMMER DRESSING IS...
Varsha: Travelling basics that are not so basic; a touch of luxe!
Ayushi: Bright and colourful, effortless fashion.
Priyanka: Keeping it light and comfortable.
Rohan: A white linen shirt, beige shorts and brown leather “Rohan Arora” sandals!
Vasundhara: Easy-to-wear pieces that are light and fun — things that one can carry from dawn to dusk!
Pinki: Free-flowing, flirty handloom pieces in white, yellow and pastels, with a touch of gold for that occasionwear look.
Dev: Outdoorsy clothes as summer means a lot of sun, sweat and travel!
Saionee Chakraborty
Pictures: Pabitra Das
