Ahead of her first trip to Calcutta, Bhumika Shodhan of the Ahmedabad-based label Shyamal & Bhumika chatted with t2 on their day-long showing at 85 Lansdowne on September 15, from 11am to 7.30pm...

What are you getting for us?

We are bringing an interesting mix of silhouettes like corsets, floor-sweeping gowns, lehngas and some lovely saris which were a part of the Indian line that was influenced by the global collection — A Little Romance. We are also getting the bridal line, in golds and reds, and a bunch of lovely neckpieces. We love working with Indian textiles, heritage and embroidery.

What do you think works best for Calcutta?

I have actually gone by what Shalini (Nopany) and Pooja (Goenka) (directors of 85 Lansdowne) have told me. Since there’s a fashion-conscious clientele in the 40-plus age group, which is non-bridal, we have these lighter maxis, flowy kalidar suits, blends of saris which are constructed and regular ones.

What’s your perception of the Calcutta woman?

We have a lot of buyers from Calcutta and they are always looking to experiment with colour and style.

A Little Romance looks straight out of a fairy tale...

It is inspired by the Romantic era, the 1800. So, the fairy-tale feel was most important here. It’s very soft and subtle but you definitely notice it because it is pretty and dainty.

In India now, even for weddings, people want something sophisticated and subtle. If we were to break this collection down to make a dream trousseau for the bride, there would be constructed saris or lighter maxis for the cocktails, gowns for the reception, panelled lehngas for the pheras with a richer feel, and bias-flared lehngas with corsets which work wonderfully well for a sangeet. The bride today is a globetrotter. She will explore enough options and she knows the good from the bad.

What is the South Asian community in the US, UK and Africa you cater to looking for?

They are looking for an east-meets-west concept. For the pheras, it is always more traditional. They stick to their roots and each community will have a different demand when it comes to the phera outfit.

Five things that spell romance:

• A walk on the beach
• Paris
• Pink roses
• A drizzle
• Gazing at the stars on a moonless night

Saionee Chakraborty