RED HOT

This flirty thigh-slit wrap dress is ideal for a beach vacay. Glam it up with metallic eyes and red lips as you go from sundowner to party mode. Let those beach waves loose. “This has beach holiday or pool party written all over it. It’s fun to experiment with colours. Like I never thought the red dress would look good on me,” said Maacher Jhol actress Sauraseni Maitra. “I love the flowy feel… pure resort!” said Ankita Banerjee, our stylist for the day. 

RETRO GLAM

A throwback to ’70s Bollywood is incomplete without some Bobby style. Channel the iconic Dimple Kapadia look in co-ords. The messy bob, winged eyeliner and wine lips are complemented by the polka hairband worn like a bow, those hoops and the cool box clutch. “Dimple Kapadia in Bobby was so effortlessly hot! It’s a great clubwear,” said Sauraseni. “This is a boho-retro look where you can wear the top cross-bandage or tie it in the front. It’s great for summer,” added Ankita. 

CUTE CHIC

Fresh, fun and cute! Slip on this baby pink polka overall for a day about town. The white blouse with ruffled sleeves, rust and vanilla on the eyes, baby pink lips and the messy ponytail keep it subtle yet stylish. The sneakers are a perfect add-on. “This is a great day look,” said Sauraseni. Maybe for a first date? “Well, I need to go on a date for that!” she laughed. For Ankita, this is a “go-to outfit if you want to try polka dots and play it safe”. 

SMART & SASSY

Simple but super effective, this monochrome polka Bardot monokini, can be paired with any lowers. For the shoot, Sauraseni slipped on a faux leather pencil skirt (see cover). She straightened her hair, smoked up her eyes, and dabbed rose pink on the lips for a smart and understated look. “This is great for an evening out or a dinner,” said Sauraseni. 

I love wearing polka dots. I have a classic black-and-white short dress and a red-and-black polka-dotted shirt. I would really like to try a navy blue. Like everyone else, I have worn polkas as a kid. I had this really nice polka-dotted transparent umbrella 
— Sauraseni Maitra

• Polkas are bold, safe and fun. Try to keep your make-up minimal because polkas make for bold prints. 
• Make sure you have one solid hue in the combination. You can also pair it with accessories in solid shades. 
• If you are lean, go for big polkas, and if you are towards the curvy side, go for the small ones. 
• You can do polka on polka but make sure that the size of the dots is the same. Be careful with the colour combination too. 
• Black-and-white, yellow-and-white and red-and-white are the classic combos in polkas. Pastel polkas are in, too, like steel grey and pink. People are also playing with the fabrics. 
• A polka heel looks so cool.

Text: Saionee Chakraborty
Pictures: Pabitra Das; styled by: Ankita Banerjee; make-up: Babusona Saha; hair: Ganesh Halder; bags: Hamlyn Grande; accessories: Sakshi Jhunjhunwala; location: JW Marriott Kolkata