Narendra Kumar

The story: Nari’s men’s collection was a “reaction to” 26/11. “Before 26/11, people were working and drinking aimlessly without a care but post that incident, life has changed. This collection starts with hope that is represented by white and then ends with dark black,” explains the designer.

The fabrics: Linen, velvet, wool and cotton with some silk for the women’s creations.

The palette: Black, white with a dash of silver, grey and gold.

The silhouettes: Shirts, jackets (tuxedo-style, bandhgalas, bikers, blazers, trench coats…) and skinny trousers for him and evening gowns for her.

Accessories: The men wore aviators, slender ties, bow ties and very cool black and white patent leather shoes.

High point: His quiet use of leather was impressive.

Showstopper: Ferena Wazier (actress and PC Chandra girl) and Rannvijay Singh Singha (star MTV VJ) appeared at the end. She was in a black bubble gown and he in lurex-linen trousers and a heavily embellished bandhgala. Together, they made a cute couple.

Designerspeak: “I think KFW is a great opening for fashion in Calcutta. It gives an opportunity for stores, designers and make-up artists — basically all fashion people to learn first-hand and be part of the fashion industry which has been till now limited to Delhi and Mumbai,” said Nari.

Shradha Agarwa

 

PC Chandra

The story: The couture collection crafted especially for the show had three different looks. Beginning with cocktail, the focus shifted to bridal and ended on a royal note.

The designs: Diamond-studded bracelets, earrings and bangles were worn with LBDs. Some of the pieces were rendered even more pretty with emeralds and rubies. The second sequence turned on the bling with saris in vibrant hues worn with elaborate gold jewellery. A large bow for a pendant, a choker that resembled the collar of a shirt — the designs sure were experimental. Filigree, gold wires twisted into patterns and south Indian temple motifs made it to the design board. Kundan jewellery closed the show.

High point: We loved the Cleopatra-style naagin headgear that Neha Kapur sported. On her neck was a chunky choker.

Showstopper: Dressed in a gold-and-red lehnga choli, a bejewelled Minissha Lamba. An elaborate sunflower necklace, a snake-patterned armlet, a cummerbandh, bangles and a small gold crown — “the golden bride” looked gorgeous.

 

Story of Weaves

The story: Bengal weaves took the ramp yet again on Day Two, continuing with the Return to Roots theme. The storyboard charted territories similar to those on Day One — the different kinds of saris a woman can drape herself in at different points of the day. A dance performance got the story started.

Fabrics: Dhakai, tangail, garad, taant, Bishnupuri and baluchari.

Palette: Pastels were fused with vibrants. There was a predominance of green, gold, pink and grey.

Silhouettes: Stylist Edward Lalrempuia created some drape drama. While traditional saris had offbeat drapes, the contemporary designs were draped the traditional way.

Accessories: Belts, ribbons, bangles in metallic shades, ghungroos and big bindis — accessories created the drama.

High point: Sapna Kumar in a blue floral printed silk worn with a white shirt and violet bangles — go glam!

Showstopper: While elder sister Raima stole the thunder on Day One, the second day saw Riya Sen grab eyeballs. Her Friday afternoon strut down the ramp was in a maroon jamdani paired with a plunging black blouse. A maroon bindi, some golden bangles and earrings completed the look. “Well, what more could I as a Bengali ask for? It was prestigious to be associated with promoting the weavers of Calcutta and having the two most famous people of the city (Moon Moon Sen and Rituparno Ghosh!) as part of the audience! I was a little nervous I must admit,” smiled Riya after the show.

 

 

Moon Moon (in picture left with Susan Mantosh) played the doting mom. “Both Raima and Riya cannot drape a sari. It was wonderful to see them in saris, especially since they are modelling in Calcutta’s aid,” she said.

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Zubair Kirmani

The story: Fuss-free, minimal and straight lines define the look here. Heavy texturing, zero embellishment and geometric motifs made up this autumn-winter 2009 collection, clearly one of the best we have seen at KFW till now.

The palette: Absolutely autumn-winter — black, black and some more black, along with deep brown, grey, rust, denim blue and charcoal.

The silhouettes: Lots and lots of dresses that stopped mid-thigh — shift, empire-line, coat and tulip. Also seen were short skirts, jackets, tees and shirts for women. The men wore shirts, tees, narrow trousers, jackets of varying lengths and bandhgalas.

The accessories: Black leggings and black leather shoes were the only accessories.

High point: The textures used to create stripes, polka dots and geometric patterns are the stars of Zubair’s line.

Showstopper: Director Imtiaz Ali of Jab We Met fame took the ramp at the end in a bandhgala in shades of grey, deep blue and black, paired with slim black trousers.

Designerspeak: “I am quite interested in sports and was into sports myself, so my collection has a sporty touch,” said Zubair.

Smita Roy Chowdhury

Manoviraj Khosla

The story: Clean cuts with a sporty edge is the look of this line that is high on surface texturing. A mix of layering, cutwork, applique, touches of delicate threadwork and metallic silver and gold highlights made up this impressive collection.

The palette: Is quite broad. Starting off with white, silver, beige and neutrals, it moves on to deeper hues like grey, brown, black and brighter tones like red, orange and yellow.

The silhouettes: The women’s line is dominated by dresses — lots of shifts along with a few empire-lines and tulips. The men walked in sporty short jackets, long jackets, long-sleeved tees, waistcoats, slim trousers, jodhpuris, bermudas, shorts…

The accessories: Shades were sometimes used to accessorise the dresses, while a few of the men carried leather bags. The men’s footwear ranged from summery slippers to knee-boots.

High point: We liked the first part of the collection with beautiful use of cutwork. And we also liked the metallic patterns and colourful threadwork on the men’s jackets.

Showstopper: Mahie Gill — Paro in Dev D — walked the ramp in a black dress with silver polka dots.

Designerspeak: “The line sees a lot of experimentation. The whole collection has been put together through trial-and-error,” explained Manoviraj.

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Day three of Kolkata Fashion Week was all about rich indian hues and ethnic influences. t2 snapshots

Abhishek Dutta

The story: Abhishek Dutta showcased the Tree of Life through which he attempted to “capture the essence of growing up and maturing as an individual in the cycle of life”.

The palette: The collection began with black and grey and went on to softer shades of beige and mauve, blue and green.

The silhouettes: The men wore everything from tees to sherwanis and for women there were saris, skirts, boleros, jackets and tops. The silhouettes were semi-structured and at times quite flirty and feminine.

Accessories: Some big bags, a couple of Phulia scarves apart, there were waist and neck chains made in glittering Swarovski.

High point: Abhishek’s subtle use of Swarovski was just the right amount of bling. Also his digitally printed paisley leggings and his use of textured plaid.

Showstopper: Actress Shonal Jannat Chauhan was his first showstopper, looking lovely in an ecru soft leather scalloped outfit. The next showstopper gave the Kolkata Fashion Week its tittle-tattle moment — who needs a wardrobe malfunction when Rituparno Ghosh is around! The filmmaker made his ramp debut in cowled jodhpuris and a semi-structured black and white jacket, cap and dark glasses.

“I was scared moments before walking on to the ramp. I saw a sea of black heads. But once I started walking I saw the faces reacting and the fear subsided. I think walking the ramp is much easier than filmmaking,” Rituparno told t2 after the show. And why did the man who believes in “style, not fashion” agree to walk the ramp? “Because as entertainers we want to try different roles.”

Designerspeak: “Calcutta is my home town and nothing feels better than to showcase here,” smiled Abhishek.

 

Anjana Bhargav

The story: The Delhi-based designer presented Molten Brown, a fall-winter collection inspired by the shamiana, with its bold images and vivid colours. Her line, as a result, was bright and beautiful. Her “structured deconstruction” was also taken from a shamiana that manages to “create its own movement and palette”.

The palette: The show began with beige and ecru and went on to browns and khakis with accents of emerald, red, yellow and blue.

The silhouettes: Asymmetry ruled the silhouette story. There were mostly dresses, some layered and others simple. Skirts, tops, swing jackets, some saris and more dresses were seen. Drapes and folds characterised the silhouettes. Pleating, tucking and layering were the highlights.

Accessories: Anjana went for a clean look with an occasional accessory like a quirky corsage lifting the collection. A knitted shawl collar doubled as an accessory too.

High point: The ombre and the clever colours like emerald green and cobalt blues fused with chocolate brown. We also loved her idea of structured deconstruction.

Showstopper: A perky and pretty VJ Anusha in a lovely brown and blue wool jacket and flowy layered dress.

Designerspeak: “I am really excited about showing in Calcutta,” smiled Anjana.

 

Soumitra Mondal

The story: Soumitra interpreted the Return to Roots theme to “pay tribute to the rich heritage of ancient India”. His collection was opulent and elaborate. The ramp was covered with red velvet, thalas with red rose petals dotting the periphery.

The palette: Rich Indian colours like red, magenta, mustard, rust and dark green.

The silhouettes: Saris, lehngas and churidar kurtas were the mainstays.

Accessories: Chunky silver cuffs were the sole piece of jewellery the models wore. Their hair was tied in a low bun, decorated with tiny lotus blooms.

High point: The understated elegance, the desi drama and the gota that never looked gaudy. Also, those natural fabrics like raw silks and cotton silks were a treat after scores of synthetics all day.

The showstopper: Sagarika Ghatge of Chak De! fame in a heavily embellished bridal lehnga.

Designerspeak: “Return to Roots could mean many things but to me it was an excuse to celebrate our opulent culture,” smiled the shy designer.

Three younger labels take the ramp together on Day Three.

Sanchita Jhulka

Red, white and gold. Though Sanchita is no Anamika, full marks for effort. Bengali drapes, big bindis and elaborate tassels marked the beginning of her line. We like her kalidaar mini kurtas and her churidars with ombre and pleats. One male model took off his waistcoat to show a vest with DHONI 7 printed at the back! We also like her four-part series of dhoti pants and metallic boleros worn with printed tees, whose backs spelt Calcutta in Bengali. June closed the show in a multi-hued sari in mixed fabric with a zari embroidered border.

Bonbibi

Kavita Banerjee showed a bright and happy collection with a desi soul. Her mission was to “glorify the batik” and she managed to do that quite beautifully. From shifts to saris, there were lots to choose from. We loved her black and ochre cutwork dress. Colours are definitely her biggest strength. Her deep backs get two thumbs up. Bonbibi is the right choice if your best friend is getting married this summer!

Arjun Agarwal

The designer began with a series of saris but quickly went on to Western silhouettes in black and white. Cowled, draped, pleated and ruched, dresses of every kind flooded the ramp in fabrics that ranged from raw silk to georgette. We like his cocoon silhouettes. But a plump Shreya Pandey was his showstopper in a black and white sari.

 

Monapali’s collection proved their artistry once again

The story: The designer duo presented an “impression of Bengal”. Their collection was as always an exquisite interplay of art and craft.

The palette: All the vibrant colours of the rainbow played together to bring out the best of the designs. Red, orange, blue, green, mauve, yellow — name it and it was shining there.

The silhouettes: Saris and kurtas apart, they also showed a wide range of separates. Dhoti pants, asymmetric tops, shifts, skirts, bustier tops, jackets, shawl tops and the Indi-coat were the other silhouettes that appeared.

Accessories: Bags “inspired by Baul” were created. Long sling mirror work bags added glamour to some outfits.

High point: Their weaves were wonderful. Also, each of their outfits stood out like a piece of art. The designers really do treat their garments as a canvas, filling it up artistically as the collection progresses. We liked their signature kanthas and texturing. And also their tilak touch, which gave the show a grounded feel.

Showstopper: Bipasha Basu flashed her Bong connection in a white sari with red border, and a palla with orange and red appliqué. We loved her churi-and-puff-sleeved red blouse and big bindi.

Designerspeak: “We have shown in Calcutta after such a long time and we are glad the platform is KFW,” smiled Pali.