The first ever attempt at corporatising fashion in India gave birth to a chain of designer pret stores called Be: about four years back. From the house of garment major Raymonds, it was the first endeavour to make designer wear more affordable and accessible.

Today, with 17 outlets all over the country, and even one in Dubai, Be: is a one-stop shop housing clothes and accessories designed by some of the top names in the country?s couture brigade.

?There was a vision to make designer wear available to all who wanted to possess them but couldn?t afford it. Raymond was aware of the fact that people were getting more and more interested in designer clothes. But on the other hand, the rise in demand for value-for-money products had seen the market for ready-to-wear apparel growing fast. Be: grabbed this opportunity to offer value-for-money designer outfits,? said Paulomi Dhawan, vice-president of the chain.

The Calcutta outlet of Be: at Forum was born along with the shopping mall in 2003 and has since been one of the most important fashion addresses in the city.

Wardrobe wows

Be: houses creations of some of the country?s finest designers: Anshu Arora Sen, Ashish and Smita Soni, Krishna Mehta, Manish Arora, sister duo Gauri and Nainika Karan (known for their label Magentic Rag), Priyadarshini Rao, Puja Nayyar, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Bal, Rina Shah, Savio Jon, Vidhi Singhania, Shantanu and Nikhil, Aki Narula, Akbar Shahpurwala, Wendell Rodricks and new entrant Abhishek Gupta from Delhi. Apart from the fashion bigwigs, the store also offers its in-house label.

While women?s western wear occupies a whopping 60 per cent of rack space, the rest is devoted to ethnic clothes. An eclectic mix of relaxed office gear, casual lounge wear and more formal cocktail dresses in fabrics ranging from knits and cottons to linens and silk throws up buys for every occasion and budget. Smart shirts and kurtas steal the show in men?s wear.

The price point starts at Rs 600 and goes up to a maximum of Rs 6,000.

Add-on assortment

There?s a wide range of add-ons on offer to accessorise the ensembles, from trendy totes and chic clutches to exclusive designer jewellery. Intricately-embroidered, sequinned and printed bags with interesting handles in a riot of colours spoil you for choice. Belts inspired by traditional Indian artistry and feminine sandals and comfortable slip-ons from Rinaldi and Pink complete the picture.

The jewellery line from the in-house label offers an assortment of pretty beaded danglers, silver chokers and stone-studded necklaces, starting from as low as Rs 150.

Fashion funda

Be:?s involvement with fashion doesn?t stop at off-the-rack sales. The chain comes up with interesting events from time to time to generate fashion awareness, too. A makeover workshop called Be: Transformation held in January, for instance, attempted to educate buyers about the cuts and colours that would suit their personality.

A personality test, followed by physical measurements of everyone who opted for the session, were taken by Mumbai-based stylist Sujata Assomull, who then guided them through the colours and silhouettes that would suit them best. The two-day workshop also demonstrated various looks ? sporty, sexy, casual or corporate ? through clothes, accessories and make-up.

Pictures by Rashbehari Das