Model Nicola showcasing a designer outfit at Virgo. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Virgo, a multi-label boutique in Bhowanipore owned by fashion designer Ritu Sonthalia, celebrated its first anniversary recently. A simple bash was followed by model Nicola flaunting some outfits which features in the anniversary sale on till today.

The boutique stocks some reputed designer labels from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore as well as Calcutta apart from the in-house label Rave. Labels like Saksham, Lemon Grass and Chhaya Modi from Mumbai, Weaves from Delhi and Raveena from Bangalore share rack space with local tags Ivy, Aaina, Aesthetic, Mansi, Chhuti’s, Aksh, and Preeti Saksaria among others.

Embroidered salwar suits and ones with pretty prints comprise the majority of the collection, but there are saris and lehngas as well. While prices start at around Rs 500 for a kurti, it goes up to Rs 6,000 for higher-end suits. Saris range between Rs 700 and Rs 15,000. But what steals the show at the store is a line of crushed cotton lehngas from Mansi in pastel hues like sea green, peach, pink, sky blue and white. These are teamed with short body-hugging cotton tops and long crushed dupattas.

India diary

She hails from Malaga, a small town in the south of Spain where her family runs a little shop. But these quaint roots did not stop 25-year-old Vanessa Diaz from packing her bags and heading for India, a country about which she had heard much and had always longed to visit. On landing in Delhi in January, her curiosity took her to Rajasthan.

Two-and-a-half months later, Vanessa’s frozen frames were exhibited in Calcutta, on a brief halt on her way to the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

“I wanted to carry parts of India with me, and what can define a place better than its people?” asked the young Spaniard, introducing her collection of faces at Caffeine, Golpark, last week. “Each of these faces have a story and I know all of them. I could just go on for hours,” she gushed.

Candid shots of village folk of Rajasthan in the course of their daily lives are touching and colourful. Film director Goutam Ghose, who dropped by to see her work, was “fascinated by her spirit”.

Rajasthan over with, Vanessa shifted her shutter to what she calls paradise on earth, the Andaman and Nicobar islands, where she lived for two months and captured some exquisite landscapes.

“I want to show my own people the lovely landscapes of India,” said the bubbly woman, who intends to showcase the snapshots in faraway Spain too.

Gold gala

Held every year before the April marriage rush, the Swarna Trishna exhibition at the Senco Gold Megashop has become a much-awaited event. Not only does the exhibition offer everything from jewellery, luggage and toiletries under one roof, exciting prizes are also to be had through a lucky draw.

It was raining diamonds at the store last week when the top three winners of this year’s draw were gifted a diamond necklace, ring and earrings respectively. The prizes were handed over by tabla player Bikram Ghosh, who found the shop “husband friendly” while checking out the luggage and perfume section.

“Many of our clients wait for this exhibition because this is the time when we introduce a range of new designs, especially bridal sets,” said owner Sankar Sen.

Hilsa delicacies at Marco Polo. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Bone ban

A taste of the Hilsa without the menace of the bones could sound lika a fantasy. But you could actually see it coming true at Marco Polo, the multi-cuisine restaurant on Sarat Bose Road, which is hosting a Boneless Ilish Festival especially for the monsoons. The festival that started on June 18, will continue as long as “good quality ilish is available” and that could very well mean the end of September.

The booming success of the festival last year prompted them to host a similar one this year too, said Kallol Banerjee, manager of the restaurant. “We had launched the festival for the first time last year. And it was such a hit that instead of the scheduled one month we had extended it for another two. This year, since the onset of the monsoons, we have had a lot of requests from our regulars to bring back the festive fare,” added Banerjee. The boneless factor is the key to the success of the fest, he felt. “To have ilish without the bones is the ultimate luxury. Our non-Bengali clients are lapping it up with special relish. They used to stay away from the fish because of the bones.”

Six hilsa delicacies have been introduced for the festival and one can mix and match these to make a full meal. The Ilisher Biryani retains the flavour and aroma of the regular biryani, only fish is added instead of the usual chicken or mutton. Ilisher Malai Curry is cooked in coconut milk and other spices, and tastes quite similar to its prawn counterpart. Ilisher Korma is cooked in cashew gravy, while the Doi Ilish is cooked in yoghurt. Ilisher Tok-Jhal is a two-in-one concept, where half of the dish has a tangy taste owing to the presence of tamarind and the other half is made hot and spicy with mustard paste. Bhapa Ilish is cooked in the traditional way with mustard. The first four dishes are priced at Rs 275 each and the last two at Rs 475 each.