Model Jessica shows off a designer creation at the Blenders’ Pride show

The Blenders’ Pride Magical Nights fashion shows have travelled across almost all the night clubs of the city and now it’s time for the clubs to take over. Saturday Club was the first one in the circuit to play host to the midnight fashion fiesta on Saturday with the creations of Rohit Bal, Suneet Verma, Raghuvendra Rathore, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Calcutta’s Shayon Mitra being showcased.

Phoenix, the first-floor lounge of the club that is the venue for the pub night at the club every Saturday, doubled as a makeshift ramp this weekend.

By 11.30 pm the place was packed to capacity and as midnight struck, the unlit hall came to life with a riot of lights and DJ Feroz’s thumping music. Model Nicola donned the garb of emcee for the evening and kick-started the show with Rohit Bal’s collection.

Cotton and georgette were the fabrics of the moment. Crushed skirts with kurtis and smart-fit cotton pants for women were what the ace designer had in store for Calcutta. Rajesh Pratap Singh’s collection was up next. Formal suits for women in pastel shades ruled this raw silk collection. Chinese collars and straight falls were the highlights here.

Pretty models were as much the cynosure as the clothes they adorned. Members vied with each other to rank the girls as they set the ramp afire. Eager hands went up showing 5 fingers as if to say “This one could be given a 5 out of 10”. Some received the thumbs down as well, unable to pass members’ muster.

Suneet Verma and Raghuvendra Rathore’s collections came on amid such cheering and hooting. Rathore’s stripped shirts for men in colours ranging from pastels to maroons went down well with the club crowd.

Not to lag behind, city boy Shayon Mitra took on the fashionistas with interesting outfits for both men and women. He dressed up women in raw silk suits with collars and embroidered sleeves, while restricting men to a more casual look.

By the time the show was wrapped up past 1 am, the party had just begun with music, masti and cocktails keeping up the spirits that showed no signs of waning.

Retro rave

Revellers at the Someplace Else party

Nostalgia is bound to rule when the mood is retro. For the 25-plus party brigade of Calcutta, it was a reunion of sorts on Saturday night as Someplace Else donned the disco look and feel as it used to be. A birthday treat for partygoers, the ongoing 10th anniversary celebrations at the pub had everybody grooving to DJ music on Saturday.

It was a rare occasion for revellers who had trooped to the pub with their first dates in tow a couple of years ago to relive the moments with their fiancées and spouses now.

The tiny pub was packed to capacity as early as 10 pm with more bumping and grinding happening on the 100 sq ft dance floor than some real moves.

Remixes from the Amitabh starrer Don, Suneeta Rao’s Pari Hoon Main…, to J.Lo’s Waiting for tonight,the numbers got as vintage as one could imagine — an unlikely but sure fodder for a bubbly party.

Silver for gold

Brinda Ganguly Sirkar and Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta launch Sonali Borsho Rupali Elish at Gold Factory.

Hilsa prices may have come down from their pedestal but the fish is still the prize catch, or so one jewellery store would have us believe.

Sonali Borsho Rupali Elish at Gold Factory is a one of its kind promotion gimmick that offers a shining hilsa as a freebie on buys worth Rs 2,000.

“We like to be innovative in whatever we do,” gushed Brinda Ganguly Sirkar of Gold Factory at the launch of the week-long promotion on Saturday.

True to her word, one found culinary expert and restaurateur Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta sharing exotic hilsa recipes at the Gariahat store. Everything from Elish Dopiaza, Elisher Dom, Elish Korma, Elish Anarash Malaikari to Elish Machher Ombol featured in Rakhi’s hour-long discourse.

Brinda had another surprise in store in a five-recipe booklet. Going with the mood was gold jewellery set in sea-shells, ceramic and even betel nut. Light-weight sets priced at Rs 10,000 onwards floated above it all.

Crescent call

Croissants from Escoffier

It’s time to break festive bread with an 11-day croissant promotion that kicked off on August 20 at the two Escoffier outlets (Sarat Bose Road and New Alipore) in the city. On offer are a wide range of salted and sweet goodies improvised from the crescent-shaped treat.

Croissant sandwiches, butter honey croissants and apple croissant are the top draws at the stores. Mini-croissants, to go with tea and coffee instead of your regular cookies, are available in packs of 15, while wheat croissants work well for the health conscious.

In an “effort to give something new to the city”,

Saurabh Almal of the store has also lined up cool concoctions to wash it all down at their new mocktail counter in Central Plaza. Jamaican Congo and Purple Rain are the exotic sips to name a few. Iced tea, Irish and Jamaican tea bring up the rear.

Wood work

Actress June gets to try some Kasmia Jewellery from AKM Mehrasons prior to a two-day exhibition at Taj Bengal starting on Monday

Furniture facts get a refresher at Nu Built Furnitures at 57 Park Street. The five-decade-old store has gone into a joint venture with Gorsia Furniture to come up with a range that professes to be high on “durability and affordability”, with an eye on the middle-class purchasing power.

“So far we’ve enjoyed unparalleled patronage from the middle class in the city. But we’ve had to rethink our strategy owing to the influx of foreign brands in the recent years,” said Ravi Casyab, owner of the Nu Built Furnitures. Thus they tied up with Gorsia Furniture in a bid to “keep up with the times”.

The new price tags read Rs 74,300 for a set of double bed and two side tables, Rs 42,000 for a dresser and so on.