(From top) Models show off Bibi Russell creations at a fashion show on Saturday; the Tollywood fraternity joins the models for an impromptu jig at the same event. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

She has rocked international ramps with her trademark gamchha statement on many an occasion. But Bangladeshi designer Bibi Russell proved on Saturday night in Calcutta that her expertise extends much beyond the humble piece of fabric. Exquisite cuts and vibrant colours in rich silk, crochet, Jamdani and fine cotton defined an out-and-out international collection that the celebrated designer unveiled in the city.

The fashion show, held at the erstwhile Opera theatre hall on Dharamtala Street, marked the launch of Russell’s talk show titled Fashion For Development for a private Bengali channel.

Produced by fashion exponent Prasad Bidapa, the show unveiled five sequences, each with a distinct flavour highlighting a traditional aspect of Bangladesh’s rich textile heritage. The slow-paced choreography offered ample scope for appreciation of the fabrics, the mainstay of the collection.

The show kicked off with a line of off-white ensembles in khadi and textured cotton, in sharp contrast to the next collection that unleashed a riot of colours on the ramp. Gamchha prints in primary shades of green, red, yellow and orange offered a taste of the designer’s forte. The collection that followed combined rich silk with crochet work. The well-styled line came in rich hues of orange, green, turquoise, navy and black.

The next sequence was devoted to silk ensembles, which, the designer said is a speciality of Rajshahi in Bangladesh. “The quality of the silk is so rich that to pay tribute to the weavers I haven’t used any embellishments on the garments,” said Russell.

The finale moved back to Russell’s signature drapes ? gamchha and Jamdani saris. “A Bibi Russell show can’t be complete without saris. Jamdani is the most exquisite fabric Bangladesh produces and the gamchha has always been my trademark. So I decided to wrap up the show with a combination of the two,” added the designer. While the gamchha saris were once again in vibrant basic colours, the Jamdani collection saw a beautiful melange of soft off-whites and gorgeous red, black and gold.

The silhouettes ? long skirts, kurtas, kurtis, short tops, trousers, draped lowers, pyjamas, dhotis and shirts ? proved the wide scope of the traditional fabrics. “I am surprised to see that these outfits are so global. They could well be seen at Selfridges next season,” observed Bidapa.

Accessorisation and styling played a major role in heightening the drama of the show. Wooden shoes with “rickshaw paintings”, colourful bangles and chunky earrings, strings of jasmine garlands, turbans and crochet caps, scarves and belts added to the appeal of the clothes.

The catwalkers ? Rachel, Usman, Anoushka, Asha, Rakesh and others from Bangalore joined by Tina from Calcutta, Sanjukta from Mumbai and a couple of models from Bangladesh ? sashayed to Bangla songs on the makeshift ramp. The show ended with some members of the audience ? Tollywood beauties Indrani Halder, Sreelekha Mitra, Koneenica Banerjee, Chandreyee Ghosh among others ? joining the models on the ramp as they broke into an impromptu jig.

The spirited audience also included actress Aparajita Auddy, actor Arjun Chakraborty and wife Nilanjana, singer Indranil Sen, designer Sharbari Datta, Agnimitra Paul and Shamlu Dudeja.