Men’s fashion is always an enigma. Especially if it is their women who are shopping for them during the festive season. While some women are totally at a loss about what to buy for their men, men themselves are usually too laid-back to bother about making individual style statements and are happy to go with the flow. The onus then is on the women to figure out what is flying off the shelves this season.

Says Dipali Karmakar, a 42-year-old resident of BC Block: “I usually shop for my father and husband. This year I’m looking beyond khadi kurtas which were quite a hit last year. Something exclusive will fit the bill. I don’t want to come home and see sullen faces of the men complaining about lack of variety in my shopping for them.” 

Linen and jute are all the rage in fabrics this year. Says Pronob Dey, store manager at Rene in Mani Square: “This year we’ve noticed a trend in jute and cotton printed kurtas in men’s fashion. They’re selling fast. Also in demand is our Madhubani printed collection in cotton, aari-work embroidered silk kurtas and pathani suits in cotton.”

Rohan Saha, a 19-year-old hotel management student who lives in AC Block, says: “Orange is the new black this season. So I will be looking for copper-coloured shirts or warm orange-tinted kurtas. That will be my pick this season. But the fabric has got to be cotton.”

The owners  of Deep Fashion, shop number 30 at CA Market, have been raving about khadi and cotton. “The sales of khadi and cotton are high throughout the year. They make good buys. People looking for budget buys generally opt for khadis, cotton kurtas and chikankari kurtas,” said Bipradeep Singh, proprietor of Deep Fashion.

Other sought-after fabrics are tussar silk and aari silk. “Tussar is and always has been a festive buy. They are stand-out items with people looking for festive kurtas with a medium budget,” he added.

Sumit Ghosh of Bandhan Creations has his shelves full of designerwear kurtas. The buttons are stylishly made of dokra with animal motifs in some while the khadi range here sports unique buttons made of wood.

“Orange or gerua-hued kurtas are moving fast off our shelves. Other colours are green, golden, black and muga silk off white. Most of our customers choose silk kurtas or designerwear cotton printed kurtas,”  said Ghosh.

In Western wear, checks are moving fast. While checked tailoring and outerwear have been trending already for a few seasons the pattern is more sporty this Puja. Mixed gingham and windowpane checks also have quite a few takers.

Zip-up tracksuit tops worn under tailoring also makes for some high-low styling contrast. For example, you could team a luxe, dark tan take on the track top with a pair of tailored trousers. Or sport a flouro mint green jacket layered underneath a black and white pinstripe suit.

Narendra Parekh, marketting manager at Turtle, said: “Linen waistcoats are in vogue. So are check shirts along with dandy belts and light blue denims. Solid colours also have takers but checks are more in fashion.” Also in vogue are the head-to-toe tonal grey looks. In fact, one could mix up different colours rather than rely on very subtly different tones of the same colour, when it comes to layering.

Another trend is the Cuban collar shirt — the open, almost notch lapel-like collared style that has come down from the 1950s. Whether in black or pink, geometric printed Cuban collar shirts with boxy cuts that make muscle-bodied men look slimmer have also made a comeback this season.

Ratan Chakraborty, a resident of CA Block, says: “What my grandfather wore in the 1950s and 1970s is back in fashion. Things like the Cuban collar give you a James Bond look (think Sean Connery). And that look works wonders. It makes you stand out.”

Showli Chakraborty
Pictures by Shubham Paul