STYLE IN THE CITY
Posted by Lucky on Dec 30, 2009
2009 WAS A BUSY ONE FOR THE CITY’S FASHION FRATERNITY. t2 TRACES THE YEAR THAT WAS
Calcutta got its very own fashion week in April courtesy Mindscapes Maestros. With M.S. Dhoni as brand ambassador, a handful of the country’s top designers, star showstoppers and Return to Roots as its theme, KFW Season One took the city’s style set by storm. It was tough to beat a finale by Rohit Bal (and a showstopping act by John Abraham) but Season II did that and more! The venue was bigger and played home to a better designer line-up, with the week opening with Ritu Kumar and closing with Manish Malhotra. The star shower continued. But the style ride has hit a hurdle after only the second edition with a split on the cards. Watch this space for more!
Sabyasachi Mukherjee finally decided to do something he should have done a decade ago. In October, he carved out 2,500sqft of his Topsia factory space and opened his first bridal salon. Rural met industrial met vintage luxury met signature Sabyasachi. Second-hand furniture, picture frames and old Bangali alnas and showcases transport you to an era gone by. And oh yes, his timeless classics are for sale here, too.
Calcutta continued to be the dumping ground of the country. Many international brands showed up through exhibitions and were roped in by private players but what they brought with them was several-seasons-old merchandise desperately searching for a home. National designers also carried on throwing their worst (hence unsold) stock at city stores and special sales. Tsk, tsk.
Kiran Uttam Ghosh completed 15 years in fashion. The retrospective journey began in September with an installation at CIMA as part of Art in Life 2009. Next up was a showing at Kolkata Fashion Week II that began with spring-summer 2010 and culminated in some of her old favourite pieces. An experiential at 85 Lansdowne followed where KUG friends and fans “played with fashion”. Also on sale was a limited edition of designs at 1994 prices! The celebrations carried on to Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and beyond.
Calcutta was gifted with a 1,300sqft shopping haven earlier this year as Mumbai girl Richa Kanoi decided to serve us some style. Situated diagonally opposite La Martiniere for Girls, Bombain is exactly what the fashion doctor ordered. The store that opened in May with a select designer count of 10 is slowly and steadily gathering weight, the most recent additions being Shades of India, Half Full and Ritika Sachdev. Bombain gets high marks for merchandising.August-end saw Vachi — the quiet Swapan & Seema Suhasaria store — go from flagship to multi-designer. Twenty-five labels led by Cue, Ranna Gill and Namrata Joshipura found a new home in the Sarat Bose Road style stop. Recently Vachi added to its brand wagon with kitsch-cool designers like Kavita Bhartia and Shyam Narayan Prasad.Designer Anamika Khanna points out the trends that she wished she saw in the city
Blazer
I saw no one wearing a blazer except for myself! There was no power shoulder, no disco grunge, no nothing. Wonder why.
Chunky necklace
This was a big, big trend in 2009 and though there were some necklaces doing the rounds of the party circuit, the chunky version was definitely absconding. This trend is relatively easy, so I was quite surprised with what I didn’t see.
Oversized
People are afraid to wear things that are loose and big. The oversized look was so huge in the first half of 2009 but, sadly, the city ignored the trend completely. People have no idea how sexy oversized can be. Loose, if done right, can make you look super slim. No one seems to be interested in wearing relaxed clothing. A fitted black dress worn to every party is not always sexy.
The smart sari
Yes, I saw some saris worn at weddings. I saw a few more during Diwali. But those were not the kind I was looking for. I have been missing smart adaptations of the sari. Can I hope to see some in 2010?
Shine & sparkle
Where was the shine and shimmer this year? Not just a spray of sequins seen on some black dresses, I am missing powerful sparkle, the Balmain type (see picture). I did spot some ugly shimmer off and on, some bad beads, but I was looking for stylish shine that ruled the second half of 2009 worldwide. Totally absent from my city.
T2 LOOKS BACK AT SOME TRENDS THAT WE SAW AND WISH WE HADN’T…
Three-quarter leggings with lace trim
Leggings should cover the legs. The three-quarter length does absolutely nothing for bulging calves, even when paired with the trendiest of tunics. If you possess these leggings, we suggest you get on your boots and tuck them in while winter lasts to remove all evidence of that lingerie-inspired lace and lousy length.
Polyester Gowns
Why polyester? Why gowns? Why polyester gowns? Gowns are great for the ball or the red carpet, but that’s where the utility ends. The crystal glinting gowns on the dance floor and at the cocktail party looked tacky, not trendy. And if you did want to hide your legs, why didn’t you play it safe with a maxi?
Fake bags
Calcutta learnt its logos for sure but it forgot an important fact: a fake is a fake is a fake. If your wallet is weighing down your Louis Vuitton, it should be a real one from a boutique and not a Bangkok bargain basement. Ditto for all other ‘it’ items that you may wish to flaunt — shades, shoes, watches, logo-screaming tees.
OTT
The city went big on accessories this year. Shopping lists included skyscraper sandals (gladiators and bondage), crystal clutches and cuffs, one-shoulder dresses and statement necklaces. The only problem was that we wore them all together! Not cool.
Empire line
The empire line looked stunning in 2006. Three years later, not so much. The princess/baby doll/empire line looked nothing but dowdy and dated in 2009. Can we move past the preggers look please?
Blonde hair
The hair disaster that began in the middle of the decade carried on right through the last year. When will Calcutta learn that blonde — bleached or otherwise — does not go with the Indian skin tone? And if you really love your purples, oranges, blues and pinks so much, go for very temporary hair extensions. Leave the peroxide in the pantry.
Kurtas-turned-shifts
Did you forget to wear your salwar/churidar? If this question has been directed at you at some point, you know exactly which silhouette we are talking about. And it wasn’t your fault alone: most desi designers did not make real dresses. The result? Shifts that looked like kurtas!
Cartoon tees
This was one trend that even Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor couldn’t manage to pull off. Calcutta tried hard but, sadly, failed as well. Just remember that even filmi fashion isn’t faultless.
Men to boys
The boy-man look isn’t half as bad as the man-boy look. If we hadn’t already had enough of the ladies refusing to grow up, apparently the gentlemen of Calcutta have chosen to dress to match their mates. How we wish we were spared the idiotic tees and jaded jeans.
