Glam Gamcha

I know what you will say. At the end of the day it’s a gamcha. But there is something about a Bibi Russell show that ensures you that this humble piece of cloth that every self-respecting Bong bhadrolok wraps around himself before taking a dip in the Ganga,will prove to be your ticket to highfashiondom. How bohemian these models look sporting an exquisite gamcha-material kurta,or a cotton sari with gamcha trimmings… But will I manage to look that cool in a hooded gamcha kurta? These were the thoughts troubling my head when I walked into the Dev R Nil show on the second day of KFW II (arrey baba Kolkata Fashion Week II). As is evident,I was suitably impressed by Bibi Russell’s much-applauded show earlier in the day.

The moment I walked into the hall,a blast of yellow overwhelmed me. The ramp,it seems,was covered with marigold petals keeping in mind the festive collection. The militant naturist in me had a few things to say about the rampant maltreatment of poor,innocent marigolds but then one has to be rational about these things. The show was interesting,though the marigold ramp proved to be a bit of a distraction (will the models trip over?). There were lots of sherwanis with velvety texture which looked,well,festive. There were nice net saris with chumki embellishments. At least our Kolkata boys know how to be tastefully opulent. Mr Rocky S can take a lesson or two.

But my favourite of the day was this Kolkata designer called Kallol Dutta who showed earlier in the day. His collection was edgy without being pretentious. Nice,loose kurtas (well they certainly looked like kurtas) with unusual prints (a recurring print was that of the torso of a mannequin). Stuff I would wear on my day out.