Signature Premier Kolkata Fashion Week Day 1 (First Half)

Coco Chanel once said, ‘Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.’ The In Sensed team couldn’t agree more, after witnessing the Kolkata Fashion Week 2012, presented by Signature Premier.

The event started with ‘The Story of Weaves’ by Paromita Banerjee. From beautiful Sarees to elegant dresses, it had it all! According to her, the collection was “all about weaves and the artwork of Bengal along with other regional styles.” She spoke about how her target segment covered people of all ages and criticized the “lack of organization” of the Kolkata fashion scene which is “gaining momentum” as the fashion week would put Kolkata on the international map.

The enthralling 'Story of Weaves' by Paromita Banerjee

Swati Agarwal Couture stole the show thereafter with the ‘Ruling Goddess’ collection, inspired by long flowing garments worn by goddesses. They presented ethnic wear along with artistic use of chiffon, velvet and silk paired with shades of ivory, crimson, yellow and black. Woven zardosi work and crystal artwork from Swarovski added the icing on the cake. Manju Agarwalla’s jewellery was the high point as well. The trio laid emphasis on draping as well as the need for stressing on fine embroidery. They focused on comfort as the deciding factor for fashion and paid homage to Tarun Tahiliani who played a mentor’s role and also expressed their admiration for Manish Malhotra.

Designers Swati Agarwal and Shobha Agarwal with their collection 'The Ruling Goddess'

Finally, Neyhha Banka’s tic-tac-toe inspired collection wrapped up the first half with stylish accessories and garments including maxi dresses, tops, cocktail dresses, Sarees, pants and shorts. Neyhha talked of the “crude fashion scene in Kolkata” but expressed hope of its coming out of infancy in matching up to international standards one day. Her final message to us summed up the spirit of the Kolkata Fashion Week to a large extent: “Stay away from the rat race. Don’t follow trends blindly. Do something different.”

Designer Neyhaa Banka chats with our representative, Tiyasha

                                  
                                            Photo Courtesy: Debanjan Ghosh