Kallol Dutta

Masaba Gupta
The designer, known for her quirky prints and a page 3 darling, landed the big job as Fashion Director at Satya Paul. Masaba has been hired to revitalize the brand and to attract the younger crowds who seem to like Masaba’s fashion. Clever move, win-win for everyone!

Masaba Gupta at LFW S/R 2012

Manish Arora
Designer Manish Arora went in and out of Paco Rabanne before anyone could say “Paris Fashion Week”. The design house claims that hiring Manish was a short-term move anyways, but the real reason for his quick exit will probably never be known by us mere mortals. Meanwhile, Manish is back to his usual space-age OTT creations.

Aneeth Arora and Payal Pratap Singh
As winner and runner-up of India’s first Vogue Fashion Fund, both designers are set for a promising career. Hope to see even better fashion from the two women this year onward.

Below: Aneeth Arora with her creation

Kallol Dutta
First he made news as finale designer at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012, then as the author of a scathing article in a news magazine sparing almost no one in the Indian fashion scene.

Pankaj-Nidhi
Givenchy Fall Winter 2012 and the designer duo at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012- inspiration or imitation? You decide.

Shefalee Vasudev
The ex-editor of Marie Claire India wrote an insightful account on Indian fashion, covering both ends of the spectrum. I enjoyed every word of her book Powder Room.

Nonita Kalra
Elle editor has quit after a long tenure of 12 years. Greener pastures beckon?

Playboy India Bunny’s costume
The modified outfit, adapted to Indian sensibility, made for fascinating news and hilarious tweets.

In 2012, LFW W/F 2012

LFW W/F 2012 Trend: Prints, prints and some more prints!

Speaking ChicAugust 12, 2012August 12, 2012Leave a comment

My mind is a blur- I’ve seen abstract, bizarre, kaleidoscopic, psychedelic and many more prints over the past few days at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012. Here’s my picks of the prints spotted on the ramp.

Kaleidoscopic prints at Pankaj-Nidhi

Eccentric prints at Kallol Datta 1955 (moon faces, snails, safety pins!)

Doodles from Aartivijay Gupta’s book- sketches of faces and figure blocks.

Retro-geometric prints at Archana Kochhar

Rorschach inkblot test-like patterns at Ken Ferns

Geometric abstract prints at Shift by Nimish Shah

Which print do you want to wear in the new season?

In 2012, LFW W/F 2012

LFW W/F 2012: What I’m excited about this fashion week

Speaking ChicAugust 3, 2012August 2, 2012Leave a comment

One: Fashion shows by Pallavi Jaikishan (for the first time at Lakme Fashion Week), Ritu Beri, Shyamal & Bhumika, Shivan & Narresh, Swapnil Shinde!

Below: Swapnil Shinde at LFW S/R 2012

Two: New faces can usher in new fashion (hopefully). Pernia Qureshi of Aisha fame will be presenting her first collection on Saturday. I also enjoyed Nimish Shah and Payal Khandwala last season for their fresh take on design. And GenNext designers are always fun to watch!

Below: Shift by Nimish Shah at LFW S/R 2012

Three: Wendell Rodricks will release his memoirs The Green Room on the last day of fashion week. I can’t wait to read it.

Four: Kallol Dutta may look strange and “scary”, but his fashion is quirky and he’s got a great following. He will present at the grand finale with Pankaj-Nidhi- it will be a must-watch!

Below: Kallol Dutta and Pankaj-Nidhi with Purnima Lamba, Head Innovations, Lakme

What are you excited about this season of Lakme Fashion Week?

In 2012, Accessories, Fashion

Chic Guide: Top 5 things to do this week (July 30-Aug 5)

Speaking ChicJuly 30, 2012July 30, 2012Leave a comment

Follow: Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2012

It’s time for Lakme Fashion Week again, fashionistas! There’s a great mix of establish and upcoming designers for the Winter/Festive 2012 edition, so stay tuned to this blog for updates from fashion week. 🙂 Some designers to look forward to: Ritu Beri, Pallavi Jaikishan, and first-timer Pernia Qureshi (of Aisha fame). BTW, Kallol Dutta and Pankaj-Nidhi are the grand finale designers.

Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012 is from August 3-7, 2012 at Mumbai.

Below: Kallol Dutta and Pankaj-Nidhi with Purnima Lamba, Head- Innovations, Lakme.

Buy: Kitsch Umbrellas

I’m bored of black umbrellas, floral print umbrellas and the kiddie umbrellas. If you agree with me, then opt for a fun umbrella that expresses the quirky side of your personality. Nida Mahmood’s new range of umbrellas is 100% Bollywood, with visuals and one-liners from classic movies and songs. I like the “Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi si” umbrella.

Umbrellas by Nida Mahmood are priced Rs 2000 onward, available on the designer’s website.

Ogle: Vu-Tarun Tahiliani Couture TV

In a unique fashion-technology collaboration, veteran designer Tarun Tahiliani has designed a high-end TV for Vu Technologies. The 3D, 55-inch TV has been designed with unusual ornamental patterns constructed through the use of calligraphy and geometry. The fine use of latticework in muted Swarovski elements adds a subtle luxury feel to the TV. And tech lovers will enjoy the in-built PC with Windows software, graphics card and other cool stuff. Technology as art, anyone?

The Vu-Tarun Tahiliani Couture TV will be showcased at the Tarun Tahiliani Couture Exposition in New Delhi and Mumbai. Price on request.

Protect your eyes: GUNNAR Optiks

GUNNAR Optiks eyewear is finally available in India! GUNNAR’s Advanced Computer Eyewear and Advanced Gaming Eyewear lines are designed to protect your eyes from the harsh glare of computer, mobile and other screens that are part of our daily lives. Their products should be on the must-have list of all stylish cubicle dwellers.

Below: GUNNAR Optiks Advanced Computer Eyewear

You can pre-order GUNNAR eyewear in India at Infibeam. Prices Rs 4,500 onward.

Gift: Chic stuff for Raksha Bandhan

Boys, here are some chic gift suggestions for your lovely sisters:

Diamonds: Always a favourite, it’s for those who can afford it! 🙂

Beauty products: Always a favourite with women, gift boxes are easy to find n most stores such as The Body Shop. Opt for those with more than type of product, like the Armani Code Gift Box (it’s got a fragrance, shower gel and body lotion).

Accessories: Choose art and semi-precious jewellery based on your sister’s style statement. Watches and bags are great gifts too, and you get great options for every budget.

In Fashion, LFW W/F 2011

LFW W/F 2011 Day 5: Aneeth Arora layers again, Kallol Dutta loves geometry

Speaking ChicSeptember 7, 2011Leave a comment

On the closing day of Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2011, Aneeth Arora artfully used fabrics from across India for her trademark layered creations. Meanwhile, Kallol Dutta showcased geometry in his collection in more ways than one.

Pero by Aneeth Arora
Aneeth Arora’s collection at LFW W/F 2011 was an advanced lesson in mix-and-match. She mixed fabrics, silhouettes and colours as she layered a whole range of garments in her show.

The young designer highlighted the skills of Indian weavers, using fabrics from different regions of India. It wasn’t just her favourite khadi that we saw, but also kota, doria, chanderi, linen and wool, all expertly layered for cooler weather. She mixed textures and silhouettes from the onset—the opening model wore a crochet baniyan with a khadi skirt, chanderi shirt and jamdani scarf.

We enjoyed the choice of colours, that included peach, lilac, wine, ash, brick, rose and military green that were fused together as simple shirts, structured trousers, jackets, jumpsuits, and even shrugs and overcoats.

While layering is not new to Aneeth Arora or to the fashion world, we noted that this clever layering was something we could keep in mind for next summer as well.

Kallol Dutta 1955
The word “unconventional” best describes designer Kallol Dutta, and while his colour palette is usually monotonous, his outfits are striking and impactful.

In a seemingly simple collection, Kallol gave his own twist to simple garments like jackets, dresses and trousers. The prints were seemingly taken from a high school geometry book, and detailing like braids, tiny pleats, frayed edges and tassles made all the difference.

Kallol used wool, wool blends, silk, satins, nets, voiles, kora silks, gauze and calico in black and white (with hints of blue and pink) for garments like palazzo pants, multiple hoodie, disjointed waistcoat and askew dress.

Yes, unconventional is the right word for Kallol Dutta. We could also add quirky, crazy and out-of-the-box to the list.

In Fashion, LFW W/F 2010

LFW: 5 years of Gen Next

Speaking ChicSeptember 23, 2010Leave a comment

Lakme Fashion Week’s Gen Next show provides up-and-coming designers a platform to showcase their talent. The Gen Next concept was introduced in 2006 to encourage quality, innovation, creativity and commercial viability among the budding designers.

Today several Gen Next designers are successful and have a steadily growing fan following. To celebrate five years of the concept’s success, Lakme Fashion Week organised a show with 10 established designers who debuted at Gen Next few years ago.

Highlights of the show

Anuj Sharma played with the concept of 3D, using triangles edged necklines, cloth bubbles on the bodice, giant covered buttons, cones appeared on the bustier and 3D motifs on the neck. Highly unusual, but translatable into an interesting retail collection.

Kallol Dutta is known for offbeat prints, and I spotted a number of people at the show wearing his clothes. Calling this line “Black Humourist”, Kallol used black as a backdrop for his funky prints. One of his prints was (ahem!) a fork and a spoon. Later asked about the use of such symbols, he shrugged and replied, “I just like to use random, impertinent objects and use them on my clothes.” Good reply, and good thing it’s quickly becoming wearable and acceptable fashion.

Kunal Rawal’s five outfits were perhaps the most refreshing (and fun) of the lot. His male models told the story of karigars (workers), carrying tools of their trade, looking rustic, and one even taking off his shirt. (Woot!) There was also a canvas waistcoat, a kurta shirt, a sherwani and bundi combo and a sporty four flap pocket jacket with trousers. The colour palette was largely khaki-inspired, with brown and orange. Here’s Kunal with a model (note the satchel):

Nitin Bal Chauhan is in the wrong profession. His heart and soul is of a visual artist working with mixed media. For his Freedom! Freedom! line, he created skirts, jackets and dresses with the most unusual materials—newspaper-print coated paper, spools of thread and plastic basket weave, creating a stunning effect on the ramp. The inspiration, he said after the show, was from farmers who are forced to pick up weapons to make their living (the Naxalite story). He created these garments using materials from their daily life. Can’t wear them, but very poignant stuff.

Other designers at the show were:

Aneeth Arora
Rahul Mishra
Rimzin Dadu
Nachiket Barve (more on him later)
Sailex
Swapnil Shinde

Which Gen Next designers do you like? Tell us!

Showing all posts tagged Kallol Dutta

Chic 2012: Fashion news makers we talked about

LFW W/F 2012 Trend: Prints, prints and some more prints!

LFW W/F 2012: What I’m excited about this fashion week

Chic Guide: Top 5 things to do this week (July 30-Aug 5)

LFW W/F 2011 Day 5: Aneeth Arora layers again, Kallol Dutta loves geometry

LFW: 5 years of Gen Next