Alliance Francaise du Bengale director Fabrice Plançon walked the ramp in a lapel jacket with asymmetrical patches, a linen trouser, a handwoven scarf, and accessorised the look with a hat from the collection. He got the loudest cheers. “After one year of hosting our cultural events in full online mode due to the pandemic, we were finally able to bring back the celebration mood in the heart of Calcutta! I am posted in Calcutta for three-and-a-half years, and since my first day here I dreamt about having a fashion show at Alliance Francaise du Bengale at Park Mansions,” said Fabrice Plançon.
Pabitra DasLights, music and ramp walk... after a year full of digital showcases of their collections by designers, the sight of the ramp and models walking down the runway was indeed pleasurable to the eyes of all fashion enthusiasts and the happy vibes could be well felt along with the chill in the air. The ramp set against the backdrop of the lovely white-and-gold dome on the rooftop of Park Mansion complemented the theme of the collection Abhishek x Livia. The al fresco set-up under the moonlit sky and the colourful lights lighting up the L-shaped runway at a corner of the roof — designer Abhishek Dutta’s first fashion show post-lockdown, an Indo-French project, on January 30, was totally lit and in sync with the pandemic norms. It also marked the first non-virtual fashion show organised in the city since the lockdown last year.
This comfy one-shoulder Chanderi dress with knot detailing, was designed with digital prints of the monuments.
Pabitra DasWith a limited gathering of guests in an informal ambience with wine and hearty conversations to keep them warm, Abhishek showcased his Spring Summer ’21 collection, designed in collaboration with visual artist Livia Dudouit from France with the support of Alliance Francaise du Bengale. A refreshing colour palette with a burst of happy and bright hues like maroon and white, candy pink and yellow, pastel blue and olive, this relaxed-fit wearable collection of summer resortwear or partywear celebrating the Indo-French connection was a blend of art and architecture, inspired from Livia’s paintings of monuments from India and France, given expression through digital prints and hand embroideries on a variety of silhouettes. The models walked the ramp with a cheerful track playing in the background along with visuals of its recording from the sound studio, created specifically for the show, in collaboration with musicians Kiran and Arthedone from France. Before the walk began, a short film based on the shoot of the collection at Chandernagore created by Anirban and Ankit Aditya of Aditya Production was presented.
Subhashree Kar channelled a relaxed look in a handwoven linen pleated asymmetrical dress in a fresh hue, worn with a digital-printed cape jacket.
Pabitra DasRangeet Raheel wore a maroon stretch cotton digital-printed bandhgala designed with oversized pockets with the brand’s signature leather flaps. Meghna Bose’s white-and-maroon off-shoulder Chanderi hand-embroidered dress was designed with architectural motifs and voluminous sleeves.
Pabitra Das