The Pujas for me are about embracing my ethnicity, and to appreciate the wondrous textiles of our country. The woven textiles of India are more accessible and available widely, so festivals like Durga Puja are a good time to explore these fashion choices and celebrate our roots.
My lookbook for the five days of Durga Puja definitely has to have a balanced mix of functional and occasion wear. As a designer, when I look at what people have been wearing for pujo, I always wish everyone incorporates more traditional wear. During Durga Puja, we should be able to celebrate our roots, our saris and our dhotis!
Here is a Pujo-special lookbook from Sasthi to Dashami, curated for My Kolkata readers:
Sasthi
People are usually still in work mode on Sasthi. Functional clothing is the best option for mixing work commitments and pujo plans, so opt for work wear or semi-Indian wear that can be worn to office and then carried forward to the night. You can opt for semi-formal footwear to keep the look casual for an outing.
For men, I would suggest shirts with waistcoats in breathable fabrics like linen, teamed with denims or semi formal pants. I recommend colours like beige, ecru, peach or pista green.
For women, my suggestions are tunic with palazzo for work. Carry a statement stole preferably in a woven fabric for the evening and statement earrings come out for the night look with light makeup and single highlight of eye or lips.
Saptami
If it’s still a working day, let’s take our sarees and light weaves to work today.
Women, take out your mulmul cotton or light cotton saris to keep up with the heat. You can also consider light woven sarees like jamdanis in pastel colours or white on white. Indigo is a beautiful choice too — team it with crop tops as blouses and you are ready to slay.
I would ideally take out our kajol paar saris with ivory jamdani buti on Saptami. Complete the look with pearl drop earrings and pearl necklace, inspired from Gayatri Devi’s classic lookbooks.
Men can go for an ethnic look wearing kurta-pyjama to work. Let’s stick to breathable fabrics on Saptami as well — nothing puts you off than sweaty, stained kurtas in polyester.
Ashtami
Ashtami anjali in the paarar pujo .means a quintessential shaada laal paar sari or gorod sarees for women, paired with simple gold jewellery. For those who want to skip saris, an ivory tone-on-tone anarkali kurta with gold statement earrings would be smashing too
Let’s get the men to experience the traditional dhotis today. Borrow from dadu or baba and wear the traditional kochano dhuti with panjabi! Tussar, ecru, shades of ghee and ivory will be great for a morning look for both men and women this Puja.
For Ashtami evening, let’s celebrate colours and experiment with them. Reds, maroons, mustard, rani pink (Barbiecore!) with gold are such eye turners. I would hoot for woven sarees in ikkat, ilkal, bomkai with offbeat blouses in contrast and in stilettos.
The men can coordinate with their better halves in light silk kurtas in maroon, mustards or wine shade with contrast churidar, slipping into mojris.
Navami
The second last day of Durga Puja needs a dash of colour to beat the mon kharap. If pandal hopping is still on the cards (I recommend visiting pujos of North Kolkata and the bonedi barir pujos), haldi yellow, oranges and peaches are perfect for the mornings. Ladies, wrap yourself in gadwals in beautiful contrast shades now. For the evenings, take out your lehenga skirts that have been kept aside after ‘that wedding you wore it to’. Wear them with simple solid colour crop tops and high heels for a chic indo-western power dressing.
This Puja, I plan to wear my vintage lehenga in ahir embroidery that I have picked up from the Rabari women embroiderers from Kutch!
Men, go for coloured dhotis in maroon and black and wear them with contrast-coloured kurtas (ideally a tussar or an ecru one). Nothing looks dapper like traditional wear for men.
Dashami
I am usually out of energy on Dashami, or maybe I just feel low that the Pujas are going to be over. Usually evenings are reserved for sindoor khela in shaada laal paar sari. Men can wear kurta and churidar in ivory colour with a well-made waistcoat in a print or in kantha stitch for a beautiful ending to the Durga Puja.
(As told to Pooja Mitra)
