Ranikahini, the over two-decade-old fashion brand, gets a new address with a pretty corner at the recently opened Bunaphile Roasters on Southern Avenue. Started in 2000, the brand is designer and owner Abira Roy Chowdhury Sarkar’s labour of love. Her passion for the handwoven and hand-block printed six yards of grace led her to launch her label. Starting off her retail venture from her store in Sodepur and her home studio in Labani Estate, Salt Lake, she began by retailing saris before launching kurtas and kurtis as well. Her new retail space in Bunaphile’s massive new outlet is aesthetically done up with the shelves displaying a variety of drapes and a range of cotton kurtas, designed with classy designs and vibrant prints. Here’s a t2 festive lookbook, with Bibriti Chatterjee and Hiya Mukherjee, unveiling her new collection stocked up at her new retail den on Southern Avenue:
(From left) Joining for the Panchami adda with your gang right after work? Get decked up for a day-to-night look before you step out in this tussore silk sari detailed with dainty little flowers that are hand-block printed all over. Wear it with a simple sleeveless blouse or style it like Hiya with a shirt-style simple white blouse, statement jewellery from Karishmaz and a fuss-free pulled-up bun. The dark eyes and nude lip combo just get the work-to-adda vibe right in this look.
Add a dash of vintage charm to your Ashtami evening dinner date look in these organza saris designed with digital-printed floral motifs and stone embellishments along the border. Glam up these stylish, gorgeous and classy looks with kundan jewellery from Anjali Jewellers like Hiya and Bibriti; keep the hairstyle classy with a fish plait or a messy low bun. Tuck in some roses to complete the vintage vibe.
A Bengali Puja wardrobe can never be complete without a traditional laal paar sada sari and this khadi jamdaani from Ranikahini fits the bill perfectly. Kohl eyes, the hair pulled back into a bun and the red bindi give the quintessential touch to a T. Draped in contemporary style, the simple yet elegant look of the sari with the solid red border, small butas all over the body and typical jamdaani aanchal is complemented with chunky silver jewellery from Karishmaz to elevate the festive-day glam.
(From left) If you want a sari for your Navami night glam look, this pure silk sari with shibori work in rich shades of green would work well. But if the Puja fun and late nights get you tired and you still want to pull off a glam look for the last day, style it edgy like Bibriti with a touch of casual charm by pairing it with a comfy oversized shirt, statement silver pieces from Glow N Glitter and the hair worn open in waves. Keep the make-up simple in shades of nude, with a dramatic touch to the eyes with winged liner and you are ready to rock the night.
If sari is your go-to attire for the five festive days, style your looks differently with edgy drapes. This geometric patterned, shibori work tussore silk sari in earthy tones of brown and burnt orange is elegant and perfect for experimenting with various draping styles. Hiya sports it with a shirt-style ruffled blouse with puff sleeves and chunky hand jewellery and earrings in the complementing brass metal from Anki Bunki. The bun keeps the look fuss-free and the smoky look complements the earthy hues.
(Left) Bibriti channels a pretty day look in this simple yet graceful ivory silk sari designed with a vibrant floral print in batik. The puffed-sleeve blouse, silver jewellery from Glow N Glitter, winged eyes and floral touch in the bun complete the look. Hiya pulls off an ultra-glam evening look in the purple tussore sari with hand-block floral print and zari border. Statement jewellery pieces from Glow N Glitter and the bun accentuate the glam.
Go traditional to the T for your Dashami evening look, a Saptami morning look or dress it up at work during the Puja days, in these Chhattisgarh tussore silk saris with exquisite kantha detailing that have the festive feel to them. Drape it in versatile styles, add some flowers to your bun and glam it up with a heavy jewellery look from Avama Jeweller.
“I am extremely happy and grateful to Sonika (Dey) and Paromik (Das) who have given me the opportunity to showcase my label Ranikahini at Bunaphile. My collection has both saris and kurtas for the festive season. Keeping in mind Puja and Diwali, I have kept a wide variety of saris. From handblock prints in different kinds of silks, tussores, mulmul and cotton to batik print and shibori designs, there’s a lot of emphasis on prints in my collection as I have my own block-printing unit. There are also khadi saris in interesting weaves. I have saris in different price range and a variety to cater to different tastes” — Abira Roy Chowdhury Sarkar, designer and owner of Ranikahini.
“The collection has a huge variety like organza, kantha, batik and tussore. As the saris are designed wearable, we kept the drape simple and easy-to-do. By using crop tops, oversized shirts and chiffon blouses, we created contemporary smart looks for youngsters as they love wearing saris these days. The vintage charm of Bunaphile as our backdrop for the shoot, complemented the looks, too. We used flowers for various looks keeping the upcoming festive season in mind. The idea was to showcase draping styles balancing the comfort of the wearer and channelling festive glam at the same time,” said Anupam Chatterjee, stylist.
“For the hair and make-up of this lookbook, we have played around with vintage, smart, classy and casual. There’s a balance between glam and minimal. For the eyes, we kept the palette smokey or went for winged liners, and complemented the drama of the eyes with simple nude and glossy lips. The overall make-up was simple, with a variety of hairstyles. We used fresh flowers to add the festive flavour,” said Sayanta Dhali, hair and make-up pro.
Blouses and tops: Warssi Kolkata Styling: Anupam Chatterjee Hair and Make-up: Sayanta Dhali Location: Bunaphile Roasters; 101, Southern Avenue