The Diwali taash party is sort of a much subdued Met Gala for us Indians! Marking the official start of the autumn-winter party season that follows, the Diwali taash party is not only about channelling glam but also about going quirky or choosing edgy. It is about making style statements and putting on the thinking caps for adding a dose of creativity to ordinary styles. For this year’s taash party lookbook, t2 chose to style the looks in the edgy themed saris of the newly-launched Calcutta brand Oikkyo. From the millennial-favourite Harry Potter’s Hogwarts and Coldplay to Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ and Bolly classics like Dum maro dum, each sari of Oikkyo has a story to tell. Style the looks sexy, comfy, cute or classic and turn heads. t2 shows you how:
The Zeenat Aman classic Dum maro dum was imagined on a vibrant canvas in this satin-georgette sari. Zeenat Aman’s look in this iconic R.D. Burman composition found expression on this sari in small circular motifs all over and the pallu features the poster look. The pastel and neons of the sari in this sexy look is matched with a neon orange top, a pair of tinted glasses, a big red bindi, red lips and sleek metal jewellery, balancing the loud colours of the sari.
Swagata sported this bright Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ printed Murshidabad silk sari with a white one-shoulder fringed top, complementing the blue of the sari. The look was styled with fresh yellow gerberas. One can style it with sunflowers, too, to stick to the Van Gogh theme. The hair worn open parted on one side, pink lips and the eyes made bold with blue liner complete this look channelling a charming vibe.
HAIR AND MAKE-UP NOTES:
“Since the saris were itself speaking for each look with its theme, we chose a nude palette for the make-up. Keeping in mind that it is a Diwali party, we gave each look a touch of glam by highlighting the eyes and at times the lips. Metallic shadow, blue liner and winged eyes created drama for the eyes. The hairstyle varied from sleek and simple buns and the hair worn open to tied into retro buns. For the Zeenat Aman sari, we chose to highlight the look with a touch of red,” said Abhijit Paul, hair and make-up pro.
STYLIST SPEAK:
“The mood board for this shoot was fun, vibrant, playful and quirky for Diwali. We tried edgy, comfortable and lots of experimental looks. We went all out. What is a festival without a sari look? In the Umrao Jaan look, we accessorised with Kleo earrings and bangles and a chaand ring from Cuprum Quirks. The Dum maro dum look had a very colourful vibe. We used the Kleo bangle set, a haath phool from Cuprum Quirks, shades from GKB Opticals and completed the look with black boots. In ‘The Starry Night’ look, the top is off shoulder. The look itself speaks so much that we didn’t need any accessories for the same, except a yellow flower ring and broach. Satyajit Ray’s Devi was an all Bengali look, with the bindi and bangles. We paired it with Cuprum Quirks’ three-layered choker, nose pin and ring and a stack of bangles. The last duo shot had Coldplay and Mahanagar saris. We used accessories from Kleo and chose retro looks for these saris. The whole idea was to make Diwali night looks edgy, stylish, classy and effortless,” said Yashvi Jain, stylist.
DESIGNER SPEAK:
“I always found saris fascinating and with time, I loved wearing them, too. So saris became my favourite. I thought if I have to do something with saris ever, I will do something different. I started conceiving my brand during Covid. For one-and-a-half years, I had to study how saris are printed. And finally, I started my brand this year in July. It has been a good start for Oikkyo. ‘Oikkyo’ is a Bengali word meaning ‘coming together’. Many artisans’ hands join to make a sari from the start to the finish,” said Arja Chakraborty, the 22-year-old Botany student and founder of the brand Oikkyo. Talking about the themes she chooses for her saris, Arja said: “I grew up listening to rock bands and watching classic films. My parents used to listen to these bands a lot. I thought it is going to be something unique to bring those on saris and punch the western or Eastern themes. My father had introduced me to all these classic films.