From scarves to saris, home decor items to accessories, actress Swastika Mukherjee was spoiled for choice at Art in Life, CIMA Gallery’s annual pre-Puja lifestyle exhibition. “I am greedy when it comes to Art in Life. I just need to pick something from every section,” said the actress who shared seven of her favourites from this year’s exhibition for My Kolkata.
Her first pick was a silver and stone antique necklace from Rajasthan, which she feels “belongs in a museum”. The necklace is bold and extravagant and makes a stunning statement. “It is not a pocket-friendly piece but if you wear it, you don’t need to wear anything else,” said Swastika.
Swastika’s second pick was a golden and pearl designer earring that’s both fun and stylish. Priced at Rs 3,205, this earring appealed to her because of its versatility. “Gold and pearls go really well together and this is something that you can team with Western outfits, Indian outfits and Indo-Western and it is a great festive wear,” said Swastika.
She raided the scarves and bags section at Art in Life to pick her next two favourites. The first was a quirky pashmina scarf priced at Rs 9,250 which she teamed up with a vibrant tote priced at Rs 2,250. “I love scarves and I really love this king, queen, bird, flower print in bright colours on white. Also the material is so soft! It’s definitely one of my favourites here,” said Swastika. The tote she picked to team with it was a vibrant blue one with flower motifs. “I chose this because my entire life is in my bag and I can’t do with small bags. I end up buying beige or brown or black most of the time so this time I went for a vibrant blue with floral motifs. It is purposeful and striking at the same time,” she added.
For her fifth pick, Swastika zeroed in on one of her favourite sections of Art in Life — home decor. “Every year I do my year’s shopping for bed covers, bedsheets and pillow cases from here and as a regular I can say that they are as sturdy as they are gorgeous,” said Swastika, who picked a fun white quilt-cum-throw with pom poms and frills for her daughter Anwesha. “It is fun, pretty and affordable,” was her reason for picking it.
Swastika was torn in two when it came to her sixth pick from Art in Life, forced to choose between two Chanderi saris priced between Rs 15,000 and Rs 16,000. “I can’t decide because both are stunning. The white, gold and aqua sari is something one can wear for their wedding! The brown, gold and red is a combination that I don’t wear a lot and I can’t look away,” said the actress.
Her final pick was a stunning Ikkat sari by a master weaver from Andhra Pradesh. “Weaving modern elements into the traditional weave, this sari is bound to turn heads. It is more of an artwork than a sari,” said Swastika.
CIMA Art in Life is on till October 20, 2023 from 11am to 8pm every day.
