Born in Rishra then moved to South Kolkata in Gariahat when she was about 14-15, left for Mumbai to pursue her undergraduate studies, followed by London for her post-graduation. At 25, she had her own restaurant ‘Calcutta Street’ in London and now she has her first TV show on her CV. The spunky Shrimoyee Chakraborty, whose style is as much fun and edgy as her personality. The India Bites host was in Kolkata recently and we reached out to her for this special shoot to capture her in on-the-go effortless yet charming looks, so Shrimoyee. She unpacked her suitcase and brought out some cool styles and Dev R Nil pitched in with a sensuous sari, that the inimitable Pinky Kenworthy then styled. The picturesque Glenburn Penthouse on Russell Street served as our set. Shefali Rawat Agarwal dropped by with boxes of jewellery from Rawat Jewels and hair and make-up pr Bony Chakraborty got Shrimoyee ready. An album from the fun morning.
Shrimoyee was one happy tourist in her easy-breezy floral dress, styled with a hat and a pair of cool sunglasses. Stackable strings and jadau bangles with royal blue meena complemented the sunny-fun look. The boots were so boho-cool and great for a day on the town. Whose styles does Shrimoyee like? “I love Alexa Chung. Chic and vintage. Gal Gadot. Audrey Tautou. In India, I like how Deepika Padukone dresses,” smiled the petite TV presenter
Chilling by the pool with a beverage of your choice is what winter brunches are made of. Shrimoyee slipped on an easy number, kept her heels away, dipped her feet into the chilly water and took in the sight of a breathtaking Victoria Memorial that only the stunning Glenburn Penthouse offers. Vintage-finish polki earrings and a cocktail ring completed her look
Shrimoyee looked splendid in this gorgeous Dev R Nil sari, just right for that evening soiree. Antique-finish bangles + cocktail ring with emerald cabochon + studs with emerald and big South sea pearls + necklace set in vintage style with polki, diamonds, Russian emeralds and South sea pearls, added just the right amount of allure to the look. “When I come to Kolkata, I love wearing a sari. The city’s style is my style. Soft and elegant. Bombay is glam and Delhi is ultra-glam, but Kolkata has a sophisticated charm. I love how Bengali women turn up in their handloom saris. It’s never trying to make a point in terms of money, which is what I like,” said Shrimoyee
QUICK THREE
Shrimoyee’s on-the-go-looks...
In London (where she stays), because it is cold, I am a big jumper person. I love cashmere jumpers and have loads of nice jumpers. I am a jumper-and-jeans kind of a girl or a short skirt with tights and boots. In Bombay (which she visits often), it’s quite hot. So, I love easy-breezy jumpsuits, flowy dresses that I can slip on or a good tank top with fitted jeans. That’s my go-to-pick-up-my daughter look.
First things Shrimoyee packs...
Jeans! A good dress. You never know when you are going to go to an evening party. Something classy and chic like a black or dark blue dress. I always try to pack a jumper because I am always feeling cold, to put on a flight or in an AC place. These days, I am really into jumpsuits... the stringy jumpsuits that are easy to wear and in which I can run around Sneakers A good pair of heels.
Shrimoyee’s precious picks...
My Rupert Sanderson shoes
My Issey Miyake dress
My vintage Chanel jacket
The shoot was amazing. I had so much fun getting dolled up and dressed up with a fun crew comprising mostly women. I love clothes and I am obsessed with clothes, but I think my style is more elegant-chic. I am not a big jewellery person I guess, but I love dresses and heels. I like clean skin but I loved getting dolled up! I like undiscovered, hidden brands.
My focus is more on dressing my daughter up these days than on myself. She has blonde hair and I love putting her in Indian clothes and I love playing with her curls. She has the hair I want to have! — Shrimoyee
Pinky Kenworthy
"For Shrimoyee, she fits in well into these looks simply because she travels and she has her show. If she is always on the move, styles have to be easygoing yet have an element of luxury because today’s young people may wear a T-shirt with jeans but still wear a diamond ring and go out, which is what we have done. So we have mixed things up, made it boho, elegant, cool and quirky. We have also done a retro evening look, going out for dinner. Sari is a good option because she is an Indian and I feel if she travelled and wore a sari, that is also making a statement."— Pinky Kenworthy, our stylist for the day
Bony Chakraborty
"Shrimoyee doesn’t like too much make-up. So, I kept it simple. For the first look, I used brown eyeshadow + brown lipstick and gave her beach waves. For Look 2, there was a bit of gloss and we went with the beach waves. To match the blue of the third look, we gave her blue eyeshadow and kept the lips matte. The last look had glamorous smokey eyes + glossy lips + French knot."— Bony Chakraborty, our hair and make-up pro for the day.
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Styling: Pinky Kenworthy
Hair and make-up: Bony Chakraborty
Jewellery: Rawat Jewels
Sari: Dev R Nil
Location: Glenburn Penthouse