The Goddesses of shakti, Durga and Kali, are worshipped in the autumn festive season. Lingering on while making way for winter, this season and the worship of shakti is designer Abhishek Dutta’s inspiration this time for his winter-festive collection. Hibiscus, one of the essentials in the worship of shakti, inspired his colour palette for this range of fusionwear. Channelling the smart vibe and sharp cuts of western wear outfits in the form of jacket styles and the elegance of flowy silhouettes of Indian ethnic in the form of shararas and lehngas, this collection while bearing several signature aspects of the label in the designing, stands out with statement ensembles.
Keeping the grandeur of his shoots intact, Abhishek chose CSL’s (Cochin Shipyard Limited) Hooghly Dock & Port Engineers Limited (HDPEL) as his location. The tones and structures of this dilapidated place — one of the oldest shipyards of the country established in the year 1819 in the name of Hooghly Docking and Engineering Company Ltd, and one of the pioneers of shipbuilding in the eastern coast of the country — acted as the perfect backdrop to make the outfits stand out.
Adding to the mood, inspiration and theme was hyper-realistic artist from Argentina, Florencia Aise’s live painting at the location. Florencia, whose art also inspired this collection, captures the intricacies of the bigger picture called 'life' in her artwork. She uses the hyperrealism technique to capture “little things” through her art. Expanding on the concept of shakti, her live artwork at the location added more meaning to the shoot and the concept that Abhishek gave expression to through his designs. The lookbook:
Swagata’s panelled fishtail skirt with 3D leather highlights is teamed with a hand-embroidered bustier and styled with a leather-embroidered cape, thrown over one shoulder to complete the edgy-glam look.
3. In this frame, Swagata sports a ruffled lehnga dress, teamed with a hand-embroidered long jacket featuring hibiscus flower motifs and leather detailing on the collar and waist. Arundhati complemented the frame in an embroidered lehnga dress, paired with an overlaying net sari sprinkled with leather floral motifs. The broad leather belt adds a contemporary touch to the sari.
4. Priyanka sported a smart style in sharara-inspired leather pants, detailed with pleated ruffles. The sheer leather applique top, paired with the pants, is amped up in style with a hand-embroidered, sequinned lapel jacket, designed with French knot detailing, and a leather collar. The sequins break the monotony of red in the outfit.
5. The lehnga skirt with pockets, on Swagata, is functional and smart and designed with a tone-on-tone texture and embroidery detailing. It is paired with a hand-embroidered bustier. Arundhati’s trail lehnga skirt features hand-embroidery detailing on the ombre lehnga. It is teamed with an embroidered long jacket with leather applique, Swarovski and ruffle detailing, adding a glam touch to the look. Amping up the style quotient in the frame, Priyanka flaunts a leather quilted corset-styled jacket designed with sharp laser cuts and zipper detailing. It is teamed with a pair of sheer sharara pants, accentuated with lace highlights.
Artist Speak:
“I loved visiting Calcutta and loved the people of the city. I think that this collab was amazing. As creative people, we can enrich each other with ideas. Abhishek’s collection is stunning! The handmade pieces look amazing. He has wonderful ideas and uses really good organic shapes. The great variety of fabrics he uses to make a piece is fantastic. My experience in India this time was wonderful. The people, the food, the heritage, the noise, the colours — everything blew my mind. I hope that when I return to my place, my art is going to change; I suppose that it is going to be more colorful,” said Florencia Aise, an artist from Argentina, who was a part of the shoot.
Designer Speak:
“Known for its vibrant red hues, the hibiscus flower represents passion, strength, devotion and holds a deep significance with regard to the worshipping of various Godesses. Drawing inspiration from this captivating flower, our winter-festive collection embraces the elegance and energy it exudes. It is an extraordinary collaboration. Florencia’s remarkable talent perfectly complements the essence of the collection. Renowned for her hyper-realistic paintings, Florencia’s art captures intricate details and breathes life into her subjects. Her mesmerising artwork has become an inspiration point for the designs. Hand embroidered, each piece exudes the fiery passion and unmatched beauty associated with the hibiscus flower. With this collection, we aim to create an alluring fusion of art and fashion, which is a captivating visual journey. Jackets, made from unconventional leather and various texturisation including quilting, applique, cutwork and 3D cutouts, have been teamed with lehngas and sari. French knots, sequins and leather applique form an essential part of the design aesthetic of the collection,” said Abhishek Dutta.
Hair and Make-up Notes:
“Abhishek wanted an avant-garde hairstyling approach that won’t overshadow the garments. Since his collection is inspired from hibiscus, drawing inspiration from the physical features and aura of Ma Kali, I’ve worked on styles that are an extension of the Goddess’s essence, combining shapes and textures that add an extra layer of mystique to his amazing collection,” said Rachel White, hairstylist.
“Since the collection is entirely red, I had to keep a hint of red in the make-up. With red, I felt a bronze tint on the cheeks would work best. We accentuated the lips with a red shade and made it stand out with glitters of different shapes, maintaining the shape of the lip, and giving it a gorgeous look,” said Bhaskar Biswas, make-up pro.
Models: Priyanka Das, Swagata Das and Arundhati Roy
Hair: Rachel White
Make-up: Bhaskar Biswas