It is not every day that you see a woman in a sari strolling down the streets of Paris! Kolkata girl and well known alpana and henna artist Suchanda Banerjee has done just that, and her sneak-peeks from a six-day Parisian sojourn have gone viral on social media.
Suchanda’s trip to Paris was special for more than one reason. Not only was it her first-ever instance of air travel, she also ticked off a point from her bucket list — taking a flight for the first time only to travel to Paris.
My Kolkata spoke to the artist to get all the details of her holiday wardrobe, her #ParisTravelgram and more.
Edited excerpts from the interview follow…
Your reel of travelling around Paris in a sari is viral on social media. Why did you decide to sport a sari on your Paris trip?
Paris is the fashion capital, and Paris and fashion are synonymous to each other, isn’t it? I have been into fashion since childhood, especially fashion rooted to our culture. I wore saris during my school days and I am very comfortable in saris, and it is an attire that can make you look elegant and classy. I usually go for a boho vibe — saris, kurtas and panjabis, dresses, skirts but not jeans. I like to dress according to my personality and not trends.
For an unmarried Bengali woman from a middle-class background in India, who is an artist by profession, getting a Schengen visa, going for a dream vacation — it was a challenge I wanted to take up and I did. I started from Kolkata in a sari and returned wearing one because I wanted to wear only saris on this trip.
How did the Paris tour come about? Was it a vacation? And what were some of the highlights?
It was a dream tour! I had a dream that the first time I would board a flight, it would be for a trip to Paris. I started earning from a very early age, and I would cancel any instances of air travel because everything can wait, but my first flight had to be to Paris!
The planning was quite challenging because getting a Schengen visa involves a lot of loopholes. My friend in Paris, Pankaj Kumar Mondal, who is a student at Université Paris VIII- Vincennes, sent me an invitation letter in French for my supporting documents, which helped the process.
The trip also had a full fangirl moment. I met Kelly (@kellymiti on Instagram), a mural and tattoo artist I have been following for a while, and it was great!
Anne with the sari Suchanda gave her; Suchanda with (right, in red) Kelly and other French mural artists
Another thing that happened was that I gifted a sari to a Parisian woman I met there. Her name is Anne, and she lived in Mumbai for a while. I am someone who always notices colours and one of the days I met Anne, I noticed her pretty nail colour and realised I had a handloom sari in a similar shade. I decided to give it to her as a gift. She was very shy about taking it but I insisted. She even downloaded Instagram to follow me!
Inside a metro station in Paris, a mural wall with Indian deities
What kind of saris did you wear?
I wore handloom and khadi saris, and also had an old sari from my mother’s wardrobe. I didn’t shop much for Paris and picked things from my wardrobe. Most of my picks were all muted and pastel shades, except for one bright red sari that I wore on one of the days.
Suchanda sitting for a live portrait session by a female artist at Montmartre, and (right) on the streets of Paris against the backdrop of Pride flags
What were the things you had in mind while curating the looks?
What I kept in mind was to look like myself. I wore a Sonata watch with black leather belt, and for jewellery I had the three rings that I wear here as well and picked pearls for my ears and neck. On the day I went to the Eiffel Tower, I knew I wanted to wear a traditional laal paar sada sari, and I paired it with a strand of pearls. My make-up was a natural face with some kajal and little lipstick. One of the days I wore a black sari with stilettos and there were a few ‘oh my God!’ reactions (laughs). I did notice lovely eye makeup on the local residents, especially when I was near Bastille.
Suchanda in traditional white sari with red border in front of the Eiffel Tower
Since saris are such a recognisable garment from India, that part of my identity was very clear to most people. So, another thing — unrelated to fashion — I kept in mind was to be careful about my conduct because I felt like I was carrying my nationality and culture with me. The sari was also a topic of conversation with strangers and many marvelled at the sari being a single drape and our ability to manage it. Some asked me if I was uncomfortable in a sari, but I said I wasn’t.
Did you face any problems because you were donning saris in a foreign land?
Absolutely not! As I mentioned earlier, I wore sari for four years in school. So running around in a sari from 10am to 4pm every day had become a practice. I even caught my sleep on the flight in a sari. Even the flight attendants complimented my look.
Suchanda at Champs-Élysées
What was your favourite experience?
I lived near the Arc de Triomphe. The road is beautiful and great for taking a walk and I used to have a cup of coffee and a croissant from a cafe there every day. The first time I went to the cafe, I greeted them with ‘bonjour’ and mentioned that I wasn’t fluent in French, requesting they speak in English and they obliged. On my last day in Paris when I visited the cafe, they habitually said, “see you tomorrow,” which broke my heart. I told them it was my last day and they told me they hoped to see me again on my next trip. I took a picture of the last cup of coffee I had there. I carried a point-and-shoot camera with me and I wanted that photograph to be the last on it.
Le Café Ponce, where Suchanda was a regular, and the shot of her last coffee at the cafe
Tell us about the alpana on your suitcase…
I had heard from many people that luggage can get misplaced on international flights and it is good to have identifying features. The day of starting my journey I thought of doodling something on it to make it stand out, and drew an alpana. Someone at Kolkata airport even asked me if I had painted it myself. I wanted to do something that would make identifying my luggage easy, but also ended up carrying an alpana all the way to Paris!
Do you have any wardrobe tips for someone planning a similar trip and wanting to wear saris?
Carry light weight, neutral colour khadi or handloom sarees, and don’t forget a pair of comfortable shoes and a tip’er pata. Opt for blouses that go with different sarees.
