Puja is not only about brightest colours: the soft and the sensuous can be as glamorous. According to the mood-board of shades, olive, rust or beige are quiet colours that soothe the eye, not to mention the soul. They certainly create a break from the blinding bling of festive times.

Calcutta designer Abhishek Ray (above) follows this line of thought in his Winter/Festive collection. The designs explore traditional Indian silhouettes and re-invent them in contemporary terms, says Ray.

Ray is a brand dealing with pret, luxury-pret and couture, both womenswear and menswear. He started in 2014, 
and is now available at his flagship store in Calcutta as well as at several multi-designer stores across India.

In this collection, the rich earthy colour palette of olive, rust, mustard, beige and chocolate brown comes together with 
intricate hand embroideries to create a melange of styles.

Basic Indian outfits like the lehenga-choli and the sari get a trendy makeover as they are teamed with jacket blouses and sheer tulle dupattas. Asymmetric skirts paired with embroidered shrugs and retro flounce sleeves blouses bring in a fresh feel to the collection but are deeply rooted in tradition at the same time.

Detailing adds to the traditional-contemporary combination. Floral motives, cutwork trimmings and multicoloured digital prints bring a bohemian feel to the collection.

The line consists of separate pieces which can be worn as conceptualised by the designer here, but the wearer can, of course, team his designs with any other outfit!

So go for a quiet-coloured Puja this year. Chill out at the friends’ do in an olive lehenga-choli. Or wear a rust while pandal-hopping. You are sure to turn heads! 

Models: Pallavi Debnath and Sinjhini Chowdhury 
Make-up: Saikat Nandy 
Photographer: Rashbehari Das

Location courtesy: Hotel Aauris