For designer Avishekk Naiya, the festive season in India is synonymous with saris, especially for Bengalis. He created a festive lookbook for t2 with actors Sayantani Guhathakurta and Rezwan Rabbani Sheikh as his muses for this exclusive shoot that has drawn inspiration from nature and the Mughal gharana.
“I have worked with Avishekk before. His costumes are rich and classy. From this whole lookbook shoot, the chaandbali earrings I am wearing have my heart. Rezwan is a very old friend of mine. It felt great to work with him again,” said Sayantani.
Rezwan said: ”Throughout the shoot, I just felt only one thing, as if the entire collection was designed for me only. I love wearing that green dhoti. I am so overwhelmed with the colour palette and design aesthetic of Avishekk. It was a well-crafted shoot”.
Inspired by marigold, this yellow flared long dress with umbrella-cut sleeves in chanderi silk fabric emphasises the significance of the flower used on auspicious occasions. The pink sequins in the aari embroidery on the neck area beautifully complement the yellow. Sayantani has draped a translucent, net dupatta showcasing dabka and aari work. “Dabka is one form of zardozi work. During the Mughal era, garment makers would use pure gold or silver to ornament the fabric with dabka work, but now we use regular metals,” explained Avishekk.
To create a slightly heavy, traditional silhoutte, Sayantani has opted for a beautiful khadi jamdani. A fairly new concept of infusing jamdani into khadi, the sari holds together the tradition of red and white. Complementing the simplicity of this look is the subtlety of paasa haar, kaanbala and bangles. Her makeup is on point. As the look demands, she is wearing a small red bindi, basic winged eyes and nude lips. Rezwan’s Bishnupuri pure silk red panjabi has a reverse temple design with aari work on the chest, adding regality to the look. The paisley motif in the middle and the tussore patchwork around bring out a good balance of grace and subtlety amidst all the glitter. He has paired it with an off-white chanderi dhoti featuring aari work.
Reaffirming his belief that there is nothing like traditional outfits, Avishekk reiterated: “I have always been an ethnic lover. I believe Indian occasions are incomplete without our traditional outfits. Nowadays we are very used to wearing Western clothes because of their time and energy-saving capabilities. Through this shoot, I have only tried to reiterate I am not detached from my roots.”
Stylist Debjani Ghosh said: “I wanted to achieve simple elegant looks, something that common people will be able to implement in their looks.”
Jewellery: Tahir
Stylist- Debjani Ghosh
Makeup and hair- Shruti Adhikary
Location - The Lalit Great Eastern, Kolkata
