The saree loses six inches

Sabya hikes hemline to make chhotu saree sexy for youth

The saree loses six inches

Sabya hikes hemline to make chhotu saree sexy for youth

Soaking in Indian craft and coloured in organic vegetable dyes, the line that the Kolkata wonder boy presented was as deliciously dark as the blueberry lipstick the models wore. He juxtaposed urban sensibility with rural awkwardness, bringing Goth to India silhouettes in a line titled, Neela Aur Bagardandi ki Kahani. The word "Bagardandi", he said,u00a0 is nothing but the colour Burgundy; the wayu00a0 village folk would pronounce it.u00a0u00a0u00a0

"I was unhappy with the collections I've showcased in the recent past. This time I decided to indulge myself," he said with a contented grin. Sabya decided to work with weavers in Bengal, even booking himself on a flight to Ahmedabad to visit the Calico Museum of Textiles.

Indulging in skin show has never been on his agenda. But this collection saw the rise of a new Sabyasachi sensibility, with billowing see-through salwars and the introduction of what he calls the Chhotu sari that ends six inches off the floor, revealing the ankle and a bit of the calf. Sensual, it will allowu00a0 women greater freedom of movement, letting them show off their fancy stilettos.

The addictive Nazia Hasan number, Aap Jaisa Koi opened the show, with models wearing garments of khadi, handwoven silk and cotton tulle inspired by the weaving craft of Kotpad, a village on the border of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. He tweaked traditional silhouettes from Gujarat, turning them into chic tank tops, pushing the salwar closer to the peddle pusher. He made dowdy, divine cool when he used block printing from Bagru, a small village near Jaipur famous for the craft, on stunning bomber jackets.

The styling, something Sabya pays attention to, saw the models wear Vizer dupattas on their heads to pay a tribute to the Lambadi tribe. The chunky wooden kadas, old watches, and black nail polish add a Goth edge.

"The best way to be commercial is to be non-commercial," he had said while explaining the minimal use of embroidery in this line. So, he ditched embroidery for buttons in varying sizes, and rivets to give edgy detailing to the garments.

Sabya admitted that his dream was to own a chain of stores along the lines of FabIndia, and kickstart an Indian design movement. With the affordable pricing of this line (Rs 3,500-Rs 12,500), he has finally put himself up for sale.

Sabyasachi Mukehrjee
At: 9 pm,u00a0 march 27

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