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Kiran Uttam Ghosh
"If J.Lo hadn't said it first, I'd say it - This is me," said designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh of her fabulous fall/winter collection.
"If J.Lo hadn't said it first, I'd say it - This is me," said designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh of her fabulous fall/winter collection.
Fusing the deep heritage of Kolkata with Jazz influences of the 40s and 50s, Ghosh created a line that was big on layering and use of fabric.
"You can find tradition and culture in the streets of Bengal - in their sarees, their bindis, their 'baju-bandhs', even in the buildings and houses," Ghosh said. She said there is a lot of history and research that went into her collection.
The designer mixed some unique fabrics like tweed with 'gota' to create some exquisite jodhpurs. Linen in one of its avatars looked a lot like chiffon - and was a lot easier to work with too. Emphasising on embroidery, Ghosh's shirts and kurtas were truly remarkable.
Keeping the economics of the trade in mind, Ghosh said that she used a lot of machine embroidery and prints. "We have to make large amounts and keep it under 10,000 - so one has to rely on machine embroidery," she said. However, the excited designer added that handwork is then done on the machine work and prints to provide that oomph factor.
Inspired by International designer Issey Miyake's world-famous pleats, Ghosh Indianised them using tussar silk that was blockprinted and then crushed to create a unique effect.
A big fan of Chanel, Ghosh said she used tweeds - Chanel's trademark fabric - and used them in her own style.
A truly unique collection by a designer who feels she has finally done justice to the ramp.
THE OTHER VIEW: Truly, jazz all the way
Malvika Nanda/HT City
Kiran Uttam Ghosh's line, 'Jazz all the way', lived up to its name. The colourful collection had sarong variations worn over pencil pants, with overcoats and spaghettis. There were capes draped like the pallu of a Bengali woman's sari, complete with ornamental latkans. Models also flaunted churidars (transformed into pencil pants). Overcoats gave way to short jackets worn over asymmetrical tops, as good old jazz played in the background.
The collection used linen, Indian version of tweed, chiffon, georgettes and tussar treated with indigo dye; along with hand and machine embroidery and layering. Jesse Randhawa doing a Jazz jig marked the finale.
Rate-o-meter
Wearability: 7
Presentation 6.5
Front Row: Sunil Mittal of Bharti, Rakesh Thakore, Vinod Kaul, Raseel Gujral, Hemi Bawa
Buzz factor: 5
Late-o-meter: 20 minutes
