With the cold wave still ruling the city, fashionistas are making the most of this winter season by putting their best sartorial foot forward. And designer Anupam Chatterjee, whose label Warssi is famed for its relaxed, anti-fit, sustainable clothing among the fashion-conscious crowd, has come up with a brilliant edit of winter wear for men. Made with fabrics like khadi, khaddar, coarse cotton, jute and jute silk, Anupam’s latest edit stresses more on layering to beat the cold.
“Layering is really hot this season. So, just throw on your muffler, stole or pashmina scarves over your pullovers and jackets long and short,” says the stylish young designer. Environment-conscious, ritzy men can choose from a wide range of clothes including kurtas, jackets, trousers and monochrome front-open jumpsuits in khaddar that Anupam has curated for this season.
“These trendy yet classy jumpsuits have been a rage among men this year, and I literally had to work against the clock to cater to the demand. I’ve used khaddar as I wanted to prove that this coarse material that’s usually associated with traditional bandhgalas for older men, can be employed to create trendy menswear for the young too,” says the effervescent couturier. Also, the creative stylist has come up with some stunning reversible jackets that are quirky and highly recommended. These jackets with cool and quirky Ajrakh and Kalamkari prints on one side and inky blue jute silk fabric on the other, can really see you through all the sartorially demanding winter occasions.
“These jackets look very smart, and you can wear the printed side during the day or for casual meetings, and opt for the more formal jute silk side for weddings and other formal occasions at night. You just can’t go wrong in them. To take the look a notch up, pair it with an equally interesting pocket square or an embellished brooch,” he adds. If you want a carefree look for the day, you can wear these jackets with casual shirts in solid colours or over a polo neck T-shirt. But if you want to go formal all the way, then pair them with straight-cut trousers and pointed shoes.
Though bright and vibrant colours like purple, maroon, brick and tomato red define the winter palette, Anupam has retained a few earthy tones including brown, beige, olive green and light mustard yellow in his collection apart from the eternally popular neutral shades of white, black and blue. Besides the jackets and jumpsuits, the couturier has also come up with some very smart and elegant handwoven shawls in jute and Benarasi weaves, to keep you warm this winter. These gorgeous yards in opulent shades of red, yellow and other bright colours are just the ones to wear for weddings and other traditional dos. But instead of trying them the ethnic way, you can wear them with a khadi kurta and a pair of trousers to rock the look.
“Complete your look with a colourful pair of ornate mules,” advises Anupam. To add more drama to your ensemble, you can also choose from the wide range of silk shawls with intricate kantha stitch work all over them. “All my clothes are natural, handmade and have a touch of earthiness, being rooted in the handloom traditions of Bengal,” says the 34-year-old designer, who grew up reading a lot of Tagore.
In fact, this spunky fashion expert, who is also a champion of LGBT rights, has been relentlessly working over the last few years to keep the tradition of handloom alive and relevant to the youth through his creations. We were quite impressed that Anupam has plenty of options up his sleeve, when it comes to trousers, both in terms of cuts and fabrics.
He has done a bit of experimenting with choices such as khaddar and ikat to come up with a range of trousers that includes crop pants, high-ankle trousers, high-waist trousers and flap pants among others, with a lot of detailing such as box pleats and other interesting motifs.
“Besides the prêt collection, we are also taking orders for bespoke tuxedos from our customers for special occasions,” mentions Anupam, who has dressed almost all the celebrities in Tollywood, and has also worked in blockbuster movies such as Haami, Konthho and Gotro as a stylist. The designer, who is also the stylist for the upcoming movie Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, which is slated for a March release, got Bollywood actor Soham Majumdar to don his clothes exclusively for Indulge. Soham, who earned renown as Shahid Kapoor’s friend in 2019’s biggest hit, Kabir Singh, will be debuting in Tollywood with Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti, opposite Ritabhari Chakraborty.
Check out these four winter looks that Soham is sporting only for Indulge. Anupam’s kurtas for men start from Rs 3,500.
Style check for colder days
• Layer your clothes intelligently. Don’t wear everything together and look overdressed!
• Choose your colours wisely. If you want to colour-block, be judicious, otherwise, chances are that you might end up looking like a colourful Christmas tree.
• Keep your body shape in mind while choosing the material and shape of your attire. Nicely cut jackets or long shrugs can cleverly camouflage a bigger waistline.
• Do not wear a jacket over a sweater. Instead, wear a polo-necked T-shirt.
• This is the season when you should flaunt your boots, and the leather ones with furry borders can look cool if you can carry them well. You can also wear colourful Converses to rev up your attire and give it a funky look.
Pictures: Debarshi Sarkar Clothes: Warssi by Anupam Chatterjee Make-up: Avirup Ganguly
sharmishtha.g@new indianexpress.com
@sharmidas