Back In Time: Swastika Mukherjee portrays four classic looks rooted in Bengal's culture
Bengal played a crucial role when it came to the evolution of Indian fashion during the colonial era, changing forever the way an urban, educated Indian woman dressed. Naturally, this had to be our topic of introspection for our anniversary issue, which takes a deep dive into Bengal’s past and present to find out how certain things continue their journey beyond the realms of mere nostalgia to influence and guide our choices even today. And fashion certainly is one such important aspect of Bengal’s journey through the ages.
What dictated the broader fashion choices among Bengali women from around mid-19th century had been influenced largely by the impact of the political, economic, and socio-cultural changes brought about by the colonial rule that led to a melding of the indigenous and British sartorial elements. The evolution in Bengal’s fashion was mostly witnessed among the elite sections of Hindu and Brahmo women spearheaded especially by women from the aristocratic Tagore household like Satyendranath Tagore’s wife Jnandanandini. During the Victorian and Edwardian era spanning across 1819 and 1910, fashion in Britain underwent a sea of change, thanks to industrialisation that led to the invention of sewing machines and synthetic dyes leading to the emergence of vibrant colours in clothes. Silhouettes like loose flowy gowns with ruffled collars and gigot sleeves in velvet, tulle, sheer silk, or cotton, embellished with laces, nets, frills, and drapes were prevalent during the time among the high-society British women. With an increasing number of elite Bengali women, like Jnanadanandini, accompanying their working husbands outside of Bengal and abroad, Kolkata saw its elite section adopting a fashion that was representative of the needs of the changing times and suitable for formal socialising. When she returned to Kolkata, Jnanadanandini’s style of draping the sari became popular as the Brahmika sari or Bombay Dostur that had the unstitched fabric thrown over the left shoulder and worn over a stitched and embellished petticoat paired with an ornate blouse. The blouses during this period had the touch of contemporary Western styles in their necklines and sleeves.
The adaptation and amalgamation of Western sartorial culture with indigenous fashion traditions, had impacted Bengal’s indigenous fashion choices to a great extent, which leaned more towards minimalistic sophistication rather than heavy ornamentation. This beautiful mix-and-match of fashion culture continues to date with an average, well-travelled educated Bengali woman’s wardrobe being largely ruled by silhouettes that embrace new trends while holding on to the traditions of our indigenous fashion. So, even though a Bengali working woman might be seen rushing to office in a suave formal suit, she will definitely deck up in her red and white handwoven-sari during the Durga Pujas. Keeping this beautiful aspect of Bengal fashion in mind, we have constructed four eternal looks that appear as a leitmotif in every Bengali woman’s stylesheet.
For this particular shoot, we chose the beautiful actor Swastika Mukherjee as our muse, because almost nobody quite embodies the essence of Bengali fashion as truly and organically as Swastika does. She, at once, can look demure in a Western fusion look, and look equally convincing as a quintessential Bengali woman in a simple cotton or silk sari. Styled impeccably by Poulami Gupta, who is among the handful of emerging stylists and costume designers in the Bengali film fraternity, Swastika carries the looks to the tee.
Here are the excerpts from a chat with Poulami that we had on the sidelines of the shoot.
How have you planned the lookbook for this special shoot?
Our theme for this shoot is evolution of fashion for women in Kolkata and I have planned the shoot keeping certain things in mind, including the role of saris, the socio-economic changes women underwent over the years, the films that have influenced their choices and the impact of contemporary fashion trends.
For the first look, my inspiration is the Anglo-Indian women of the city, whom I consider as the pioneers of Western fashion culture in Kolkata. Two movies from which I took inspiration for putting this look together are Saptapadi and Mahanagar. So, we have made Swastika wear a floral midi and black shirt, accessorised with pearls, shades and bold lips. The headgear is very much inspired by the ones seen in Kolkata’s race course fashion. I also wanted to curate a look of a modern educated working woman, who is confident, self-aware and intelligent. So, we have used a tussar block print sari with a matching blouse. Simple gold jewellery, a wrist watch, and a black frame complete the look.
Another look is an age-old traditional Bengali look. I have chosen a traditional Baluchari sari and a blouse with delicate lace detailing complemented by heritage Jarowa jewellery. The look has been inspired by Satyajit Ray’s Ghore Bairey film.
There’s also this look of a confident non-judgmental modern woman from today’s era. She’s her own boss, living her life on her own terms and hence, it has a contemporary style. I selected a hand-embroidered grey tissue sari paired with a fuchsia pink organza blouse and used minimal statement jewellery.
How much has the Bengali cinema influenced fashion choices among women?
Cinema has always influenced fashion sense and sensibility of the Bengalis, be it the iconic actress Kanan Devi’s thinly-shaped eyebrows, Sharmila Tagore’s looks in Nayak or the eternal charm of Bengali fashion depicted in Satyajit Ray’s classic film Charulata, that has become a Bible of a sort for anyone delving into the history of the rich world of Bengali saris.
Who among the Bengali actresses do you admire for their looks on and off big screen?
I admire Kanan Devi for her impeccable fashion taste. Her choice of bold yet elegant sleeveless blouses, hair accessories and the poise she had, is simply incredible given the era she belonged to. I feel Suchitra Sen is Bengal’s style icon. Her exquisite collection of Benarasi saris that she paired with stylishly tailored sleeveless blouses were to die for. I simply love the way she used to accessorise her elegant looks with chandelier earrings and elaborate hair dos. Then, there is Madhabi Mukherjee, who immortalised the Bengali handloom sari looks in Charulata. She, along with Sharmila Tagore, played a significant role in setting the fashion rules for a modern working Bengali woman in films like Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar, Seemabaddha, and Nayak with simple saris, bare minimum makeup, black-rimmed oversized glasses and eyelids neatly winged with black liners. I was also mesmerised with Aparna Sen’s look specifically in the movie Ekanto Apon, where she wore an elegant range of block printed silk saris, matching them with well-cut blouses, loose bun, oversized shades and small bindis. This look still holds its relevance in fashion.
Who is your favourite Bengali fashion icon?
It’s none other than Lady Ranu Mukherjee. I am a fan of her impeccable style sense which was organic and had a royal and timeless touch. Her saris were exquisite and the heirloom jewellery pieces made her look regal. It’s also more about her personality and the kind of work she has done in the field of art and culture that has drawn my attention. The more I read about her, the more I look up to her.
What are some of the winter-festive fashion trends?
Saris, mostly in silk and velvet with surface ornamentation will be trending besides anarkalis and lehengas. Exquisite Kashmiri pashminas are game changers along with embroidered sneakers and boots.
What are the winter wardrobe essentials?
A Pashmina shawl, a silk sari, a long coat, beret, boots, and colourful fur stockings to go with shorts and skirts.
Tell us about your upcoming film projects.
I just wrapped up work for a Hindi film directed by Shieladitya Moulik and I have a few releases, including Debi Chowdhurani in 2025. It was a tough job to recreate costumes for Debi Chowdhurani since the story dates back to almost 300 years and finding references was a challenge. I had to spend hours researching at the National Library. We created handmade costumes and shoes made of jute fibre. I tried to keep the looks as authentic as possible to the era the film represents.
Actor Swastika Mukherjee takes us through her eclectic sense of fashion and why she thinks fashion in Bengal has reached a stalemate.
How did you develop such a unique sense of fashion?
I feel I have imbibed that from my mother. I have always seen her wear beautiful handloom saris, ones with broad borders. She always bought them from reasonable places but styled them in the most exquisite yet simple manner, with a hand bun and a bindi placed a little higher on the forehead. My sister and I have imbibed that from her. We never look out for trendy things, and instead, we peep inside the shop to check things shoved behind the counter. I don’t follow what’s trending. From the beginning of my career till 2020, I have been styled by my sister for all my films. Even if I work with stylists, I give my input to own the look. I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes, but I know how to accessorise them to create a wholesome, gorgeous look. And the material I wear has to be extremely comfortable.
Where does indigenous fashion in Bengal stand now?
I think it has just reached the point of stagnation when people do not want to experiment or wear good things. I get to see a lot of Bengali fashion during the festive seasons at the North Kolkata Bonedi Barir Pujas. But round the year, people only want to buy things that are trending on Instagram, and what Bollywood is wearing influences their choices to a great extent. In the last five years or so, I have observed that people in Kolkata want to wear brands with the names of the labels prominently visible on clothes. It’s so in your face, and there is no subtlety. There was a time when everybody everywhere was wearing co-ord sets. So, for me, I think I will always wear something that is not trend-based.
Whose fashion sense do you adore?
Nobody in Kolkata. But I really like Neha Dhupia. Even when she was pregnant and gained weight, she wore clothes that made her look uniquely stylish.
What are the fashion wardrobe essentials for you?
It can be a very good denim skirt, and you can style it up with a satin shirt, a little blingy top to accentuate the look or a fitted white shirt. A black dress that doesn’t need to be of a particular length. A beautiful traditional handloom sari with broad borders. Also, some great lingerie is essential because it really makes you feel amazing and gives a good shape and structure to your body.
Are there any indigenous brands you admire?
There is a brand called Nadiya Paar. They make beautiful saris and kurtas with intricate floral designs and anything that has flower patterns works for me. I love wearing floral designs a lot.
Is there any particular actress you loved for onscreen fashion?
The beautiful salwar kurtas Madhuri Dixit wore in Dil To Pagal Hai. The front-slit layered salwar kameez was so much in fashion back then. And I also liked the dresses that Manisha Koirala wore in Khamoshi . I tailor-made a few similar dresses with belts and the crochet work during that time.
Pics: Debarshi Sarkar
Styling: Poulami Gupta
Makeup: Surojit Sarkar
Hair: Nita Mallick
Location and food courtesy: ITC Royal Bengal