When it comes to things sartorial, it’s difficult to get fashionable clothes for men in Kolkata, especially when it comes to the wedding trousseau. If the colours match, the fit doesn’t and if both match, the style doesn’t.
Sometimes the fabric and the sequins are too heavy and gaudy. To the relief of Kolkata’s style conscious, uber cool males, city designer Abhishek Dutta has come up with a one-stop-shop boutique exclusively for men and young boys.
Dutta brings haute couture prêt collection for men in bright colours not only for the wedding day, but also for office and party wear.
The five-month-old studio, tucked away at Short Street off Wood Street, is simplistic, the aim being to highlight clothes more than the interiors. The interiors have a grunge feel to it with a huge metal shoe, made by Dutta, installed in the middle.
There is a steam punk guitar kept in a corner and the furniture is made of uncut, distressed wood to exude that rugged feeling. There is also an element of steam punk in the graphics on the walls with drop ceiling lights adding to that element, and weaving a kind of graphic design on the ceiling through the wiring of the lights.
A handmade leather carpet covering a part of the studio reflects Dutta’s signature style and undying love for hide.
“I observed that there is not a single high end boutique or store catering to the needs of men in the city. So, I decided to open this store exclusively for men and boys, where they can find choicest of clothes and accessories all under a single roof,” says Dutta. And indeed, there are a lot of options on offer. One can choose from a wide range of jackets, achkans, bandhgalas, Nehru jackets, bomber jackets, tuxedos, kurtas, and asymmetrical jackets.
Dutta has used a lot of leather, linen, suiting fabrics, cotton as materials and most of the wedding wears are rich in embellishments and embroidery works on cottons, georgettes, cotton sateen, linen and chanderi. “The grooms usually like to play it safe with beige, black and indigo. But given the right cut and fit, many like to explore and experiment. Hence I have kept a lot of colours in my collection including, coral pink, sunset orange, red, canary yellow, pista green,” says Dutta.
Besides the clothes line, Dutta has stocked up well on designer men’s accessories ranging from quirky, jazzy party shoes, jutis and formal shoes made of leather, linen and velvet to cuff links and stylish leather ties and belts in blacks and browns.
There is also an array of cool iPad leather bags on display.
Dutta is extremely finicky about making shoes and has carefully crafted each pair, so that they stand out in a crowd. “There are metal spike shoes, handcrafted leather shoes, hand woven leather-linen ones and also those having digital prints. Each one is unique and inimitable,” remarks Dutta.
For the male kids, too, there is a wide range of clothing and accessories available in the store. The collection is more colourful and quirky and one also has the option to tween clothes with their kids.
What: Abhishek Dutta Menswear
Where: 3B, Short Street.first floor, Kolkata – 700 017
Timings: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Closed on Sundays)
Prices: Starts from Rs 5,000 onwards