Bright colours, flowy silhouettes and comfortable fabric are ruling the fashion scene this season and couturier Kalpana Sonthalia's label Adorning God, which has earned renown as a luxury stop for accessories of deities, has come up with an elaborate edit incorporating the latest trends ahead of Janmasthami.
Chennai-based Kalpana will be in town to showcase all of this at a gala one-day festive pop-up organised by Shilpam, to be held on July 19 at Jyotirmai Seva Mandir.
"Though I held a couple of exhibitions in Kolkata last year, I couldn't attend any of those due to erratic flight schedules and pandemic-related
Kalpana's label Adorning God has earned distinction and renown for its vast range of accessories and discerning ‘shringar’ embellishments for divine idols.
Each piece created by Kalpana is unique in design and inspiration, a product of her passion and personal devotion. "I have many sources of inspiration and each emanates from what I am thinking of at a particular moment. That also gets reflected in my designs. Hence, you will find no repetition in my creations and there are always newer options in my Kolkata store every other fortnight," Kalpana tells us while talking about her creative process.
Though the pandemic halted her work-related travel plans, it never had an effect on her creative endeavours or the demand for her creations since people kept buying pieces for other idols, especially during the festive seasons. "In fact, the pandemic gave me more time to concentrate on building a vast collection of new designs to embellish our beloved divine idols. I came up with many ideas and had ample time to recreate them. also, the demand for adornments never ceased all this while and we had to keep up with the same at a break-neck speed," Kalpana adds.
In the upcoming exhibition too, you will find a variety of hand-woven chanderi, gota, silk outifts, along with intricate jewellery for shringar, including palakka mala, mulla mottu mala jewellery from Kerala, a wide range of elaborate temple jewellery pieces from Tamil Nadu, and also a complete collection of gorgeously embellished handcrafted pieces inspired by the prevalent design motifs of Jaipur and Kolkata.
Kalpana's brick-and-mortar boutique on Amherst Street also has the entire range available. If you can't find a piece that fits your idol perfectly, you can even get in touch with her to customise the looks of your idols for special occasions.
Price on request. On July 19, 10.30 am to 6.30 pm. At Jyotirmai Seva Mandir, 37/1A Garcha Road.
You can meet Kalpana Sonthalia for a personal consultation on July 22 and 23 at Arjun Enclave, Flat 2C, 12C, Judges Court Road, Alipore between 11 am and 6 pm. By appointment only at 9840069284.