The Gay Pride Day, initially observed as a one-day affair on the last Sunday of June to honour Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan in 1969, has now turned into a month-long celebration across the globe. And through all these years, Pride Month has evolved from being a small scale sporadic occasion to a global commemoration, honouring equality and gender fluidity.
Pride Month has not only further stoked and underscored political debates and discussions over LGBTQIA+ rights across the world, but it has also influenced and pervaded the fashion world. To observe this significant month with all its colours and celebration, four personalities from the city’s fashion and culture scape have donned the colours and their identity with great pride for Indulge.
Here are designer Navonil Das or Nil from Dev R Nil, choreographer and modern dance exponent Sudarshan Chakravorty, interdisciplinary artiste Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee and stylist Anupam Chatterjee flaunting genderless or gender-fluid outfits exclusively for us while sharing their sartorial preferences.
Sudarshan Chakravorty
For me, fashion is an extension of my aesthetics and I prefer indigenous textiles and weaves that I collect from handicraft fairs. I love fusion wear and stick to A-line silhouettes for lowers and asymmetrical cuts for shirts or tops. I love colours but avoid neons. I love scarves, jackets and jutis that I collect from the places I visit. I love wearing linen pyjamas with T-shirts and scarves and formal suits too.
Navonil Das (Nil)
I love combining prints with solids and as a brand ambassador of our label Dev R Nil, wearing our own clothes helps people understand our aesthetic. But besides that, I have a fascination for fun elements since I believe dressing can’t be boring. So, there’s always a little element of surprise in my outfits. I definitely don’t dress to hide in the crowd and want people to take a slight sartorial notice of me. But for daily wear comfort and natural textiles reign and I like dhoti kurta and churidars with a twist. I also like a hint of a sporty look in my attire and love shoes and shades.
Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee
My fashion choices are very erratic and depend a lot on the season and my mood. For daily wear, I prefer T-shirts and palazzos or linen shirts with harems during summer. For winters: kurtas, denims and jackets work for me and for formal occasions, I wear suits at times. I love earthy muted colours besides monochromes and I love carrying gender-fluid attires with flamboyance. I also love eye makeup but it has to be sensuous and not garish or dramatic.
.jpg?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
Anupam Chatterjee
Fashion for me is my identity and individuality. For daily wear, it has to be comfortable anti-fit shirts or boxy shirts and linen kurtas with trousers or colourful shorts. I love white but wear colours too depending on my mood and occasion. I like experimenting with different kind of silhouettes and love wearing silver rings and bracelets. For formal occasions, it has to be simple, minimalistic, classy and chic. I like dhoti-punjabi or Patiala kurtas in solid colours with Banarasi, ikat or kantha stoles and blazers with contrast shirts and trousers.
Photography: Siladitya Dutta | Shoot assistant: Bipradip Chakraborty | Hair and makeup: Abhijit Paul | Hair and makeup assistant: Sananda Mondal Laha | Styling: Sandip Jaiswal | Location courtesy: Lord of the Drinks (4th floor), South City Mall
sharmishtha.g@newindianexpress.com
@sharmidas