Mumbai, July 22: Sabyasachi's work resounds with a sense of utter freshness and intelligence. For a relative newcomer he shows an astounding maturity. He will be a major national and international design force.
In his short career he has built a considerable reputation for amongst other things his powerful colour sensibility, but in his refusal to be stereotyped he maintained a total absence of colour throughout this new collection. All interest came from contrasting textures and intriguing silhouettes.
The collection was inspired, in part, by the streets of Victorian London and Calcutta, defined by Sabyasachi's ethos of cross cultural fashion and his desire to portray a sense of innocence and naiveté both as an anti-war protest and as a reaction against the hard edged punk/combat themes currently so prevalent in western fashion.
The silhouettes were varied and multi-faceted. Often layered or oversized. Off the shoulder cotton knits over more skimpy body hugging knits; long knit cardigans over tiered skirts; ruched and smocked detached sleeves worn with sleeveless vests or camisoles. Dhoti-like pants caught at the ankle with buckled straps on the guys, or under short, tailored western jackets by the girls; saris were so stylized that they were barely recognizable. Guys wore long kurtas over pajama pants cropped to the lower calf. Otherwise mens' trousers were straight, wide and ankle length. Skirts flowed long, often paneled. The collection was accessorized with boxing gloves, oversized swagbags, crocheted shoulder bags, tiffin carriers gold plimsoles, extra long scarves. Bureau Report