Durga puja is almost here. With Kumartali artisans putting in the last touches on Maa Durga’s idol, and pandals doing eleventh-hour preparations, it is time for us to get our fashion game on point. For Bengalis, Durga puja will always be synonymous with fashion. We start preparing months before, deciding on what to wear on which day, how to style it up, and we do not stop at one or two out fits but make sure we have at least one set of attire each for the five days of grand celebration and festivities.

Durga puja is the time when you catch up and flaunt the latest trends. Whether it be fusion for Saptami, the quintessential ‘lal par sada’ saree for Astami’s anjali, or traditional ethnic for Navami, decking up for Durga puja requires months of strategy, following the latest celebrity ensembles and several trips to Bengalis Durga puja shopping dens- Gariahat, New Market and Hatibagan.

Durga puja fashion will always include classic colours like red, white, pink and yellow. However, this festival is about experimenting with your colour palette too. So, what are the trending colours that you must have in your Durga puja lookbook? “Usually, the puja-specific colours are yellow, red, rani (magenta) pink, purple, and maroon. Customers want light shades as well, like beige.

This stays consistent every year; however, each year, the trending colour changes, like last year, warm colours and lavender were the trendsetters. This year, we have observed a constant demand for the colour green, and we think this colour would be a trailblazer this season.” says Kaushik, manager of a leading ethnic-wear store.

Whether out pandal hopping or simply meeting your friends for some adda session
at Maddox, not showing off the best of your six yards of sheer elegance during Durga puja is blasphemy. Saree has always been at the centre of every Durga puja fashion lookbook; it embodies creativity, tradition, poise and a connection with our deep cultural roots. The classic lal par sada saree will never be out of style, “true, for Astami and Navami, lal par sada saree is an emotion.”

So, what else should our readers try out this season? “Light colours have
been the primary focus this year- cream, off-white, white. We have also seen green, peach, and light blue taking the market by storm.” Handloom or silk? Which one is more in favour this year? “It’s 50- 50. Both the materials are light and comfortable, while before Saptami and Navami night looks used to incline more towards the darker colours, now light colours are more preferred.” says the retailer of a leading saree
house in Kolkata.

Not just women, men too are swooping in to try new colours and trends. According to Neha Kumar, retailer of a famous men’s fashion ethnic wear brand, “Men are not afraid to experiment with colours now. Rani pink, dark green, pastel and nude colours in sherwani, pathani suits and kurtas, you will be seeing a lot of these colours this Durga puja season.”