India is known for its marvelous legacy of a variety of heritages and cultures that have resulted in countless traditional crafts and art forms in each and every nook and corner of this massive country. It has put forward the finest collection of silk, handloom saris that are accessible in an extensive assortment of colors and prints, appropriate for festivals and any special occasions. Among many arts that have put Bengal (including East and West) in the world map of excellence, predominant is Muslin Saree. The beautiful handwoven sarees are known for the unique and intricate design and craftsmanship. The palette of colors and broad range that these Saris employ are the ultimate testaments to their mesmerizing allure and power.  These sarees are absolutely perfect to flaunt on any festive, wedding ceremony or even traditional celebratory occasion. 

The Saree of the Day

This particular Muslin saree is very special weave. It is out of the box and doesn't have the usual floral weave. Rather its based on a famous Sukumar Ray poem starting as "Bidye Bojhai Babumoshai". The words of the poem are literally woven in Bengali script in the pallu and the whole story is pictorially told throughout the body. Thus it has motifs of trees, river, boat, sailor and passenger, birds etc.The intricate weave and the storytelling through the six yards is jaw-dropping. I can't imagine how strenuous the process has been to weave those minute details in the saree. It was a last minute buy and was shipped to me couple of days before the Durga Puja from a well known Kolkata based boutique named Anchal. I was obsessed the minute i saw a show of theirs on TV and called them right away to ship it to me. 

The day I got the saree I was confused on how to style it as the saree itself has got a lot of personality and I didn't want to distract the limelight it deserves. Thus opted for a tone on tone green blouse instead of the contrast yellow. The blouse which perfectly matched was an old one with the widest back and uplifted the style quotient of the traditional saree. 

Now for accessories, wanted to intensify the earthy look with dual silver and gold tones. So I paired it up with my most favorite mango necklace and giant ear stud and stacked a lot of bangles of silver and matte gold tones. Sanchita suggested a flower for te special occasion and thus it was added to the hair. Had my go to kohl eyes with maroon lipstick and big green bindi or tip to complete the whole look. 

Tips on Buying and Wearing Handwoven Muslin

• The fineness of the fabric and the intricacies of the woven patterns determine the final price of a muslin saree, which can vary from six thousand rupees to over a lakh (about USD 100 to over 1500). Beware of powerloom or semi-muslins being sold as genuine handwoven one.
• Don't forget to properly put fall and pico in your saree. The fabric is delicate and should be used with care
• Keep draping it often or at least re-fold it often so that they don't tear along the folds.
• Avoid home cleaning and always dry clean your muslins if at all necessary. 

Outfit Details

Saree: Anchal Boutique, Kolkata, India

Jewelry: Gariahat Hawkers Market, Kolkata, India

Potli Bag: Gift from dear brother from Hyderabad

Fake Flower: Dollar Tree

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Hey Ma Durga grant us the beauty of yours....the beauty of your soul with which we can purify ours, overcome darkness and negativity. Hey Ma, make our heart so pious that we can see the goodness in people around us and not surrender to age old norms of judgement. Lets all pray to Ma Durga not for fair skin, sharp features or good height but a beauteous mind which can embrace every one with love.

 I sometimes wonder how one festival can bring so much excitement and joy to so many people's lives. But there are several families who might not able to celebrate as us, so lets me empathetic towards them and be mindful of their reasons. Have a blessed Navratri and Shubho Sharodiya from the team of Bong Mania Overloaded.

Outfit of the Day

As we Bengalis save ur new clothes for Durga Puja, so did I. This gorgeous peachy orange pure Chanderi Silk saree was send by Ma Baba from Kolkata. The color is very soothing and has antique gold pearl drop motif weaved all over its body. This saree reminded me of my childhood. Have seen my Ma and Dida dressing up in soft sober sarees for the morning pushpanjali in the local pandal. Just wee bit kajal, light gold jewelries, talcum powder and a tip or bindi. They never experimented as we do but their fashion was and is timeless as they didn't try hard to be trendy. As I felt the soft chanderi silk in hand all I wanted was to have a very pleasant and traditional look with a very classic softness to it.

The saree came with a contrast blue blouse which would have made the look more bright. SO I toned it down with a bird motif off white blouse. The birds on the blouse has been hand embroidered by me inspired by a Sabyasachi label blouse 😀😀😀😀. As I mentioned before I wanted a very classic soft look. So opted for kaan pasha or over sized studs, a simple gold moff chain. chur and an over sized ring. My go to kajal smokey eyes and peachy lips with a small tip or bindi was all I needed to complete the look.
Please scroll down for details on the outfit.

Outfit Details

Saree: Adi Dhakeshwari Bastralaya, Triangular Park, Kolkata

Blouse: Self Embroidered on a plain silk blouse

Earrings and ring: Amazon link here

Chur or Bangle: Chique Fashion, South City Mall, Kolkata

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So, it’s that time of the year, when we Bengalis have an actual reason for going crazy! Durga Puja or Navratri when we worship The Great Goddess in us. It is a time to celebrate womanhood, in all ways possible which includes eating till we get into a food coma, shopping till we go broke, preening and pruning. It’s also the time when we see the glitterati step out in all their grandeur cooing to each other, dressed prim and proper in their finest, come hail or storm. It’s the time to look our best.

This series dedicated to the Durga Puja Lookbook will tell you in great details which avatar you should put on yourself this puja.  These three looks that I have conceptualized, styled and donned will inspire you how to style yourself starting from Shaptami, then Ashtami and finally on the Navami. So make sure you are subscribing to this blog so as not to miss the Durga Puja Lookbook blogposts which will be published in sequence, one after another all throughout this month.

The first look for Saptami depicts the romance of the tradition. The timeless elegance of Baluchari. Its one of a kind weave that you can buy one and hands down for generations! The Baluchari I am wearing is of a shot color between pink and blue. Thus it has a unique iridescent color. The silk is caressing me like second skin. The Meenakari weave on the border and pallu is mostly in deep blue Resham threads and a bit of a silver as well. The threads are woven to create beautiful, large motifs of bride, groom, musicians and paisleys including a beautifully dressed woman woven as buttis all over.

I wanted the look to be an amalgamation of modern and traditional. Paired it with a very westernized lace blouse instead of the matching one. The lace gave the heavy saree a breezy vibe.

The accessories were kept minimal keeping in mind the well needed comfort we aspire while endless pandal hopping and adda sessions. The styling was kept subtle so the focus be on the combination of the intricately woven saree and lace blouse. So opted out bindi or any statement neckpiece but just a polki earring,and some Fuschia red Sindoor. The sindoor was an interesting buy from Nyka . Would strongly recommend to use long lasting lighter makeup during the festive season. I kept my base light with prolong wear foundation, added fuschia lips and hint of some glitter on eyes. 

I hope you found some inspiration on how to drape your timeless traditional weaves and be the starlet of the Puja. Your purchase may provide bread and butter for the extraordinary weavers who create such art with fabric. SO this season go traditional and empower our own classic sarees.

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What I wore:

Saree: Adi DHakeshwari Bastralaya, Gariahat, Kolkata, India
Blouse: Macy's 
Earring: Gehna
Bangle: Gift, Source Unknown
Fuschia Red Sindoor: Nykaa
Styling  and Makeup yours truely Moumita
Photography: Rabindra Kr. Kundu

SUBHO BIJOYA greetings for all our readers, friends and family. Hope you all had a wonderful Durga Puja/Navratri celebration. With this starts another year of waiting for Ma Durga to arrive on this mortal earth. But fear not, we have several grand festivals lined up for the next few months. We express our gratitude for the overwhelming response to our blogposts on Durga Puja lookbook. We have also been recieving requests on our Facebook and Instagram pages to share how we actually dressed up for Durga Puja. As both the sisters living in US, the celebrations were restricted to mainly weekends. So we thought of publishing some of our looks from the weekend in this post. Hope you enjoy them.

Look 1

Moumita wearing Madhubani printed pure silk saree with some statement junk jewelries. Kept the hair simple and straight, added dark burgundy lip color to match with the fall season in this part of the world.

Saree from Adi Dhakeswari Bastralaya, Gariahat, Kolkata, India

Neckpiece from hawkers stalls, Gariahat, Kolkata, India

Earrings handmade by a dear friend, Titli Maitra

Leather purse from Karukrit, Bolpur, West Bengal, India

Watch fro Fossils

Look 2:

Sanchita, wearing Nakshikantha on peacock blue Bangalore Silk saree. It has intricate bird motifs hand embroidered all over the saree. Paired with a matching blouse, long dangler pearl jhumkas, golden batua purse and simple light makeup.

Saree from Karukrit, Bolpur, West Bengal, India

Gold Batua purse gifted by a friend, source unknown.

Earrings from Gariahat, Kolkata, India

Look 3

Hot pink Chanderi benarasi draped in sidha pallu style by Moumita, over a contrast aubergine benarasi blouse. Accessorized the look with oversized chandelier earrings, a statement palm ring, Gujarati sling bag and a contrast green bindi. The look gives a very typical Navratri feel.

Saree from Adi Mohini Mohan Kanjilal, College Street, Kolkata, India

Earrings from Vijatha COllections, Virgina, US

Palm Ring from Bilu da's Boutique, Kolkata, India

Bag from hawkers market, Gariahat, Kolkata, India 

Look  4 

The final look for the pujo is by Sanchita. Wearing a gorgeous ivory colored Kanjeevaram saree with gold and red border,  teamed with a contrast  rich ikkat weave blouse. Paired up with gold jewelleries and red bindi for a quintessential bengali look on Dashami.

Saree from Sundari Silks, Chennai, India
Bloused material from Geeta's, New Market, Kolkata, India. Designed by Sanchita
Gold jewelry from N.P Jewelers, Gariahat, Kolkata, India 

I hope you enjoyed all the looks and found some inspirations through them.

If you have liked these 4 looks and feel inspired, then please share this post right now with your friends on Instagram and  Facebook. Leave us a comment or two below so that we know our effort was worth it.

Makeup and styling credits: Moumita and Sanchita on their respective looks

Photography credits: Kapildeb Ambal and Debasish Barik