I(MOUMITA, for most ones who are unable to recognize us 😁) am so thrilled to be able to share looks from the most beautiful baby showers (yes there were 3! ) I have ever been to and even more excited because it was MINE! ha, I still can’t believe it. I have to say I have never had a party planned in my honor (post age 6ish) where I didn’t plan it myself or contribute. I have always been the planner and the crafter and the doer, but with this one my friends and family kept me completely in the dark, all I had to do was show up and pick my jaw up off the floor after I took in all the sweet details of the day.

I decided to go traditional as all three of my showers were kept as per customary Bengali baby shower or Shad rituals. The most special thing about all my looks was that my sarees and jewelries were sent by my parents and in-laws from India for this ceremony.  I would post these three looks in 2 posts to not overwhelm with the pics(yes I clicked millions!!)

Look 1 

My lovely friends in Maryland hosted a perfect Bengali Shad for me on my seventh month of pregnancy. I and K were ever so thankful for them to make us feel so special on that day. They cooked several Bengali delicacies including seven different fries and seven types of sweets as a wonderful mark of the seventh month. 

Now lets get back to my look, as my friends informed me ahead of time that they would host a traditional Shad, I decided to drape the saree and jewelries my Ma and Sanchita sent for me. As they could not be present in person on this day, their love hugged me tight.

I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy, so Ma bought this soft and lightweight  parrot green dhakai saree for my comfort draping and Sanchita designed the blouse. It had a stunning patch at the back. The soft and light dhakai was extremely easy to drape. I decided to sport a quintessential Bong look with it and wore the saree in Bengali Aatpoure style. The traditional gold Kaan (ear cuff), over-sized pendant and the pearl Maharani Haar were match made in heaven with the look. BTW the pearl necklace was the loving gift by Sanchita.

Outfit Details

Saree: Jamdani House, Kolkata, India

Blouse: Material from Geeta's , Kolkata, India and designed by Sanchita

Gold Jewelry: N.P. Jewelers, Kolkata, India

Pearl Raani Haar: Gift, Source Unknown

“Esho, he Boishakh, Esho Esho. Come, O Boishakh, Come, Come”

– Rabindranath Tagore

Every year, April 14 celebrates the arrival of the Bengali New Year or Poila Boishakh, part of a unique calendar system determined by the seasons. The same day is observed elsewhere as the traditional solar new year and a harvest festival by Hindus and Sikhs, and is known by other names such as Vaisakhi in central and north India, Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Rongali Bihu in Assam. While growing up, Poila Boishakh used to be my (Moumita) favourite day of the year as it is the only day when all Bengalis will unwind and celebrate, irrespective of religion, class or caste. Ladies clad in white sarees with red borders, men in dhuti and kurta, take part in the Probhat Pheri processions early in the morning to welcome the first day of the year. On Pohela or Poila Boishakh, a Bengali home is thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned, people bath early in the morning and dress in new clothes. Everyone spends much of the day visiting relatives, friends, and neighbors. Our early memory of a Poila Boishakh day is about wearing new clothes, eating scrumptuous Bengali delicacies all throughout the day and what a fun it was to visit neighborhood businesses to celebrate their Hal Khata or opening of new ledger book for the year. We used to participate in various cultural programmes that usually take place to usher the first day of the Bengali calendar singing Tagore’s songs, not to mention wearing red & white saree and fresh flowers in hair.  Here in America, the celebrations are not quite as elaborate but the traditions are kept alive within the Bengali community. 

Look of the day:

As mentioned earlier, Poila Boishakh has an intimate connection with red and white saree for a Bong lady. It represents tradition along with festivities and rituals. The colors red and white symbolizes a wierd combination of love, passion, peace, sanctity, and fierceness for me. When planning about this look we thought of skipping the typical red bordered white saree but wanted to keep the essence of red and white colors. Thus the tussar saree with block prints was chosen. It had both essential red and white but yet was unconventional for the day.

I(Moumita) draped the saree in the traditional Bengali আটপৌড়ে style. Full sleeved blouses matches perfectly with this kind of traditional drape and brings in a lot of drama and style. For some extra servings of drama paired simple yet unusual accessories. The gold necklace and kaanbala earrings is complimented by the showstopper Marathi Nathni. Adding the nath makes the whole outfit all the more spectacular and deviates from the usual bengali look. The golden potli bag was a gift from a dear cousin and was a match made in heaven for the outfit.

Before ending this post, wishing all of you a very prosporous and a Happy New Year, শুভ নববর্ষ. May all your dreams come true this year. 

I hope you enjoyed the look and found some inspirations. If you have liked this look 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.

Outfit Details:

Saree: Adi Dhakeshwari Bastralaya, Gariahat, Kolkata India

Blouse: Designed by Moumita

Gold Jewelry: N.P. Jewelers, Gariahat, Kolkata, India

Nath: Gehna

Potli Bag, Gift, source unknown.

If you’re wondering what to wear to a glamorous evening party or a grand dinner date, then we've got this gorgeous look put together just for you today, along with some must-remember do’s and dont’s when it comes to looking like the belle of the ball. For souls like me dressing up acts like a catharsis and evening parties and events gives us the perfect opportunities to do so. Sanchita had to attend such a dinner party in Charlotte and wanted to look her glam best without overdoing. Am sure this has occurred to you as well on how to get the right balance of glam without looking like a Christmas tree. Thus we thought of sharing her look with you and our takes on how to dress up in your ethnic best for the next party. 

Know more about the look

Sanchita is wearing a gorgeous handloom Tussar saree with intricate Madhubani painting done all over the pallu and border. We have always been very passionate about hand woven and handloom sarees as they have been someone’s hard work and toil. A craftsman somewhere out there must have spent several days to give life to these sarees out here. What can be more special than that. So buy more handloom so that we can support their livelihood. If you want to know more about handloom sarees please read our previous post here

This precious six yards adorned is with hand painted Madhubani art. Madhubani art or Mithila art is practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. Painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterised by eye-catching geometrical patterns. There is ritual content for particular occasions, such as birth or marriage, and festivals, such as Holi, Surya Shasti, Kali Puja, Upanayana, Durga Puja.(source)

Let's get back to the look now, designed the blouse which came with the saree to be simple with a deep back. For a glamorous evening party Sanchita chose to amp up the look with a heavy dramatic necklace. It was match made in heaven with the saree and became the focal point of the whole look. Added some faux flowers to the simple bun.No elaborate hairdo as the outfit already had a lot going on in terms of accessory and saree. Just smoked up the look with dark eyes and nude lips. It added more attractiveness to the whole look.

Let’s wind up with our tips for today! 

• First of all, Styling sarees has no rules so keep experimenting and finding your own comfort.

• For a change put rest to your blingy designer labels and try out traditional sarees like Madhubani, Gadwal, Baluchari etc. for your evening parties. Some of you might be wondering if wearing your mom’s traditional tussar will make you look old for a happening evening party but trust me, these  age old weaves will stand out gracefully amidst all “trendy” outfits. In fact these classic sarees are beyond any fashion trend and are perfect heirloom possessions that you’ll treasure for years to come. 

• Team up deeper cut/halter blouses or trendy crop tops with the traditional sarees for that extra glam quotient.

• Pair dramatic makeup/accessories with simple sarees and vice versa. Balance in hair makeup and outfit is key to look good. You don’t have to be an expert hair and makeup artist but just know what looks good on you.

• Shoes and bags are equally important to complete the look. Invest in a good black or tan purse that would be your loyal friend for most of the outfits.

• Wear your smile and confidence and that’s the key to look good.

I hope you enjoyed the look and found some inspirations. If you have liked this look 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.

Outfit details

Saree: Adi Dhakeshwari Bastralaya, Gariahat, Kolkata, India

Necklace: H&M store, City Creek Mall, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

No matter how long the winter is... spring is sure to follow.... 

And its knocking on our doors already, the season of love,  color and sunshine.  After the dry and dull winter months, spring comes and spreads riot of colors in nature and in our mind. It is rightly said that Spring is the nature's way to say let's party. Indians throughout the world welcomes spring with the colorful Holi or Dol jatra festival. Holi means shops sprawled out on the streets with vibrant gift hampers, colors, water balloons and, of course, those fancy water guns. You could smell the aromatic gulaals everywhere!So we introduce our this years' second spring look by wishing every one of you a safe and Happy Holi. If you're interested you can look into our first spring saree look here.

Look of the day

As spring symbolizes color and life,  we have chosen a  vibrant neon green Khaddi saree. It looks as fresh as nature and with the bright "Abir"(gulal) pink woven border. The saree woven in a rich banarasi pattern, is suited for any kind of spring celebrations, both night and day. In addition to that the saree is light in weight and very season appropriate. I bought the saree from my last visit to Kolkata, the fresh and bright color combination and the floral border caught my eyes. So made sure to keep shoulder pleats wider to highlight on the saree border. Draping of a saree makes a whole lot of difference on how it is presented. 

I have paired the saree with a vibrant makeup as well, fuschia pink lipstick and highlighted eyes. Kept the hair simple loose. The golden batua bag and gold and emerald stone studded jewellery matches perfectly with the gorgeous saree. You can always tone down or up the look by opting for heavier jewelry or lighter makeup, depending on your comfort level and the occasion.

Tips for Your Spring Fashion

• Spring is the season of "growth", thus season of bright colors. But it doesn't mean you'll always have to wear them or you'll be comfortable carrying them. If you want to wear dark or muted colors, do can a pop of brightness in your accessories like makeup (a bright lip or eye-shadow) or, bag  to balance things out.

• Try out different spring prints. Floral is the most popular spring print,and a floral printed, woven or embroidered saree looks so apt this season.You can try mixing things up by wearing a contrasting print or solid colors with it.

• Avoid thick fabrics and try breathable fabrics to feel your best.

Hope you have a colorful spring!! 

If you're interested please look into our other traditional saree posts. 
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Outfit Details:

Saree: Adi Mohini Mohon Kanjilal, Kolkata, India

Jewelry set: Gift, source unknown.

Batua bag: Metro Plaza, Kolkata, India

 A must-have for Bengali brides, Banarasi Sarees are among the finest sarees in India. They are known for their gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk and opulent embroidery. Most of us have been familiar with these rich weaves tucked with care in Ma or granny's armoire for ages. I

The #Banarasi sarees are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate design, and, because of these engravings, are relatively heavy.are being churned out by thousands of weavers with Mughal inspired patterns like intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, kalga and bel, jhallar at the outer, edge of border, hunting scenes etc. They are known for their intricate gold and silver works, compact weaving, intricate figures, metallic visual effects, pallus, jal (a net like pattern), and mina work.. These sarees embellished with expensive art work can sell upto Rs. 2 lakh or up. Of course you get several varieties of them in different price ranges depending on the work and material.

Apart from the high cost, Banarasi Sarees have irreplacable sentimental values  attached to them. They have been inherent part of family's wedding trousseau for generations.   Some lucky ones of us may have inherited  heirloom Banarasi sarees from their grand moms. But we rarely take out our Banarasis assuming they would be too boring/ not so cool to wear or even over the top for occasions. 

But trust me nothing  can replace the glamour and grace of a Banarasi saree for your next family wedding or party. You just have to style it to your comfort and choice, drape it properly and voila!! By draping a handloom Banarasi saree and embracing these heritage weaves you're actually doing you're bit to encourage and support the livelihood of thousands Banarasi weavers. Thus here's our few styling options for your next Banarasi outing.

As traditional as it can be!

This is for the ones who loves the conventional vibes of the saree and want to keep the feel intact. Drape and style your Banarasi in the most conventional simplest way you can. As the saree is heavy enough you don't need work to hard to accessorize the look. Your most traditional gold or kundan jewelry, simple makeup and a gajra paired may look just perfect. 

Recently was just bowled over by some of our Bollywood celebrities donning the most traditional of Benarasis in the most conventional way. Here are some of the pictures I saved in my heart as soon as I spotted them.

Twist to the traditional Banarasi

Here's the part which some of you may hate or love. Pairing your conventional Banarasis with the most unconventional blouses/tops. Here's I have draped my Banarasi in the most commonly found color combination of maroon and green with a black ruffled bodysuit 😎😎. Its outrageously experimental for the kind of saree it is but, instantly changed the bridal vibe of the saree. Its a cool way to wear your wedding sarees again without repeating a similar look. Experiment with various blouse options with one saree to give it a different vibe each time. 

So if you're up for the game and need some more inspirations...here you go!! Bring up your games with these unusual styling of the orthodox Banarasi weaves.

If you want some more Banarasi treats...stay tuned for the next part of the series on our blog!
In the mean time let us know through your comments which look did you like most and would opt for. 
If you're interested please look into our other traditional saree posts.
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