Sabyasachi comes to town

Kolkata designer opens first store in Mumbai with Rani Mukerji in attendance.

[If you are looking for Sabyasachi's sarees in US, please visit Piakaghar.com or say hi to Pia at the North American Bangla Sammelan.]

When Kolkata-based designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee opened his flagship store in Mumbai at Kalaghoda on Wednesday, the first person to step in was his long-time muse — Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji.

The Bong beauty was taken on a tour by Sabya and oohed and aahed over the hand-painted Istanbul lamps and chandeliers, vintage plates, photographs of royal families and old clocks. “Not just Sabya’s clothes, his interiors too define exquisite old world luxury,” said Rani, adding she was the designer’s “deewani”.

Sabya himself revealed that this is a new direction in the way designers do up their stores now.

On display was his brand new women’s ready-to-wear collection, a bridal trousseau, fine jewellery, menswear and footwear.

“Any woman can own a Sabyasachi saree for just Rs 3,500,” he said, through his no-profit ‘Save a Saree’ initiative for the weavers of Murshidabad.

This initiative is strongly supported by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vidya Balan for whom Sabya designed clothes in Raavan and Paa respectively.

He’s also designed for Rani in No One Killed Jessica. “The look he’s given me is far removed from his signature touch,” she said.

I also found it kind of fitting that his Mumbai store is in the Kala ghoda, the art district.

The store’s décor is inspired by Parisian romance. Mukherjee explains as he walks us through the shop, “The reason the whole world celebrates Paris is because the Parisians celebrate themselves. The best way we could achieve the kind of vintage romance that Paris is known for, was by using pieces from our own history. Which is why I was very particular about each piece that went up here – I’ve sourced photographs and prints from all over the place.”