Sheikh Arif Bulbon :
Summer is probably the lengthiest of all the seasons in Bangladesh. Whenever we buy clothes we lean towards colours, designs and materials that are most suitable for sultry summer climes, but which we can also wear during other seasons. Vibrant colours always complement summer-wears and this year, Bangladeshi designers have mainly opted for lightweight cottons, coupled with the lightest and brightest colours.
If you take a walk around the Deshi Dosh corner at Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, or their branch in Niketon, you will find 10 popular local brands displaying their unique styles and designs with flair. It is an excellent stop if you are in the lookout for the latest designs inspired by Bengali traditional styles and motifs. And if you are on a budget, stores like Srishti and Deshal have a lot to offer. From colourful saris to interesting outfits for the tiny tots, you are most likely to find something to suit your taste and pocket.
The collections of exclusive saris are quite stunning in stores like Kay Kraft, Bibiana, Anjans and Rang. If you like simple cotton saris with plain borders, Deshal has a wonderful array of those available for about Tk 1,200 only. Printed cotton shirts are quite big nowadays, and you will find a wide array in shops like Banglar Mela, Srishti and of course, Aarong. Printed silks are also quite popular among young women.
While asking a university student she said, “I love wearing saris to class in the summer, especially if I have to make a presentation of assignments. Deshal’s simple cotton saris are very nice. I also love Sada Kalo, and it is also very popular among my friends as you can hardly go wrong with black or white. I also find their prices within reach. The batik dupattas are also very popular among girls in my class and I find them here all the time.”
If you are a student on a tight leash in monetary terms, take a swing at the famous Aziz Supermarket at Shahbag. The place is a treasure trove of local designs, mostly created by art students who sell their designs to small boutiques there. From stylish short and long kurtis for the ladies to punjabis and trendy T-shirts for the men, it is an excellent budget-friendly place to find local flavours that you can marry with a pair of jeans, or even a dhuti, to make a fashion statement.
A buyer at Nitya Upahar of Aziz Supermarket tols this correspondent that the best part is, whenever he really likes a design, he buy the same T-shirt in a small size for his nephew, who is four, as they have children’s sizes for most of the designs.
Aziz Supermarket is also popular for a number of panjabi shops. You can find panjabis for as little as Tk 500 here and you would be mistaken to think they are of poor quality. The reason behind such reasonable prices is probably the market’s location and clientele, it’s just a 10-minute walk from the DU campus and the shops mostly cater to students.
About his summer collection, a designer working for Banglar Mela told this correspondent, “We will be focusing mainly on cotton this summer. It has probably become a redundant choice for the season, but let’s faces it; we have to design clothes keeping the heat and humidity of summertime in mind. And with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees, cotton is simply the best choice. I have opted for light and soothing shades for my designs. Bright colours will also be trending this season.”
About trending summer hues and fabrics, Nadira Ferdousi Misty, a designer for Kay Kraft, said, “I have worked with different shades of white and soothing pastel colours. I also like pink, sky blue and peach for summertime as such colours are relaxing and easy to carry. These clothes are complemented with supporting dark colours, which have been incorporated into the designs to make the patterns more eye-catching. Cotton, of course, is the favourite for summertime, and for party wear, we have worked with kota muslin, which looks elegant and is comfortable to wear as well.”
And no outfit, of course, would be complete without appropriate footwear. Popular franchises like Bata, Apex and Jenny’s have already stocked their shelves with strappy sandals in bold colours, adorned with floral or be jeweled designs. Some styles even come with matching handbags! There is also a wide range of comfy canvas shoes, for those of us who hate to get our feet muddied when the rains hit. n
Summer is probably the lengthiest of all the seasons in Bangladesh. Whenever we buy clothes we lean towards colours, designs and materials that are most suitable for sultry summer climes, but which we can also wear during other seasons. Vibrant colours always complement summer-wears and this year, Bangladeshi designers have mainly opted for lightweight cottons, coupled with the lightest and brightest colours.
If you take a walk around the Deshi Dosh corner at Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, or their branch in Niketon, you will find 10 popular local brands displaying their unique styles and designs with flair. It is an excellent stop if you are in the lookout for the latest designs inspired by Bengali traditional styles and motifs. And if you are on a budget, stores like Srishti and Deshal have a lot to offer. From colourful saris to interesting outfits for the tiny tots, you are most likely to find something to suit your taste and pocket.
The collections of exclusive saris are quite stunning in stores like Kay Kraft, Bibiana, Anjans and Rang. If you like simple cotton saris with plain borders, Deshal has a wonderful array of those available for about Tk 1,200 only. Printed cotton shirts are quite big nowadays, and you will find a wide array in shops like Banglar Mela, Srishti and of course, Aarong. Printed silks are also quite popular among young women.
While asking a university student she said, “I love wearing saris to class in the summer, especially if I have to make a presentation of assignments. Deshal’s simple cotton saris are very nice. I also love Sada Kalo, and it is also very popular among my friends as you can hardly go wrong with black or white. I also find their prices within reach. The batik dupattas are also very popular among girls in my class and I find them here all the time.”
If you are a student on a tight leash in monetary terms, take a swing at the famous Aziz Supermarket at Shahbag. The place is a treasure trove of local designs, mostly created by art students who sell their designs to small boutiques there. From stylish short and long kurtis for the ladies to punjabis and trendy T-shirts for the men, it is an excellent budget-friendly place to find local flavours that you can marry with a pair of jeans, or even a dhuti, to make a fashion statement.
A buyer at Nitya Upahar of Aziz Supermarket tols this correspondent that the best part is, whenever he really likes a design, he buy the same T-shirt in a small size for his nephew, who is four, as they have children’s sizes for most of the designs.
Aziz Supermarket is also popular for a number of panjabi shops. You can find panjabis for as little as Tk 500 here and you would be mistaken to think they are of poor quality. The reason behind such reasonable prices is probably the market’s location and clientele, it’s just a 10-minute walk from the DU campus and the shops mostly cater to students.
About his summer collection, a designer working for Banglar Mela told this correspondent, “We will be focusing mainly on cotton this summer. It has probably become a redundant choice for the season, but let’s faces it; we have to design clothes keeping the heat and humidity of summertime in mind. And with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees, cotton is simply the best choice. I have opted for light and soothing shades for my designs. Bright colours will also be trending this season.”
About trending summer hues and fabrics, Nadira Ferdousi Misty, a designer for Kay Kraft, said, “I have worked with different shades of white and soothing pastel colours. I also like pink, sky blue and peach for summertime as such colours are relaxing and easy to carry. These clothes are complemented with supporting dark colours, which have been incorporated into the designs to make the patterns more eye-catching. Cotton, of course, is the favourite for summertime, and for party wear, we have worked with kota muslin, which looks elegant and is comfortable to wear as well.”
And no outfit, of course, would be complete without appropriate footwear. Popular franchises like Bata, Apex and Jenny’s have already stocked their shelves with strappy sandals in bold colours, adorned with floral or be jeweled designs. Some styles even come with matching handbags! There is also a wide range of comfy canvas shoes, for those of us who hate to get our feet muddied when the rains hit. n
