7th Avenue

Designer Payal Chaddha brings in a fresh change with her Bihu and spring summer collection. Agamonee Barbaruah takes a peek. Photos: Rahul Biswas

As I walked into the cute, little store of Payal Chaddha’s Gallery 2000, the prettily printed kurtas and pyjamas stared back at me as I checked them out. The lady in charge ushered me in where my designer was sitting, busy with her new assignment – a lovely black saree with green patterns embroidered on the spread – waving a quick ‘hi, just wait a minute’ to me and getting back to guiding her people with the work. I was seated on a cosy wooden chair and my eyes took a hasty tour of the entire room. Couple of stands holding an array of sarees and salwars in different colours, a big life-sized mirror in front of which Payal was checking out if the saree will have the design on the right spot that she wanted, and a manikin wearing a gorgeous orange sherwani, almost close to a wall-mounted idol of a pair of gods that perhaps gave the designer the inspiration that she needs for her work.  

After uttering an “Ask her to wait. I’m coming in an hour,” which I presumed, was meant for somebody at the other store (Gauri) that Payal owns, she sat comfortably for a chat with me. I was peeping into the adjacent room where her helper was arranging an armful of mekhela-chadars on the shelf, when Payal caught me unawares to ask, “Want to see them?” Before I could nod in affirmation, she stood up to show me a few of her latest designs. “Leather is the new fetish,” she said. “I love putting them in the new Bihu collection that I am taking orders for.” She pulled out a couple of nice mekhela chadars for me to take a look. An august beige one caught my interest. It had golden leather appliqués on it, with beautiful hand-sewn latkans. Leather, as I could see, has taken in most of her designs this season, and while she showed me the mekhela chadars, I could see some more meticulously done on salwars as well.

Why leather? I asked and prompt came the reply, “Chumkis and sequins have been used to death everywhere. So I chose leather. Of course that doesn’t mean I stop using the sequins completely. You’ll find some in my sarees.” She spread a few sarees from her new collection and my hands went over an elegant off-white georgette saree, sequined in brown and maroon and a black one with light brown sequins and a lacy, brown contour. “Assamese women have a soft corner for off-white and muga colours,” said the observant designer. I, with my casual shirt-and-a pair of jeans outfit, could briefly pause for a food for thought, my eyes fondly appreciating the Indian woman’s ultimate object of desire – the saree.  

“The Bihu collection is on for the season. But I have a casual wear section as well, for the young people – kurtis and salwars for the college and office going crowd. You can team them up as you want – with your denims or with patiala pyjamas, dupatta or no dupatta.” She took me to another room and pulled out a cool blue cotton kurti with leheriya prints. She also has an interesting combination of pyjamas and dupattas in similar print, that can be teamed with any kurti that the buyer desires to. You may opt to pick it up from Payal or you can go ahead with buying your own way. There are even other salwar and churidar-kurta pieces by Payal, which come in offbeat shades. “Chocolate is my favourite colour these days. It looks so lovely.” Having said that, she picked up a chocolate-coloured churidar piece and said, “If I were to dress you up in my way, this would be what I’d give you,” offered Payal. I couldn’t figure myself out in that, but it sure was a nice one. Most of these can be found in Gauri, the sister concern of Gallery 2000.

While I planned my next stop at Gauri, the designer fished out a beautiful cloth material from her huge stack at the workshop. “I am interested in another thing these days – foil prints,” mentioned Payal, as she showed me a magenta coloured cloth material teamed with a grey one, both wearing silver prints on them. It has a fly-away kind of feeling that seems very womanish.  

It might be really taxing managing everything, down to every single thread. “Yes, but it is my passion. I am a designer and that is what I want to be. I don’t get into managing events or anything of that sort. My business of playing with the cloth and designing them, according to how my clients want it, keeps me occupied. These days, all I am busy with, is using leather designs on my collection.” The embroidery of designer dreams on a piece of garment is what makes it different from the regular. But how does it actually stand apart from what we can find elsewhere? “Stores generally have a couple of similar pieces that you might find somebody else wearing, as you wear one yourself. But in Gallery 2000, we make sure that there is one piece of every design. So what we give you is exclusive and unique.”

I was full of ideas as I walked out of Payal’s workshop of how I would make my next sartorial venture – perhaps a change of wardrobe, a few kurti pyjama combinations and cottons for sure, as summer is on its way. Before that, definitely a bit of exercise to tone down the waist for a worthy flaunt!

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