“Bengal Byzantine Broadway” marks Sabyasachi’s comeback to NYFW with a lush, 72-look narrative of global cross-pollination. Rooted in Kolkata’s cosmopolitan history and New York’s ever-evolving identity, the collection mixes velvet, cashmere and mohair with denim, plaid and baseball caps, finished with bold jewellery and MET-inspired pieces that echo Byzantium’s grandeur.
Sabyasachi has returned to the New York Fashion Week after an 18-year hiatus, with a collection that brings together different cultures. The collection, titled ‘Bengal Byzantine Broadway’, was a 72-look showcase that borrows from the Byzantine history, Bengal’s textile heritage, and New York’s contemporary energy. The collection is built around the philosophy that cities become great when they gather influences from the world; when they carry ideas, craftsmanship, beliefs, traditions that belong to other cultures.
The designer looks at Calcutta (now Kolkata) as a prime example of this ideology. Kolkata absorbed influences from every corner of the world and transformed them into a language that’s unmistakably its own—British wallpaper, Corinthian columns, Italian marble, Chinese gardens, and Bengal's traditions of craftsmanship, literature, music, theatre, and food. Similarly, New York is also a city where every generation redraws its identity without erasing the last. The collection carries the rich craftsmanship of Kolkata with the embroidery and the modernity of New York with elements like baseball caps and denim.
The collection has Japanese denim, British tweed, cashmere, mohair and velvet with flowy trousers, draped skirts, boxy jackets and cummerbunds. Accessories like cowboy and Panama hats, silk scarves, oversized sunglasses, sculptural handbags and metal-tipped shoes give the collection its urban aesthetic. The showcase also features jewellery from The Metropolitan Museum of Art X Sabyasachi collaboration, inspired by Byzantium.
Our favourite look from the collection would be this stunning sleek black sari and a long jacket on Ananti Nagrath. Paired with massive bug-eye sunglasses, chunky jewellery, and a matching belt with Sabyasachi’s signature Royal Bengal Tiger, the look is absolutely stunning.
We love how this look blatantly brings together New York and India, and how the influences from both the cultures are loud and clear! The nonchalance of denim, plaid, and baseball cap, paired with the richness of the embroidery on the jacket and shoes? Love!
We’re loving this blingy printed shirt, paired with a houndstooth jacket, a long floral coat, and a printed scarf. The blue trousers and the bejewelled shoes in particular, have our heart. Special mention for the pleated detail at the hem of the pants! Dear men, take notes!
And this look is for the men who like it preppy, with a touch of glam! We are loving the juxtaposition of the chequered shirt with the metallic gold jacket!