In the process of renovating a historic 19th-century house in upstate New York, Bibhu Mohapatra discovered period newspapers that had been used for insulation. This sparked his interest in researching old New York through periodicals and maps. Mohapatra’s pieces were loosely tethered to this theme, and the better for it. One needn’t know that the checks and plaids (the best rendered in full-on sequins) or the abstract linear pattern on a rose-color gown mimicked maps of city streets to appreciate the appeal of their hotline bling.
The home base of the Bibhu woman, whom he describes as an “urban nomad,” is the city that never sleeps. Lavishly embellished, big evening clothes made for dancing until dawn are what the designer is known for and what clients like Céline Dion and June Ambrose—who wore a look from the Resort 2020 collection to the CFDA Awards—come to him for.
That’s not to say there aren’t day options in his new Resort collection, but they stay within the ladylike range. A passementerie-trimmed white cotton blouse and wide-leg pants is about as casual at Mohapatra gets. It would be interesting to see how his separates would look if styled differently or if some of his occasion pieces were convertible, i.e. a formal gown that could be worn as a total look, or as a top and skirt to be mixed and matched.
