This happens to be in Nizamuddin East , where I stayed for a brief while. The Kurti repeats itself from the previous post . It’s fabulous value for money because I can wear it in so many different ways in the summer.Salwar Kameezes are a real money saver – if you pick the colours right, with a certain amount of mixing and matching, you’d have a wardrobe to last you a while. The material for the Salwar and the Salwar itself was stitched in Shankar Market to match another suit I had.
Salwar : Around Rs.300 from Shankar Market, New Delhi.
Dupatta for Around Rs. 1800 from Raw Mango.
Sandals : Rs 500 on sale from Carlton , South Extension Market, New Delhi .
Earrings: Anokhi, Khan Market, fro around Rs. 2000.
There is SUCH beauty in Delhi. Though I’d admit, a much longer and exerted effort was needed than in Mumbai or Chennai to make my peace with it . I didn’t grow up here, and never did think that I’d work out of here. My trips to the city, I remember, were as a reluctant child visiting the Grandparents every winter. My movement then, was restricted only to Shanti Niketan, a colony which at that point was largely middle class and had some very pretty houses with carefully tended lawns, low walls and neighbours that you knew. Most of that has now morphed into cold, boxed in, three storied, shiny claustrophobic builder housing with burly guards outside of nearly every house. When the houses were pretty and the colony homely, my Mum and I would walk out past neighbours houses looking for the best kept gardens and the best built houses.We had an entire list of favourites. Keeping with tradition I’m always on the look out for pretty corners and there are, thankfully, still many if you look . I’m discovering more and more however, that the coziest of these are in the back lanes of certain colonies. The pictures here feature the entrance to the servant’s quarters near around where my aunt stays in Shanti Niketan . And the Kutri Featured was another one of those lucky find in Sarojini Nagar Market three years ago for Rs 75.
Perfect for the Delhi summer !
For The Colours.
Details On The Kurti.
One for the gate. The house was razed some years ago and is under litigation now.Pardon the weird expression .
This is what Rs. 400 and a little patience can get you in New Delhi. I contemplated disclosing the price of this piece – was asked not to, but decided that this is after all a blog about where the great deals in Delhi lurk. So, here it is then – the great Janpath buy.
Churidhar : Old one from Mum. Slippers : Mumbai, Colaba Causeway.Kameez: Janpath.
Be Warned : I'm particularly fond of the way it fans out.Most of the ensuing pictures therefore, are terribly self indulgent .Bear with me !
Another one ...
Details .
Details on sleeve.
Earrings from Amrapali : http://amrapalijewels.com/
Slightly blurred picture taken at Hauz Khas Village .
Deer Park.
And one last one !
This outfit was picked up from my last shopping excursion to Janpath (see previous blog entry).
..and this is completely and totally random – but I’m going ahead and adding a link to this song, if only because it’s mood song of the day:
Posted in Uncategorized on March 26, 2012 by splanet
Janpath, New Delhi, has a little lane to it’s left, just near the Freemasons Lodge where women from Gujarat sit amidst their chaotic, colourful ware calling out at shoppers. The predominant colour on this street of fashion now is Pink as you will see. Again, bargains can be driven down to half the price – this is the way you do it:
1) Ask them the rate .
2)They tell you ( usually an obscene amount).
3)Roll your eyes at them and walk away ( not too far).
4) They call after you asking for your rate.
5) You quote.
6) They disagree( always ).
7)You walk away again- a little more annoyed .
8)They call after you and they agree to your rate or strike a compromise.
Steps 6-7 and 8 may be repeated a few times over before you finally get a good deal .
It maybe exhausting , but it’s completely worth it and the vendors seem to love it – seems to make life more entertaining . Apart from of course, being an essential component of ‘the Indian Shopping Experience ‘. After all, it would be just so wrong to expect a staid and urbane retail experience from a place that is oozing colour and life !
Beaded and coin necklaces starting at Rs 200.
Colourful patches - you could make nice cushion covers out of them !
Cushion Covers starting at RS 150.
These you could get at RS 200 onward.
Borders sold by the running meter.
Pink , like a deco umbrella .Pre bargain rate : Rs 800.
...and a Green one for RS 800 - Pre-Bargain rate again.
Pretty ethnic curtain ties for Rs 90 per piece .
Rs.250 for that. It costs way more in Fab India.
Colourful bedspreads starting at Rs. 300.
More Borders !
Rs 500 for these !
The bags and the Kurtis are the reason I visited this time – take a look !
RS 900 and above for these. You'll be quoted something like double though.This one is my favorite !!
More Bags !
...and more ! Love this one !!
I bought this one for RS 1200.
And this last buy to be featured in future posts was completely worth the haggling .
RS 400 for this Kameez held up by my Mum. It caught my notice just as we were leaving .
TIPS : If you do happen to go shopping here and pick up clothes ,it’s advisable to dry clean them before you wear them because they’ve been out in the not so clean Delhi environment for quite a while.
RS 5000 should be ample amount to shop for a whole lot of stuff .
Water and snacks can be bought very close by and there’s Sarvanan Bhavan for a good South Indian meal on the other side of the road.
And for those such as me that care about the complexion and the heat , a good parasol would serve you well here – there’s very little in the way of shade.
As an aside : This post could probably do with a song like ‘The Long Road’ playing along :
But, it’s this that played on loop in my head while I typed out the text( completely random , but fun none the less) :
I landed in New Delhi last year just in time for the Dastkar Mela and left soon after back to Itanagar for work . Some of these pictures therefore, are from last year’s Mela and some from the one that was recently held in Dwarka.
Dhurries from Warangal , Andhra Pradesh.
Starting at Rs 1500.
Shawls from Kokrajhar , Assam. Starting at RS 1500.
Bags starting from RS 600 from Beawar, Rajastan.
The bag above is in Camel leather. Great buy if you can stand the smell!
Kachchhi Woolen Shawls . Starting at Rs 1500( for a stole).
Painted Glass bottles starting from Rs 700 from Puri,Odisha.
These were a delightful find this time at the Dwarka Dastkar Mela . I didn’t see them last year though .
Details ...
Yes, I know Manipuri pottery is fast becoming common. But, this stall run by a couple of Naga girls had some pieces that were quite innovate like pebble shaped diya’s.
Black Pottery from Manipur starting from Rs. 250.
Captured well in these dolls below is that well known Indian quirk – the head shake.The term ‘Thalayatti Bommai’ ( Tamil for bobble head dolls) came to mind when I saw them .
Indian Head Bobbing dolls RS 300 a pair from Lucknow .
I’ve unfortunately lost the business cards for these lovely baskets below , but if I’m not mistaken , they’re from somewhere in the South of the country – Tamil Nadu ?
Laundry /Storage Baskets
Bags from the same stall above .
Coloured Grass Baskets from Bhadohi , Uttar Pradesh.
Wall Hangings
Kantha Children's Quilts
Stuffed Toys
Kids PJ's with cute prowling Tigers .
I picked up two stoles from this stall below for everyday – they’re just the best when I’m traveling – easy to wash and dry, natural and they don’t run colour.
Stoles from Uttar Pradesh starting at Rs 300
Patch Work Quilts starting from Rs 2000.
Sundaram Soaps. Natural and handmade from RS 80 onward. Available in Hauz Khas , New Delhi.
The colourful Kaavad Shrines also available at Kamala at Connaught Place for Rs 700 are the perfect note to end this post on . Read more about this fascinating oral tradition of story telling from here :http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in/resources/dt-july-2009/kaavad.pdf
Maintaining and updating a blog such as this in Arunachal Pradesh , where I spent most of last year ,seemed completely redundant. In part, because there wasn’t much to shop for in way of clothes and partly because there was no need to buy anything other than basic supplies. There were no meetings I had to attend , no social commitments and my work was primarily field based – so apart from a couple of sets of clothes, most of my wardrobe was laid to rest .Besides, wearing anything that I wore in Delhi would have just seemed ridiculous in most environments there.
2011 was liberating in many ways because I whittled my life down to the absolute essentials. Every time I got off the plane and stepped into Delhi I felt like I had crossed cultures and time besides feeling that ‘people were so rich here ‘ . Coming back to this blog is something I never thought I’d do for a long while, until, that is, Amar Colony happened.
Amar colony is near Lajpat Nagar – for the uninitiated – just ask the Taxi / Auto ( using public transport to get to this market is far wiser than getting your car , as parking is nonexistent) to take you to Amar Colony – once there, say you want to go to Gupta Market – this is where you get old / refurbished furniture. If your new to the city and are a student / young professional or just want to save some cash on furniture this is the market for you . Bargaining is expected – sometimes you can even get a 50 % bargain if you’re a seasoned bargainer. If you don’t find what you’re looking for , you can have it made for much less than in most markets . Much like Sarojini , the joy of going to Amar Colony lies in finding that great bargain . Most of the pictures here I managed to take while being elbowed off the narrow market path amidst turpentine fumes and heavy bargaining – so apologies upfront.
If you need a personalized shopping trip around the city, a wardrobe overhaul or just the right gift for that special occasion mail me at shoestringstyle.inde@gmail.com.
.Bear with me !
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