Exclusivity is the lure

by Janaki Venkataraman

(Continued from last fortnight)

The signs of ‘Bond Street’ (Picture: S. Anwar)

As I wander further down the Khader Nawaz Khan Road, I wonder whether I should give the Silk Worm boutique a miss.

It’s just a saree store, I think. But then I haven’t bargained for the delightful explosion of colours and textures that meets me once I step inside; nor the impeccable attention of young Hisham, the store manager. Hisham is your ultimate seller of sarees – he is courteous to a fault, and tireless in displaying the textiles on his neatly ordered shelves. It’s difficult these days to find a boutique that sells mainly sarees and Hisham’s own excitement about the colours and textures he spreads before the customer is infectious. Even if you don’t buy anything right then, you know you will return soon and buy those gorgeous sarees. Hisham seems to know that too. “Call me when you come next,” he says confidently. “I’ll make sure we have something special to show you!”

It is perhaps this attitude that sets the boutiques on this street apart from other shops in the city (where the attitude of the sales people is either businesslike or indifferent).When you enter the smart, cool interiors of Evoluzione, you do so with some trepidation. Apart from the fabulous clothes from the best Indian designers that hang endlessly from the racks, the sales women all look as if they are ready to walk the ramp themselves. Tarun Tahliani, Rohit Bal, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Arora, Ritu Beri – the labels that hang from the dresses read like the roll call in India fashion week. Despite their looks and fine grooming, however, the sales people in Evoluzione are surprisingly friendly and understanding. “We do a lot of bridal dresses,” says Shilpa Patel, Vice President, Luxury Retail, looking cool in black and white. “We sometimes get together a theme for the whole family. We even do special lehenga-s for toddlers.” I look at the heavily beaded, sequinned and embroidered lehenga-s and tops hanging from the rack nearest to us and gulp. As if reading my mind, Shilpa says, “We actually cater to all age groups. A lot of college kids come here. They might buy the occasional expensive dress, but we have plenty of clothes starting at the Rs. 2,000 price range. We even have costume jewellery starting from Rs. 500.”

If you want to take a break from shopping at this point and grab a coffee, as I do, you have the choice of walking into the Starbucks outlet across the road or enter the Café Coffee Day parlour, a few shops ahead. I love the aroma of the Starbucks store and the small bits of shopping you can do there, for sachets of instant coffee or ceramic coffee mugs or just to sit at your table nursing your latté and watching other customers come and go. If you read a book or write on a pad, no one really hurries you. But the coffee in Café Coffee Day better suits the Indian palate and there is a fun selection of small eats. It’s definitely a place to hang out in with your friends.

Well before the Coffee Day outlet is a shop that seems out of place in this avenue of boutiques the Cycle Store. It’s a shop that sells fitness cycles. Many of these are made by TI cycles. But they also stock a number of imported ones. “Canondale, an American brand, is very popular with sports people and actors,” the salesman informs me. The cycles are colourful and sleek, very Tour de France, as are the accessories like helmets and gloves. The price range starts at Rs. 15,000 and goes up to Rs. 3 lakhs. The salesman here has an opinion on why many VIPs shop on this road. “Firstly, it is quiet and private here,” he points out. “They won’t get mobbed here. And, secondly, you get a far wider selection of goods in these shops than say, in the outlets in the malls.”

Come to think of it, the cycle shop is not all that much of a surprise. I look around and see several stores selling fitness machines. Then there are the gyms and spas that generously flank the road. After being greedy about clothes and food, it seems only right that people sweat it out to reach the goals of leanness and fitness.

And then there are the furniture and furnishing stores. There is a Simply Sofa outlet that sells pure leather imported couches and arm chairs. If you stagger out after learning how much they cost, you might cross the road and enter Atmosphere, the boutique furnishing store where the swathes of linen and furnishing material take your breath away by their understated beauty. The shop has been here for 14 years, which is saying something in this street of quick turnovers, and seems to breathe style and quality. Former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa apparently bought all her bed linen and furnishing material here. But the bulk of the shop’s clientele is made up by the big hotels and industrial houses. It has to be said that the shop has a lovely interior that showcases its fabrics and, well, if you can’t afford the smooth as silk bed linen and sheers, then maybe you can buy yourself a couple of cushion covers – that would only set you back by a few thousands.

It’s past one pm. Time for lunch. I have several choices before me. There is Love, Peace and Karma that sounds intriguing. But the man at the gate says hastily, “Madam, it’s a hookah lounge!” “Is it vegetarian?” I persist. “It is,” he answers, “but it is a hookah lounge.” I sigh. Obviously, greying, saree-clad women might not fit in with the decor. I could go to Mana Andhra, that has great reviews as serving authentic and tasty Andhra food. I worry, however, that it might be too spicy and walk away. There is Mamagoto, that serves Thai and Pan Asian food. There is Ink 303, very popular, but mainly a bar with very interesting alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. The eats are small ones, like nachos, chicken wings, brownies and so on. The Cascade serves Korean food. Shanghai Annachi serves South Indian food, a little heavy on the meat, but the parotta-s are crisply layered and recommended. Some of the shopkeepers recommend Nasi and Mee that has a South-east Asian menu. I ponder about these options and then meekly walk over to Tuscana in Wallace Garden Road, nearby, and have my standard thin crust pizza with vegetable toppings.

What is the allure of Khader Nawaz Khan Road? Exclusivity, I think, or the appearance of this rare commodity. There is something gracious about the place, something that only comes with wealth and good taste, things that everyone aspires to but is not always able to achieve. At the very least, it is a great street to wander down, browse, a little, buy a little, eat a little and feel contented with life. If only they’d fix that road.

(Concluded)

Please follow and like us: