You know how you’ve always wanted a cute boy to bring you flowers? Enter Nimish Shah, one of our favourite designers who’s put together a bunch of pretty florals for his Summer 2013 line just for you. See Shift’s skirts and blouses with China blue flowers and a pop of orange beads, hand printed jackets, and melt over a sorbet pink cotton frock with organdie trims.

PS: The collection is currently available by order only, which means you’ll have to spend a lot of time talking to Nimish about your…. measurements.

Getting there: Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the Facebook group here, start at Rs 4,500 for a pair of pants.

What: The Kirana Shop, 131 Meharchand Market, call 24619666, Rs 60 for a 5 ml bottle of Deo’s cinnamon spice drops.

Why: Unlike other exploding shopping areas in the city, Meharchand Market actually manages to hold on to some of its history, grocery stores, tailors and kebab guys. New organic store The Kirana Shop seems to embrace this ethos with its twee name and local produce. With fresh veggies from I Say Organic, essential oils, spice drops and their own in-house tea, we like the plentiful white shelves, but wonder why they didn’t stick to the old school kirana shop model instead of opting for a regular hypermart-ish layout. With pickles and produce interspersed with embroidered cushion covers from Kashmir and soap, it’s a mish-mash but one that smells good.  Go for the masalas, leave for the varieties of honey (including pepper) and lovely old school bottles of achaar.

When: All you need is clove.

If you were on Twitter yesterday, you’d see that it was  all aflutter about the Oxford Bookstore that just re-opened after years in Connaught Place. Excerpts:

Kalyani Saha Chawla (@kalyanisaha): With Priya Paul at the Oxford bookstore opening yesterday. Coolest intellectual hangout!!

William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill): Less wonderful to see Travel Writing section labelled Travel Fiction, Chatwin & Kapuschinski notwithstanding.

Yodakin (@Yodakinthestore): It's been some time since that fabulous bookstore Bookworm in CP (sadly) closed down. Maybe it'll be different now.

Arunava Sinha (@arunava): How fantastic to have an entire section devoted to #translations at the huge new @oxfordbookstore in Delhi.

Supriya Nair aka Rosie Roti (@supriyan): spent a lovely evening at new oxford bookstore in n-block connaught place, which i venture is as close as it gets to park street up north.

With Great Expectations (our favourite copy in hand), we entered the newly opened bookstore, which resembled it's Stateman House counterpart only as an exoskeleton. Bathed in fluorescent lighting, we found words spelt out in fairy-lights, 'memory', 'gnomes' and 'murder', and were already itching to lay our hands on a good story.

Word.

If you've been to a boarding school, the new Oxford Bookstore will feel like home. Case in point: we were showed around by a gentleman clad in blue and white checked trousers, crisp white shirt and a blue blazer complete with plaid printed elbow patches – it made us nostalgic for the boys of our youth. His female counterpart was busy arranging stock in similarly printed pleated skirts white shirt and blazer. We fell in line and made sure we only spoke in whispers to one another.

Reminiscent of our school's European Classical architecture were deep blue archways and a main atrium arranged like a library with sections on Indian Fiction, New Releases, Translations, International Fiction, References and Dictionary, Cookery and lifestyle and Travel Fiction (for which Mr Dalrymple harbors a gripe. See tweet above). A mahogany brown step ladder rested against each section, for social (studies) climbers. We went up and were rewarded with a forlorn copy of Saratchandra's The Final Question.

Little carts of book displays had us charmed, each with its own title: Nobel Prize Winners, New Releases, Graphic Novels (will make many a fanboy happy); as did a large blue faux kiddie pool in the children’s section.

A Multi Story Building 

As for the collection of books, International Fiction was surprisingly devoid of even popular titles: the free access public computer told us that Junot Diaz was out of stock and the only Zadie Smith book they had was White Teeth. A search for Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore proved completely futile.

What they did have though, was a formidable collection of coffee-table books. From The Art Book, Bvlgari: Between Eternity and History, The monumental India Book to The Rolling Stones in the Beginning, these looked like framed potraits in their pretty wall grooves.

Clap Your Hands, Cha-Cha

A complete break  in theme from the rest of the bookstore is the Cha bar. An old feature of their Statesmen House outlet, this cafe is jarringly futuristic in design and not yet fully operational – not really our cup of tea.  But the bookstore itself is definitely worth a visit. Swing by the kiddie pool the next time you’re around, and you might see us sitting around, flipping through Sacco's Palestine.

Getting There: N-81, Connaught Place, call 33503291. Rs 40 for a cup of tea at the Cha Bar.

As the Book of Deer website opened with black-and-white sketches of a deer, strewn feathers and a doe-eyed girl sitting on a tree trunk, the sights evoked a world far removed from the noise of the city. Here, we found pretty clothes that spoke of a pastoral simplicity we rarely see – birds on trees, boats at sea and a campsite we probably went to as kids. Designed for the “quietly iconoclastic girl”, the Book of Deer brand of clothing cuts through the hyper-modern look with butter-soft fabrics and hand-drawn digital prints of a natural world.

Missing the city already? Stay back, we found glow-in-the-dark prints of fire flies!

This One Time At Band Camp

Based in Hong Kong (free shipping to India), Book of Deer is a clothing brand by Eilidh Ho, who is born to a Scottish mother and Chinese father, and is named after the oldest manuscript written in Scotland. Hence, the upcoming Autumn-Winter collection that will be on sale in September sees sketches and designs referenced to the mermaid-like Selkie, a mythological creature in Scottish folklore. A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, Ho, who illustrates each print by hand, has launched two collections yet, of which the current one is inspired by summer camps and girl scouts. For no additional shipping charges, sitting right here at home in India, you can click and order these fantastical prints.

A range of floaty chiffon shirts with peter-pan collars, plaid skirts and blouses and weightless shift dresses make up the current collection on Book of Deer. Deers, in sticker-like patches peek out from the collars of dresses in diffused greens; pink tents; glass jars with fireflies (a glow-in-the-dark print); toasted marshmallows; acorns and fishing rods make up this ultra feminine range. Brownie ties, cliched moustache collar pins, swallow collar pins and cat headbands (with cat-like ears embellished with pearls) are part of the accessories range.

Sometimes inspired by forest girls, sometimes by the sea, Ho’s artworks and sartorial skills combine to make clothes that could be pages of an engaging children’s book, one that you read with a torch after lights out. bpb is sure of camping here on long weekends; that’s a Girl Scout promise!

Getting there: www.bookofdeer.com, Rs 550 to Rs 8,000, international delivery through registered air mail, your order will reach you in approximately 10 working days. (A currency convertor and an accurate size chart are also available on the website).

What: BarTrender Pro, order at Benetta Bartrender, Suite 1210, DLF Towers-2, Jasola call 41550060, Rs 3.5 lakhs and upwards.

Why: We Instagrammed your last house party and we have to say, you’re looking sort of idiotic. There that’s you in the blue, not a Uni student and still chugging straight from the bottle. How about you put that Absolut down and invest in a grown-up (read: expensive) bar instead. Previously available only at hotels, BarTender Pro is now selling their hybrid bars to individuals as well. These are stocked with professional cocktail mixer, a wine cooler from France (no free bottles though, we checked), a dual temperature zone and dry storage bar. Cheers!

When: You need a sip replacement.

Did an unsuspecting stag turn into a bag? You'll wonder as you train your eye on this cool Vitasta purse at Tack in Santushti, where the wooden handle is shaped like a faux antler. Crafted from leather and available in a yum caramel hue (also a less appealing white), bpb loves that it's a regular everyday bag with a fun twist. And when carrying it around by the antler gets too cumbersome, there's a long leather strap that you can attach to the purse as well.

Regular travellers can resort to a larger duffel bag version called the Antler Weekender. So that's one stag and one couple?

Getting there: Vitasta antler bag, available at Tack, 22, Santushti, Race Course Road, call 24670923, approximately Rs 7,000.

It's hard to be a home decor store these days. You can’t walk down Meharchand or N Block Market or pretty much anywhere in the Capital without tripping over one, overflowing with cheesy silk borders, fake elephant tusks and Buddha bric-a-brac. Plus, when you name a store “Indian” something, you make us wary, and a wary Scouter scares easy.

In The Summertime

It doesn’t help that Indian August, the city’s newest home décor store, is all the way in the Noida badlands, traversable only by toll bridge, in a market so full of jumble that you’re holding your breath while you navigate the parking. The good news is that the store itself is five floors of beautiful, well organized, uncluttered, with the smell of sandalwood and sheesham everywhere.

The lower ground floor is where the lifestyle and home stuff lives, like pretty trolls in a dungeon.  Here are the cheesy silk borders and appliqued flowers we see wilting all over Delhi, but also a cool cushion cover stamped with what looks like a cross between a coffee stain and a clock, and another limned with a Madhubani depiction of the Sagitarrean archer. Hint: we have a birthday coming up.

Floor-ida Calling

Up another level and we’re transported to a sedate sari shop lined with chanderi silks and Chikankaris, pretty but still mainstream enough to appeal to your aunt from Meerut. Look hard enough, however, and you might spot some more interesting pieces from labels like Creative Bee and Translate by Vinita Passary. A few floors up, the “Indo-Western” section echoed this sentiment, ho-hum monotany of the in-house label interrupted by flashes of fun, in the form of a tangerine orange Pero tunic or long maxi by Puja Arya, where huge polka dots bounced off a skirt of sky blue.

This, coupled with a puppet from a sparse ceramic selection is what we walk out with. Not much yield from a five floor store (the terrace café and art gallery are inoperational when we visit), but a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

Getting There: Indian August, N-3, Noida Sector-18, call 0120 4269343, or visit their website and Facebook page. Rs 2,500 for a silk dupatta.

Any ornithologist worth his salt will tell you that a lovebird should never be caged alone. They best survive in pairs, nurturing a deep bond for their kin. This is why a step into the new Lovebirds store at Meherchand Market has us puzzled. Instead of housing an arsenal of vintage clothes that are their trademark (remember their Hauz Khas outlet?), the store now carries a jumble of vintage as well as contemporary Delhi designers.

New A-Quill-Sition!

But we’ll get to the new stuff in a minute. Tired of the crowds at Hauz Khas Village, we're literally in Meherchand Market's corner, as is Lovebirds, perched on an angle above Oh Layla. While the new space is better lit and lined with big windows, it lacks some of the best elements from its HKV counterpart – an old-world dresser for instance, and the masked Mr Jason (that's what we call him whenever we stop by). Instead here we find a hackneyed selection of spectacles that make us think fondly of the Lisa Loeb-esque sunglasses we saw on a visit to House of Blondie; and disappointingly passe hand bags in beige and cobalt blue faux snakeskin. We do, however, enjoy a black studded sling purse with tassles (Rs 4,800), pretty-printed Prada pants (Rs 8,500), a lacy white Reiss jacket (Rs 5,800) and a slim black belt that spells “ciao” (Rs 3,500). Is that how lovebirds break up?

Go In One Era, Come Out The Other

Speaking of break-ups, we love you Bodice and want to see more of your clothes around Delhi, but isn’t this beau a little old for you? Once we get over the age difference, however, we spend a good ten minutes browsing through the label’s greatest hits, including the famous moustache print sheer skirt (Rs 10,250) and a panelled crop top from LFW '12. Further confusing the vibe are a row of futuristic art prints, greeting cards and notebooks by Infonauts, another HKV import. 

We do run into a Hamells dress (Rs 4,500) on our way out, blush pink, nipped at the waist, with box pleats running down the length. This paired with a fascinator and these sunglasses would be how you would find us. Where, you ask? On the quaint balcony in the store, striking a pose and reminiscing of them derby days when vintage meant old school.

Getting There: 32, Meherchand Market, call 9810036992, Rs 4,500 for a Hamells dress.

Big cats of Delhi, it's time to sit up and pay attention: new men’s fashion and tailoring website Roar and Growl showcases t-shirts, polos and button downs designed by Rajvi Mohan, (he’s showed at a bunch of Indian fashion weeks and one in New York). Much of the merchandise is still a work-in-progress, but if the button-downs are anything to go by, there is sharp detailing and reasonable price tags to look forward to.

This Original 3b shirt could see you through a board meeting and a fancy dinner. While navy is classic, we recommend you shake things up with baby pink. The formal shirt selection is a bit weak with only a few solid colours, a few misses (thick stripes make this pale lavender shirt more suitable for an older uncle) and some classic picks like the K Shirt.

Roar and Growl have a customised shirt section in the works (we're just happy they steered clear of the word 'bespoke'), where you can pick a fabric of your choice and even a pattern. With sizes ranging from 38-46 and a cash on delivery option, we can see you're ready to pounce.

Fine curls of mahua flower smoke and a bubbling noise are among the sights and sounds that make up anthropologist Dean John D'souza’s 2010 memories of a Bhil tribal village in Madhya Pradesh. This “research” led to, among other things, a handmade gift for you – the Gudgudi.

Named after the “gudgud” sound it makes, the Gudgudi is a sheesha or bong that the Bhils call a Dunga and is crafted from all natural materials. Dean learned how to make this two years ago - the base is a dried, hollowed out pumpkin, the connector is made of bamboo and the chillum from clay – and has recently started shipping these all over India.

The Gourds Must Be Crazy

“It’s the Ferrari of sheeshas,” says Dean, while describing how less empty space in the Gudgudi’s base (as opposed to a sheesha) makes the smoking experience much smoother. “Plus, no two pumpkins are the same and so every device I make is unique,” says Dean, who calls himself The Gourdsmith. If you’re interested in buying and live in Mumbai, Dean will make a house call to demonstrate how it works and explain to you why the Gudgudi will look different after six months, and how the vegetable will not deteriorate even after two years. “The durable product undergoes a natural evolution and becomes even smoother over time.” There might also be that secret tutorial about how it can be used to shed light on other things. Did you guys have a good Mahashivratri?

Dean makes the basic Gudgudi which costs Rs 1,500 and does fancier versions with paint and bands of coloured thread. Part of the profits made from the Gugudi will go to the village that inspired it, and The Gourdsmith is working on introducing new products – musical instruments, bags, boxes – made from gourd.

Where's There's Smoke

Now we don't encourage smoking at the bpb office, and personally, we're not big fans of the sheesha. But if fragrant hookah smoke is usually part of your house party haze, then the Gudgudi could be a good buy. Plus, it's so fun to say!

Getting there: To order call Dean on 9920222386/9762024431 or view the Facebook page here, start at Rs 1,500.