There is a floral waistcoat we once glimpsed, untagged and hanging on a store rack. Instantly we coveted it, mesmerized by curls and colour, by the possibilities it presented to our wardrobes. It had recently arrived from the workshop of Anamika Khanna, we learned, and was yet to be priced. Perhaps we could return for it later? We acquiesced, naively believing our union would last forever. Alas, it vanished, remaining untraceable despite phone calls and obsessive web stalking. But wait! Two long seasons later we find it again, at Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop. Can we finally take our love out of the closet?
All is Fair in Love and Wardrobe
This reunion with a powder blue waistcoat (Rs 13,560) encapsulates perfectly the charm of Pernia’s Pop Up Shop (http://www.perniaspopupshop.com), a fashion and accessories e-commerce platform run by Pernia Quereshi, stylist on projects such as Bollywood film Aisha and Tarun Tahiliani’s fashion shows. Launched just yesterday, it offers hard-to-find pieces by cool, innovative designers including Atsu, Shift by Nimish Shah (a Sabyasachi protégé) and Ayesha Khurram.
Even ubiquitous names like Anamika Khanna, Cue and Gaurav Gupta seem fresh here, because the pieces featured are often different than what we usually spot: see a straight cut kurta - devoid of shoulder clasps or puffy sleeves or weird drapes - by Gaurav Gupta (Rs 16,900) and a deliciously modern alphonso-and-cream colour block dress by Ritu Kumar (Rs 12,425).
How to Cure a Pernia
The store also carries Pernia’s eponymous label, close fitting sheaths in a palette of purple, blue, beige (start at Rs 10,000). But in the face of an Atsu shirt featuring delightfully crazed black-and-white print and a soda-pink collar (Rs 14,900) or Ayesha Khurram’s skull-stamped kurta (Rs 21,000), these seem staid rather than chic or ladylike. Accessories too aren’t as cool as the clothes, although we do love a little Shivan & Narresh clutch wearing its very own bowtie (Rs 3,850).
At first, prices might seem steep, but they’re comparable to multi-designer stores like Ensemble and Ogaan. Plus, shipping within India is free and shopping on this website is painless, with its clean user interface; fun wear-ability feature (scroll over a product and the photo switches to how you can style it); and zoom powerful enough to reveal the wonderfully irregular weave in a raspberry-khadi James Ferreira skirt (Rs 14,380). The site will also offer additional features like an upcoming summer sale and styling/fashion videos.
Collar Tunes
All in all, Pernia’s Pop Up Shop has launched bearing a whole bunch of good stuff, the best of which is a second chance with that waistcoat. Pantaloon-crossed lovers, indeed.
Getting there: Visit www.perniaspopupshop.com, Rs 3,850 for a Shivan & Narresh bow clutch, shipping free within India.
