What: Bespoke corporate wear for men and women by Neha Ahuja, workshops in Worli and Juhu, call 9820279216 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , start at Rs 500.

Why: Trained under Shabina Khan, Gavin Miguel and Satya Paul, Neha Ahuja can stitch you up a storm of stylish work wear, from suits to skirts, within one week. Tailor swift! She also designs casual clothes, but we suggest you skip these and get right down to business.

When: You are in need of a straight jacket.

What: Basil Jewels’ personalised silver guitar picks, call 9819224877 or email Aanchal Tulsiani at mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to order, start at Rs 1,600.

Why: Lennon fans, strum on heartstrings this season with these adorable little guitar picks, made from pure silver and engraved with a personal message. Non-musical types can even use them as pendants or key chains.

When: You’re loco for Yoko.

What: Your own edible garden by Urban Gardener, visit the-urban-gardener.blogspot.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , start at Rs 5,000 to set up a patch.

Why: Patch a plan with Sunita Mohan, who’ll build you a customised garden (terrace, balcony or even kitchen), complete with tips on maintenance and sourcing materials. She also sells seeds for hard-to-find plants and trees - passion fruit, red ginger, asparagus fern - as well as seasonal produce. In her basket this January: broccoli, bok choy, dill, sage, thyme and more.

When: Now. Ready, get set, grow!

bpb Contest: Attending a wedding this season? Post your question/tips in the comments section below and win a super discount from WittyGift. Don’t forget to leave your email address!

bpb’s definitive dictionary to surviving marriage madness in Mumbai.

Bachelor/ Bachelorette Parties

Bonobo and Royal Palm Villas: Best bar for drunken bachelorette party games and sweetest pad for bachelor night-out, respectively. Bonobo, Kenilworth Mall, 2nd Floor, off Linking Road, next to KFC, Bandra (W), call 26055353; Royal Palms India,  Aarey Mill Compound, Goregaon (E), call 664570000 / 28795000, villas start at Rs 9,400.

Desiree - The Cake Studio: Naughty parts of anatomy come iced with a whole lot of loving in Desiree’s dirty cakes. Santhal ONGC Colony, shop #19, ground floor, Bandra Reclamation, next to Candies, Bandra (W), call 26458998 / 9820086923, start at Rs 1200 for a kg.

Sex in a bottle by Bottle Up: Great gifts for bachelorette parties, these glass jars contain thongs, condoms, sparklers, handcuffs, bunny outfit and whips. Kim does over 300 other themes as well. To order call 9820481144 or view the Facebook page here, start at Rs 150.

Trio bachelorette supplies: For the most attractive (and cheesiest) equipment - dick of cards, x-rated toothpicks, inflated love dolls - sourced from around the globe. Call Radhika at 9833737095 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , start at Rs 30.

Wanna Party bachelor shindigs: For your last night of freedom, these guys can arrange everything from naughty props and devious decorations to giant cakes and unofficial help with “dancers” who jump out of them. Mansion not! Call Vishal on 9833924717 / 9004646700 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , flexible budget.

***

Baraat

Essential playlist: Sheila ki Jawaani (Tees Maar Khaan), Munni (Dabanng), Ainvayi (Band Baaja Baraat), Emotional Atyachar (DevD), Kajrare (Bunty Aur Babli) – just dance today, you can go back to being cool tomorrow.

Sound Spirit baraat band: A Bollywood-obsessed all-Brit brass band (visiting Mumbai from December 19 to February 28) wants to play at your wedding. Call Jigar on 9820746266 or visit www.soundspirit.in, start at Rs 40,000.

***

Beauty

Heena mehendiwaali: She comes palmed with herbal and zardosi mehendi, as well as the most efficient helpers. Call 9869046500, start at Rs 6,000 for a bride and Rs 101 per guest.

Mehera Kolah hair and make-up expert: She’ll do a complete consultancy with you well before the wedding day, on which she’ll arrive with a magic bag of tricks, including products from MAC, Bobby Brown and Chanel. Ask nicely, and she’ll drape your sari for you as well. Call Mehera at 9821211237, price on request.

YSL Confidential: Top secret program through which YSL’s artists are sent over to your home for a full bridal (or otherwise) make-up session. The Rs 4,500 you pay is fully redeemable against all YSL fragrances, skin and beauty products. Call Supriya Gurbaxani for details at 9324570270, advance notice advised.

***

Booze

What: Tattoo Star, ground floor, Gagangiri Apts, next to Crepe Station, off Carter Road, Bandra (W), call Swapnil on 9892141100, Rs 1,000 per square inch.

Why: The biggest draw at Tattoo star, Mumbai’s newest ink inn is its artists – A JJ School of Arts graduate and a specialised portrait sketcher who insist on creating designs from scratch. We see a pattern here.

When: You’re looking for a win-skin situation.

What: Fat Beds from Chrome Hotel Kolkata, to order email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , available in Fat King, Fat Queen and Fat Solo sizes, start at Rs 35,000, shipped nationally.

Why: Earn some serious bed-cred with these super luxurious cloud-like mattresses especially sourced by a cool Kolkata hotel. On your back, get set, go!

When: You want motee, kapda aur makaan.

What: French Bibliothèque, B-24 /1-6, Adarsh Society, Sector 8, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai, call 9867369397 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , membership starts at Rs **.

Why: Set up a secret rendezvous at this home-run library that specialises in French literature – fiction, graphic novels and fashion magazines. Perfect for a sexy night in, when you and your book want to get Sarkozy under the covers.

When: You want a bookmark de Triomphe.   

Behind the scenes, future rock stars pay by the hour to practise in cool Sing Sing cells; we track down the best three. You (and your guitar) are welcome.

A certain cobalt-skinned Frog may have become a front for Mumbai’s live music acts, but the city has other stages for bands as well. Behind the scenes, future rock stars pay by the hour to practise in cool Sing Sing cells; we track down the best three. You (and your guitar) are welcome.

3rd Step’s The Jam Room: For Superlatives

Behind Juhu’s Rajput Bakery you’ll find 3rd Step, 24 hour music quarters that house an instrument and rock accessory store (3rd Step Music), a jam room (The Jam Room) and a record company (3rd Step Records). CD joint?

Besides claiming to have the biggest jam room (250 square feet) in the city and the best equipment (they like to show off their eight-piece double bass Tama drum set), this Juhu space is also where you’ll get to rub drum sticks with talented musicians from bands like SHKABANG and Pentagram, who often jam here. Run by the Veigas brothers (Jordan is the bassist for Reverse Polarity and Caleb plays for Octopus Oil), they also plan to hold Sunday workshops and professional three-month courses at 3rd Step. Viva Las Veigas!

Getting there: 3rd Step, lane opposite Sea Princess Hotel, Kishore Kumar Ganguly Road, behind Rajput Bakery, Juhu, find them on Facebook, Rs 200 an hour for the jam room, opens this evening.

What: Bespoke Halloween costumes by Halloweiner, call Marv D on 9833192815 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , five days to a week’s notice, start at Rs 2,000.

Why: Ghouls rush in to this stylist and ex-fashion columnist’s studio, where he’ll make you an elaborate Halloween costume from scratch using detachable pieces to ensure that parts of the garb can be worn on non-scary nights as well. He suggests you ditch the witch this year and go as a Clockwork Orange hero, ghost from The Ring or even Jersey Shore cast member. 

When: You want to make your second skin crawl.

Photo credit: Yakub Merchant

What: Fishetarian fresh fish delivery service, call 65153030/65154040, view the Facebook group here or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , free home delivery from Andheri to Juhu within 45 minutes, day’s notice and transport cost for beyond, Rs 350 for one kg of Indian salmon.

Why: Kiran Shriyan is the city’s new Captain Hook, delivering fresh pomfret right to your Pan. While his bait usually yields Indian salmon, tuna, tiger prawns, Bombay duck and kingfish, exotic fruit de mer can also be ordered a day in advance. Your fish will come cleaned, cut (as whole, filet or steak) and packed in hygienic ice boxes.

When: You want to see bass.