House of Clocks

Sabyasachi Mukherjee has finally set up shop in Mumbai, and we've got to say, his digs have style. The store is a collaboration with the owners of Muse, which explains the location – it’s right next door - and the sprawling space, which is designed like a railway apartment with one room leading into another. It's all very plush and atmospheric, decorated with heritage tiles, pretty chandeliers and mottled green walls thick with countless vintage clocks - big, small, round and square, but none in working condition.

One Ring to Rule them All
Strange, we thought, as we caught our first glimpse of the merchandise through a glass fronted cabinet: a just-launched collection of antique-ish precious jewellery. Every piece here is lust-worthy, fit for the trousseau of a fashion-forward Rajput princess. We loved intricate gold mismatched earrings with different stones for each ear (Aishwarya Rai apparently wore a pair recently); thick necklaces hung with multiple pendants; and a seriously cool cyanide ring with secret compartment, in which the ladies of royal families carried poison in case their forts were breached - think how useful this would be on a bad date! Unable to resist, we succumbed to the charm of a ring on which perches a two-inch long gold bird, its tail glittering with uncut diamonds, opals on its wings (Rs 68,000). Pricey, but a good bird to have in hand.

Weave a Sigh of Relief

If you're looking for something less expensive, head to the Save a Saree collection of woven cotton saris, all between the range of three and five thousand rupees. Specially curated by Sabyasachi to promote weavers, these come in bottle greens and inky blues, cream and maroon, with thick ikat borders in contrasting colours (think Vidya Balan in Paa).

Also available are bespoke services – the store will take orders for customised clothes and blouses for saris bought here – and Sabyasachi’s regular fare of Anarkali salwar kameezes, bridal outfits, and half-and-half saris with intricately embroidered borders. In one especially pretty version, half the sari is made from a patchwork of brightly-hued, richly embroidered panels, and the other from drab cotton in red and white gingham checks reminiscent of a tablecloth you'd find at your grandmum's home. You wouldn't think it, but together, the combination works spectacularly.

Tuck in Time

This is the genius of Sabyasachi - the ability to put together the oddest fabrics, the most ordinary designs, and come up with an outfit that is much greater than the sum of its parts. But it's also a rut the designer seems stuck in, applying the same concept for years, making clothes that have lost their freshness. "His designs are like an LV bag," a friend explains, "you can spot them a mile off, you know they cost a bomb, and you require no imagination to purchase them. It's the perfect formula, why would he want to change that?"

It's a depressing thought, but maybe it's true. Maybe the safe constancy of a time warp is what Sabyasachi is going for. And maybe that’s why the clocks in his store don’t work.

Getting there: Sabyasachi, opposite the Blue Synagogue, Kala Ghoda, sarees start at Rs 3,000.