Punch Trunk Love

The display pane at Trunk, Colaba’s brand new apparel store is a window into the past: The stack of cast iron trunks on show here immediately reminded us of the kind our grandmums stowed under high four poster beds lined with cotton and mothballs, containing countless treasures.

Sleeve Peeve

This store appeared equally intriguing, painted in cheery yellow, stocked with unusual brands and cool looking clothes. But as we dug deeper, our excitement diminished slightly – the merchandise here is disappointingly limited and dominated by cutesy graphic T shirts stamped with pink elephants and cookies, monsters and cheesy slogans (more macho versions for men are available as well). Shi(r)t!

We did however, manage to unearth some gems: an austere white shirt with robot shoulders by Pupula (Rs 2,600); a Laura Dawson short jumpsuit in pale grey with splashes of colour (Rs 6,500); soft black and white T-shirts by David and Goliath (Rs 1,900); a salmon pink satin miniskirt studded with grommets (Rs 4,900); and a black and white Rise dress with zipper detailing, which fit our figures and budgets like a dream (Rs 1,900). Owner Pratik Sheth assured us that the current stock is only 40% of what’s in store, and that in a couple of weeks we’ll have a lot more to browse through.

Goodbye Gap

Apparently, the fashion philosophy behind Trunk is to bring alternative style to India, labels that bridge the gap between luxury and high street brands. If all goes according to plan, there will be close to 40 branches across the country (the Delhi outpost is scheduled for a November launch), stocked with lesser known lines from across the globe, which are affordable yet stylish. At the Mumbai store, Pratik has roped in brands from South America, Holland, the United States and England, his home base. He curates all the lines himself, and buys a maximum of six pieces for every garment – so chances of running into a mirror image are gratifyingly low.

Weed Out the Junk

Trunk is a great concept, a potential wardrobe saver for those of us with champagne tastes and beer budgets, who enjoy designer clothes but can’t afford to blow a month’s rent on a DVF wrap dress. We just hope the stock gets fatter, and us, leaner – we found a seriously hot pair of skinny jeans here that we’d like to fit into this season. (Drain)pipe dream?

Getting there: Trunk, shop no 67-69, Seaview Terrace Building, Wodehouse Road, Colaba, start at Rs 1,500.