The Spanish fashion store's first Mumbai outlet is a budget shopper's wet dream. Pinch yourself to make sure you're awake.
Zara Mumbai is a budget shopper’s wet dream. Here, you can trail your fingers down a luxurious spiral staircase while chatting with an earnestly helpful, suit-clad sales clerk who helps you try on a big-buttoned military blazer that looks like Balmain but costs under 2,000 bucks. Pinch your arm to make sure you’re awake.
Super Model
Taught in business schools all over the world, the Zara model has been faithfully reproduced at the first Mumbai store, which opened at the Palladium on Thursday amidst much hype and hoopla. The brand is known for small inventories, quick design turn-around and reasonable pricing.
Low Cuts
How reasonable? Dear reader, here you’ll find skinny, artfully ripped jeans for Rs 2,100; a set of two tissue-thin cotton T-shirts imprinted with charcoal drawings and little stars for Rs 800; a pretty floral bustier for Rs 1,790; electric blue stilettos for Rs 3,000. Prices are pretty close to those in the States, cheaper than some of Europe and definitely worth the merchandise.
Play, Mate
But if you’re anything like us - leery of owning clothes that everyone else has – Zara’s widespread appeal might be a deterrent. Worry not, individualistic fuss pots, for the store has plenty of basics for you to play with and make your own. Well-fitting, army green lotus pants (Rs 2,110) for instance – we bought a similar pair at Bombay Electric recently for a whopping seven grand - or a white back-open dress that would be great for layering with a printed slip or bright long-sleeved tee. We also loved low-slung denim dungarees (Rs 2,100), two-toned jersey gladiator sandals (Rs 2,200) and soft, pearl-coloured silk shorts (Rs 3,000).
Although Zara’s egalitarian view of fashion is commendable (they rip off pretty much every major trend shown by high-end designers), the accessories here are too much of a knock-off for us to stomach. Chain-strapped, quilted hobos were not a patch on the Chanel bags they imitate, and the bug-eyed, Tom Ford-ish sunglasses left us cold.
The Boys Club
Zara concentrates mainly on women’s clothing – the downstairs is devoted entirely to ladies, as is part of the second level, which stocks the more casual line – but they also have sections for kids (adorable onesies and frilly underwear) and men. Guys with an aversion to Ed Hardy, who complain about not having anywhere to shop in Mumbai, should go here. They’ll be gratified by the collection of pinstriped shirts and cufflinks, frayed jeans and round-necked tees, linen trousers – and for the more experimental ones – pointy-toed, patent leather white tennis shoes, all under one compact roof.
Future Trends
For men and women both, Zara fills a big hole in Mumbai’s retail scene, meeting the demand for cool, well-finished clothes that don’t break the bank. It is for this reason that the store was blanketed with customers over the weekend, who tolerated the chaos of crowded fitting rooms, haphazardly placed merchandise and long lines to purchase their loot. And this is the reason why the store will continue to do well, long after the PR circus around it has subsided. Welcome to Mumbai, Zara, you were a long time coming!
Getting there: Zara, Palladium, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, Rs 2,100 for jeans.
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