Kitsch might have Stella McCartney but Muse, the fashion store it recently replaced at Kala Ghoda, had style. It had a jumble of random curios on the ground level, cushions and plant holders and ceramic chests of drawers. It had coffee table books to go along with the fun Gaurav Gupta puffy-sleeve shirt. And best of all, it had a vintage barber’s chair in the fitting room. Lanvin and McQueen, can you beat that?

The Bag's Up For Sale

Maybe not, but they can fight back with some pretty awesome clothes, examples of which hang on the soulless racks at Kitsch Mumbai, the latest outpost of a popular Delhi boutique. We fell right away for a ridiculously romantic Goth-meets-Gatsby lace overlay dress by Alexander McQueen, as well as a Lanvin cowl neck navy jersey (Rs 59,000). If your budget is slightly lower (what are you even doing here?!), you can also find tees from both design houses, the McQueen version embellished with pearls and scraps of lace or cutesy, bow-laden Lanvins (Rs 30,000).

A fun rack to measure also is Elise Overland’s (designer to Britney Spears and Anne Hathway), who is currently holding a trunk show at Kitsch. Pay special attention to the shell-pink chiffon dress, brutally shredded and appliquéd with strips of distressed silk (price on request), a sleek leather sheath dress (Rs 1.15 lakhs), and a James Dean-ish leather bomber jacket trimmed in sequins and chiffon, which this Scouter will gladly exchange her half of the Bag for – any takers?

Level Ground

The first level is home to slightly more inexpensive labels (DVF, Theory, Marc by Marc Jacobs), as well as a small collection for men, who can choose from a mostly banal range of Jean Paul Gaultier – we liked a nautical buckle belt (Rs 21,600) - ,Moschino and Marc by Marc Jacobs, whose sartorial line of T-shirts and hoodies – especially one sporting oversized spectacles – will at least incite a laugh out of you. Bizarrely placed in a corner is a pop-up booth for facials, conducted by Michelle Peck, apparently Madonna’s beauty therapist. It’s folding up end of day today, so you’d better rush if you want to get rid of those blackheads.

If the Shoe Fits

In comparison to the apparel, Kitsch’s collection of accessories is small, limited to little more than some oversize Marc by Marc Jacobs’ bags, lust-worthy Lanvin pumps, a delish Stella McCartney chain-edged tote (Rs 76,000) in multiple sizes. This is surprising because with high-end labels like the ones housed here, accessories account for the bulk of sales – it is, after all, easier to justify spending 70 grand on a handbag you’ll use everyday than for a dress you can’t wear out more than once. Or maybe Kitsch is just not meant for the budgets of up-and-coming dotcom entrepreneurs.

That’s what I told myself as I gazed at my reflection, currently clad in a Stella McCartney lace dress that slid on like clotted cream and looked like it was designed for a tea party with the Queen (Rs 94,000). Impossibly delicate and yet a little daring – it had no lining on the bodice – it made me feel like I was in a perfect world, greening, gentile and gorgeous. All that was missing  was a barber’s chair.

Getting there: Kitsch, 48 Dr V. B. Gandhi Marg, Kalaghoda, call 66153344, Rs 94,000 for Stella McCartney lace dress (available on Net-a-porter.com  for 873 Pounds Sterling).