What: Discounted books and magazines at India Book House (IBH) Warehouse, Arch no. 29, below Mahalaxmi Bridge, Mahalaxmi (W), call 40497418, view the website here.

Why: Make a browse call at IBH publishing’s cute warehouse that hides out under the over at Mahalaxmi. Here, magazines (new and up to two issues old) like Auto Car, National Geographic, Vogue, Elle, Rolling Stone and more are available at a 25% discount. They also offer good deals on novels by Harper Collins, Hachette and other publishing groups. Random House!

When: You want to rifle through magazines.

Have legs, will wander. That’s what this Parisienne Dining Chair would say if you asked why it was plastered with stamps and travellers’ signatures, and postcard dates written with leaky fountain pens. We’re not sure how it would feel to be tied down to just one spot in your living room, but you could float the idea on House Proud, a brand new e-home décor store that stocks this and other fun furniture, as well as smaller accessories.

Couch Surfing

Launched by sisters Sanvari Alagh Nair and Anjori Alagh who’ve dabbled in acting, media and interior design, Houseproud.in hopes to make luxury décor brands more accessible to customers, and also more affordable through a separate dedicated sale section. The brands featured on the site so far include The Charcoal Project by Sussanne Roshan, International Furniture Brands, Address-Home, House of Ishatvam, Natuzzi, FCML India, Ezma, Earth to Fire and Loom Crafts Furniture (India). Sofa so good.

There are decadent Victorian-inspired chairs and ottomans that go well with remote-controlled LED wax candles (Rs 2,800 a piece) from SR Pret. If you’re at sea about bed linen, let us help: check out the nautical print cushions and ignore the garish Lord Krishna and Ram ones. Also fun and on sale are cool-ugly seashell doorknobs and oriental tea canisters. Special mention for the Kitchen Connoisseurs section that features caterpillar-shaped sauce trays and ceramic Angel Nut bowls with wings on either side.  But there’s also a section of products on House Proud that’s largely uninspired, including glassware and seriously blah table linen.

Cushion Your Fall

On the whole, House Proud doesn’t provide the most intuitive shopping experience. For instance, basic features like browse by brand aren’t available. There’s no search bar either, so make sure you add what you like to cart immediately. There are also no fun additions like a design blog or interior expert’s picks. While smaller home accents can be shipped anywhere in India, the furniture can only be sent to the six Indian metros, including Mumbai and Delhi with a cash on delivery option.

Whether you’re overhauling your space or looking for a gift for a friend’s house warming party, a walk through House Proud may yield a pricey little something. If you’re looking for us, we’ll be chasing after the chair that won’t settle down.

Getting there: Visit www.houseproud.in, Parisienne chair for Rs 12,800, shipping charges may apply.

The Ides of Parch

It was on a recent trip to the Palladium at High Street Phoenix, while we mourned for the millionth time the demise of our favorite MovenPick outlet that we spotted it, this newcomer who might finally fill the void left behind by the best raspberry-strawberry sorbet ever: Superdry, the hugely popular British fashion brand, will open shortly on the third floor of the mall, next to The Collective.

For those unfamiliar with the label, Superdry is essentially a younger, cooler version of FCUK, with a touch of Quicksilver - basic American separates like t-shirts, shorts, hoodies and jackets that are heavily branded with the logo and also Japanese script, made cultish since its 2004 launch by iconic advertising and a bevy of celebrity patrons, including David Beckham, Zac Efron and Kate Winslet.

Arid Users

The clothes, as you may imagine, ain't cheap - approximately Rs 2,700 for a track and field t-shirt - but if you want a comfy top that you can sleep-spill-skate in and still wear out two years later, these are your guys: we know from experience that Superdry merchandise is built to last. 

Excited about the impending arrival, we pre-shopped on their website. Here are the top five things we're hoping the Mumbai store will stock:

Houndstooth blazer for men from designer Timothy Everest's Superdry collaboration, which includes a concealed iPhone pocket and earphone loops (set to launch August '12).

Tang-coloured orange nail polish, the perfect way to brighten up gloomy-rainy days.

Gunmetal and green vintage unisex hoodie.

Two-blue California Superside sling bag for men.

Pink, black and white sporty bikini. 

Happy shopping!

Getting there: Palladium at High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, visit the website at www.superdry.com, approximately Rs 2,700 for a t-shirt internationally.

Every case of the blues should be this fun.

Last week’s wanderings led us to a shiny, see-through vinyl tote that looks like it’s been created from equal parts of rain and swimming pool. Now a thunder cloud may threaten to gather above when we tell you that it costs a cool Rs 11,000, but then it’ll quickly disperse when you find out it’s an Alexander McQueen tote in a Mumbai store – Kitsch, Kala Ghoda – where bags are used to wearing labels of Rs 40,000 and up. We love our relatives!

Officially called the Blue Kingsland Vinyl Shopper, the tote is strikingly hued (also available in a less attractive pink) with silver brass studs and a fun luggage tag. Its uses are many, we justified as we bought it – by the pool, on vacation, for the laptop, against the rain.  Since it’s top-open though, you may want to line it with a zipped up cloth bag, preferably with a fun print that shows through its semi-transparent exterior.

Buy it. This is the (Mc)Queen's command.

Getting there:  Kitsch, 48 Dr V. B. Gandhi Marg, Kalaghoda, call 66153344, Rs 11,000.

There is a spot off the Aegean Coast that little yachts stop at about two hours after taking off from a jetty in Bodrum, Turkey, where the water is at its bluest, the city castle shimmers magically in the distance, and the wine is properly chilled. You take a deep drink of white, sample some local cheese and flip into the glassy, deserted waters for a leisurely swim. Life has never been better.

It’s on Sail!

It is to find a bathing suit befitting this spot that we visited Shivan and Narresh’s flagship store, which opened in Pali Hill yesterday. On the drive over, one of us Scouters who had recently shopped at the swimwear-specialists’ Delhi branch, talked with anticipation about bow-laden bikinis and forest-printed bandeau tops, of matching bottoms that fit perfectly at the waist but might be cut too high at the leg, of a one-shouldered two-piece the colour of raspberries that we had foolishly not snapped up in the Capital, and would be reunited with here.

Unfortunately, that was not to be. On opening day, the Mumbai store was buzzing with guests and creamy canapés that no one who’s buying a swimsuit should sample, but woefully under-stocked in terms of merchandise. We spotted only a handful of bathing suits, street wear and saris punctuating two racks that ran the length of a stark-white, linear space; of these, one rack was dedicated to the “handmade” collection, gorgeous, complicated bikinis and swimsuits in arty combinations of black, grey and baby pink, which would have worked perfectly in Bodrum or St Tropez or Miami, but fell way beyond our budget – some of these babies cost upwards of Rs 35,000.

Walking With Sunshine

Water and enough sunlight – isn’t that what any backpack needs?

If it’s a Thunkpack yes, a cool solar-powered sling/backpack that can charge your iPhone, tablet and other gadgets on the go. Designed and created by Thunk, a Coimbatore-based innovations team that champions a green cause, these bags can now be pre-ordered on their website, and will be available post-monsoon when the sun returns.

We’d like to say that it’s perfect for a job that makes you meeting-hop, but aesthetically that wouldn’t work. So let’s stick to treks and weekend getaways where plug points are hard to come by and you're most likely to go insane because you aren't connected to the world that matters. You know you want to tweet about how good it feels to disconnect.

All you have to do is plug your device into the bag via a chord (see demo video by Yamraj here) and it will charge every time you’re out in the sun, taking approximately an hour to charge, and giving you one hour’s worth of talk time.

Now that you have all the information, we’ll leave you to your own devices.

Getting there: Pre-order the Thunkpack on http://www.thunk.co/index.php/backpack or call 9677757517, Rs 5,995.

It felt wrong, almost rebellious, to be walking down aisles lined with confetti, glittery top hats and drinking board games, while parties all around the city are getting shut down. But walk we did at Wanna Party, a new anti-Dhoble store in Andheri that sells all kinds of celebration supplies, from Halloween costumes to psychedelic streamers. Did someone say “rave party”?

Join the Olympics

When you enter Wanna Party, you won’t be blitzkrieg-ed by tacky rubber masks and gaudy knick-knacks. Easy on the eyes and well organised, the store is divided by party ideas and themes (think Party Hunterz, Bandra), like bachelorette, birthday (landmark years like 1, 16, 30, 40 and so on), baby shower, red carpet and Mardi Gras, to name a few.

Just tell the store manager what kind of event you’re putting together, and he’ll direct you to the area that houses everything you need - wall décor, lighting, disposable cutlery, costumes, masks and hats of every imaginable shape and colour. bpb likes awesome road signs with altered messages and wedding gift boxes crafted from handmade mulberry saa paper imported from Thailand (start at Rs2,600), which can be custom-made if ordered in advance.

What: Action figures from Skinnyalley Collectibles, to order call 09819390938, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or view the Facebook page here, starts at Rs 1,500.

Why: Overrun by superheroes and vigilantes of every shape and size, Ramgopal Krishnan’s home has got to be the safest spot in Mumbai. Marketing executive by day and action figure collector by night, he works with retailers and collectors in the US who can ship the action figure of your choice, in ten days or less. Ramgopal also offers to meet you at a convenient spot in Mumbai to make the exchange. Look for the guy in the mask carrying a 24 inch Thor statue.  

When: You want to go figure.

What: New Cottons and Silver Centre store, ground floor, Grants Building, Arthur Bunder Road, opposite Cafe Basilico, Colaba, call 22042599, kurtas start at Rs 650.

Why:  Block (print) party! Colaba’s fashion forward Grants Building gets a new tenant – kurta store Cottons that’s set up shop in a pretty space with wooden door and white washed walls. Inside, you’ll find their trademark airy kurtas – see white Anarkali- and also a corner dedicated to Jaipur’s Silver Centre featuring jhumkas and long spiky earrings (recommended!). PS: Di Bella Coffee is coming up right next door.

When: You want a case of the Jaipur germs.

Hello, today we come bearing presents: a New York night in a lamp, lit up with wattage proportional to the city’s energy consumption. A hand bag that depicts the failing Indian education system, pictorially of course; and a psychedelic accounting flow chart to hang above your bed.

You know what they say about gifts. It’s the thought that counts.

The deep thoughts behind these products belong to the Infonauts, a team that specialises in Information Design and Cognitive Art. It was started by “Infomen” Aman Khanna and Carlos Coelho, who decided to embark upon an India chapter a few years after setting up their design practice in the UK. Here, they were joined by Infowoman Nitasha Thapar, promptly needing therefore, another baptism from which they emerged The Infonauts.

At first, the words seem made up; we hear that’s easy enough to do. That is, until they tell you about some of their info graphic projects, commissioned by organisations like the World Health Organisation and British Airways. Buried under all of this research, the trained information distillers recently decided to put their data findings on a bunch of cool products including hand bags, picture frames and lamps. Currently, these can be booked over the phone and shipped to your address, but in three weeks, you’ll be able to buy it from their online store and also at Attic and Bombay Store.