When a sari, in ripe shades of kalakhatta and khus, looks like it belongs on the city’s prettiest gola stand, you have to remove your sunglasses and take notice. Even if it means that the sun is in your eyes. Other slurpable slurpies you’ll see on the cart will include drippy purple dresses, bright blue shirts for men and angry monsoon grey stoles.

In all their varied colour and functions, the garments have one thing in common – they’re all crafted from hand woven ikat textiles. “Because ikat is magical,” says designer Vinita Passary, who recently launched her label Translate, which works exclusively with this weave.

Art for Artisans’ Sake

Vineeta and the Translate team collaborate with artisans in Andhra Pradesh to produce hand-woven weaves which are altered to fit your city lifestyle. The fabric for instance, is less course and hence more comfy for daily wear. They also use dyes that won’t run or irritate your skin, and make classic weaves and patters more urban.

bpb loves the pink double ikat scarf; comfy looking hakama pants; and mustard men’s shirt. The kiddie clothes are much cuter, though – think black and white Pero-ish dresses without Pero-ish prices. We plan to get this adorable red frock made to our size. There’s also a whole bunch of fun ikat saris with leaf motifs, psychedelic checks and inky blue borders that threaten to run into white spaces.

Vineeta retails these out of her store Anonym in Hyderabad, but is currently receiving orders (and praise) from all over India, so she’s ready to ship wherever you are. Browse the ikat collections on her Facebook page, call to place an order and wait for your package.

And even if summer moves on by the time your parcel arrives, it will still make you think of gola.

Getting there: Translate, call +91-40-23552386/8886000562 or visit the Facebook page here, stoles start at Rs 1,000; dresses and shirts at Rs 2,000 and saris at Rs 5,000.

What: Smart talk speech bubbles from Random in Tandem, call Naqiya Yusuf at 9820901910 or visit the Facebook group here, Rs 1,599 plus shipping.

Why: Because if walls could talk, they’d tell you to put the milk back in the fridge, or remind you to get that cavity filled. Alternatively, they could belt out your favorite lyrics (“Here is the church and here is the steeple/ We sure are cute for two ugly people”) or give you a pat on the back. Listen to what they have to say with these cute mountable blackboard speech bubbles that you can write on, erase and reuse, conceptualised by month-old design label Random in Tandem.

When: Now, because it’s not too slate!

Some days we feel like the protagonist of Gil’s unfinished novel in Midnight In Paris: nostalgic, longing for a world past, attaching sentimentality to stuff that was prosaic only a generation ago. Like letters, for instance. Remember when letters were still a thing, when fancy stationary made us happy and bright neon envelopes were lined with stickers? Paper has become a retro accessory; even good old Indian Railways recommends you carry a copy of your ticket on your tablet or cell phone to conserve trees.  And while that’s all very well, we miss the beauty of ink on paper, the feel of a thick handmade page, and even, maybe a little bit, paper cuts.

Stuck on you

Us paper Romeos were therefore pleased as punch to stumble upon two month old online portal Lulupu (http://www.lulupu.com), a Delhi-based online craft store that sources the nicest supplies from the UK, US and China. Founder Karuna Chauhan is a crafty cat herself (check out her blog here) and would promise friends all kinds of favours to cart back her supplies from trips abroad. Eventually, her readers began emailing with questions about where they could score the same stationary, and so she decided to start Lulupu.

Come now, we’ve introduced you to them before. Remember Sarah Sheikh and Sandeep Gonsalves? They’re the duo behind SS Homme, a bespoke label that specialises in formal men’s wear. Since then, they’ve not just dressed some sharp Mumbai men – the GM of Essar Group, a foreign service diplomat at the U.S Embassy, the brand ambassador of Diageo Reserve – but have also as of last week, moved out of the house and into a new studio shop at Khar.

Suit-sayers

The 300 square feet space though small, is chic featuring white, black and grey areas. The studio is divided into two halves- the client consultation room featuring a top hat that thinks it’s a light (see picture); and a showcase area which displays some of the shirts, jackets and suits designed by them. The label makes Indian formal wear as well, including sherwanis and bandhgalas, and does customised ties and bow ties.

The clothes here are dapper, and while Sarah prefers to stick to classic styles, she chooses to have fun with secondary elements of the garment like the cuff and collar. The process of getting your garment custom-made at SS Homme takes ten days, starting with a client meeting and consultation, followed by selection of fabric and measurements. On the fifth day, you will be called in for a fitting, and by the tenth day you'll have a shiny new suit!

What to Wear Where

Men, Sarah Sheikh helps you match one of her suits to a big event coming up in Mumbai. Vest-ed interests? View the slideshow here.

Cobalt solid sports blazer (start at Rs 18,500): Wear to the opening night of Arola, the super swish Spanish restaurant at JW Marriott on June 9. Arola, lobby, J.W. Marriott, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu.

What: Audio cassette pen stands from Green the Gap, ground floor garage, Jewel Milan Apartments, opposite Toto's Garage Pub, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), visit www.greenthegap.com, Rs 200.

Why: Looks like audio cassettes were given some sound advice for they’ve made a comeback as cool pen stands, at this new upcycled store originally from Delhi. (Side) A +

When: You want to stay in the loop.

I Can See Clearly Now

We may no longer be blind from the flashes going off at Khar’s new fashion store Vinegar – the opening party saw a bevy of stars – but we’re still seeing spots. Big retro polkas on dresses, small dots on skirts and stars on shirts.

In comparison to its glitzy launch party though, the stock at this 5,000 square feet shop for women seems much more sedate, featuring solid coloured tops, cotton skirts, floral shorts and printed dresses. While we did find a bunch of stuff worth buying (see top-of-the-heap list below), there are still shelves full of strange bags (and tag lines like ‘Crazy is a Woman’), busy baubles and frumpy cotton kurta tops that look like they belong to an export surplus store. Makes sense considering owner Varsha Bhawnani previously worked in the garment export business.

Vinegar’s design team now apparently works out of Spain, creating designs for the Mumbai store that will soon house a cafe serving coffee and sandwiches. We predict a rack of mustard and ketchup stain removers coming up at the shop soon after.

Top of the Heap: What We Liked

bpb visited on a Monday afternoon to find a whole lot of sheer tops, some with Peter Pan collars, reminiscent of Zara. They’re cheaper than everyone’s favourite Spanish brand by at least Rs 1,000, but not all of them feel and fit as well (we like pink blouse with front tie - see image above - and flimsy singlets for Rs 1,400). But like with Zara, you do run the risk of bumping into someone wearing the same ensemble. Attack of the Clones?

You may want to steer clear of the heavy tweed-ish dresses with sequined belts and opt instead for cotton retro sheath with spots and stripes (Rs 2,800). Also on our summer list is floral shorts (Rs 1,850), beige and white polka dotted skirt with side zip (Rs 1,400) and pink crochet skirt with scallops. Surprisingly reasonable are the Rs 1,000 waist coats with lady bugs and buttons. Special mention for the inside lining of most garments here that sport pretty prints, best used in pop coloured blazers with sleeves rolled up.

What: Artfeat Designs, order on the Facebook page or call 9910330377, Rs 300 for a notebook, ship to Mumbai.

Why: When Karan Bakshi was just a young engineering student in Pune, he began repurposing household things into gifts for his friends. Thus was born Artfeat, under which he fits digital clocks into old ammunition carriers, morphs door latches into paperweights, turns rakes into wine holders. He also works with home and corporate interiors, and recently refitted an office using water pipes as decoration, which he compares to Lego. Block party!

When: You need a pied pipe-r.

If you use one of her mango wood knives to slice the top of Shivangini Parihar’s head, you might find that her brain is printed with pretty summer motifs: a cottage, bare feet in the meadow, expressions like oh my!  It is this bright imagination that has spawned The Summer House, her newly launched collection of pretty kitchen accessories like cake stands and chopping boards. Alien as this summer setting might be to Mumbaikars (the closest thing we have to a meadow is PDP), we welcome the sunny additions into our match box pantries.

Clothes Peggy

Shivangini’s how-she-got-here story is one we’ve told (and you’ve heard) many times before: an ex advertising executive who quit her job at McCann Erickson two years ago to do some soul searching. This led to Studio A, a home décor brand that she started while continuing to freelance as a copywriter. After gaining experience in design and execution, Shivangini decided that The Summer House would be her next step.

The Knives of Others

Her collection consists of well-finished, durable crockery made from mango and sheesham wood. bpb loves handcrafted measuring cups (Rs 700 for a set of four) and the fish-shaped cheese platter (Rs 750). Also interesting is the three-tiered fruit bowl stacks (Rs 1,500) and the lovely two-tiered cake stand (Rs 850). While the kitchen products are designed by Shivangini, her production is commissioned to two artisan families in Uttar Pradesh, who work with materials sourced from sustainable plantations. What a re-leaf!

A personal offer from international fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld to join his design team in Paris, was turned down by accessory designer Sonali Dalwani for love: love for her then boyfriend, Andy (now her husband) and the chance to independently grow her craft. Good decision or not, Sonali seems to be satisfied with the consequences – a new flagship accessory store Crimzon at Juhu.

High Rise

While Sonali didn’t study fashion, she learned on the job, designing at embroidery and garment export houses for brands like Channel, Mary McFadden and Valentino. Primarily a shoe-maker, Sonali diversified into other accessories during Lakme Fashion Week 2009, where we’re told that a particular snake-like choker from that collection caught Naomi Campbell’s fancy. Story as tall as a supermodel? We’ll never know.

The Crimzon store at Juhu sports muted interiors with teal accents, leather lined furniture and cute vintage printed boxes used for display. The collection comprises mostly shoes along with a skinny range of belts and agate stone jewellery, a couple of random casual sling and shoulder bags and heavily embellished clutches that are not our style.

Lemon Wedges

Summer feet, check out the flower embroidered thongs in orange and blue. bpb also recommends the pink and nude peep-toe wedge espadrilles, which despite the three inch height and wooden platform, were really quite comfortable. But this is where the store's growth stops. The collection doesn't go any higher since “Indian quality of stiletto heels is poor and the end product is too unstable”- a risk they’re not willing to take. There’s a section for bejeweled Indian wear flats and wedges too. Some of the shoe designs however, are generic and not much different than what you’d see at the many footwear boutiques that line Linking Road or Warden Road. For someone courted by Lagerfeld, we'd like to see an edgier collection. From the available pieces, you can even get shoes custom made for the right fit or height of the heel provided it adheres to the design aesthetic.

While we leaving the store, a quick peek at the guestbook revealed messages from photographer Atul Kasbekar and others from the fashion fraternity. A pocketful of poses!

Getting there: Crimzon, shop no. 5, Foreshore Apartments, near Hotel Sea Princess, opposite Kimaya, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, call 26606678 or view the Facebook group here, Rs 2,400 for the embroidered flower thongs.

What: Underwear bags for men and women by Studio EkSaat, call 09873331733 to order or view the Facebook page here, they ship nationally with additional charges.

Why: Beyonce-sized bums in polka dotted panties park themselves on these travel lingerie bags, perfect for underwear that goes places. And for the gentleman packer, bags feature hairy legs in briefs. Lovely.

When: You need to take a (s)trip.