Parvati in the vanity room with a flying saucer-shaped compact.

And in other rooms you’ll find (many) other wonders, at Parvati Villa, a new lifestyle store in Colaba, where owner Ileshaa Khatau’s carefully dreamed up fictional character Parvati lives. She’s a traveller and a collector, keeping in the foyer, hall and vanity room pieces like a terracotta Radha-Krishna Gond piece and a doctor’s bag from a flea market in New York, along with faux animals Sebastian the tiger, Paan Singh the peacock, Hector the lizard and Horus the falcon.

Livin’ la villa loca?

Sequins In Her Eyes

The collection at Parvati Villa, sourced from different lifestyle brands and parts of the world, is a diverse assortment of antiques that like Neruda would say, “lend a curious attractiveness to the reality of the world that should not be underprized.”

There are contemporary kitschy trays and sequined cushion covers; vintage oleographs and prints by Raja Ravi Varma; almaris and desks; antique jewellery from Cambodia and Gujarat. We loved Parvati’s vanity room (knock before you enter) that houses a vintage dresser replete with pre-Independence treats: a make-up kit with an in-built music box, a flying saucer-shaped compact, a neckpiece from Cairo that once belonged to a Bedouin.

She also likes to shop when she travels, and this sourced range includes gold jewellery from Viange, sequinned clutches by Cirare and her favourite – bags by Joli. Sometimes, Parvatai makes her own things too, so when you drop in look out for bespoke footwear, a collection of brightly-coloured sarongs and a necklace that includes about 36 lines of pearls.

My Pretties

And finally, step into the living room, where antique furniture pieces sourced and restored from a Portuguese house in Goa, wait to be picked up like pretty puppies at a pound – adopt pair of “Sundar” chairs. There’s also tribal drums, spears from Nagaland and bartans from Karnataka. bpb didn’t love the kitschy trays, thought that the cushion covers were slightly tacky and some trinkets made to sound more romantic than they are.

Still, Parvati Villa is like a sophisticated trip to Chor Bazaar - you never know what you’ll find. You may come in to buy a clutch and leave with a floral-shaped sindoor box that you will hold on to for a best friend’s wedding.

PS: Don’t try and call the lady of the house Paro. You don’t her that well yet.

Getting there: shop no. 5 and 6, Cusrow Baug, Colaba Causeway, call 22856523, 11 am to 8.30 pm, seven days of the week, visit www.parvativilla.com, Rs 700 to Rs 80,000.

As the Book of Deer website opened with black-and-white sketches of a deer, strewn feathers and a doe-eyed girl sitting on a tree trunk, the sights evoked a world far removed from the noise of the city. Here, we found pretty clothes that spoke of a pastoral simplicity we rarely see – birds on trees, boats at sea and a campsite we probably went to as kids. Designed for the “quietly iconoclastic girl”, the Book of Deer brand of clothing cuts through the hyper-modern look with butter-soft fabrics and hand-drawn digital prints of a natural world.

Missing the city already? Stay back, we found glow-in-the-dark prints of fire flies!

This One Time At Band Camp

Based in Hong Kong (free shipping to India), Book of Deer is a clothing brand by Eilidh Ho, who is born to a Scottish mother and Chinese father, and is named after the oldest manuscript written in Scotland. Hence, the upcoming Autumn-Winter collection that will be on sale in September sees sketches and designs referenced to the mermaid-like Selkie, a mythological creature in Scottish folklore. A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, Ho, who illustrates each print by hand, has launched two collections yet, of which the current one is inspired by summer camps and girl scouts. For no additional shipping charges, sitting right here at home in India, you can click and order these fantastical prints.

A range of floaty chiffon shirts with peter-pan collars, plaid skirts and blouses and weightless shift dresses make up the current collection on Book of Deer. Deers, in sticker-like patches peek out from the collars of dresses in diffused greens; pink tents; glass jars with fireflies (a glow-in-the-dark print); toasted marshmallows; acorns and fishing rods make up this ultra feminine range. Brownie ties, cliched moustache collar pins, swallow collar pins and cat headbands (with cat-like ears embellished with pearls) are part of the accessories range.

Sometimes inspired by forest girls, sometimes by the sea, Ho’s artworks and sartorial skills combine to make clothes that could be pages of an engaging children’s book, one that you read with a torch after lights out. bpb is sure of camping here on long weekends; that’s a Girl Scout promise!

Getting there: www.bookofdeer.com, Rs 550 to Rs 8,000, international delivery through registered air mail, your order will reach you in approximately 10 working days. (A currency convertor and an accurate size chart are also available on the website).

It must be like living in the shadow of  an over-achieving sibling, being the store right next to Le 15 Patisserie that just opened up to much excitement in Bandra. But when you stop by for a macaron, take two minutes to say hello to Pratha - she's sitting right there. Ruffle her hair, maybe even pat her on the back for coming up with the Nusrat pants.

Pratha is a new Anokhi-like clothing store in Bandra, one that sources its collection of women's clothing and accessories from two brands - Bodhi from Vadodara and Ahmedabad's Bandhej - that specialise in cotton and silk handlooms, natural fabrics and appliqué work, tie-and-dye and handmade crafts.  While a bulk of the stock includes the ubiquitous block-printed kurtas, search and you will be rewarded with a bunch of fun pieces. There's the comfy Nusrat pants, a parallel fit in yummy colours and the skirt-like hippie Sharara pants. The sarees by Bodhi, hand-painted and then printed, are what you should save your browse time for. The rest of the range includes sleeveless tops, kurtas, dupattas, Indian footwear, batwas and silver jewellery from Jaipur and Jodhpur.

When  displayed together, the novelty of a single piece can sometimes be lost. And to top it all, the person manning Pratha seems a bit disinterested, so you may have to do all the digging on your own. But look carefully and you will find something you like, will wear and look pretty in for a day at work or an Indian do at home. A pair of sunny Indian-print pants could be the icing on top of your lemon cake from next door.

Getting there: Shop No. 3B, 325, Siffin Apartments, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Bandra (West), call  26058508, starts at Rs 500.

Not-so-well-endowed

You know what they say about men with big feet. It may or may not be true, but what an extra-large foot size certainly indicates is that those giant feet have had some serious trouble finding shoes. A new e-store, Jupitershoes.com is here to provide for what these “well-endowed” men are lacking in – good shoes in their sizes. The variety of shoes available in the market in sizes 10-14 is staggeringly small, says co-founder, Dhruv Chadha, who wears a size 12 and takes months to find a pair he likes.

Bigfoot: Spotted!

To make the daunting task of finding shoes in big sizes more bearable, foot soldiers and business partners, Dhruv Chadha, 29 and Devika Bahl, 25, wielding business degrees, have conceptualised this oversized footwear store for men. The rare variety of Bigfooters (who live among us and mean no harm) can now log on to Jupiter Shoes to shop for multi-branded pairs in sizes 10-14 that are not easily available at retail stores in India.

The website specially sources shoes in large sizes from labels such as Nike, Puma, Adidas, Egoss, Converse, Crocs and domestic brands such as Citywalk and Red Tape, and through exclusive tie-ups with exporters, they rope in inventory that is usually designed for the taller-built European and American market. Across five categories – formal, casual, sports, sandals and slippers - men can navigate through the clean site with ease. They can even pick type of shoe, brand, colour or budget as filters to find what they are looking for. And if you aren’t feeling too lucky in the money department either, there is always the sale section that you can try your hand, umm…foot at.

Now we don’t love the designs in the formal section – the casual and sports section is better – and we do think that given the theme of the website, the logo and literature could  have been more fun.

Bahl, who is currently working on the soon-to-launch range of women’s oversized footwear, says it will be live and kicking in two months. Beastie boys and girls, go log on.

Getting there: Shop online at www.jupitershoes.com. Slippers start at Rs 499 and formal and sports shoes go up to Rs 8,000, free shipping anywhere in India. Your order will be delivered in three working days. Cash on delivery and free return within 30 days.

bpb gets Pasham Alwani, Senior Fashion Stylist at Grazia magazine to review the new Christian Louboutin store in Mumbai.

The Loubs have landed

To many women, a flash of retreating red can mean only one thing: look out, there’s a Louboutin around. As a signifier of luxury, sex appeal and status, those scarlet soles (Pantone 18, Chinese Red) are in a category all of their own. They’re instantly and easily as recognisable on the street or the red carpet as brown monogrammed LVs or interlocking Gs – and now as easily available in the city.

Horniman Circle, home to two other international favourites, Hermès and Starbucks, has a pretty addition – Mumbai’s first Christian Louboutin store. Housed in a cobble-stoned heritage building, this two-storey shoe and bag store by the French designer reeks of glamour. Floors, lined with red carpeting is a brand trademark, however, the interiors have been tweaked keeping in mind Louboutin’s penchant for India. While the talking point, of course, are the scarlet-soled shoes, a hand crafted tile display, embroidered with wool and handmade wooden tiles, takes your breath away. A closer look reveals Louboutin’s signature scrawled in a red shade. Of course.

In Brogue

The ground floor is reserved for their women’s collection, and a long, winding staircase leads to (a much smaller) men’s batch on the first floor. A larger space is dominated by a wall display of leather tiles, each hand-worked by master embroiders from Chennai, and interspersed with pleated leather shelving displays for men's designs. Boys, this is not where you come to buy basic black brogues. Think patent white and turquoise leather loafers with neon pink trimmings, or monochrome striped sneakers embellished with gold spikes. The new boy toys?

What: Parvati Villa, shop no 5 & 6, Cusrow Baug, Colaba Causeway, visit www.parvativilla.com.

Sneak Peek:  This week, we’re super excited to take you to Parvati Villa, a 1,000 square feet lifestyle store that’s slated to open in Colaba next week. Divided into foyer, hall and vanity room, the space is designed to look like the home of Parvati, a modern-day “devi and diva”, a character that owner Ileshaa Khatau has dreamed up right down to the brand of perfume she’d use. Here you’ll find everything from jewellery to furniture, but Parvati recommends you look out for these: Rose Garden, a floral neckpiece by Valliyan; the 'Rupaiya' wallet by Khamsa; the Bonita beach tote by Cirare; and Sebastian, an antique wooden tiger from the Konkan belt. Go, prey for us!

When: Devi Our Family! Opens next week.

Don Draper. Chuck Bass. Harvey Spector. These men have more in common than our hearts, and the title: the Bad Boys of TV. They never leave the house or enter a scene looking anything less than fly. You can cut your hands on the sharp lines of their suits, their pocket squares have us swooning and are making the rest of you boys look plain bad.

Bring The Big Cats In

We rarely complain without offering a solution. The newest entrant in men's fashion and tailoring is the e-commerce site Roar and Growl. Offering a variety of t-shirts, polos and button downs, all designed by Rajvi Mohan, (a designer who has showcased at various Indian fashion weeks and one at New York,) this shopping venture isn't completely stocked yet. Their t-shirts and polos collection will be unveiled soon. Meanwhile if the button-downs are anything to go by, we're looking forward to great detailing which won't need you to break the bank.

This Original 3b shirt can see you through a board meeting to a fancy dinner. While navy is classic, we recommend you shake things up with the baby pink. The formal shirt selection is a bit weak, but the K Shirt with a pair of chinos and we might join you for that sangria lunch. Roar and Growl are soon launching a customised shirt section (we're just happy they steered clear of the word 'bespoke'). Here you can pick a fabric of your choice and even a pattern. With sizes ranging from 38-46, and a cash on delivery option, we can see you're fast running out of excuses.

Getting There: Shop online at www.roarandgrowl.com, Rs 1,700 for the Original 3b shirt

Conversations have ranged from craft to corruption with Mr Nagpal, who runs lifestyle store Dhoop at Khar. We hope he will continue to stay as the store moves to a better location with new finds and vendors starting tomorrow, March 13.

In a 600 square feet space just off Linking Road, the new Dhoop will lay more emphasis on light fixtures and big furniture pieces. Founder Aradhana Nagpal says you can watch out for interesting design labels like Bamboo Canopy from Ahmedabad and an NID graduate’s Retirement Plan. See furniture made from cotton scraps and upcycled tyre seats that can be customised and ordered through the store. But that’s not to say the shelves here won’t stock the little knick knacks that you used to love. “The idea of Dhoop is that you can get everything from a craft kit to a Rs 20,000 chair,” says Aradhana.

And if you’d like a secret to go with this sneak peek, a bunch of products at the old Dhoop store are on sale, a fact that they aren’t publicizing. The brass products, chai cups and some cushion covers are discounted so go scavenge. There's also a new online store coming next month! 

Getting there: Ground floor, Prem Sagar, 14 Road, off Linking Road, Khar (W), opens Wednesday March 13 at 6 pm.

Fine curls of mahua flower smoke and a bubbling noise are among the sights and sounds that make up anthropologist Dean John D'souza’s 2010 memories of a Bhil tribal village in Madhya Pradesh. This “research” led to, among other things, a handmade gift for you – the Gudgudi.

Named after the “gudgud” sound it makes, the Gudgudi is a sheesha or bong that the Bhils call a Dunga and is crafted from all natural materials. Dean learned how to make this two years ago - the base is a dried, hollowed out pumpkin, the connector is made of bamboo and the chillum from clay – and has recently started shipping these all over India.

The Gourds Must Be Crazy

“It’s the Ferrari of sheeshas,” says Dean, while describing how less empty space in the Gudgudi’s base (as opposed to a sheesha) makes the smoking experience much smoother. “Plus, no two pumpkins are the same and so every device I make is unique,” says Dean, who calls himself The Gourdsmith. If you’re interested in buying and live in Mumbai, Dean will make a house call to demonstrate how it works and explain to you why the Gudgudi will look different after six months, and how the vegetable will not deteriorate even after two years. “The durable product undergoes a natural evolution and becomes even smoother over time.” There might also be that secret tutorial about how it can be used to shed light on other things. Did you guys have a good Mahashivratri?

Dean makes the basic Gudgudi which costs Rs 1,500 and does fancier versions with paint and bands of coloured thread. Part of the profits made from the Gugudi will go to the village that inspired it, and The Gourdsmith is working on introducing new products – musical instruments, bags, boxes – made from gourd.

Where's There's Smoke

Now we don't encourage smoking at the bpb office, and personally, we're not big fans of the sheesha. But if fragrant hookah smoke is usually part of your house party haze, then the Gudgudi could be a good buy. Plus, it's so fun to say!

Getting there: To order call Dean on 9920222386/9762024431 or view the Facebook page here, start at Rs 1,500.

What: Cushions and quilts inspired by travel by Safomasi, available online, prices start at Rs 1,500 for a small cushion.

Why: You know the phrase ‘good enough to eat’? Artist Sarah Fotheringham, currently a designer at W+K spent several years travelling around the country drawing pictures of Indian sweets. With the help of her boyfriend and business partner Maninder, she began to print these on cotton to turn them into fun, colourful cushions— floor and small—as well as quilts. Sarah’s illustrations inspired by travel - view her impressive portfolio here - include some very pretty camels from the Pushkar fair. Also keep an eye out for rugs they plan to do soon, with pictures from Japan. Fun fact: the name Safomasi comes from their names—Sarah Fotheringham and Maninder Singh. Duo over?

When: Now, because all good journeys should end in bed.