What: Another Shot Would Hit the Spot glasses on a string, Party Basket, 1st floor Ram Nimi Building, above Cotton World, Colaba, call 22833248, Rs 100 onwards.

Why: From non-breakable shot glasses that hang from your neck to anti-stain cocktail print tablecloths, this brand new store has an answer for every soiree SOS. They also stock cool merchandise for bachelor parties, baby showers and more.

When: You need a new bosom buddy.

What: Hey Bhagwan accessories by Play Clan available at www.theplayclan.com and Attic, Bir Sagar, 17th Road, Santacruz (W), Rs 85 onwards.

Why: When embarking upon such debauchery, turn to God first. Put your hands together for Play Clan’s range of super cool idol prints – Durga, Laxmi, Krishna – which will guard you against all evils. We especially love their hologram postcards and frames. 

When: You want the Elephant God on your side. Cheers, big ears!

At first glance Saxonia, a little optometric store looks perfectly ordinary, like any other business in the commercial Fort district. You'd hardly imagine that it conceals a secret staircase in the back, one that leads to treasures like a giant spoon big enough to cradle a baby, and a tiny man who rides on the back of a stapler.

Bested in Bandra

Opened on Sunday, Tappu Ki Dukaan calls itself "a little shop with little knick knacks and a lot more", but it is really a contemporary curio store that stocks a range of quirky brands including Happily Unmarried, Pop Goes the Art and Mixed Juice Designs. On closer inspection, it seems like a (slightly outdated) version of Loose Ends in Bandra - a lot of the stock ("Cheeni" mugs, doormats, shot glasses) is stuff we've seen months ago at the suburban store.

Tee-ser Campaign 

Karan Gonsalves finds inspiration for his T-shirts in the oddest places – the tattoo of a beautiful woman, a butterfly trapped between her lips;  pulsing beats of electronic music; the footwork of a freestyle dancer . And that’s perhaps what makes his designs so unique.

Once an advertising executive and fashion school hopeful in New York, Karan founded Keylow six months ago, producing high quality T-shirts (he promises that they won't fade or shrink) that he "would want to wear." His newest collection features random geometric designs, cool face prints, music artists and more. Despite the eclectic motifs, his tees have a couple of things in common – they're all limited editions, and more importantly, non-corny.  Karan’s personal pick is a Daft Punk tee celebrating Revolution 909, one of his favourite songs.

What: Rainbow Gay Pride Store by Azaad Bazaar, corner of 16th and 33rd Road, ground floor, opposite Mini Punjab, off Linking Road, Bandra (W), start at Rs 100.

Why: At India’s first permanent LGBT store, you’ll find everything your bedroom needs: linens, curtains, handcuffs, boas and masks. Showcased too are other socially conscious goods and products made by local artists. You’ll also find rainbow sprinkles at Butterfly, a cupcake bakery opening in Bandra on December 21. bpb review out soon!

When: You want to stir a cause. Store opens December 12 at 11 am.

Merry Poppins

Wake up. Brush teeth. Break a date. Drive to work. 

The Bubble Calendar 2010 allows you to pop out of your rut, even if just for a split second. This ingenious calendar takes the bubble wrap we all love to burst to an entirely new level, with each date on the calendar marked with a pop-able bubble. 

Wall Power

A super fun accessory that gives your walls a nice lift, this calendar has received rave reviews, being dubbed “the cleverest calendar ever”  and the “best kind of pop art”. The Bubble Calendar is available in horizontal and vertical designs, and printed on thick 80 pound cover stock paper.

City Planning

Helping you organise the New Year is veteran designer Krsna Mehta, with his signature pop art-style Mumbai Planner 2010. Adorned with bus tickets bills, daily dabbas, tottering taxis and Bollywood action, it allows you to keep your date with the city’s most iconic motifs. Definitely beats that corporate diary your office hands out at the end of every year. Get your preview here.

Getting There: Available at Good Earth, Juhu and Lower Parel; Indigo Deli, Colaba; Bombay Store, Fort; Leopold, Colaba and Rhythm House, Kala Ghoda, Rs 300. Available next week onwards. 

Sizing Up
An English professor remarked to one of us Secret Scouters that fiction writing is as complicated as brain surgery, but the difference is that everyone thinks they can be an author. The same it seems, is true of fashion in Mumbai today, with the city staggering under the weight of upcoming “designers”, trained or otherwise. But after much scouting, we managed to find a couple of originals in this swelling sea of fakes, and right in time for the party season. Lo and behold!

For Good Measure
Natasha Agarwal and Rashmi Somani have studied under stalwarts like Narendra Kumar and Krishna Mehta and the training shows in their clothes, which they stock at stores like Amara, Zoya and You. Drop into their Cuffe Parade living room-cum-studio, and you can have them custom design an outfit or browse through their readymade stock, sans the mark-ups. 

Winning the Day
In honour of the holiday season, this design duo is concentrating on evening wear, including a killer silver twist dress. But we like their day time collection best, with its wispy white and solid black shirts and dresses, brightened up by an unexpected but well-placed pleat or rush of colourful pom-poms.

Their design tip for the season: “Accessorise with pop-art colours. There’s nothing that accentuates a purple dress better than blue shoes.”

Getting there: Call Natasha Agrawal at 9820221956, daywear starts at Rs 2,500.

Skirting Around
You can also pad up your wardrobe at the latest Chamomile store, which debuted at the Palladium in Phoenix Mills, and do the Day Disco with Cue designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna at Bombay Electric on Thursday, December 10 from 6pm to 10 pm.

bpb Exclusive: Be sure to check out the newly launched 99labels.com for huge designer discounts as well. Get your FREE membership code specially for bpb subscribers, here.

bpb Backstage Pass: For a direct route to other designers who stock at the city’s hippest stores, click here.

Miso Excited!

Like a geometric origami crane, the Everything Japan Shop flew into the Grand Hyatt Plaza on December 1 holding over 80 artefacts, fine and foolish, within its folds. A first of its kind pop-up store in Mumbai, this Japanese government initiative arranged by METI’s Small and Medium Enterprises Agency will stay at the five store hotel’s shopping gallery for just three months.

Chopsticks and other Tricks up their Sleeves

This oriental store stocks tons of clichés (chopsticks, Japanese dolls) and some surprises as well (a 2 GB porcelain USB drive with Japanese artwork is uber cool). The two-tier wood and lacquer bento box (Rs 8,000) is a great way to exercise portion control during office lunch hour. Hand woven mini mirrors (Rs 1,400) fit snugly in your pocket and ornate wooden chopsticks (Rs 3,000) will look great on your plate and in your chignon.

What: Conversation starting cocktail napkins by Blue Pepper, call Gita Murti on 09823416653, Rs 400 for a set of 6, minimum order of two sets.

Why: These Pune-based designers embroider snatches of drunken banter - wine a little, it helps; whisky tastes better with friends – on cool cocktail napkins. A fresh batch of pub eavesdropping is currently under production.

When: You’re looking for some hanky-panky. From December 15 to February 1, Blue Pepper will break their bulk-order-only rule to take individual requests, exclusively for bpb subscribers.