That’s All Folks

A dancing deity with a twinkle in his eye is the first Play Clan member we were introduced to, a few months ago at a swish Bombay boutique. Residing on a holographic postcard, the deity blessed our hearts and shopping carts, and with this object we could not part. The attachment grew, and things got serious – before we knew it, we were on an airplane to the Delhi flagship store, off to meet the family – a crazy khaandaan of solemn sadhus, fierce devis, rickshaw drivers, money-hungry mantris, the superstar Rajnikant.

Tee Our Family

They must have liked us because three days ago a whole lot of them moved to Mumbai and got their own place at Bandra’s Hill Road: ladies and gentlemen, the city’s first Play Clan store has arrived.

Wall Street

The movie might have gotten mixed reviews, but we found a real gecko superstar: and at Rs 600 a piece, this one is not as rich as the original.
Twisted out of dark wrought iron with a long spine and webby feet, it is however, just as deliciously sinister, the Michael Douglas of home decor. Buy it as a stand-alone paperweight for your desk or as part of a set for a bare wall (dragonfly, bug and woolly sheep available as well).

Insection

Made in-house at Fusion Access, one of South Bombay’s coolest home stores, this wall hanging is curiously appropriate for our times, a pop culture statement that (thankfully) goes beyond Warhol-esque cushion covers and Bollywood posters. But if creepy, crawly insects are not your thing (who are you people?!), browse through the store, housed in a charming old bungalow, for other treasures: a bleached wood fold-over desk with lime green leather interiors; decadent chandeliers boasting dusty bulbs and dripping with golden beads; smooth marble benches.

All of these can be customised to fit your interiors, but it’ll cost you (the above mentioned desk is a whopping Rs 85,000). Lusting after them, however, is free. Like Gekko says: greed is good.

Getting there: Fusion Access, Monica Bungalow, Fazal Road, Old Cuffe Parade, in lane behind Moshe’s Cafe, call 0222152978, Rs 600 for a gecko.

What: Decoupage tin glasses from 1 kg, to order email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit her blog at www.windowseat-design.com, start at Rs 200.

Why: Ditch your old vessel and jump sip to these tin glasses embellished with colourful decoupage work. Craftily put together by Ashwiny Iyer, creative director at Leo Burnett, these work perfectly in the kitchen but are also pretty enough to use as a pen stand outside.

When:  Order now, but do try and contain(er) your excitement.

What: Cherry red laptop case by Suede at Zoya, Gulistan A, D’Monte Park Road, Bandra (W), Rs 6,000.

Why: Cover up your hardware in these seriously lust-worthy laptop bags, pop-coloured, three dimensional and smooth to the touch. Available in suede and patent leather with matching charger pouches.

When: You need back up, just encase.

Latitude and Longing-tude

Here’s  a perfect ruffle by Bibhu Mohapatra; Hong Kong’s most dangerous stiletto; trapezoid earrings roughly hewn from a hunk of gold in Bogota: try hard enough, and you can almost taste the tamales on L-atitude, a new website that retails clothes and accessories by fun (and often unknown) global designers.

What: Lady Dragon peep toe pumps, Izzo, 4 Pankaj Apartments, next to Sarvodaya library, Bandra (W), call 9819804144, Rs 1,690.

Why: Hearty congratulations to us on finding these incredibly cute Vivienne Westwood knock offs: powder blue plastic stilettos with big red heart perched on the toes. Cash or card-iac?

When: You want to rip off a heart.

The most exciting thing at Etro, which opened at Palladium yesterday evening, is the carpet. Bright orange with a strip of pink sizzling through it, this rug is more reminiscent of the Italian brand’s bright luxury than most of the merchandise at the store.

Watching the Pink Dry

We went on launch night, when the little store was transformed into a zoo of men in pink pants and ladies in Louboutin, paparazzi and PR professionals, Harman Baweja and other has-beens. Weaving through the wilting crowd, we searched desperately for something to fall in love with, mostly in vain.

What: Hand woven textiles at Vaya, Jeevan Kiran, SV Road, Bandra (W), call 26436556, start at Rs 1,800.

Why: With weavers from all over India – Benares, Pune, Hyderabad - spooling in to fill its pretty block printed cabinets, Vaya is a far cry from your regular fabric store. Fruit of the loom include a startling red Maheshwari saris, three-hued woolen scarf and a Rs 4-lakh silver-gold Upada.

When: Opens today, zari up and get there!

What: Big ass T-shirts from TKProject, visit www.tkproject.in, available at Bombay Electric, Reay House, Colaba, Rs 950.

Why: Get a back stage look at this year’s Ganpathi festivities with these uber-cool Tshirts. Conceptualised by the brand new Italian-Indian TKProject (pronounced “theek hai”), these depict the rear end of a retreating elephant, big ears, stubby tail and all.

When: You want to fall pray to fashion.

What: Swapna Rishi yoga mat bag at O.M.O, 204 second floor, Sagar Fortune, Waterfield Road, Bandra (W), call 66981804, Rs 1,300.

Why: Pretty and unusual, these South silk bags might be expensive but we thought our budgets could do with a little stretch. Besides holding a yoga pad, they come with wooden detailing and a pocket for phone, keys and exorbitant class fees.

When:  You want a rug urn.