Nappa Dori Meharchand Market, Hauz Khas Village
The glow of a focus bulb, the smell of treated leather, rustic scenes from Indian urbanity printed on a bag, iPad and camera cases made unique with retro graphics—the Nappa Dori stores at Meharchand and HKV are places to shop for handcrafted leather bags or sheet metal trunks which are period relics of passage. Eccentric elegance is the mot juste for bagging it at Nappa Dori—Premier Padminis from the 1970s, scenes from old Calcutta, old railway engines and such are printed with deliberate nostalgia on leather to give arm fashion a singular panache to each wearer.
“The Delhi guy is increasingly interested in going beyond the staid and ordinary, to pick out pieces that invoke vintage grace.”Gautam Sinha, Founder, Nappa Dori
Nimai Shahpur Jat
A multi-brand retail store that looks like a home with crockery space, sitting area, bar and cupboards are pieced together to form an unconventional shopping space. Very rustic, very rundown, Nimai adheres to a diversity of colours, patterns and spirit. From glass to metal to chunky to slinky, it’s a jewellery destination with a difference. Instead of blindly copying the West or sticking to the painstaking elaborate Indian jewellery convention, the store strives to focus on materiel and crafting processes that are normally unheard of. Its most novel collection is the Bangdar Sarali—fusion of Bengal and Sikh as the theme; expect fused glass, melted, coloured and cast in metal.
“Delhi has a bunch of little markets which are much like Europe—cobbled and narrow. Here, one can make a new creative discovery, each day.” Pooja Roy Yadav, Founder
The Waterlily Store Chhatarpur
A bag is a bag is a bag; yet, the toteratti always seek meaning and purpose in one. Invoking metaphoric depths in a bag store, there blossomed a Waterlily at Chhatarpur. With the help of tastefully chosen knick-knacks, the store decor has references to literature, travel and art—compasses, classics, and atlases which lie scattered in living room style. The store’s mainstay is handbags, flamboyantly printed and set in the softest handmade leather. Waterlily also sells work bags, laptop cases, spacious day bags to throw in make-up and change, clutches for a fine evening out, and other arm candy that serve their purpose in a day-to-day existence.
“The urbane Delhi girl is realising that the idea of fashion is not a label, she is out there, looking to create her own style.” Deepti Bassi, Founder and Principal Designer