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Running shoes for nearly Rs 9,000; shades for Rs 23,000...
To flash your cash ain?t as easy as it used to be. With international players jostling for space on city shelves, the price tag is soaring up, up and away from your average stylebhai. But here?s the good news: smaller status symbols are just a greedy grab away, even if your pocket protests.
If you want to be the most hip kid on the consumer block, browse through some of the priciest picks in the crowded accessories marketplace. These may not be the most expensive, but they are high on both price and popularity.
These tell you why there is madness at the malls and a retail revolution running through town. These tell you about a generation for whom shopping is a way of life, purse power is paramount and earning is just a means to spending.
Here?s looking at the Calcutta consumer packing it in and carrying it off...
HERS
Shades (Oakley)
Where: GKB Opticals or Lawrence & Mayo
How Much: Rs 23,000
USP: A fave with sports people, hot with the young and fashion conscious. Patented lenses promise better peripheral vision.
Lipstick (Shiseido Perfecting)
Where: Shoppers? Stop, City Centre
How much: Rs 1,200
USP: Adds volume to the lips. In 16 shades, charged with Vitamins A and E, the lipstick is said to prevent darkening of lips, with high moisture content
Perfume (Classic, by Jean Paul Gaultier)
Where: Shoppers? Stop, City Centre
How much: Rs 8,900 for a 30 ml bottle
USP: The tiny orange bottle is in the shape of a woman dressed in a corset. The perfume is made from pure extracts and contains no alcohol concentration
Wristwatch (Cartier)
Where: Exclusive Lines, 4/1 Camac Street
How much: Rs 10 lakh
USP: Made from white or yellow gold, the ornamental yet dainty timepiece is studded with diamonds around the round dial
Shoes (Swarovski-studded)
Where: Metro outlet in Forum
How much: Rs 19,990
USP: Designed by footwear designer Farah Bhanji, the leather upper is covered with a layer of fabric and studded with crystals
Party bag (Hidesign)
Where: Hidesign, City Centre
How much: Rs 5,000
USP: The tiny, black cow-leather bag is big enough to hold your lipstick, mobile phone and credit cards. Embellished with antique silver
Cell phone (Nokia 7280)
Where: Nokia dealers
How much: Rs 24,000
USP: Called the ?lipstick phone? because of its size, this feminine phone packs in voice-dialling facilities and a one megapixel camera
Cost to consumer: Rs 10,82,090
HIS
Shades (Mont Blanc)
Where: GKB Opticals
How much: Rs 21,065
USP: The rimless pairs come only in grey, with square dark-tinted lenses and a steel frame
Spectacles (Cartier)
Where: Himalaya Optico or GKB Opticals
How much: Rs 58,000
USP: The frames are made of titanium. They come in gold or platinum with 23-carat gold-plated rims
Belt (Tommy Hilfiger)
Where: 10, Elgin Road
How much: Rs 3,000
USP: These two-inch belts in black and brown have medium-sized buckles with semi-formal appeal
Tie (Versace)
Where: Tie Bar at Forum
How much: Rs 4,650
USP: Slender ties in pure silk, some hand-painted. Available in bright hues of orange, purple, blue, green
Watch (Corum)
Where: Exclusive Lines, 4/1 Camac Street
How much: Rs 10 lakh
USP: These automatic Swiss watches are made of 18-carat gold. The dial is a gold coin
Sneakers (Nike Shox TL)
How much: Rs 8,900
Where: Nike Showroom, Forum
USP: These running shoes have 12 ?shox columns? in the mid-soles that absorb body weight. The upper sole has a mesh to facilitate circulation of air. Available in black, sizes 6 to 11
Cell phone (Nokia 9500)
Where: Nokia dealers
How much: Rs 36,500
USP: Business communicator with 200 MB rapid access memory. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled, can run Windows. It has a large colour screen and full keyboard, besides an in-built camera and polyphonic ringer.
Cost to consumer: Rs 11,32,115
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