Pop Goes the Diesel

Mindful of Diesel’s core competency and totally denim-starved - many things are easy in this city, but finding a good pair of jeans is not one of them - we made a bee line for this brand new outpost of the international chain at Palladium. And we hit pay dirt: stone washed and graffitied, skinny and frayed, here was a wall full of pants you could build your entire wardrobe around (Rs 7,000 to Rs 22,000). Satisfied, we strolled towards the men's section next, not knowing that our seduction had just begun.

Coating Rituals

It started out innocently enough, as most affairs do: footsie with a pack-of-3 socks and harmless flirting with cool linen shirts (Rs 5,000). But before we knew it, we were feeling up the irresistibly soft tees (Rs 4,000) and were all over the hot jackets, including the coveted Leart Giacca leather version (Rs 30,000). It’s a good thing that studly helmets (Rs 17,000) with leather detailing were around for extra protection.

Other cute sightings included a Jaydi Giacca jacket with human figure illustrations, black stonewash shirts with quirky button detailing and the store’s obviously attractive sales staff.

Bi-Passing?

The small corner reserved for women, however, didn’t tempt us to swing the other way with boring racerback formal tops (Rs 14,000), long-sleeved shirts (Rs 10,000 and up) and lackluster scarves (Rs 4,000) crowding the shelves.

Acting Pricey

A look at the Diesel website revealed most of the Mumbai stock is from the current spring /summer collection, but is considerably more expensive than in the States. A basic tee for instance, costs almost double here. Still, the new Diesel store – “Stupid” and all - managed to charm our pants off.

Getting there: Diesel, ground floor, Palladium, Phoenix Mills compound, Lower Parel, call 24932726 / 27.