Located on the fourth floor of the Sahitya Akademi building, on DL Khan Road, is 9/12 Couture — a multi-designer boutique for all your fashion queries. Whether you’re in need of a functional semi-formal dress for an evening party or a casual chic number for a day out with friends, you can shop for almost every occasion under one roof, with 9/12 Couture’s unique line-up of designer-wear.
Owned by textile designer Richa Kayan, the boutique combines vintage and modern aesthetics in its décor — something we realised while standing in front of the big white door, with two Victorian lampshades on either side. It opened into a wide expansive space, with wooden floor panelling and grey walls. The quaint atmosphere of the space makes for easy browsability.
“I chose grey colour for the walls, as any other colour would pop out very well in contrast,” Richa tells us. Indeed, we found a piece which seemed like pop art, on the right wall, adjacent to the entrance. But it turned out to be the outline of a face, created entirely out of multicoloured cross-stitches.
On the left-hand side wall, were different hand-gestures of a woman’s hand, depicted in the form of clay figurines, jutting out from the wall. “We planned to create clay figurines imitating different hand mudras from classical dance forms, but since that didn’t work out, we went for the hand gestures,” informs Richa.
“I wanted to create a space where you can find something for the entire family and not just women. In fact, very soon, we will be bringing in kidswear too, so that the whole family can shop in one place,” she adds. Whether it is Delhi-based label Sage Saga, which specialises in block printing on Habutai silk or I am Trouble by KC, which is known for its quirky designs and bold colour play — 9/12 stocks up on all new and upcoming designers, which can lend a fresh new look to your wardrobe.
You can also find here, Jaipur-based The Loom Art and the Kolkata-based Door of Maai; along with Burrow Be Ethical, a fashion brand known for working with natural dyes and environment-friendly materials. There are saris too by Bangalore-based designer Ajay Kumar, as well as ethnic wear by Kuhu, another Kolkata-based label.
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There are men’s shirts by 22 Sutori and accessories like bow ties, hankies, and brooches by Kaha. The colourful and outlandish shoes by Kanvas Kloset, a Mumbai-based brand, was hard to miss. They use unusual prints from Gond art, Kalamkari and Madhubani on materials like leather, silk, and cotton, to make fancy footwear for both men and women.
You can also find unique gifting options in the form of specially flavoured tea by Chai Society, which comes in a set of gift boxes, priced between Rs 1200 to Rs 1500 and a skincare range by Lavenza, which comes with the option of customisable hampers, where you can choose from Day and Night Face Serum, Cleansing Face Wash, Nourishing Lip Balm, and Cleansing Grains, among others.
Rs 5,000 onwards for apparel