Try before you buy

Mona

Customer is the king...the saying has never been truer than today when right from the bespoke designer look to customised gourmet dinner boxes are being delivered at your door step!

Going from market to market to find just the right ensemble for a special occasion; gift shopping or grocery is so passé. There are online portals that bring all that you would like to try to your doorstep, to try and buy or return.

Here is how it works...

Try & buy

Not sure if you would get just the right shade of hot pink to go with the saree that you fell in love with online or if the earrings you see on the model wouldn’t suit your face cut? Not to worry, life is not perfect, but your outfit can be—is the mantra for Once Upon A Trunk (OUAT), an online retail portal. And no, you don’t have go and buy stuff without ever touching, feeling or trying.

Rather, get in touch with the stylist, through Facebook or Instagram or their site, who will curate a bespoke trunk based on your choices, which would then be carried to your home, at a time convenient to you, and, well, you can try, keep what you like and send back the rest.

From affordable designers like Free Living, Purple Panchi to high-end designers like Param Sahib, Ashna Behl, Jessica Khanijo, you can pick your look. Products ranging from clothes to accessories to footwear, it has got it all to gift someone a complete look, contemporary or ethnic.

Launched last year in New Delhi, OUAT has spread operations to other cities. “We cater to homemakers in Ludhiana, fulfilling their ethnic wear demands, while from Chandigarh we get orders from socialites for gowns and contemporary wear,” shares its founder, Shivaani Jain.

While curating and carrying the trunk has nominal charges in Delhi and Mumbai, if you have ordered from Chandigarh, it comes free of cost if you spend something between Rs 30,000 – 35,000. Or, be ready to shell out a big sum for your trials.

Create your look

Don’t want designer stuff but want every little detail suited to your eccentricity – the button shape, the thread shade, how deep are the pockets going to be...well, you don’t have to rush to your good old tailor or the new-age boutique wali, Creyate is your place to go. Right from the zip to the leather patch you would like on the trims on your pocket, you can order it made to fit, again in the comfort of your home. In fact, you can give measurements to the consultant who shows up at your door for that perfect fit. Just book a home visit, design your look (though only for western wear at the moment) and wait as team Creyate flies in the fabric, and add-ons from different parts of the world to get your individual look.

“I am too thin and no brand’s denims ever fitted me until I got to Creyate. Not only I get my fit but also take pride in designing my stuff with my own signature,” shares Megha from Mohali. With pricing pegged on par with most known brands, it sure is a bargain.

In your lane

Jewellery anyone? Want to buy some for wifey, but not sure if it will click with her? Caratlane has the solution. It offers to bring jewellery you like to you in three easy steps. Book a free trial, schedule an appointment and try @ home jewellery consultants will get the pieces to you - at home or at work, wherever you like! Try them on at ease. Find the piece that’s perfect and place your order. But in case you don’t like anything, there is no obligation to buy.

Well, looks like life and spending only getting easier...

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