5 Must Visit Stores in Chennai

I love shopping and have to buy something from every place that I visit. Hence my trip to Chennai was no different. While Chennai was always known for its traditional sarees and gold ornaments, there is now a lot more to it’s shopping than just that. Chennai is evolving and has some interesting brands that you must definitely check out on your next visit here.

Naturally Auroville Boutique.Photo courtesy -http://naturallyaurovillechennai.com/.

Naturally Auroville Boutique – A visit to Auroville is a must for everyone visiting Chennai or Pondicherry. The Auroville boutique stocks products that are made in Auroville and are natural, artistically designed and ecologically sustainable. They have a wide variety of products in home décor, aroma & fragrance, handmade paper deco, organic food etc that make beautiful gifts for yourself and for everyone back at home. I bought a lot of cosmetics, essential oils, fragrant candles, organic food etc for my friends and family and each one of them loved their gifts.

You can check more on them at – http://naturallyaurovillechennai.com/

Anokhi Store at Chamiers

Anokhi and the Eco Cafe

Anokhi – Anokhi is a fashion label that was setup about 40 years ago in Jaipur and has revived the ancient craft of hand block printing in Rajasthan. The Anokhi label is all about traditional Indian prints and hand work used in contemporary products and designs. They stock a collection of Indian and western garments, home furnishings and accessories such as jewelry, bags, scarves, etc. I loved their clothes and had a great time shopping for various tops, kurtas and bags. Though they have stores in other cities, I felt their Chennai collection was the best. In Chennai, their store also has a very nice café on the first floor to rest after a hectic bout of shopping on the ground floor 🙂

You can check more on them at – http://www.anokhi.com/anokhi/

Brass Tacks Store

Brass Tacks – This is a fashion label established by Anaka Narayanan, that uses natural and hand woven fabric to create stylish and comfortable clothes with major emphasis on the fabric, the fit, and the tailoring quality. They stock both Indian and Western clothes and I loved the intermixing of various prints in their designs.

You can check more on them at – http://brasstacksmadras.com/default.aspx

Azure Fashion. Photo courtesy -http://www.azurefashion.com/pages/about_us –

Azure Fashion – This is a women’s fashion label set up by Dipu Krishnamurthy that was made to capture the feeling of optimism, cheerfulness, elegance and innocence in women. They offer a wide variety of dresses, pants, tunics, kurtas, kurtis, tops and skirts in vibrant prints and colors. The clothes here are stylish, comfortable and the same thing can be worn in quite a few ways for a number of events. I especially loved their innovative designs, their unusual colors and I must say the most cheerful staff.

You can check more on them at – http://www.azurefashion.com/

Calonge Store

Calonge Bags – photo courtesy -http://www.calonge-group.com/index.php

Calonge – Despite my mom’s utter despair, I love leather and have a big time fetish for leather bags. And if a brand offers me bags in hand braided leather that too in all kinds of trendy colors and designs, then I am definitely sold. So it was no wonder that I loved everything at Calonge. Calonge has uniquely hand-crafted leather bags in all kinds of bold colours such as bright yellow, orange, green, blue, etc . They have bags in all sizes, clutches, wallets, shoes etc. These bags are absolutely gorgeous and completely irresistible.

You can check more on them at – http://www.calonge-group.com/index.php

So the next time you are in Chennai, do visit these places. If you feel there are some other shops that are a must visit here, then please do comment below or tweet at traveler_budget. Happy Shopping 🙂