Clothes / iPod - prices in Gurgaon

Cachaca

Hi all,

Well only a week away from my move to Gurgaon (until end of year). Got a mass of things to do.

Quick question.

I currently live in The Netherlands. My wardrobe desperately needs a revamp (a) to take account of the Delhi climate and (b) because I just haven't bought any clothes in ages!

I am trying to decide whether to go on a clothes buying rampage here in Europe this weekend, or hold off and do it in my first weekend in Delhi / Gurgaon.

Could wise heads advise me of comparative costs - need to buy a few pairs of business casual trousers, couple of pairs of shoes, some shirts etc. Also need to get a new suit, but have covered that through other threads.

Also, how much can I pick an iPod up for there (as compared aginat getting one off amazon now before heading across)?

Many thanks for help.

dillichaat

Get the shoes in Europe, I haven't yet been able to find the same quality here (if we're talking formal shoes at least). For clothing, I found that you're better to bring informal stuff (jeans, shorts, t-shirts...) from Europe. It's true that you have the same shops here (Esprit, Levi's....) but the models are not the same and the colors differ, with more pink/pastel tones or strange blues and reds to be found here (has to do with the average skin tone I guess). They look good on Indian people but as a paleface you'll look washed-out wearing them. O.t.o.h., if you've always dreamt of wearing a totally pink shirt to work, you'll have a blast here

Also, for women's clothes, my wife swears that although the prices in stores such as Esprit are the same as in Europe, quality is not.

For business attire you're in for a treat: if you take the time to find a good tailor you can have everything made for you at a fraction of the price it'd cost in Europe.

Which model Ipod do you mean? I bought one for my wife, don't immediately recall the exact price but imho there's no savings to be made in india for those things.

rajnag

second the earlier post about business casual stuff. About casual or party wear, It depends on how much you you like to keep up your ward robe. Maybe you new job involves more socialising ?
Get atleast 2-3 good jeans, a couple of pairs of casual shoes and some good classically trendy basic designer wear-ish tshirts i you really feel like it.
You really haven't told us about your dimensions (short/stubby, big and tall etc) so this is all I can say for now.

Cachaca

Thanks.

Will be managing a team in a "business casual" office environment.

I am 180cm tall, about 90kg. Fairly average build.

namaste_cat

Cachaca, I'd bring only the lightest suits with you if you're used to cold weather. Although many Indians find Delhi cold in the winter, my family and I find it to be quite mild. If I wore a sweater, I'd be roasting in it. But people around will be wearing ski caps and mufflers, so it's all relative, eh.

My husband gets all his suits stitched in India (he's tall and thin) because he loves the perfect fit he gets that way. I will say we don't always love the material there but since you'll have time, you should be able to. We did some comparison shopping of some Western brands of shirts my husband needs for work, and we found those to be cheaper here. Also quality was better. We looked at Van Heusen, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and the like all of which cost more than here even at full retail, and were so-so quality.

As for casual clothing, it's definitely inexpensive there but you may not like the styles (though basic shirt of course is ok). Or even colors. No way is my husband or 17-yr old son going to be caught dead in a pink shirt. Somehow they will wear kurtas in salmon color.
I'd 2nd that one. My daughter also says the same thing - it's just not the same as in the U.S. even if the brand name is the same. We found this to be the case even w/ casual brands like Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, etc.

I looked into an Ipod when I was in India this Dec, and found prices to be even higher b/c you pay full retail. Here one can get some extras thrown in which takes some of the sting out. I'd get it off amazon if I were you.

KateW

Hope I'm not too late. Buy the Ipod in duty free. My son was well happy with the price. They are more expensive here.
Things like chinos, shoes, trainers, shorts better bought in Europe.
Otherwise as all the other threads say, suits, shirts etc wait til you get here. And remember you rarely wear the jacket so the trousers get worn and you still have a new jacket.

hitanshu

Yeah - delhi duty free is quite decent.

As for shoes - Im not quite sure. Lifestyle has quite a decent range of shoes from Lee Cooper among other brands

__________________
SMASH!!!!

dillichaat

Are you kidding me? They're about the most expensive duty-free operation I've seen anywhere. True, compared to a couple of years ago the range of goods on offer has vastly expanded, but still I think they're prohibitively expensive for most items. Was looking at a box of Cubans (cigars... and they actually cost more duty-free at IGI than with all taxes in Europe, which is no mean feat. The price difference with Singapore was over 20%, not to mention the much smaller selection. Anyway, I'll check them out again very soon, have to be at IGI in 2 hours for my flight to Bangkok and i'll try to note down some prices but have the feeling most of the shopping will be done in Thailand.

hitanshu

Dillichaat - I cannot answer for the cigars. However, head to head, on the fast moving items (most perfumes, alcohol etc) they are at par or better than Dubai.

Few months back they even had some good offers, as well as comparisons with Dubai etc.

Of course, YMMV but I'd have to respectfully disagree with your generalization!

PS: I'm sure you'd agree that in today's day and age being that pricey is commercial suicide!

dillichaat

Yeah, high prices are commercial suicide in an efficient market, no argument there but consider that the outfit running the duty free in Delhi (and most airports in India) has a monopoly, which doesn't help. Their main advantage is that most items (especially liquor and tobacco, to sin is expensive), when bought in India will be even more expensive with all the duties and taxes levied.

But you're right, I shouldn't generalize without having some comparison points at my fingertips for a lot of goods, point taken.

rajnag

Maybe get a pair of penny loafers brown ones. The black shoe should be oxford type ones. keneth cole/bostonian/florsheim(my fav)

Get the steven madden type casual loafers(retro styling rubber soled leather shoes) (black/green/brown.. really taste and how it matches with your clothes) and at least two pairs of athletic shoes.

Sandals/thongs/slippers: best bought in India.

Jeans:I like diesel,Gucci,guess,Calvin Klein among others.
Look at this sites and decide for your self which ones will suit your style and body type.

http://mensfashion.about.com/od/seas...emiumjeans.htm

Trendy classic casual stuff: like others before me have spoken the gap/banana .. stuff. Polo Ralph Lauren/Nordstrom/Calvin Klein among many others.

Greatest advice I can give to you ; Don't be shy to ask for help in department stores. It's their job and it might actually save you time.

I gotta get back to cleaning my house now. Expecting guests tomorrow at 6 in the AM. see ya !

PS: Let us know how it goes.