Shahpur Jat Market is a very interesting shopping market in Delhi. It retains its original, village, look and feel. It is known as Shahpur Jat village at times. There are uneven pathways and narrow winding lanes just right for a cycle or a scooter to pass through. They are not equipped to handle the 4 wheelers inside the Shahpur Jat Market. There are small houses on either side of the narrow lanes, where you can literally peep in to the homes and have a glimpse of domestic life. There is no hustle and bustle and the crowds are missing. There are no swank store fronts with neon lights. There are general provision stores, stores selling vegetables and fruits, there are stationery shops and then there are hundreds of  bridal boutiques selling fashionable bridal wear. It is a surreal experience.

People go to shop for Bridal lehengas and gowns in the Shahpur Jat  Market.  You will also find  shops selling brocade fabrics, borders and trimmings. There are small tailor shops to fix  buttons and hemlines. Upcoming fashion designers throng this market to buy fabrics and other accessories for designing their clothes.

The surprise – a non bridal wear shop

As we were walking past the bridal wear shops, we unexpectedly came across ‘Sitara’( meaning stars)

It was a cute little shop with a splash of orange on the wall. There was no bridal couture. On the display were colourful kurtis and Kolhapuri chappals(sandals).

The Kolhapuris

What caught our attention was the display of Kolhapuri chappals with the most creative and interesting emeblishments. What Ruchika, the owner, does is something out of the ordinary. She buys chunky pieces of jewellery from Tibet and Rajasthan and deftly blends  them in to the  strap of Kolhapuri chappals. What have you, chunky silver pendants, colourful beads, silver anklets or an orange Tibetan bracelet adorning your beautiful feet .

Kolhapuri chappals  are soft and comfortable on the feet and with the added ethnic accessories, they are unique. Pair them with simple cottons and you look stylish in an instant .

At Rs 3000/pair, they are a steal.

 The Afghani inspiration. 

On the other side are  long flowing drape kurtas that are ideal  to be paired with shararas and plazzo pants. What mad e them interesting were the colours, the play of  textures and embroidery, handcrafted Kutch mirror work, the ikaat and Kalamkari paintings juxtaposed with designs and styles from Pakistan & Afghanistan. Ruchika has crafted these pieces by mixing and matching styles and sensibilities. Detailing is a fine art.

They bring out a subtle gypsy sensibility to the dresses. Each dress follows its own creative rules and there are no set pattern to the dresses. A  Mustard  kurta with  Afghani inspired red and green embroidery all along the front panel or a black dress in super fine cotton  with a  patchwork of bold red an d yellow flowers on the side panels with colourful tassles are a few of the stand out pieces.

That is the beauty of shopping in Sitara. Each garment is styled differently.

The dresses are in the Rs15000/ piece price range. They can be worn as a dress or paired with plazzo pants or the straight pants and matched with dupattas of your choice.

Shrot Tops are in the Rs3000 to Rs5000 price range.

The focus of this shop  is to showcase the ethnic crafts from interior parts of India to the world.