Gossip to share. Meeting with a client. Exhausted from a shopping spree.

There are plenty of reasons to grab a cup of coffee.

Here’s one more for the list: Barnie’s, the American coffee chain, has opened its first outlet in the capital.

After you’re lured in by the aroma of a fresh brew, you’ll want to stay awhile on the comfy couch and chairs in soft shades of brown and beige.

Try their stand out coffee flavours, German chocolate cake and tiramisu. And if you like traditional thanda, their variation called Santa’s White Christmas has an unusual combination of coconut, vanilla and nuts. Complete the experience with a sandwich or slice of cake.

Barnie’s brewers use only pure Arabic beans and plan to fill up mugs all over India – they have 25 cafes in the works.

P.S. You’ll soon have even more reasons for coffee. American giant Starbucks also plans to add its flavour to the capital.

Barnie’s, Second Floor, Spice World Mall, Noida.
Prices start at Rs 25.

When you’re strolling Mumbai’s crowded streets, a hip pair of shoes can help you realise that there’s nothing pedestrian about being a pedestrian.

Two international shoe brands, Blay and Voir, sauntered into Bandra this summer and opened a joint megastore.

For a night on the town, go for Malaysian brand Blay’s collection. The colours are bright, the heels are sky high, and the details are glamorous in lace, pearls, leather and feathers.

Voir from France offers a snazzy day look with flats in jute and metallic colours, ballerina slippers and low wedges.

Any time of the day, these shoes are surprisingly comfortable. Though you won’t want to hit the pavement without a bag from their selection to complete your look.

More Blay/Voir locations are set to open in the coming months.

Soon you’ll be walking on sunshine.

Blay/Voir, Sabistian building, 319 A, Bandra (W), Mumbai 50. Telephone: 64504027.
The Blay collection is also sold at the Atria Mall.
Shoes from Rs 1500 and bags from Rs 2100.

You have a flair for always picking out the right gift. You also have a knack for messing up the wrapping.

What you need is a pair of helping hands -- which is exactly what you’ll get at Magnificence, Delhi’s only gift-wrapping boutique.

Magnificence offers an array of wrapping options. Choose from handmade carry bags or wrapping papers printed especially for Magnificence. For something more delicate, select a fabric cover in tissue, brocade, net or organza. Then adorn your gift with an eye-catching kundan-bejeweled flower, some golden sequin sprigs or ribbon tassels.

Gifting chocolates? Try their novel collection of stylish kundan and sequin-studded glass containers.

Whether it’s a single gift or a large order, they’ll create an elegant package within minutes.

Now that’s what we call a wrap.

Magnificence, 101 Bharat Nagar, 2nd floor, New Friends Colony, New Delhi -65 (Next to Shipaa Medicos). Telephone: 011-41627221.
Prices from Rs 60-1200.

You love travelling. The faraway places. The exotic food and culture. And, of course, the shopping. But lugging around a heavy suitcase? What a pain.

Leave behind the woe of running through the terminal with a hefty bag dragging you down. Or the anxious feeling that you might just topple as you load your carry-on into the overhead bin. Instead, stow away your tankinis, sandals and evening dresses in style with the new Urban Light collection from high-end Parisian brand Aigner.

These jet black sky-friendly polyester and canvas bags weigh in at around 4 to 5 kg, depending on the size. Features like shoe storage sections and an adjustable handle help you tote everything from toothpaste to stilettos for a weekend getaway or a last minute business trip.

Like to look coordinated and put together? Grab the matching computer bag.

Now who said women can’t travel light?

Mumbai: Aigner, GrandHyatt Plaza, off Western Express Highway, Vakola, Santacruz (E).
Telephone: (022) 5676-1234.
Delhi: Aigner, Shopping Arcade 2, Maurya Sheraton, Sardar Patel Marg.
Telephone: (011) 41000261/62.
Urban Light Collection starts at Rs 21,000.

You worry about things. But good news is around the corner. You are going to travel. There will be a big change in your life.

This could be the fortune waiting in your coffee cup. If you love having your palm read and find tarot sessions irresistible, then the Koffee Grail is for you.

Armenian-born Herachik Shahoomian invites you into her Sainik Farms living room. You sip Turkish coffee from a dainty porcelain cup, and when you’re done, she overturns the cup. You chat as the sediment hardens into a picture of your life, which Shahoomian interprets for you.

Shahoomian learned to read coffee from her mother, and she’s been helping family and friends until now, when she’s gone commercial.

If she sees shoes, it means you will travel. Or she may see a bird, and that means luck. Predictions, insights into your personality and a broader view of your life. You’ll be surprised at what’s brewing in your coffee.

The Koffee Grail, Herachik Shahoomian, Sainik Farms, New Delhi.
Telephone: 011 29533039. Mobile: 9868145817.
Reading costs Rs 1000.

Your favourite home accessories and furnishings boutique, Dhoop, has found a new home for itself. The former Bandra shop, which carries unique, kitschy finds from coconut-shaped mortar and pestles to leaf-shaped brass coasters, has moved a stone’s throw away from its old warehouse-like location to a newly refurbished building in Khar.

The expanded space makes it easier to touch, feel and pick from the vast array of wares, including basil and jasmine candles, stoneware tea sets with Hindi engravings, beaded throw pillows and a menagerie of colourful lanterns.

There’s even a mosaic-tiled balcony that boasts wind chimes (for sale) and a hammock to rest those weary feet. You’ll find blinds, tablemats and runners made from natural fibres, like banana, hyacinth and jute under the shop’s own label Strands, as well as others.

Steal away some decor ideas from the intricately-carved door handles to the brass vessel that’s been converted into a basin in the bathroom.

You’ll feel like you’ve entered a secret garden. And you’ll probably want to keep it a secret too.

Dhoop, 101 Khar Sheetal Apartments, Dr Ambedkar Road, Union Park, Khar (W), Mumbai 52. Telephone: 2649 8646/47. Closed Sundays.

Tired of those back-breaking stilettos, wearisome wedges and even more boring flat chappals? Put them all aside because there’s finally a shoe trend where comfort meets style. Ballet shoes with flat round toes, sans the traditional tie-ups, are going low on the heel and high on the hip scale.

This look is officially in vogue, and comes with endorsements from ramp scorchers Indrani Das Gupta, Monikangana Dutta and Anamika Khanna – who showed ballet flats and Mary Janes with her latest collection at India Fashion Week.

You can pick them up in a never-ending range of colours, materials and styles at shoe stores around the capital, including The Shoe Stop, Concepts, Atelier and Finesse. Enticing variations come in jazzy metallic colours, or with small ribbon bows or big sequin flowers.

Wear them for both casual and formal occasions, or experiment and pair them with a salwar kameez.

Are you ready to put your best foot forward?

Atelier, Khan Market. Telephone: 33142772.
Concepts, M-Block, Greater Kailash - I. Telephone: 30905745.
GFO, M-Block, Greater Kailash - I. Telephone: 26803487.
Finesse, Khan Market. Telephone: 51634154.
The Shoe Stop, M-Block, Greater Kailash - I. Telephone: 51735040.

Remember how you used to pretend the hand shower was a microphone and sing I Will Survive while you washed? Yeah, we know you did that.

Now you can take your singing out of the shower because Club 2010 at Calypso Bar & Bistro is now hosting Delhi’s first karaoke night every Thursday.

Request your song and the bartenders will pass you the microphone. The lyrics roll off a giant screen on the dance floor. So get ready for your solo, and don’t be surprised if the crowd sings along. You can choose from their English pop and rock collection or a wide selection of Hindi songs. Phil Collins, the Bee Gees and all the best of the ’80s.

When it’s someone else’s turn to perform, sink into the comfy sofas around the dance floor and enjoy a cocktail and snack from Calypso’s elaborate bar menu.

And don’t worry about those listening. They will survive.

Club 2010 at Calypso Bar & Bistro, 12 Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi. No cover charge. Average price per couple for drinks and food - Rs 2000.

She’s ruled the ramp. She’s walked the catwalk. And now, fashion designer Priyadarshini Rao pulls together a pret-a-porter line for the sophisticated shopper. Her new Boho chic shopping destination (and label) Sepia houses linen dresses, layered tees and knit shrugs in coral, nutmeg and olive green. While her designs are going en masse, Rao is still very much en vogue. Think plenty of lace and crochet, subdued, earthy tones and fitted cuts.

It’s only appropriate that framed sepia-toned photographs line the walls. Lanterns along faux-brick arches provide a vintage feel and old-world charm.

Hate to keep your company standing around? Significant others and friends lounge on a rich buttoned leather couch in the corner while you try on one pretty skirt after another.

These fresh and youthful designs could scorch the runway, but they won’t burn a hole in your wallet. Tops start from Rs 700.

Finally, a designer who brings her knack for creating silhouettes and choosing fabrics to the common man, err… woman.

Sepia, Atria Mall, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 18. Telephone: 24813513.

A pin-striped shirt. Material for a salwar kameez. A jewellery set. Do you know people who hate conventional gifts?

Next time you’re looking for something unusual, make a trip to Gifts of Love.

Husband-wife duo Hoofrish and Chetan Krishna Murthy set up this little shop to sell their own printed creations that rise above boring wedding cards and letterheads. Instead of a card, they have a funky cardboard box filled with a tiny steam engine and the words happy journey. And for your mum who loves making lists, a fridge magnet that’s a wooden clipboard with a notepad.

You can also make a little zoo for an animal lover – coloured glass fish, terracotta turtles and elephants, metal camels and giraffes. Or pick a shimmering purple bag that has shiny stones, each with a word to urge you to be patient, loving, trusting, joyous, clear, brave or humble. A virtue for every day.

Wrap it all in handmade paper, and give your gift with lots of love.

Gifts of Love, DLF City Centre mall, Gurgaon. Telephone: 0124-4014721. Website: www.giftsoflove.in.
Prices from ten rupees to several hundred