The laidback N Block market square has been the place you’ve gone to when you’ve needed to replenish your stock of those long, kalidaar kurtas. Or to pick up flaky pastry. Or a self-help book.

Now you’ve got couture too. Walk past Breads and More, and the main Fabindia store, all the way down to the end. Go up to the top floor, through narrow stairs, and you’ll come to Chamomile, the latest designer store in the Capital.

It has clean, uncluttered spaces, done up in muted blues and greys, which show off the vivid colours on the racks. There’s the usual mound of sequins – can’t get away from them this season – and there’s the good stuff, too.

Fashion veterans Abraham and Thakore’s finely patterned knitwear catches the eye. Relative newbies stand out, like Pankaj Ajuja, former Rohit Bal boy, with his emerald-coloured tunics. So does Calcutta-based Anupama Dayal, who combines different textures and colours in her dramatic kurtis.

The other boys and girls of western and indo-western wear are here, too: Kavita Bhartia, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, Shantanu and Nikhil, Namrata Joshipura, Priyadarshini Rao, Varun Bahl, Puja Nayyar, and a few others.

And not everything has sequins.

Chamomile, N-11, 2nd Floor, Greater Kailash-I, New Delhi. Telephone: 29238605/46536282.
Prices: Rs. 2000 onwards.
Opens in Mumbai by April 2007.

You’re a global gal, at home anywhere in the world. And now, you can add a dash of vintage Hollywood glam, or American tycoon style, to your two-bedroom Mumbai pad - without busting your budget on import taxes.

For the first time in aamchi Mumbai, you can now pick up some of the best furniture lines from the US. Browse through Baker’s heirloom furniture, McGuire’s wicked wickerwork and country-style pieces by Milling Road in FIT grad Anjaleka Kriplani’s newly opened store, Renaissance Homez.

Lose your heart to the rattan loveseats or the exquisitely detailed art deco mirrors by Mirror Fair. Or go for the antique room sets from Baker. When you sit at that French writing table, think of yourself in the White House. Yes, Dubya’s current home is partly furnished by this brand.

If George Bush doesn’t quite do it for you, how about Tom Cruise? Some of the lines in the store did up the sets of his film Vanilla Sky. Madonna and Donald Trump are known to be fans, too.

At your place, of course, you’ll take centre stage. The chairs and tables are just props.

Renaissance Homez, 25, The Courtyard, S.P. Business Centre, 41/44 Minoo Desai Marg, Colaba. Telephone: 66385490.
Prices: Rs. 40,000 onwards.

You’re done with party animals. Check out the real things on a Republic Day getaway to Ranthambore, in the first of our new occasional series on Wildlife Weekends.

Gulp down that tea. Grab your camera. Head out into the early morning chill. You’ve got a date with the king of the jungle.

Right after the sun comes up your jeep stops, just short of a clearing. A hush descends. A tiger moves into view – quiet, majestic, with its stripes visible in the distance. As you gingerly reach for the camera, the tiger turns towards you to give you a better angle. Kodak moment.

Of all the national parks, you’re most likely to spot a tiger in Ranthambore. Our Trendy Wildlife Expert has visited the park four times a year since she was a toddler, and she’s never returned disappointed.

Finish gaping and focus, if you can, on the doe-eyed spotted deer. Or go back on that jeep. To that clearing.

By train: Most Delhi-Mumbai trains stop at Sawai Madhopur (362 km away from Delhi and 1027 km from Mumbai); the park is 13 km from the town.
Best time for visit: November-April
Safari timings: 7.30 am , 3 pm (winter); 6.30 am , 4 pm (summer)
Contact: principal chief conservator of forests: Jaipur: 0141-2227391, 2227878, 2227978, 2227078; Sawai Madhopur: 07462- 220223, 221142, 220479, 223934
Accommodation: RTDC hotels, forest rest houses, private budget hotels, luxury hotels, with rates upwards of Rs 300. Book your rooms well in advance.

To wrap up our Wine Wednesday series, here are a few of our favourite places to grab a glass (or a bottle).

INDIGO: Voted among the top 60 restaurants in the world by Conde Nast in 2006, Indigo also has 350 labels in a 4000-bottle cellar. The crème de la crème includes an ‘82 Chateau Altour, an ‘82 Chateau Cofd’estournel and a ‘74 Chateau D’Yquem. They don’t come cheap. But, seated with friends (and even the odd celeb at the neighbouring table) under the high ceilings – or in the sought-after open-air terrace – we bet the clink in your mind won’t be of coins.
4 Mandlik Road Colaba, Mumbai. Telephone: 66368999. Price: Rs 300 per glass and upwards.

VETRO: Before sampling Chef Emanuele Lattanzi’s magic at this restaurant-cum-lounge, you’ll want to stop by at the curved, glass-enclosed sanctum called Enoteca. It holds one of India’s largest collections of Italian wines, including bottles straight from Fruli, Piedmont, Toscana and Venetto. Taste from around a dozen bottles before deciding the one that accompanies your meal. If you make dinner reservations, the tastings are complimentary.
Hilton Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai. Telephone: 66326215. Price: Rs 650 per glass and upwards.

THE TASTING ROOM: Yes, it’s been low key as of late. But Trendylicious hears that Mumbai’s first wine bar is gearing up to go big time with new décor and, of course, an even better wine list.
Good Earth, Raghuvanshi Mills, Lower Parel. Telephone: 65520440.

Click here for our earlier Why Wine Wednesdays: Seeking Sula, Shakespeare In Wine, and Rose-Coloured Glasses.

To wrap up our Wine Wednesday series, here are a few of our favourite places to grab a glass (or a bottle).

DIVA: For Italian cuisine, the discerning choose Diva. Now aficionados are lining up to sample its 450-label wine list. The most coveted? The Vega Sicilia ‘94. For more affordable alternatives, consult wine steward Rajesh. He can pair a white with lobster with as much panache as he produces a gorgeous grappa.
M-8,Greater Kailash II Market, 29218522, 29215676. Wine by the glass starts at Rs 225.

TRAVERTINO: Engelo, the maitre’d at the Oberoi’s revamped Italian restaurant, has a special nose for wines that are a tad offbeat and don’t cost the earth. To get the juices flowing, cast your eye over the impressive glass-encased tasting room. The wine list is recommended most for classic Chiantis and Brunellos. For a splash-out, go for the Sori San Lorenzo.
The Oberoi, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, 24363030. Wine by the glass starts at Rs 400.

OLIVE BAR & KITCHEN: Yes, we know it’s defunct at the mo’, but a little birdie tells us it will reopen in the next week, at the same location. Just as well, for there’s no better place in Delhi to sip a glass of something light. The wine list is just 110-strong, but it’s easy-access even for the novice. For a celebration, go for the Chateau Margaux, a superior Bordeaux red that gels perfectly with Chef Saby’s grills.
One Style Mile, Mehrauli. 26643914. Wine by the glass starts at Rs 240.

Click here for our earlier Why Wine Wednesdays: Seeking Sula, Shakespeare In Wine, and Rose-Coloured Glasses.

Behind every successful woman is… another woman’s book. Next week veteran journalist Seema Goswami’s Woman on Top, the first self-help book for the Indian working woman, hits the stands. Trendylicious got a sneak peak, and chatted with Goswami, chica to chica.

Trendy: Preity’s KANK clothes or Konkona’s Page 3 attire?
SG: Neither. Clothes that make even Zinta look chunky should never be tried on by mere mortals. And Sensharma’s NGO-style dressing is so boring. I’d say, craft your own look.

Trendy: You’ve had a good workday with the guys. Now they’re off for a beer. You aren’t invited.
SG: Just go with them. Chances are they won’t even notice you. And after a couple of beers down, they won’t care anyway.

Trendy: The baby’s sick, the hubby’s away, the help’s absconding and there’s an urgent meeting at work.
SG: Given that you can’t dope the baby and dump it in your oversized handbag, this may be the time to be grateful you have a mother-in-law.

Trendy: At an office party, the resident lech starts feeling you up. Reaction?
SG: No, you can’t kick him where you want to. Nor can you pretend not to notice. Just walk away and join the ladies. There’s safety in numbers.

Trendy: You’re bosswoman. How do you tell your new subordinates?
SG: Take them out and ply them with champagne. That should help reconcile them to the inevitable.

Woman on Top, by Seema Goswami, Random House. Price: Rs 200.

Age 7: Bought first pink purse.
Age 14: Struggled with makeup.
Age 20: Realised fashion is fabulous, but more than clothes make the woman.

Ditto for Ensemble, the country’s premier boutique. It’s marking two decades in fashion with its fourth store, which banks more on its attitude than its apparel to say: Look at me.

Architect Bijoy Jain has melded old and new to create a startlingly contemporary look for the new Ensemble. Golden grey lighting plays off stark cement walls, ceiling and flooring to create a dramatic backdrop for the additions to the store’s line-up of designers: Vineet Bahl, Pankaj Ahuja, Sangita, and the very haute Hemant-Lecoanet.

The old faves still stun. Monisha Jaising’s kurti evolves into a nipped-at-the-waist mini-dress, Tarun Tahiliani reinvents the staid salwar-kameez with a draped red-n-black, no-embroidery Italian jersey collection embellished with a single, stunning brooch. And Rohit Bal sums up style with his rich silk angarkhas in ivory and gold.

Ensemble is hitting its prime. Though just like you, it promises to improve with age.

Ensemble, White Hall, Ground Floor, West Wing, 143, August Kranti Marg, Kemps Corner, Mumbai. Telephone: 23672416 / 23672418.
Accessories start at Rs. 2,500, apparel at Rs. 4,500.

Poach ‘em. Scramble ‘em. Or fluff ‘em up in a pan with veggies and cheese.

Take your pick at Pam’s, the tiny breakfast place which serves your eggs the way you want them, when you want them. And you’ll want them in an omelette since their omelette festival is on.

Choose from their regular omelettes made with organic Keggs eggs and a host of fillings: tomatoes, onions, capsicum, coriander, processed or mozzarella cheese. Or try their half-a-dozen innovative open-faced omelettes, with grilled veggies on top. This month you get extra eggs free, that is, for every two-egg omelette, you get a four-egg; for four, you get six. Also try the free samples of soy veg sausages: our Trendylicious taster found them chewy and flavourful.

For the calorie-and-cholesterol conscious, Pam’s cooks everything in extra-virgin olive oil, and you can ask for sprouts in their egg-whites-only omelettes. Wash them down with excellent coffee from their Swiss percolator.

Brekker is served through the day. In a hurry? Call or fax your order half an hour ahead, and it will be ready the moment you walk in.

The omelette festival runs until January 31 at Pam’s Breakfast Centre, 39 Shahpur Jat, next to Asiad games village, New Delhi.
Telephone/ fax: 26496713/4.
Average cost for two: Rs 100.

For weeks, you’ve been professional by day and party girl by evening. But of late, when your significant other suggests a night in, you’re surprised at how readily you agree.

If the adrenalin is wearing out, take yourself to Antara, the open-to-all day spa at The Club. This new spa offers massages, polishes, facials, baths and body wraps. If you don’t know your Swedish from your Kerala, naturopath-aesthetician Rajesh Srinivas will help pick just the right treatment.

Trendy recommends the Dry Floatation Bed – the first treatment of this kind in Mumbai. After a body wrap, you’ll find yourself on a waterbed powered by heat sensors. Twenty minutes on the bed relaxes you as much as a two-hour nap.

Getting used to the goddess groove? Indulge in Antara’s individual iPods, shower/steam cubicles in each therapy room, and choice of Indian organic and French spa products. You’ll also be calmed by the créme-and-darkwood décor, the fragrance of sensuous orchids and the restful instrumental music.

And if the man in your life wonders if he’s put the glow on your face, treat him to the couple’s room. Follow up the massages and wraps of your choice with a togethersoak in the beautiful square stone bathtub.

Tonight, the party’s at your place.

Antara at The Club, DN Road, Andheri West, Mumbai. Telephone: 65141224.
Spa treatments from Rs. 750 to Rs. 3500.
Couple room booking: Rs. 1000.

PS: Trendylicious on TV! Catch the Young Turks behind Trendy at Saturday at 2 pm or Sunday at 8:30 am on CNBC TV-18.

Rum and coke? Square, square. Vodka and orange juice? Ho hum. Tequila and salt licks? So yesterday.

Get with it, with a martini. James Bond’s fave drink is back with a bang post the success of Casino Royale. Shaken, stirred, every which way. Azzuro’s adding to its quiet Mediterranean appeal with a martini festival beginning this week.

Celebrity mixologist Yangdup Lama of Cocktails and Dreams, India’s first mobile bartending company, will be at hand all through the month to rustle up your pick from his twelve intriguing flavours. If spice is what your heart desires, plump for flavours such as black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and chilli. Fruit lovers can sip on apple-tinis and peach-tinis. Or opt for the ones which use the essence of strawberries, green apple, orange, grape, and, yes, cucumber!

Trendylicious recommends two of Lama’s most unusual concoctions: the coriander martini, with its embellishment of fresh dhania patta, and the chai-tini, which sings subtle notes of tea.

Now if only Bond were Indian.

The martini festival runs through January 31 at Azzuro, PVR Saket Community Centre, New Delhi. Telephone: 41664274.
Price: Rs. 350 plus tax per martini

PS: Trendylicious on TV! Catch the Young Turks behind Trendy at Saturday at 2 pm or Sunday at 8:30 am on CNBC TV-18.