Shop special

Secrets

Ladies, if you're in the mood to pamper yourselves, then Secrets is the place to go. With three branches one at the UAE Moitry Shopping Complex in Kemal Ataturk Avenue, one at the Mascot Plaza in Uttara, and the third at the Metro Shopping Mall in Dhanmondi, Secrets welcomes you to an exclusive collection of women's underwear and lingerie.
A unique venture in Bangladesh, it offers a wide range of nightwear, swimsuits, and personal accessories for women only. The range of products includes lingerie, underwear, night-gowns, swimsuits, and costume jewellery, all of which are imported exclusively from Bangkok and very recently, from India.
The products come in an array of brands, shapes, sizes and colours. The panties include g-strings and thongs along with the normal ones with a price range starting from tk 115 and going up till almost tk 200. The bras, both cotton and synthetic, come in a wide range of sizes and brands. Some of the cotton ones cost around tk 100 while others cost above tk 300 depending on the brand and quality. Synthetic bras are more expensive, around the tk 500-1500 range. Sports bras are also available here.
Cotton nightdresses were recently brought from India to cater to the clients who are desperate to beat the heat. These, along with the synthetic ones, cost above tk 500 and can even cost around the tk 3000 mark depending on the style and design and decorations on the lingerie. The lingerie comes in a transparent synthetic material in various interesting colours and sizes. The price rises along with decorations, which include laces, fishnets, feathers and sequins. The lingerie is rather pricey, which makes it the perfect indulgence. There are also a few swimming costumes, but the range of swimsuits is rather limited. There is also a small range of costume jewellery, the price of which ranges from Tk 200-2000.
The shop has a variety of clientele, which even include males, who come by occasionally to pick up an ultra-special gift for their loved ones. The salespeople are all female, since the venture is solely targeted for ladies. The shop owner(s) plan to open another branch at the Rangs Plaza in Dhanmondi while they prepare to cater to people outside Dhaka, namely Sylhet and Chittagong.
So, if you want to spoil yourself a little, or make a special lady happy, just head towards Secrets and you won't be disappointed.

By Armeen and Sabrina F. Ahmad

Shop talk

Sticky Toys
A toy that is icky and sticky, for some this combination turns the stomach and for others it is an utter delight. For those who like it, this toy is great for annoying those who do not like it. Hallmarks at Banani sell these toys that fit in the palm of the hand and are shaped like starfish, caterpillars and other squirmy objects. These solid objects feel like slimy putty and stick anywhere where they are thrown. It's a cool addition to any pranksters collection. They cost 125 per piece.

Mood ring
What would you give for a ring that can reveal your mood? A hundred taka at most? That's how much it costs and you can find it at the ground floor of Eastern Plaza. This little trinket has a strip on it that changes colour and is supposed to reflect the mood of the wearer. More likely, the change in hue is the result of the variation of your finger's temperature. Whatever the reason its an amusing knick-knack. Deep blue probably signifies happiness and that happened while I took out my wallet. It's crazy how some people can be happy giving away money.

CD/DVD ROM drives
Computer disc drives have a habit of going kaput when least expected. The good thing is replacements are a lot cheaper now. ASUS 52x CD ROM drives cost 1400 and are quite reliable but are on the basic side in terms of functions. All you get is the eject, play and volume controls as opposed to the full function remote controlled unit of Creative. Sony DVD ROM drives cost 2600 while the CD writer costs 3800 taka and is extremely helpful in backing up your important info. Location is IDB Bhaban and any other computer shop.

Glow in the dark paint
Many have a fascination with objects that give off a ghostly green glow in the dark. Some decorate their rooms with glowing stars on the ceiling. Others like me would like to paint the entire family car in the spooky shade. You can find spray cans of this colour at Sath Rang near the Gausia Market where they sell sarees and paint supplies. It is a bit pricey at 400 taka per can but if you can afford it then go wild turning computer monitors, tables, T-shirts etc into ghostly objects.

Toy cars
Etcetera at Gulshan # 1 has a huge stock of scale model toy cars. You can get the funky Hot Wheels models at Tk 100 per piece. Also available are cars by Welly that have a pull-back action and cost 110. You get everything from Bonds blue BMW Z3 to Porsche Boxster, Jaguar S-type, Pontiac Firebird and Merc SLK. You get off roaders like the Frontera and BMW X5. All these are approximately 3-4 inches in length and are very nicely detailed. Some cars of the Welly models are available in different colours. You also get large-scale models but they are over priced compared to other places.

By Ehsanur Raza Ronny