Shop Special

Forever Bata

A new Bata outlet has recently opened its doors on the 18th of January at the Molly Capital Centre on 76 Gulshan Avenue (right next to Ecstasy, and below the new Mayasir). The outlet is quite spacious, well lit, and houses new arrivals for men, women and children. For men, there are dress shoes in basic black and brown with prices ranging from Tk850-Tk1600. 'Weinbrenner' and 'Power' (both Bata brands) keds come in shades of ash, brown, beige, and black and cost between Tk800-1200. Men's slippers are priced between Tk1000-Tk1300. Comfy looking 'Hawaiiana' sandal shoes (for both men and women) come in black with red or blue stripes and will cost around Tk1300.

The women's range come in a host of different colours, and include sandals, mules, slippers, thongs and dressy shoes. Cool summery shades such as pink, light blue, yellow and light purple are showcased alongside the basic browns, blacks, beiges and chocolate. The women's range of shoes consist of both Bata and the Bata brand 'Marie Claire'. Slippers will cost between Tk250-Tk500, dress shoes are Tk300-Tk950, and sandal shoes are priced at Tk800-Tk1200.

Bata has a large children's section consisting of slippers, thongs, sandals, formals, and school shoes. There is also a special range for toddlers aged from one to one and a half years. Children's brands include 'B-First', which has the school range including school bags (school shoes come in both black and white, and cost Tk300-Tk700), and the colourful 'Bubblegummers'. Both brands have prices ranging from Tk300-Tk590. A small offer is also up for grabs--you could buy a pair of selected 'Bubblegummers' and get a pair of socks for free.

Bata shoes have always been not only durable, but comfy to wear, so go check out this new outlet--you may just find something hip and cool to complement your summer wardrobe.

By Rubaiyat Khan

Check it out

Different strokes

There is no end to collector's items. In fact these are directly proportional to one's hobby. You can collect the usual stamps and postcards, or masks from all over the world or even things like miniature kettles in ceramic, porcelain, stainless steel. What you want to collect depends just on what your heart fancies and knowing a woman her heart is stuck to a lot of things. Among items of desire like shoes, bags, and exclusive jewellery, crockery holds a special place in her heart.

When she invites friends over for lunch or dinner, what's going to be the menu and which crockery set she is going to use to lay the table is equally important as what is she going to wear. Cashing on this particular fancy, the dynamic couple of Clay Image, Kamal Ahmed Maruf and Rehana Akter Nayan have brought ceramics, pottery and clay to a completely different height.

"We understand that pottery is one of the most intense form of arts, and also the link between nature and culture, between the individual and society, between utility and exquisiteness. The goal of our work is to illustrate how clay can be made both to carry value and at the same time to be used for everyday domestic work," is what they say about their work.

What is grand about their product line is that they are exclusive and exquisite. Giving colour, glaze and unique shape to clay, they have added a new dimension to creative ceramics. They are mainly working on ceramics, which fall under the category of stoneware and stoneware products. In order to attain the body and the glaze characteristics that their products possess, they need to burn these in temperatures between 1200 degree Celsius to 1250. This means that the products are fit for regular use.

Anyone with a love for trendy items and preference for beautiful and a little out of the ordinary things would fall for their crockery. Serving tea at a ladies' lunch, on a tea set made from mere clay is indeed very lavish and definitely the 'in' thing now. Using colourful utensils, pots and pans and dishes also brightens your mood and not to forget that it catches attention of your peers. They are holding their second exhibition at GalleriKAYA in Uttara, from February 11 to 24, and they also have a showroom in Sunrise plaza.

Anyone who fancies fashionable crockery should visit Clay Image's exhibition not only to add to their collection but also to add that different stroke to life.

By Raffat Binte Rashid

Shop talk

Take Spiderman to school
Children love Spiderman and so do many grownups. Those who do can be given a neat but also simple looking pencil carrying case with Spidey doing his web slinging all over the place. These are available at most stationers at around 140 taka. You can get hard cases made of plastic some of which have puzzles attached. It is a maze where you use gravity to guide a small metal ball through a maze. Also available are soft cases with zippers. What's good is that the print quality of Spiderman is very good so even fussy grownups might want to have one.

Drink with a tiger
You can drink with a tiger and remain alive only if the tiger is printed on the mug you are drinking from. At PQS, these mugs are available for 130-160 taka for different sizes. What makes these mugs different is the fact that the handle itself is an animal hanging on for dear life. Other than tigers, bears, etc you can also have a big bowl shaped mug with a cow as the motif. Heavy tea drinkers with the slightest sense of humor will love this.

Car lovers wall clock
There's an electronics shop near the ground floor lobby of the Bashundhara City where you will find a cool wall clock for people who are insane about cars. It's a styled alloy wheel with low profile tire that would look awesome on a Ferrari. The clock hands are made to look like a wrench, screwdriver and some other tool I forgot. It's also a bit pricey at around 3000 taka.

Gun on a key chain
It's a small gift item that you can give to someone who is a political party activist or simply loves guns. It's a small and cute key chain with an ancient looking flintlock gun. Available in different colours the price is 30 taka and is available at PQS in the kid's corner. The only way this gun can kill is if it's swallowed and choked upon.

Cut glass Beetle
Those who love cars would probably hang up a wheel cap in their room. Therefore, giving them anything resembling cars is almost always a hit. A two-piece glass Volkswagen Beetle measuring about six inches in length is about 585 taka in PQS. You can find it in places like New Market and Eastern Plaza where the prices differ slightly. The top can be removed and you can use it as a very breakable butter tray or a store for candy or even your visiting cards.

By Ehsanur Raza

 

Essentials

Spring is in the air…
Spring is officially here, with its bright flowers, light breezes, and a feeling of youthful exuberance in the air. It's time to pull out the pretty pastels, the floral prints and strappy sandals. It's about time you hit the stores for the latest styles. LS predicts that aqua, turquoise, and all shades of blue and green will be very 'in' this season.

Notice how…
Winter is barely over, and the load-shedding has already begun. All the pretty lights around the city, sparkling in anticipation of a SAARC summit that never happened, took their toll on the already troublesome power supply around the capital. Added to this, is the problem of local authorities 'forgetting' to switch off the street lights in the mornings, wasting huge amounts of electricity.

Season of Sneezes
As the season changes and the weather turns warmer, it brings with it a fresh outbreak of chicken pox, influenza, common cold, and other assorted diseases. If you don't want to miss all the colours and flavours of this princess of seasons, please be extra cautious about your health.

Say it with flowers
There's absolutely no need to reiterate that this season is best known for its flowers. So if you want to make someone smile, be it your favourite teacher, or Mum, who's been mad at you for ages, show that you care with a bunch of fresh blooms.

Whether you spend this month browsing through books at the boi mela, decking your house from top to bottom with floral arrangements, or sitting at home, cursing the politicians for calling these endless hartals, here's hoping this season is a sweet one for you.

By Sabrina F Ahmad

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On the cover

On the occasion of Saraswati Puja, different departments of Dhaka University celebrate with colourful mondops. We've featured the unique floating mondop brought out by the students of the Charukola Institute on the Jagnnath Hall lake.

Photo: Hasan Imam Shiplu