Meet the branded Merchant

Model-actor Aseem Merchant busts stress with shopping. "Retail therapy really lifts my mood. Considering the kind of stress we live in, I invariably end up shopping once every month," says Aseem. He shares his love for shopping with CS readers:


PIC/u00a0 MAHANAND GUPTA

A quick shopper
More than clothes, I end up buying a lot of accessories like glares, shoes, watches, belts, etc. I am a quick shopper and don't have the patience to spend hours in a mall. I browse around a store for 15 minutes, and am done with my shopping in no time. As a rule, I like to shop alone. Since, I only buy branded stuff most of the time, I end up spending nearly Rs 50,000 on every spree.

Shoe fetish
I may sound like a woman, but I have nearly 50-60 pairs of shoes. Most of them are still in boxes, since I haven't had the chance to wear them. I love sports shoes, especially ones from Converse and Zara. Besides, I have a weakness for Italian shoes, the ones made from soft crocodile leather. One of my friend imports them to India, and I always buy from him. When it comes to clothes, I love jackets and own more than a 100. There is a special walk-in wardrobe at home, just for my jackets. In Indian designers, I like Ravi Bajaj and Rocky S. My jeans are always Diesel.

Around the world
I don't like to shop in Indian malls as they don't have much variety in branded stuff. My favourite haunts are Emporio (Armani) mall in Bangkok and the Emirates Mall in Dubai. I don't enjoy street shopping at all, I find it too tiring. Frankly, I lack the patience for it. I love shopping in Hong Kong, since it's got many sprawling malls and departmental stores.

Shopping tips
Make a shopping list before you travel abroad. That will save you some precious time, effort and money. Sometimes, you end up buying stuff you already have, so a quick dekko through your wardrobe is also a good idea before you step out shopping.