My Mumbai: Little Shilpa

Name: Little Shilpa aka Shilpa Chavan
Occupation: Fashion stylist, milliner
Neighbourhood: Bandra

Your favourite bespoke service in Mumbai
Home spa.

Your favourite Mumbai fashionista
James Ferreira.

Your favourite Mumbai movie
John & Jane.

Where in the city do you go on sourcing expeditions?
Hill Road, Bhoiwada, Dadar Market, Santa Cruz market.

When you’re searching for inspiration you…
Go for a walk in crowded streets or markets.

Your favourite hat-wearing Mumbaikar
Our dabbawallas.

What would you never put on a hat?
A dead animal.

Favourite Mumbaikar, living or dead
Smita Patil.

Best way to spend a weekend in Mumbai
Bhavishyavani parties and brunch with my gang.

What is Mumbai style?
A cocktail…super local or super banal or super glitzy.

To get away from the city, you…
Go any place where you can actually stare at the sea without hearing any traffic behind you.

The best view in the city
[From] my friend’s flat on Bandstand…you get the sea on one side and all of Bandra on the other side of the same room…it’s incredible!

Favourite Mumbai restaurant
Sadichha, Bandra East.

The one thing in the city you can’t live without
To be able to get almost everything home delivered.

The non-touristy place you’d show out-of-towners
Banganga at 4am.

Where do you go to score a bargain?
Hill Road.

What do you think of Bal Thackeray?
Mumbai’s tiger.

What do you hate most about the city?
Our newly enforced deadlines.

What do you love most about the city?
The undying will to go on.

Vada pao or bhel puri?
Vada pao anytime!

The last time you called Mumbai Bombay
To me, it’s always been Bombay.

In 10 words or less, who is Shivaji?
Marathi manoos.

Mumbai isn’t like any other city because…
It engulfs people and cultures from all over and let’s everyone experiment, experience and grow…at least it used to.