Mochi

The name (Hindi for cobbler) might mislead you into thinking Mochi is a modest little store. You're in for a surprise.

Mochi is not the kind of place you drop in to buy a casual pair of shows. A trip here would, in all probability, be part of elaborate wedding preparations and other occasions to bring out the gold and glitter. For despite the fact that you do get informal shoes here, the emphasis is clearly on the more dressy (read more expensive) kind of footwear.

For women, there are some interesting high-heeled sandals in gold and silver, which are designed to look like you're wearing anklets. Talk about saving money on accessories. Women's shoes here are mostly strappy and belong to the Mochi brand. The couple of flats you will find are not all that different from what you get in any other store. The prices start at Rs. 500 and go on to Rs. 1,500 for women's shoes. Evening-bag-and-shoe sets are another speciality here.

Mochi is a national chain of retail outlets and has four other branches in the country, but all the shoes in its stock are from Mumbai. There is also a range of evening bags (Rs. 1,200 upward) with heavy gold embroidery and sequin work, and casual bags for Rs. 900 and above.

The store isn't as big as it seems on the outside, and half of it is dedicated to men's footwear, which has shoes from Florsheim, Lee Cooper, Reebok, Nike, Adidas and Skechers, apart from the in-house brand. Prices start at around Rs. 900 for a pair of shoes and go upward from there. The walking shoes are good in this collection. Accessories like Bulche leather belts are also available for men.

Children do have shelf space here, but not too much. The shoes are well-made, though, and they even have a pair of calf-high boots to stomp about.

If you have enough money with you and a sharpened inclination to spend it, then this is the place for you. There's not much that's contemporary, but for good old glittery shoes that say I-have-to-be-home-by-midnight, this is a good bet.