Memoirs of Paharganj

“All that is gold does not glitter,Not all those who wander are lost.”

   ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Kohlapuri : 150 - 300 INR

 Leather Oxfords : 750 - 1500 INR
I managed to bag the upper left dark brown oxford at 350 INR ( Courtesy : my super impressive bargaining skills)

Building that gives an old rustic charm to this place.

 Suede fringed leather bags : 250 - 1500 INR
Stoles : 150 - 250 INR

I fell in love with these beautifully carved buildings that give Paharganj an unique identity admist the chaos of the market.I had to snap these.

 Vintage mythology inspired locks : 250 onwards ( cost depends on size and design )

Animal inspired door handles : Rs.400 onwards
Available in brass and copper metal.

These cute little ceramic and wooden boxes stole my heart : 750 INR

These would work as amazing jewellery organizers.

I bought these healing pointing crystal pendants for 40 INR each.

Rose quartz ( pink crystal ) - stone is symbolic of the energy of love, peace and calming energy

After a lot of mocking from my friends on my insatiable desire to visit Paharganj and I finally visited the place.!!
The market has a hippie ghetto feel to it with old architectural buildings which gives Paharganj an unique identity. And it is a vintage lovers paradise. On the outside it looks like any other old rustic market with shops in a row but if you dig in,it is a real treasure hunt.

Here you would find shops selling vintage stuff like old telephones, gramophones, typewriter( just for 3000 INR in working condition) , old rustic wooden boxes or shops selling handmade candles, incense sticks, itra( natural perfume ). Footwear shops made me go crazy over the variety they had to offer, you can buy anything from kohlapuri chappals to leather brogues or oxfords to summer sandals to knee-high suede leather gladiators.

This market has a lot of shops selling oxidized silver jewellery, earrings, tribal neckpieces, mangtikka's and what not. You can find minimalistic leather sling bags or stone engraved metal clutches. Me and my friend stumbled upon a crystal shop where I found these amazing pointing crystal pendants that were available in a blizzard of rainbow colors for Rs.40 only( At forever21 these were for 250 each so yayyy ). If you are a vintage lover and you have an alternate boho personality like me, you will fall in love with this place.

The market opens at 11 in the morning so I would suggest you visit around 11.30 like I did as the market gets super crowded during the day.You will see a lot of tourists at this market with DSLR's around their necks. The stuff here is rather inexpensive or subject to bargain. If you are good at bargaining its a win-win. I got leather brogues for 350 INR after bargaining from 750.

I returned home with brown leather brogues, black leather army boots, crystal pendants and wall hanging.You will see all this stuff in my future posts.

Here are the outfit details :
I decided to go for a no fuss look by wearing a single slit maxi skirt. I added a pop of color with orange top that I tucked in. I made a messy bun to beat the Delhi heat. I layered gold necklaces and carried a big bag to carry my camera and my buys. I needed comfortable footwear as I had to walk a lot so I wore oxfords that I got from Jaipur.

    Skirt : Thrifted | Top : Adagio | Neckpieces : Assorted | Oxfords : Jaipur | Bag : Handcrafted on order

Do you want me to visit some other interesting market? Drop in your ideas.

Until next time.

xoxoxo