International payments and shipping

Fantastic news! We've signed up with Paypal and we've cracked the Indian Government Registered Postal system! The process for our international customers is not yet as easy as adding items to your shopping bag and paying, but I've outlined the steps below and they are not too complex.

Here how shopping at Brass Tacks works if you need something shipped abroad or if you have an international credit card, or if both are the case:

1. Peruse our online store and figure out what you want to purchase.
2. Register on the online store so that we have your name in our billing database.
2. Send us an email (to service@brasstacksmadras.com) with a list of what you wish to buy. Remember to include your full name, shipping address, phone number, the style names, the style # (found right below the style name) and size.
3. We'll send you an email confirming your total amount, including shipping. Once you confirm, we'll send you a Paypal invoice (via email).
4. The Paypal invoice doesn't require you to sign up for an account- just hit the buttons in the email and follow the instructions to pay.
5. Once we get a confirmation from Paypal, we'll ship you the clothes and send you the tracking information.

International Shipping Rates:
We're happy to calculate this for you when we send you a confirmation email, but just to give you an idea of how much it costs, here is a list of rates according to weight. It's interesting to note that rates are only dependent on weight and not on location. Yes, a shipment to China costs as much as a shipment to Argentina (provided the weight is the same).

In the table below I've listed out the standard weights for our clothes. The box has a weight of 100 grams. Based on how many garments you are ordering, you can figure out the weight of the parcel. Then take a look at the table on the left and figure out how much it will cost by looking up the weight. You can also download and use our shipping calculator here.

Indian Government Tariff for International Registered Post

When I made a trip to the Government Registered Post office to crack the mystery system on how to pack parcels, I was pretty amused to observe how they work. Walking into the post office is a bit like stepping into another era- except they do have a few computers around. They insist on seeing the contents of the parcel, and then you have to seal it in front of them for security! The staff are extremely helpful, but their systems are antiquated. They have their International Speed Post tariffs up on their website, but not the Registered Post tariff. When I asked them for the rates, they showed me a handwritten table, laminated in a plastic folder. "Go Xerox this if you need it", one gentleman said kindly, as he handed me his only copy.

And Xerox it I did. Feel free to download Indian Government Rates for International Registered Post here and use our calculator to figure out how much your parcel will weigh and cost. I like to use the Google Currency Converter to convert Indian Rupees into Dollars or whatever currency you need.

Warning about the Government Registered Post: It's reliable, but far from speedy. Shipments to the US usually take 10 days. Shipments to Europe take around 14 days. Shipments to Swaziland take 30 days. The upside: It's pretty cheap, and it's reliable. 

Summer 2012: Colour, prints, patterns

Whenever I describe my work in interviews or press notes I try to explain that Brass Tacks clothes are stylish, but they are not purely for one trendy moment. They are meant to have a certain timelessness about them - which means they cannot be the latest craze of the month. I usually derive inspiration from my fabric rather than from fashion trends, but it would be incorrect to say that every book, magazine, film or art that I'm exposed to doesn't influence me in some way.

When I first moved back to Chennai from New York, I played with silhouettes and tailoring techniques and I stuck to solid colours. I always paired colours with neutrals like grey, black, white, brown and nude because my taste is simple and I do believe that less is more. But that was then, after 6 years of living in the United States. Now, after years of living and traveling in India, I'm starting to change the way I think about pairing clothes. Why is it that certain "rules" established in fashion are so contrary to Indian aesthetics? You don't have to pair a bright pink with a nude- it also goes with green, indigo, black, yellow and orange. 

I started playing more with colour a year ago, and strangely, the trend in fashion was moving towards that too. "Colour blocking" (pairing contrasting colours) became the new trend. But every season has to go one step further from the previous season (or in a different direction) and after colour blocking came the trend of mixing patterns with patterns. In other words, instead of pairing a printed shirt with a solid colour pant, the trend is now to pair it with a striped or printed pant. 

Prints and patterns: images sources from left to right are thesartorialist.blogspot.com,  Harvey Faircloth on shopbop.com, and Diane von Furstenberg on shopbop.com

At first I thought the trend was noisy- there was just too much going on and even if I liked the concept, it didn't mesh well with Brass Tacks' personality. But as I saw more images, I got lured into the concept. It's not just about mixing patterns and prints- it's about daring to do something unsafe and fun, and figuring out how to make it look stylish too.

Someone from The Hindu had sent me a few questions about fashion forecasting and trends a few weeks ago. While writing responses to her questions, I realized something very cool about fashion today. There are no rules- you can put together the craziest of combinations, and wildest of colours or an entire outfit in monochrome. The emphasis is slowly (and finally) becoming less on the actual clothes themselves and more on the person wearing them. This means it isn't about buying the most expensive label at a designer store - it's about how you pair things together while staying true to your personality, and most importantly, how you carry it off. 

For the Summer 2012 collection I've chosen to mix ikat motifs and prints with bright colours, in a way that fits well with Brass Tacks. And as always with design, the more I surround myself with prints and ikat, the more I'm inclined to go one step further and add another unusual element to the outfit. Here is a link to the entire Summer 2012 collection on Facebook. 

From left to right: Feather Maxi, Mudprint Monday shirt with Wide Hem Trouser; Zipper Camisole with Cropped Junior, and Patchwork Angarka with Mull Churidar.

And here are some cool blogs that have fun with fashion and celebrate street style:
Fashion Bombay
The Sartorialist
Wearabout
Lazy Manx Cat