Read(il)y made lifestyle

HOW MANY times have you gone to the cloth store and spent an eternity pondering about the right choice? Those moments of indecisiveness, the if's and but's over the colour, the collar and even the buttons and that stare of the harried salesman! And then comes the mother of all predicaments - you not liking what your friend has selected for you. Ahem, apparel hunt is indeed an ordeal.

How about a tailormade solution - a personal fashion consultant who can tell what fits you like a glove? One who can make you decide what suits your looks and personality the best? And the denizens at the Will Lifestyle store have called him the fashion guru. But, he is available only online!

Despite straddling the virtual world, the guru is a meticulous man. Lounged in his cyber abode - www.willssport.com - he would like to know you first before designing your clothes. He would begin with routine questions asking your age, frequency of shopping for clothes, your skin tone - fair, wheatish, dusky - height, weight. How does your office expect you to dress up? And then, he gets skin deep. On an average weekend, how do you chill out? Do you go to the club or a play? Do you travel or do some adventure sports? Or are you a fitness freak?

Key in those details and lo, there lies your dream dress read(il)y made for you! All you need to do is touch and feel the cloth and yes, get it packed straightaway. All this, in a matter of few minutes! "The unique consultancy service has been created to help customers choose garments that suit their lifestyle based on international trends," explained popular television and theatre personality, Kitu Gidwani, introducing the concept to Hyderabadis at the plush Wills Lifestyle outlet that was opened at Nagarjuna Circle, Panjagutta, on Friday.

"By August, we plan to open 25 stores in 23 cities all over the country," says the chief executive of ITC's Lifestyle Retailing Business Division, Sanjiv Keshava. He has clear cut plans. "There is a huge potential out there in the branded apparel market growing at the rate of 33 per cent every year. Hence, we came out with a complete range of wardrobe for both men and women. In the next five years, we plan to garner 10 per cent of the market share," he explains.

And this ain't the end. More futuristic innovations are on the way. Fashion guru touch screen kiosks will be opened at the Wills Lifestyle outlets soon. "No matter what you are - fat, thin, short, long legged - you can design your own clothes at the touch of a button, making them custom made for your own personality," Gidwani affirms.

"It is a new experience for me, so different from theatre and telly. Neither I am a model nor an expert on fashion, I am here to promote the unique concept," says the actress who jetted into the Indian households and their hearts, too, with serials like `Trishna' and `Air Hostess' and a string of offbeat movies.

Sail through the virtual world with fashion guru and come out with flying colours!

By K.V.S. Madhav

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