If you think women are shopping fanatics, think over it again. With people becoming more fashionable, men are no longer behind women in the field of shopping. In shopping matters, men too have their preferences and choices to make like women do. There are chances that the items on the shopping list might be less or limited but the place to buy them from is many. Men might not have fetish for shopping or keeping a track about sales and discounts as much as women do. Still, men do have their own choices and decisions to make. Earlier, the scenario was different: men had very few brands to choose from and they never had to run around for shopping. They had their personal favourite outlets where they went and knew the salesman would know his choice. Over the years, there has been drastic change. With plenty of brands to choose from and disposable income, the new age men are very particular about their likes. Indian male celebrities have their own places of preference where they shop from and their shopping lists, for sure, do vary. Again, for varied reasons and interests, London remains the hot favourite for many. The city offers the right mix of shopping experience clubbed with designer stores and products. For some, India too has emerged as a new shopping destination. Everyone has his own favourite places, which have something enticing and captivating that make him visit the stores again.

Most-visited places

London, Paris and New York top the fashion-shopping extravaganza. But more recently, Delhi, Goa and Mumbai can be said to have made entry in the list of favourites. All these places have their own charm and exclusivity that make shoppers return to them. Well-known model turned actor, Arjun Rampal, shares his preferences with us. He says, “I do not have any one place in particular, really. I think shopping from everywhere is good as long as it is something you like and so, it is not that I go to a place where I really do all my shopping.  Anywhere, you can see that a new place is opening up all the time. I like London, New York, Milan and these places have really good fashion.” For Shekhar Ravjiani, leading music director, and Jawed Habib, hair stylist, London remains the first choice when it comes to fashion shopping. Amongst these high profile fashion destinations of the world, India is also making its place. Bollywood star, Jackie Shroff, likes to shop from Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. Celebrities like to buy stuffs based on their personal favourites and the list can include anything from designer wear to electronic gadgets. Mohit Suri, Director of films such as Awaarapan and Woh Lamhe, likes to do shopping in Hong Kong. Top fashion designer, Raghuvendra Rathore, likes to buy stuff from 23^rd street and 5^th Avenue market in New York.

Gadgets and brands

Men are gadget freak and we all know it well. When it comes to electronic goods, our celebrities like to shop for stuff from the manufacturing company. Mr Suri says, “ Being a director, I like to buy more of computers and cameras and the likes as these help me in my work. I also like to buy shoes and that too, mainly sneakers and not leather ones. My personal favourites are Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel and Nike.” Commenting on what he likes to buy, Mr Rathore says, “I mostly buy gifts for friends and family.” Celebrities, quite popularly, wear designer labels and global shopping destinations provide the right mix of culture and designer wear. Mr Rampal says, “I do not go for labels. I like to buy stuff, which is comfortable. I prefer shopping for gadgets.” Mr Ravjaini loves lots of Italian brands. He says, “I like Fcuk as it has real cool stuff.” Mr Shroff is not much of a designer freak and likes to team up a regular blue or black pair of jeans with light colour shirts. Mr Habib talks about his list and says, “Globally, I shop for T-shirts, shoes (basically boots), jeans, shirts and ties. The quality of products that you find in London is very good and the designing is sober and modern.”

Times for shopping

The kind of schedule celebrities do have provides them chances to buy wherever they like and whenever they are out. Global destinations offer flexible times to shop throughout the year. And, asked about the best times to shop, male celebrities revealed their own times to shop. Mr Rampal says, “Time is whenever you are going out. Everybody takes out some time to just go around and have a look at what is happening around the place. And at times, you just buy and sometimes you get gifts for someone which I believe is the best part.” Mr Shroff’s take on this is different. He says, “Everything is available on the net these days. So, you can also shop on the internet.” Mr Ravjaini finds the Italian designer wear so enticing that he considers shopping anytime of the year appropriate. As for Mr Suri, he likes to shop when the weather is nice and pleasant. On the other hand, Mr Habib says, “ I have two of my saloons in London, so I go there frequently.” Putting forward his opinion, Mr Rathore says, “There is no one time or one place to shop - it’s the experience and the mood that you are adhered to while shopping.”

Shopping experiences

With India being a popular country and Bollywood fans all over the world are huge in number, shopping at such destinations do bring along moments worth cherishing. When shopkeepers meet their favourite celebrity fans, what comes first to their mind is capturing that moment in picture. Mr Shroff says, “Shopkeepers are ready with the camera. They do the click and then, show the stuff. This makes them very happy and we, as actors, are here to spread happiness.” Recollecting an event that happened during one of his shopping sprees, Mr Ravjaini says, “While I was in London, I bought a jacket from Gap, which was really very expensive and when I came back to Mumbai, I saw ‘Made in India’ written on its tag. I felt really bad but it was really cool looking.”  Sharing his experiences abroad and in India, Mr Rathore observes, “It’s a bit more rustic and challenging in India while it’s more predictive in the West.” Mr Habib talks about an embarrassing experience. He says, “You like the stuff and shop a lot, but later the card doesn’t work, and then! Though this embarrassing situation never happened with me but it can happen anywhere and with anybody too.” Despite good or bad shopping experience and men or women shoppers, shopping is an activity that makes people go around the globe. Happy swiping!