Where's my monsoon at?

There still has not been any significant rain in Ahmedabad. I'm not gonna lie, I want the rain. More days are cloudy and the wind picks up but everything is still very desert-like. Who knows what's going on? I only have a month left so every day passes is one less day I will have to deal with it.

Randy and I went to Vimal's to start our suits. Vimal is the premium brand for Reliance Industries who owns just about everything (they are basically the same as Tata Industries). When Randy and I left Vimal's the last time we thought we had a pretty good understanding of how this suit process was going to go. Naturally when we came back it very quickly turned into a cluster***. We apparently did not ask the right questions about cost because the price seemed like double from last time. More people got thrown into the mix (too many cooks in the kitchen) and now statements about what they CAN and CANNOT do are going around.

Last time we were told the suit material was about Rs.2000 and stitching is Rs.3000 (Rs.5000 is $100). When we came back it was Rs.2000 PER METER and it'll take 3.25 meters to suit me. So after settling from the shock of the suit doubling in price I regrouped and decided to start haggling. I say, "Well, this guy and I are buying at least two suits with the possibility of two more depending on how well you do with the first. What discount can you give us on the stitching?" They say, "it doesn't how many suits you buy. You can get 10 suits and price is the same." I look at Randy and say that I guess I'm only getting one. Randy's out entirely. He needs to check if he can get the same thing done in the US with less problems. This is when the salesman jumps back in and says, "But we can give you a discount on the material." Haha, of course, I was putting up a fight over the wrong variable. They gave me a whopping 10% discount.

I bought a Super 120's 100% merino wool medium brown herringbone fabric. I gave them a picture from this month's GQ so let's see how they do with the pattern. My trial fitting is next week. Frustrating experience.

Monsoon is almost here

I expected the monsoon to begin the way it in Forest Gump - instant downpour. It first dizzled a week ago and every other day the clouds roll in at night and storm for a couple hours. It happened again last night but earlier than usual. The staff tells me that will become more frequent until there is no break at all between the rains. It has cooled things off though.

Skinny Minny Update

Stef upped their cookies to 3 packs/day.

Pictures

Pictures from Taj Mahal, New Delhi, Krakow and London

Nice random assortment of places that I visited in a little over a week.
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I met a senior designer for a fashion company on his way to Ahmedabad yesterday from Mumbai on my Jet Airways flight. I was looking into having some suits made before I went home but India's abundance of polyester really gave me a pause until I knew exactly what I wanted to have made. I went to Macy's with my mom to see their selection and the conclusion I drew was no matter the pricepoint: 100% lightweight wool.

On the plane I met this guy who's business trip was to visit all the factories where Haggar's sources their fabric for a particular type of dress pants. So not only did he offer to send me free Kenneth Cole pants but he told me exactly where to go to have suits made. The top floor of Vimal's on CG Road has the same material they use on Ralph Lauren Purple Label suits. He gave me a few other pointers as well but I am excited to see if I can get a $2000 suit for $100 like this guy said.