KUALA LUMPUR: The looming financial crisis has not dampened the spirit to shop for sarees and salwar kameez this Deepavali.

While saree shop owners admit that the Deepavali crowd in the Brickfields and Masjid India areas is a bit slow this time, they are still confident the cash registers will start ringing soon enough.

Women were still coming in for the latest Anarkali salwar kameez made popular by actress Aishwariya Rai, said Jothika Collections owner Thilagavathi Supramaniam.

"The Anarkali suit is the in-thing this Deepavali," she said.

"Even though it is pegged at RM200 and more per suit, there is no shortage of buyers," she said, adding that they were largely popular among the young crowd.
The Anarkali, designed with an empire line, boasts a traditional Moghul-style that has been revived with a contemporary look made popular via Bollywood and comes in classic colour combos -- green with red and pink with grey.

The dinner saree is also a best-seller. Those who can afford to buy such premium products were not really affected by the dampened economy, said Thilagavathi.

"Sales for the lower range of sarees and salwar kameez are slightly down, but we have a steady stream of customers for our exclusive sarees like the dupion silk, brasso, traditional silk and sequined chiffon laser ones which come in vibrant colours."

The prices for these sarees, range from RM120 to RM900 each.

"When Deepavali comes around, everyone wants to own at least one new outfit."

If you're looking for an alternative to blingware, Jothika showcases excellent artwork and embellishments on its sarees, salwar kameez and fast-selling ethnic motif blouses.

In Jalan Masjid India, though Hari Raya Aidilfitri has made way for Deepavali, Monica's Collections owner M. Balasubramaniam is still eager to talk about his saree-styled baju kurung.

The year-old boutique has a wide array of fusion Indian clothes.

"We are tapping into a market where we find that Malay women like to wear sarees, with many making their baju kurung and kebaya out of the saree material," Balasubramaniam said.

"To cater for these customers, we have contracted a designer tailor to get these ready made for them."

This Deepavali, Balasubramaniam says he has a wide selection of chiffon sarees on special offer pegged from just RM50.

He claims to be also among the very few with a good selection of up-market Opel french chiffon sarees which are priced at up to RM1,000 each.