With the Indian fashion industry tilted heavily in favour of the fairer sex, it’s truly tough for the metrosexual man to beat his wife/girlfriend at the designer wear game.

If the lack of designer men’s wear stores in the city upsets your style quotient, here’s some good news for you.

Tucked away off the EM Bypass Park Circus connector at 98, Christopher Road, is Three By Four, a boutique that is home to exclusive designer shirts for men.

The brainchild of designer Neha Sharaff, the 850 sq ft showroom at Brindavan Gardens, Building-3, fourth floor, has come a long way since opening its doors in October 2004.

Neha, from an IT background, decided to dump her “nine to seven job” and “give designing a try” in the space she had. “The fascination for shirts and the endeavour to give the city something different finally resulted in a venture like this,” smiles Neha.

She started the store housing an array of designer labels, in addition to her in-house label 99 Grams. The growing popularity of 99 Grams was encouragement enough to gradually do away with the other brands.

Today, 99 Grams also finds rack space at fashion stores like Ayamik and Amara in Mumbai and Elahe in Hyderabad.

The store with its simple and minimalist decor gives a feeling of ample space and warmth. Candles placed on your left against a bright red backdrop as you enter, glass racks with yellow lighting from below and beautiful ceiling lamps add a dash of glamour to the decor.

Style see

“Fashionable and sophisticated, yet funky. That in a nutshell describes my collection. I see to it that the shirt adds character and confidence to the personality of the wearer,” says Neha.

Simple, flashy, printed, embroidered... The range will spoil you for choice. “After all, a wardrobe should provide something to match every mood and occasion. The Calcutta male perhaps is a little less experimental, but the mentality is fast changing and he is opening up to fashion in a big way,” points out Neha.

The fabrics are sourced from places like Bangkok, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. And to maintain the “exclusivity quotient”, a particular design and fabric is available in limited pieces.

For summers, cotton and linen rule and for winters it is corduroy, thick cotton lycra and denims. The colour palette is also in sync with the season. As the mercury soars, cool pastels, lime green, ice pink, beige and white (the “all-time favourite”) rule the racks.

Far from the boring circular ones, the button story revolves around mother of pearl, press buttons and square-shaped ones.

Formal front

The formal section sees a harmonious blend of sober stylisation and funk. The shirts here come in splashes of brown, black, ochre, white, sky-blue and more.

Simple textured shirts and those peppered with tapes or tiny patches all over are definite eye-catchers. Chikan shirts in pristine white are very summery in look and feel. Those with an eye for linear designs can opt for straight or diagonal stripes, while the adventurous lot can go for the unfinished look.

Then there are the tie-and-dye ones with denim appeal. Printed white shirts with thin silver borders on the collar look smart, too.

Prices start from Rs 1,350.

Party time

With striking contrasts and a fusion of abstract and traditional designs, the party section sees a lot of innovation.

White shirts are adorned with applique work in bright reds and oranges. Those with texturing on the back and cuffs look trendy. The nature-printed ones are highlighted with glitters here and there. Some with thin piping and trimmings look interesting. Also find shirts with patchwork all over.

The price tag reads Rs 1,150-plus.

Pictures by Rashbehari Das