PHERAN COOL

STEP outside Janpath metro station on a winter afternoon and the street changes colour.

- S KEERTHIVAS

Customers exploring Kashmiri pherans in Delhi's winter markets

(SAYANTAN GHOSH)

Before the handicraft stalls and silver jewellery carts, a row of Kashmiri shops catches the eye. The bright embroidered kurtis that usually dominate the entrance have given way to long woollen cloaks that pull customers in. Pherans in deep maroon, indigo, mustard and charcoal sway lightly in the cold breeze, their wide sleeves and intricate aari work catching the light.

Across markets, college campuses and metro platforms, the same silhouette repeats. Loose, ankle length, easy to slip on. What was once confined to the Kashmir Valley has quietly become Delhi's unofficial winter uniform.

At stores like KCS Kashmir and Imperial Stores and Tailors in Janpath, or Central Market in Lajpat Nagar, stacks of pherans begin lining the shelves as early as November. By December, they are the most sought-after item. "People come specifically for pherans now," says Farash Mahmud of KCS Kashmir in Janpath, whose business in the winter entirely runs on the garment. "In winter we sell only pherans. In summer we switch to cotton clothes. This is completely seasonal."