Brocades

I have an event that I wanted to wear a sari for, and of course I waited to the very last minute to go to Brocades. I got there, and it was closed for a special event! I thought to myself, «woe is me, why are you such an idiot for always procrastinating?!»
The sign on the door invited patrons to text Shika about making an appointment on Sunday. I half-​heartedly sent a text and resigned myself to attending my event in a black sari.
Shika came to the rescue! She worked around my difficult schedule and my budget, and spent time with me personally to find a sari that looks great and fits well despite my time constraints and the looming event date. She even painstakingly went over how to wrap the sari and pinned the pleats so that I could recreate the look by myself!
Shika is lovely and the garments are gorgeous, I don’t think I could expect any more from any other retail interaction!

An excellent experience, from start to finish! Shika was so helpful, and had exactly what I needed for my friend’s Desi wedding. The bride and her family were blown away by my outfit and jewelry. You will not be disappointed.

I had a fantastic experience at Brocades today. Service was attentive, helpful, and friendly! Not to mention the clothing and jewelry were beautiful and reasonably priced.
I wandered in looking for something last-​minute to wear to a wedding, not knowing the first thing about traditional Indian clothing. Shika was SO helpful — she immediately found great options within my price range and walked me through the entire fitting process. She was very accommodating to my tastes and timeline, and made an effort to learn more about the wedding in order to help me choose the best outfit. Thanks!

I love Brocades. Only wish I could wear more of their gorgeous items. The service is spectacular and the owner so helpful and accommodating. I have purchased a couple of tunics and a cotton dress. I also bought a silk shirt for my husband that he loves.

I had such a great experience at this store! I had read great reviews on Unilocal,so decided to go a little out of my way. Shika was so helpful and friendly and was so necessary in purchasing an outfit. Some of my friends mentioned going online but I would have never found a dress as beautiful. She was extremely patient, helping me with about 6 different dresses. She has a lot of accessories to go with the outfits as well. They also tailor for a very reasonable price. I would definitely recommend this place, especially due to the great customer service (and adorable dog, Buttons!)

I am so happy that I came here ! Shika was extremely nice and absolutely helpful! The clothes they sell here are definitely great quality and you can tell by the clean stitching and fabrics. I came here looking for something to wear for my very first Indian wedding. They began giving me different dresses to try on without even measuring me. They were like the fairy god mothers that knew immediately what would look best on me. Customer service here is A++
They have a variety of selections from salwar kameez, lehengas, saris, and even men clothing. Their bangles and jewelry is at a very decent price. I compared to what they usually sell them for in NY and they were much cheaper here. I wish I could give this place more stars! I left here absolutely content and I will come back if I have another Indian wedding to go to.

Definitely a hidden gem! A little hard to find, but well worth it once you do. I’m of Indian descent but was raised in America. As a result, my fiancée and I are having an Indian-​fusion type wedding this Spring and I’ve been struggling for months to find a quality shop that sold Indian jewelry/​clothing. The best place I know to get that kind of stuff is in Jackson Heights, NY or India itself but Brocades is fantastic, and the pricing is really reasonable considering other similar boutiques that I’ve been to in the area. Shika (the owner) is extremely nice and moreover, REALLY helpful. I explained to her what I was looking for and what I envisioned for my big day, and she really helped me find exactly what I was looking for. Brocades has a very home-​y feeling and even better, a pretty wide selection of items. Even if you’re looking for something in particular that you don’t find in the store, Shika will let you know if she can get or where to get it, which I thought was very nice of her. Can’t rave enough about this place, and will definitely be stopping in again in the near future!

This gem is located down the street from our apartment. So far I have only purchased kid-​sized bangles for my daughter, but Brocades always has very fashionable clothes on display that are a nice balance of traditional and modern Indian attire. Looking forward to having an excuse to make a big purchase some time soon!

So if you are not going to buy something from this store don’t bother going in. She is very friendly and will help you find something you like without you asking for her help. When I told Shika I will be coming back once I figure out the details of wedding outfits and I just wanted to browse for today, she told me «she wouldn’t have put this much effort into helping me find something if she knew earlier I wasn’t going to buy something that day» Also told me if I was a small business owner I would understand. What I wanted to say was if I was a small business owner I would never talk to the customers that way. I felt so bad I basically ended up buying some overpriced bangles and left the store.

Beautiful Indian clothing (saris, shalwar kameez, lehengas, anarkalis, and shawls in an array of colors and handiwork) and jewelry in Boston at reasonable prices — including designer pieces. All of the staff are so helpful, especially Shikha — she’ll work with you to find pieces which are flattering, coordinated, and within budget.
A pain to get to from Cambridge/​Somerville by public transport but very worth it if you need something to wear for a special event.

When I came to this boutique, I felt like I was shopping in a mall in India :) Such is the variety and quality of clothes and jewelry I found here. Their collection is latest in style and ranges from casual wear to traditional. They also help with tailoring the clothes you buy to fit you, thats really awesome. Shikha (the owner) and her associates (sorry I do not remember her name) are very sweet and helpful with selecting items. They gave honest suggestions to me when I was there to buy something as a gift. I left from the boutique feeling extremely happy with the purchase I made for the right price.

You will not be disappointed if you shop here! Shika is absolutely wonderful. I have bought several pieces of jewelry and other accessories from her. Her pieces are really quality, and reasonably priced. Plus she knows how to treats her customers. I’d pick going to Brocade’s over a shop in Edison any day.

I can’t say enough good things about this store. The clothes are gorgeous, on-​trend and very good quality! It was so refreshing to go there after being grossly overcharged for lesser items at the larger stores in Cambridge! Just try to pay with cash– it helps small businesses like this stay alive and I want them to stick around!
Shika (the store owner) was an incredible resource for me when I was getting married! I am not South Asian but my husband is, and we were having a big South Asian wedding in California. She helped me find so many necessary items, and gave me great style advice in choosing clothing items for my family and bridal party (my fashionable Indian friends agreed)! What’s more, she’s such a warm and friendly person who always makes people feel like they’re welcome without smothering them.
Their tailor is great! He created two custom blouses to match my sisters’ saris, and tailored seven blouses for my bridesmaids. All the blouses were a perfect fit! I’ll try to post pictures later.
Thanks Shika!

Brocades is the best store in the Boston area for Indian clothing! Three of us were searching around for some nice Indian clothing with no luck until we came across this place. Shika was very helpful and passionate about us finding the right things. I was thrilled to find their men’s section and bought a beautiful blue kurta (men’s tunic). My fiancé and her friend also each bought Indian suits for their musical tour.
Great quality, friendly and personal touch. I look forward to going back soon!

I’ve been searching for a decent indian boutique for a while now. I’ve either had to deal with pushy and rude saleswomen, very mediocre yet over-​priced clothing and poor customer service. Many a time I’ve almost been pressured or harassed into buying something.
Then I came across Brocades on Unilocal.The five star reviews seemed promising so I decided to try my luck as I had a baby shower around the corner and a festival as well.
Sure enough– right from the first conversation, Shikha (the owner of brocades) was warm and friendly. Not only did she patiently answer my numerous emails, but also sent me photos of dresses or jewelry so that I could see my options and decide what I wanted before I made the drive up to her shop. She was extremely accommodating, stayed late to alter a dress for me so that I wouldn’t have to drive all the way to her shop again to pick it up. She was never pushy.
I was looking for anarkalis/​salwars of which she has a limited but lovely collection. She has a bigger collection of sarees. I picked up anarkalis and jewelry as well, very reasonably priced and pretty. She also had nice kurtas for men (my hubby picked up two for himself) .
I hope she broadens her collection of kurtis and dresses.
This is now my go-​to place for any indian shopping. No other indian boutique comes close at this point. I’ve had a great experience shopping here, and as I’ve mentioned, Shikha was fantastic! Overall, this is a shop for everyone.
Looking forward to more shopping at brocades :)

I came here to arrange to get a saree tailored for a wedding. Even thoughI didn’t purchase it from the store, Shika was kindly able to help. When I came in, the blouse didn’t fit at all – and after two fittings with Shika’s help – it fit perfectly at the wedding! We also purchased jewelry there for the wedding, Shika worked with us to get matching sets, within our timeframe. The store is also beautiful inside, is open in the evening, and is very T accessible. I would highly recommend Brocades!

I’m very suspicious when I enter small stores because I feel like the owners are always trying to push me to buy buy buy. At Brocades I quickly learned that Shika is 100% for the customer. Every time I enter the store I leave excited about the great deals I just got or how Shika is going out of her way to get exactly what I am looking for. I like finding the businesses that you can create a friendship with knowing they take pride in their job and want to build the business through great customer care.
5 star rating for Brocades!

I came to Brocades after having a less than pleasant experience at another Indian clothing boutique in Cambridge and am so glad I came! Shika is an absolute doll and truly takes care of her customers. From the minute I walked in, she was friendly, warm, and made me feel like I was an old client. I needed help finding an outfit for my friend’s Sangeet and she offered great recommendations and advice on what to wear. Not being Indian myself, this was really helpful and she was never too pushy which I really appreciated.
The boutique is small and while Shika has a limited collection, all her items are all gorgeous, sophisticated, and of great quality. She has both casual and formal apparel as well as accessories. She works with a tailor who custom fits everything and the alteration prices are not exorbitant.
Can’t really say enough great things about this place and so glad I found this little gem! I love supporting local small businesses especially ones where the owners really take pride in building great relationships with their clients. Will definitely be recommending Brocades for anyone looking for Indian clothes but also a really great place for unique gifts.

Well, i didn’t think that Shika could have done any more for me than she did… and I was wrong. After attempting drapings at home with my sister, and ending up in tears, I texted Shika and she said she was available to come at 8am the morning of the wedding and drape not one, not two, but three ladies within an hour. THEN, when I realized that we were totally running out of time to press the saris, she came to the hotel, picked all three of them up, steamed them herself, and then brought them with her the morning of the wedding. She arrived with a smile, draped us, pinned us, and those saris didn’t budge for almost 6 hours. I am telling you, customer service like this does not exist elsewhere. Shika is really, truly, the best.

Shika was a godsend. After weeks of anxiously searching for a mother-​of-​the-​groom outfit for a Sikh wedding I landed at Brocades. Shika instantly understood what I was looking for and seemed to have an uncanny feel for my taste as well. My first visit wasn’t successful, but Shika assured me that what I was looking for was coming in her next shipment. Instead of widening my search, i decided to trust her and waited. She was right! The perfect Anarkali, made more perfect by the subtle alterations she ordered.
It’s hard to explain just how wonderful it is to experience this kind of service and support, and from a lovely and talented person with impeccable taste. I ended up with three outfits, two tailored to improve fit, for reasonable prices. The next time I am looking for something special I will return to Brocades with confidence. Pema F