Cotton Collection has got a really fun, colourful selection of good quality clothes. It’s more youthful stuff though, and the variety is enjoyable if you’re into colour and patterns. It’s one of those places where I want to buy everything but am sadly too poor to afford it.
Location & Ambience
Cotton Collection has also got outlets in Flower Road, Pelawatte, Majestic City and the Hilton. But this one is probably the most easily accessible on Dharmapala Mawatha opposite Viharamahadevi Park. It’s got a nice big parking space of clean grey paving and white walls. The store’s interior is classy and minimal, the same whites and brown wood you find at big stores like Odel.
There’s a little food court outside too, where you get Ilgelato, Jagro’s, Panino’s, and Ginger. It’s not your average food court so it’s a little pricey, but Jagro’s has some affordable strawberry dishes, and it’s a great place to chill if the weather cooperates.
The Selection
There is a lot of variety at Cotton Collection, more so than your average store at least. The stuff here share a similar theme though, in that they usually follow interesting patterns and are colourful, without being loud or flashy. There’s a lot of plain clothes too in simple formal styles, although rarely ever in a boring or typical cut. Towards the right end of the ground floor you get blacks, whites and greys – formal and dining wear. But it’s the casual fun clothes that most come here for. Plus points for the fact that most of the range is cotton or linen, and comfy.
It’s a great place for casual dresses or beach party wear (check out the Island Wear collection), and unique tops and pants, in the Rs. 1300 – Rs. 2000 range. Global Desi is an Indian brand that has joined some of the brands at Cotton Collection and are known for their very cool range of kurtis, unfortunately though for Rs. 3500+, so perhaps you may dare the purchase for the rare festival occasion.
Nice winter clothes are hard to find in Colombo if you’re planning on a trip to colder climes, but there’s a good range of sweaters and cardigans worth checking out upstairs for around Rs. 1300. Men’s and kids’ wear are upstairs too, though the men’s range is pretty limited, with t-shirts and shirts for less than Rs. 2000. The selection of shawls here are pretty limited and cost around Rs. 1000.
Worth a mention are the super comfy printed jeans out front for Rs. 1800. For some reason printed pants in Colombo are almost impossible to find so these guys get points for having a range of them – check out the wide variety of printed flared pants in the Island Wear corner.
Evening or cocktail dresses, really good ones, are usually very expensive wherever you go. So the Coco selection by Perine (which we were told emulates New York fashion) is somewhat a good deal since you can get some unconventional styles here for as low as Rs. 2 – 2.5K.
Raspberry’s jewellery and handbag selection in the front are loads of fun, in pop art colours and designs. The jewellery ranges from Rs. 350 to Rs. 1000 while the bags are usually Rs. 2000 upwards. Further inside there’s designer jewellery (and accessories) by Kokommo if you’re into bronze and stone Indian work, but the prices go as high as Rs. 10,000. The selection of shoes here are relatively limited though nice, in the 2K range.
We love some of the Monsters Inc. stuffed toys available here for Rs. 2000. Also there’s a nice selection of candy near the cashier’s counter (Willy Wonka’s chocolates and giant lollipops included) for Rs. 300 upwards.
Conclusion
The Cotton Collection store is fun to wander through, since their designs definitely have more flair and colour than your typical department store. Hipsters will probably love this place. Generally speaking, a piece of clothing is going to cost you about Rs. 2000. If you’ve got the cash and you like off the wall colours and patterns then this is a good place to shop.
