With just some hours left for the nine-night fever to begin, youngs girls were seen making a beeline to pick up the best for this navratri. The rains, though dampened the spirits of the garba organisers, did not seem to upset the buyers and sellers of chaniya cholis.

The trend this year seems the plain black and Kutchi embroidered cholis.

Besides the plain chaniyas, block printed chaniyas with bandhini dupattas and mirror-work cholis are in demand this year.

``The crowd was thin because of the rains, but now with the sun coming out the crowd is growing and sales have registered a spurt,'' said one of the employees of Gamthi Ghar in Nava Bazaar. While the range starts from Rs 350, the heavily embroidered ones could cost up to Rs 1,200 in the cotton variety. However, for those willing to spend without feeling the pinch, big flashy boutiques are the place to shop.

While the most preferred colour is the red and black combination, flashy greens, bright yellow and orange are also in vogue. Sale of plain and multi-coloured bandhini dupattas is also picking up.

Aslambhai and his three brothers, who come to the city every year a few days before the festival is to begin, have set up a shop selling chaniya cholis exclusively for children. ``People here are ready to spend on good chaniya cholis, but are reluctant to go in for the expensive ones,'' Aslambhai says.

``While the backless cholis have almost been sold, young girls go for the mix and match combinations this year rather than just picking up the ready-made sets,'' said one of the employees of Bandhni Ghar, Nava Baazar.

Besides shops selling only chaniya cholis in Nava Baazar, there are others who have set up shops in Mangal Baazar as a kind of a side business to make the most from the new trends.