`Cool' is the buzzword of the city's clothes merchants this season, no matter if they run the show at a posh Alkapuri boutique or on the roadside at Fatehgunj. The omnipresence of cotton fabrics and pastel shades is striking but not surprising. While casuals score over formalwear, the stress is on looking simple yet trendy.

Seemingly unending rows of T-shirts, shorts, culottes and checked pyjamas are on sale at the larris outside the M S University hostel. The prices range from Rs 40 to Rs 150. ``Dirt cheap'', you might say. But not so for most MSU students who ``make it a point to haggle over Rs 5-10 every time they buy something,'' says a salesman at one Mr Rao's larri.

The clothes come from the local markets, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bangalore and do the rounds for anytime between six months to a year. T-shirts top the bestseller list and white is the colour of the season, according to the owners of the stalls.

But new designs are what buyers come looking for. ``Earlier there was a limited range to choose from. But from the past few years, the customers expect us to show them a variety of items,'' says Salimbhai, who has been in the business for the last 15 years.

The vote for the season of the year is unanimous here. ``Summer is the time we sell the most because there a lot of tourists in the city and also because the our clothes gel with the weather,'' says another stall-owner Nihal.

But for Nitesh Majithiya of the up-market `Rapunzel' boutique at Alkapuri, ``all seasons are for selling''. Catering primarily to buyers of semi-formal and formal salwar-suits, Majithiya's goods are priced upwards of Rs 800. While pastel shades retain their popularity, blue and white have moved up a notch this season, he says.

Cotton fabrics score again. However, sleeveless suits made of light synthetic materials are also selling well at `Rapunzel'. ``We are also concentrating on trendy cuts and have found quite a few takers for sleeveless and short-sleeved outfits,'' says Majithiya.

Rajasthani, Jaipuri, mulmul embroidered salwar-suits ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 900 are on display at the Kanchan boutique near Dinesh Mill Road. Says designer Kanchi Patel, ``Keeping with the hot weather, we decided to have a casual line because buyers prefer light and simple clothes in the summer''. Patel says that while cap-sleeves and half-sleeves are much in demand, only a few do in for sleeveless clothes.

A similar cost-effective range of clothes can be found at Nimita Exports, who have designed a line of mulmul kurtas for men and women. The fast-movers here are terryvoile, mulmul and South cotton, besides Kota sarees. Says Manager Ajit Hiwale, ``We have made extensive use of block-prints and vegetable dyes this season because they are soothing to look at''.