Bare shoulders sizzle at Pak Fashion Week

Models baring shoulders and navels, sashayed down the ramp in tantalising togas, embroidered cocktail dresses and flowing georgette kurtas to showcase works by 52 designers.

It’s a Paris-Peshawar mix. The second Pakistan Fashion Week that opened in Karachi on Monday seemed to defy the general perception of Pakistan being a conservative society.

Models baring shoulders and navels, sashayed down the ramp in tantalising togas, embroidered cocktail dresses, flowing georgette kurtas and — in the words of a Facebook critic — ‘sexy kaftans’, to showcase works by 52 designers.

“This time, my collection will be dark, and very gothic,” says Umar Sayeed, one of Pakistan’s top designers whose show will close the Fashion Week. Notwithstanding its reputation as a city on the edge, Karachi is a typical cosmopolitan metropolis with a bustling fashion scene. Though largely conservative, the street wear is getting provocative. “A dupatta is no longer necessary. Girls are seen in hipster jeans, society ladies wear strapless dresses,” says Mohsin Sayyed, a Karachi-based fashion critic.

“Lahori women are more fashionable than those in Karachi,” says Ahmed Haroon Khan, a Lahore-based designer “They emphasise more on hair and make up,” he adds.