Shiny bustiers beneath transparent ponchos. Plunging necklines and stringy blouses. Strappy numbers that flatter the figure. If your perception of Pakistani women was based on what’s shown on PTV World, brace for a culture shock.
If Karachi-based designer Cyma Almakky — some of whose creations are on show at the Bride and Groom exhibition in Delhi — is to be believed, more and more Pakistani women are moving away from tradition.
And how are Pakistan’s famous conservatives accepting the bare-dare revolution? According to Amber Mullick of the design duo Resham-o-Revaj, the Indian perception of Pak society is flawed. “We are not from the boondocks. What people wear here is what we wear there. Pakistan is very much in sync with the rest of the world when it comes to fashion,” she says. One look at the hipster saris and low-cut blouses she’s designed, and you really want to believe her.
Designer Asma Khan of Lahore charts the revolutionary course: “The cholis are getting shorter, the gararas more fitted at the thigh and even the saris are being draped in innovative ways. I’ve come up with noodle-strap cholis and saris with tassels at the pallu. People are bored to death with traditional attire...”
Among Bollywoodclients that swear by clothes designed by the Lahore-based Najeeba Zulfiqar are Neha Dhupia, Shilpa Shetty and Shabana Azmi. “I’ve also designed for Pak actress Meera,” Zulfikar says.