Summer in Pakistan tends to be infested with lawn. A profusion of three, four or five pieces crowd the landscape, presenting a dizzying jigsaw puzzle of embroidery, silk and chiffon. The onslaught of lawn, in fact, is so heavy-duty that the clothes often all begin to look the same. Popular brands are so rampant that several women end up wearing the same clothes at a single soiree.

However, even while lawn fever runs through the country, there are some of us who aren’t quite enamoured by the product. Luckily, far from the madding crowd of lawns, there are plenty of other options that can ensure a sartorially savvy summer. Here are some of them:

Denim it!

Denim’s trending around the world and local ateliers have quickly caught on. Zainab Chottani fashioned denim tunics with embroideries, buttons and lace detailing in her collection for Fashion Pakistan Week Spring Summer 2016. On the high street, denim ruled the roost throughout the winter, with brands such as Khaadi, Gulabo and Beechtree creating kurtas, peplum-shirts and funky tunics in myriad shades of blue.

Don’t want to wear the usual three-piece lawn suit anymore? Read on to see what alternatives you have...

As temperatures rise, lighter versions of denim apparel are about to be launched into the market. Designer Zaheer Abbas, having just opened his first store in Karachi, is planning an all-new line called Printology. Khaadi, similarly, is working with light denim that still looks uber-cool but is more summer friendly.

Chikankari

Delicate hand-embroidered chikankari is a timeless summer staple. Light white embroidery worked on to lightweight cottons may not be anything new and yet it has always been an ideal option for summer formal wear. One doesn’t even have to improvise with cutting-edge silhouettes. A simply finely-embroidered kurta, paired with a white shalwar or cigarette pant, can easily make a statement.  

Colour block it!

The milieu of prints filtering into the market can get a bit overwhelming, which is why this summer we’re rooting for stylish, well-tailored designs in solid colour blocks. Newbie brand Rema Shehrbano recently delved into a spring-summer line featuring plenty of single tone apparel fashioned into fun silhouettes. Hemlines wavered, ruffles were worked on to necklines and balloon-like sleeves came bordered with lace. Similarly, Sapphire’s range of solid-colour shirts come embellished with tiny tassels and light criss-crossed embroidery.

They’re certainly a refreshing break from busy prints and worked with quirky details, single-toned tunics are going to look very cool in a summer that’s bound to begin sweltering soon.

Block-print it

Block prints waver from the very funky to the absolutely traditional. In designer Sonya Battla’s recent exhibit, designs varied from miniscule paisleys to tiny animals flitting about in rows upon rows of block prints. In a similar vein, the brand Blocked by Afsheen Numair continues to quietly remain committed to the age-old technique, tweaking it to form concentric geometrics, stripes, birdcages and even tiny little monks lost in meditation.

Even while lawn fever runs rampant through the country, there are some of us who aren’t quite enamoured by the product. Luckily, far from the madding crowd of lawns, there are plenty of other options that can ensure a sartorially savvy summer.

Individualistic and perpetually eye-catching, a block-printed shirt — or two — is an absolute summer must-have.

Tie it, dye it

At the recent Fashion Pakistan Week, designer Sonya Battla reminded us why we love tie-n-dye. As part of the Fashion Scout segment at the event, Sonya splattered indigo hues over hand-woven fabric, tie-n-dying it onto shalwars and shirts. Indigo and white is, of course, an ideal summer combination but even multicoloured tie-n-dye is a statement-maker.

Striped

Pinstripes are the latest rage and while a stripy tunic works well in the office, it also looks pretty cool at a well-coiffured afternoon get-together. Taking a quick overview of the high-street this summer, at Nishat Linen striped shirts have been paired with matching chiffon dupattas; at Sapphire, printed stripes have merged into vivacious florals clustered about shirt hems; and at Daaman, pin-striped collared shirts have been embellished with floral embroideries and tiny little bows.

A word of warning here; stripes may look great on a petite frame but they don’t always suit women with a troublesome waistline. So while they may be a worldwide sartorial favourite right now, it’s better to choose your striped clothing very, very wisely.

Published in Dawn, EOS, March 26th, 2017