The big fat Pakistani wedding season is in full bloom at the moment — and all over the country women are pondering over what to wear. Weddings, after all, give us carte blanche to splurge out on clothes and to dazzle the world with our particular take on sequins and shimmer. But even as you set about devising your head-turning, statement-making wedding-wear, do re­member not to go completely overboard. After all, you’re there to celebrate with the bride, not be her!

Also, do set aside the long-hackneyed peplum silhouette. Yes, it was once trendy and yes, uninspired designers continue to push it into the limelight. But, really, how last year can you get?

Instead, here are some on-trend suggestions on how you can make a splash this wedding season:

Wondering what to wear for the next wedding you are invited to? Here are some suggestions

RETURN TO YOUR ROOTS

You may just be able to cut back on your wedding-wear budget if you have a trunk full of traditional clothes stowed lovingly away by your mother. Traditional old-world bridal embellishments are definitely in vogue: gota bordering dupattas in zig-zags, kiran glinting in silver or gold and ethnic rilli and mirror-work, tweaked into modern new ways.

The House of Kamiar Rokni, for instance, presented their ‘Heritage’ line at the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week last year, with gota worked into chequered patterns, kiran borders on dupattas and chata patti on lehngas. At Hum Network’s ‘Showcase’ earlier this year, designer Adnan Pardesy’s ‘Entwined’ modernised gota, twisting it into origami patterns and intricate stripes. Inaaya, with its predilection for indigenous design, has a flair for statement-wear with mirror embroideries and rilli. The Pink Tree Company has similarly been working wonders with gota lately.

Returning to your fashion roots has never been savvier. Play around with traditional elements by mixing them with modern-day silhouettes, or simply saunter in with that dupatta that your mother has been saving for years, splayed out, glinting with sequins and gota!

GEAR UP WITH A GHARARA

The gharara, in its many variations, is definitely the ‘it’ wedding silhouette. The bride may be burdened with a heavily worked option but wedding guests can actually gloat in variations that are easier to wear. The ‘gharara pant’ is a simmered down gharara that may be worn in a solid colour, paired with an embellished shirt, or be tailored with slinky nets or silks. Also, for mehndis and dholkis, the lighter cotton gharara can work very well. Cotton versions are easily available at Generation while designer Zara Shahjahan can easily be credited for having popularised the gharara fad, fashioning them from lawn as well as creating more embellished options.

STATEMENT SEPARATES

Cutting-edge separates can be so much more interesting than an all-out bling-infested outfit. The fully hand-embroidered ‘shawl’ is timeless, and sets off any outfit well. Within Bunto Kazmi’s wedding atelier — undoubtedly the most successful bridal design house in the country — shawls come in pure fabrics, worked with minute threadwork that almost resembles paintings. Entire bridal processions may troop their way down the length of a shawl or depict a story from Persian literature or entire couplets may be captured on a shawl that is so exquisite that it is a veritable heirloom. Amongst fashion’s younger bridal studios, the Nida Azwer Atelier and Shamsha Hashwani are well known for their shawls. Shamaeel Ansari’s styling with shawls is always interesting — at Hum Network’s Showcase this year, her shawls were accompanied with fitted lehngas and risque saris.  

You may just be able to cut back on your wedding-wear budget if you have a trunk full of traditional clothes stowed lovingly away by your mother.

Modern-day separates like capes, wraps, waistcoats and jackets can also add oomph to an outfit. Designers like Shamaeel Ansari, Misha Lakhani and Sania Maskatiya delve frequently into embellished separates — dress them up and you’re set to go to a wedding; dress them down for heading out to an evening soiree!

STRUCTURE IT

Adding structure can make an outfit interesting — as long as you have the figure for it! Elan’s Palais Indochine collection last year featured belts cinching short shirts that were paired with streamlined, embellished pants. Mahgul tends to play around with hemlines and belts. Shamaeel Ansari has a flair for Oriental touches created with exaggerated sleeves and collars. Faraz Manan’s latest ‘Mirage’ line featured free-flowing gowns, fastened at the waist and fitted jackets.

PLAY IT UP WITH PRINTS

It can be refreshing to steer away from the labyrinthine embroideries that tend to dominate wedding wear. Designer Shamaeel Ansari, for one, plays frequently with eye-catching prints in pure chiffon or silk. The drama lies in the silhouettes that she creates; ruffles cascading down the length of a shirt, kimono shirts and playful hems, for instance. And instead of smothering the fabric with embellishment, antique stitches are used to border the shirt or create outlines.

Also, designer Ali Xeeshan has long had predilection for print in his clothes; choosing bold prints and then giving them three-dimensional effects through concentric embroideries, patchwork, beads and pearls.

It may not be your typical wedding-wear — but who wants to be typical when you can stand out?

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 20th, 2017