The custom silk tie was by New York-based Indian menswear designer Aahan Tandon, who also shared the news on his Instagram page.

The tie featured the distinctive geometrical shapes synonymous with ajrak in light blue and red. Ajrak, the form of block-printing indigenous to Sindh, can also be found in India, particularly among the Khatri community in Gujarat’s Kutch.

In Pakistan, we’re well aware of how important ajrak is to Sindhis.

While speaking about this importance, Nandita Bhavnani, the Indian author of Sindhnama, said, “Today, the Ajrak of Sindh has become a symbol of cultural identity: it is Sindh’s signature textile.”

The film The Odyssey features a star-studded cast, including Anne Hathaway, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Elliot Page, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong’o, Himesh Patel and Mia Goth, among many others. An adaptation of the ancient Greek epic poem, the film follows Odysseus as he embarks on a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca following the Trojan war.

The film released in cinemas around the world on July 17.

The pieces were made from a pair of gold medallions discovered in Iran in 1947, which are estimated to be 3,000 years old. They were part of the Ziwiye hoard, a large collection of jewellery, ceramics and other artefacts, parts of which are housed in major museums across the globe.

As with anything over a century old from the region, quite a few questions arose.

Days after the pictures were first shared, people wanted to know how the pieces had made it to a private collection in London. Were they taken out of Iran in a less-than-proper way? Did the people whose culture they represented agree with how they were being used?

And perhaps most importantly, wasn’t it a bit on the nose for Zendaya to be using Iranian cultural heritage to promote an American film about a Greek legend at a time when the US and Iran were on opposite ends of the battlefield?

Some users on X said Zendaya was a repeat offender when it came to insensitivity in fashion after her outfit for another event promoting the film — a white gown from Italian fashion house Schiaparelli — was flown to London via private jet right after it had been shown on the runway at Paris Fashion Week.

Unfortunately, Zendaya is not the first celebrity to appropriate jewellery that mysteriously wound up in Western hands. In January, Margot Robbie promoted her film Wuthering Heights in Los Angeles while wearing the Taj Mahal diamond around her neck.

The diamond had little to do with the film, or its 18th-century setting, but it had everything to do with Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who had it made for his wife Nur Jahan.

That’s not even the worst case, which might be Cartier’s lending decisions surrounding the Patiala necklace, originally belonging to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh.

As per a report from India Today, the French jewellery house let Emma Chamberlain wear a part of the ornate necklace to the 2022 Met Gala, but refused a request from Diljit Dosanjh to wear it in 2026.

It’s bad enough that they didn’t let an Indian celebrity wear an Indian necklace, but it gets even worse when you realise Dosanjh’s Met Gala look was inspired by the Maharaja who owned it.

One could write a lengthy analysis on the YSL cascade skirt worn by Hania Aamir or Sajal Aly opting for Mo By Mohsin Tawasuli or the excitement of seeing Sajal and Hamza Sohail, a hit TV drama pair, at an event together but let’s focus on the purpose behind the launches: YSL Beauty and Armani Beauty operating from stores in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s buying power when it comes to international labels is limited, which is why these titans barely ever tilt their heads towards our soil. It’s exciting then that two major heavyweights have opened up in the local market, especially with star-studded launches calculated to generate plenty of hype.

But why have these launches only been visible on local social media portals and not on the brands’ official Instagram pages? Why are these stores not visible in the ‘Store Locator’ listings on the YSL Beauty or Armani Beauty official webpages?

One wondered if this was a collaboration similar to an organisation purchasing franchisee rights from a brand and launching it in a retail space. Or perhaps these launches were similar to how Harvey Nichols hosts major brands — for instance, Saint Laurent — with store-in-store immersive boutiques and beautifully curated installations.

A quick Google search shows that both YSL Beauty and Armani Beauty fall under the umbrella of L’Oreal Luxe, the luxury division within L’Oreal. The YSL Beauty and Armani Beauty stores in Dolmen Mall Lahore may be small with limited product lines, but evidently these stores are quite officially here in Pakistan.

Rija Khan, division manager at Eleganz Luxury Private Limited, L’Oreal Luxe’s official distributor in Pakistan, said, “The brands are here officially and while it takes time, the stores will be visible soon in the ‘Store Locator’ options on the official websites also. Teams from Paris and Dubai were also present at the event.”

She continued, “The official images and videos are still getting shortlisted and while I can’t confirm that they will be seen on the official Armani Beauty and YSL Beauty Instagram pages, they will be shared on the official L’Oreal Luxe social media portals, although I cannot confirm when.”

While the stores may have ‘launched’ in a big way just now, both the YSL Beauty and Armani Beauty stores in Dolmen Mall Lahore have actually been open since last year. Why plan out these events now?

“It takes research and extensive shortlisting with the global team’s approval necessary before any decision takes place. Even deciding on the celebrities who would be representing the brands at the launch took time and endless discussions, based on their reach and their personalities,” said Khan.

“YSL Beauty has a brand identity that is chic, bold and confident. All this resonates with Hania Aamir and just look at the kind of crowd that her presence managed to pull at the launch! Internationally, Dua Lipa is the brand’s Global Makeup and Fragrance Ambassador. We were searching for a Pakistani star with similar charisma and I think Hania fit perfectly,” she explained.

“Armani Beauty’s image is more confident and mature. Internationally, it is represented by celebrities like Cate Blanchett and Kendall Jenner. Sajal Aly’s stature as an actress and as a much-loved star was the best option for us.”

And why Hamza Sohail? “He is extremely popular and has been very successful in his recent dramas. He was a great choice too!”

If the team was looking for stars who would haul in endless social media attention, they collaborated with the right names. A heavy-duty lineup of models, influencers and Lahore’s social set was also seen at the launch. This crowd, avidly capturing the events’ details with their phones, brought in a lot of hype — although one wishes that more effort had been put into curating their looks rather than just sending them invites. Considering that it is being said that the videos and images from the brand launches might be shared on the L’Oreal Luxe social media portals, a more glamorously dressed crowd would have been impressive.

Now that the launches have wrapped up, one hopes to see the events also make a mark on the global map soon. Our stars are immensely talented, with fans all over the world. With Pakistani dramas’ audience mushrooming rapidly, their global reach is also growing. It would make one immensely proud to see Hania, Sajal, Hamza and the rest of the events’ entourage represented on the official pages of these major global brands.

Remember Mahira Khan on the official Cannes Film Festival red carpet back in 2018, representing L’Oreal Paris Pakistan Haircare as their official spokesperson in Pakistan? We need more such representation for our stars! Hopefully, soon.

Cover via Dolmen Mall Lahore/Instagram

Fans of the 69-year-old trailblazer, who retired in 2009, will be able to snap up artefacts ranging from sketches to one of his white work coats at an auction in Paris on Thursday that Margiela personally supervised.

But anyone hoping to learn more about one of the most enigmatic characters in fashion is likely to be disappointed, with the sale barely lifting the veil on the man behind the stripped-back brand of monochrome clothing.

“This sale is a creative act, and also a manifestation of his concept, his philosophy,” auctioneer Salome Pirson from Maurice Auction told AFP during a tour of the items.

“He’s giving the public the opportunity to discover his inner world, to touch his objects, to own his personal coat, but at the same time, he is the one who is most conspicuously absent,” she added.

More than 3,000 people have lined up to see the collection featuring a prototype of one of the face masks he obliged models to wear to avoid distracting from the clothes, or champagne corks from bottles drunk to celebrate with some of his earliest clients.

Other items include Barbie dolls used as mannequins and a purple velvet badge to raise awareness about AIDS, with a message reading “There is more action to be taken than to wear this badge but it is a good start.”

Margiela’s motivations for selling his personal items range from clearing out his storage to personally overseeing the dispersal of the items of fashion history to collectors and institutions.

“He is 69 years old, he has no heirs, and in one way, by organising this sale, he is arranging his own legacy by putting all the potential buyers who might be interested in competition with one another,” Pirson said.

Given his huge following in Japan, many Japanese buyers are expected to bid in the sale which will be held in-person and online. Museums and other institutions will also be competing.

Margiela was barely ever photographed, never gave media interviews, and shunned the industry convention adopted by most of his peers of taking a bow in public at the end of a catwalk show.

In a rare effort to engage with fans, he collaborated on a retrospective of his work held at the Palais Galliera museum in Paris in 2018.

The auction will also include Hermes items designed by Margiela while he worked as creative director at the French label from 1997-2003.

The items were all gifted to his late mother.

Years ago, I walked through the doors of the Istituto Marangoni Paris as a student, eager to learn, absorb everything around me and dream of building a career in the fashion industry. This time, I returned not as a student, but as a Pakistani celebrity stylist attending couture shows while also having the privilege of being invited back by my school to attend the current students’ fashion show and share my journey, experiences and advice with the next generation of creative minds.

That invitation became one of the most meaningful moments of my trip to Paris. Walking through those halls reminded me that careers are rarely linear. The dreams you quietly nurture as a student can eventually take you to places you never imagined — sometimes bringing you back to where they first began.

Haute Couture Week occupies a unique place in the fashion calendar. Unlike Paris Fashion Week, where designers present ready-to-wear collections intended for commercial production, Haute Couture Week represents the highest expression of craftsmanship.

Every piece is meticulously handcrafted, often requiring hundreds of hours of embroidery, draping and construction. Rather than simply setting trends, couture gives designers the freedom to push creative boundaries, transforming fashion into wearable art.

For stylists, attending Haute Couture Week is about far more than discovering what is next. It is an opportunity to study craftsmanship up close, understand the thinking behind each collection and experience how designers use clothing to tell stories. Those lessons inevitably influence the way we approach styling, creativity and visual storytelling.

What resonates with me most about haute couture is the way it blurs the line between life and art. The most memorable collections aren’t simply beautiful garments — they reflect emotion, culture, nature and the world around us. That idea of life and art constantly influencing one another is something I deeply connect with, both personally and professionally. As a stylist, I’m always drawn to fashion that tells a story or evokes a feeling rather than simply following a trend, and Haute Couture Week is a reminder that the most powerful creativity often comes from observing life itself.

Beyond the breathtaking craftsmanship on the runway, what fascinated me most was the atmosphere surrounding each show: the anticipation outside the venues, the conversations between editors, buyers, stylists and creatives, and the collective appreciation for fashion as an art form. Every presentation offers a different perspective on storytelling, technique and innovation.

One of the collections that left the strongest impression on me was Iris van Herpen. Her work continues to blur the boundaries between fashion, nature, science and technology, creating silhouettes that feel almost otherworldly while remaining incredibly refined.

Seeing those pieces move in person gave me an even greater appreciation for how innovation and craftsmanship can coexist. It reminded me that fashion can be both technically extraordinary and deeply emotional.

For the Iris van Herpen show, I wanted my own look to feel true to my identity as a Pakistani stylist while also speaking to the sculptural language of Couture Week. I chose a burgundy Studio by ZSJ ensemble with voluminous organza balloon trousers and a structured blazer — a balance of movement, craftsmanship and modern tailoring.

The decision wasn’t simply about wearing a beautiful outfit. Couture Week is a global conversation about creativity and craftsmanship, and there is something incredibly meaningful about bringing work from our region into those spaces.

The hand embroidery and attention to detail in this look are reminders that exceptional artistry isn’t limited by geography. I love being able to showcase Pakistani designers on an international stage and celebrate the talent that exists within our fashion industry.

The Stéphane Rolland show offered a completely different perspective on couture. His collection celebrated precision, sculptural tailoring and timeless elegance, proving that restraint can often be just as powerful as embellishment.

Every look demonstrated an incredible understanding of proportion and construction, reinforcing that couture is as much about confidence and craftsmanship as it is about spectacle.

I was proud to also be wearing another homegrown Pakistani brand, Baro Studio, for the Stéphane Rolland show, continuing to celebrate the talent and creativity emerging from our region.

One of my biggest takeaways from Couture Week is that true innovation doesn’t always come from creating something entirely new. Sometimes, it comes from reimagining familiar techniques through a different lens. Whether it’s experimenting with silhouettes, elevating craftsmanship or embracing stronger storytelling through fashion, these are ideas I hope to continue exploring in my own work as a stylist. They also reaffirm my belief that the artistry of Pakistani designers, artisans and embroiderers deserves to be part of the global fashion conversation.

Fashion has given me the opportunity to work across Pakistan, India and the UAE, but returning to Paris reminded me why I fell in love with this industry in the first place. It isn’t only about beautiful clothes — it’s about creativity, culture, craftsmanship and the people who inspire you along the way.

Looking back, these past few days weren’t simply about attending couture shows. They were about coming full circle: returning to the city where my journey began, representing Pakistan on an international stage, reconnecting with my roots as a student and leaving with fresh inspiration for everything that comes next.

The label unveiled a special football incorporating the different techniques that give Pakistani fashion its signature touch. We wouldn’t exactly take it out for a field test, but it’s gorgeous to look at.

In its Instagram post announcing the project on July 7, Rastah said the idea emerged three weeks ago when the team asked, “What if we made a football entirely by hand?”

It explained that they wanted to use “techniques our artisans have spent decades mastering” like ajrak block printing, hand embroidery and embellishment.

The ball features different fabric and brocades, with pearl embroidery tracing the borders of the fabric.

The team at Rastah said it was “one of the most technically demanding pieces we’ve ever made”, but there was “something poetic about it”.

They explained their inspiration came from Pakistani craftspeople who have made millions of footballs for FIFA tournaments over the years, including the ones used in the ongoing World Cup. These craftspeople, the team said, “are rarely part of the story”.

Some of the FIFA World Cup balls are made in Sialkot for Adidas. It began supplying footballs to international markets in the 1950s, and the industry has only grown since.

This project was a homage to them in Rastah’s own language. It was also a tribute to the brand’s “artisans who continue to preserve centuries-old techniques” and “a country whose manufacturing excellence has quietly shaped the world’s biggest sporting moments”.

The post said the project was driven by the belief that “tradition doesn’t belong behind glass; it can evolve, experiment, and become something entirely new”.

Through it’s colourful take on streetwear and Pakistani crafts, Rastah has made Pakistan proud a number of times, becoming the first Pakistani brand to showcase at London Fashion Week and winding up in the wardrobes of A-list celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Timothée Chalamet.

“This is Wimbledon! You’ve got to dress up,” Jari Hedman, 65, said with a smile.

The Finnish tennis coach had bought an Italian-made white linen suit for the occasion, paired with a navy blue jacket and a flourish of colour with an orange tie.

He had picked the “classy” attire “in honour of the tournament”, Hedman told AFP.

The Wimbledon tennis championships, which runs from June 29 to July 12 this year and is the oldest of the Grand Slam tournaments, will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year.

The royals are regular attendees, especially Princess Kate, who is often praised for her elegant fashion choices.

Ahead of the tournament, the BBC published an article on “etiquette” or unwritten rules for attendees, while other newspapers chimed in with fashion tips.

“With its mix of royalty, A-listers and diehard fans, Wimbledon always has a sense of occasion, so why not make an effort?” advised The Times.

And what should one wear to the stands? “White, white, white. And light colours,” said Lucie Ta, a 29-year-old engineer from Prague. She was wearing a long white dress with black polka dots, a white jacket slung over her arm in case the weather cooled.

Anne Freeman, an American from Houston, donned a pearl-coloured floral dress and a sleek Panama hat. “It’s a way to be respectful of the tradition,” she said.

‘Insight’ into UK’s past

Wimbledon has the strictest dress code in the circuit for players, who are required to wear “suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white” from “the point at which the player enters the court surround”.

“White does not include off-white or cream,” the dress code dictates.

The rules are rooted in the sport’s aristocratic history, with white the colour of choice for hiding sweat stains, which were considered improper. Players have found ways, both subtle and unconventional, to bring their individual style to court within the dress code.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka, known for her flamboyant outfits, arrived on Monday in a kimono-inspired white dress with embroidered motifs of cranes and cherry blossoms, by Japanese designer Hana Yagi.

She paired the outfit with a traditional kanzashi hair ornament featuring white flowers before removing both to reveal a white Nike dress.

Osaka revealed she had the idea for the outfit after watching the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill.

“I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian. Then if I dive deeper into like Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono,” she said.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic wore a white Lacoste jacket with a green trimming, which, according to the brand, was inspired by those worn by “great champions” — including Rene Lacoste — in the 1920s.

Going to Wimbledon is “fascinating” as it gives “an insight into what the past of British society looked like,” according to Daniel-Yaw Miller, a sports and fashion journalist.

The grass-court tournament “always was seen as a social scene” like the Ascot horse races, explained Elizabeth Wilson, who has penned a book on the history of tennis.

“Therefore people wanted to dress up, to look smart,” she added.

In the 1950s, women wore formal hats, while in the 60s, they still wore gloves. “It has got very much more relaxed,” said Wilson.

While spectators can dress however they like, Wimbledon still has a “very distinct aesthetic” and very “revered traditions,” said Miller. “I think the athletes and the fans really buy into the fact that it is unique.”

Miller, a British man living in New York, enjoys comparing Wimbledon and the US Open: “You go from the most English thing imaginable to the most American thing imaginable in every sense of the word.”

The US Open feels like “one big party,” with entertainment, where it’s sometimes even “hard to focus” on the tennis. When he attended the Grand Slam across the pond, he wore shorts and a T-shirt. For Wimbledon, however, he opted for a polo shirt and smart trousers.

In a press release, the organisers said they wished to continue their “mission to create a stronger, more connected, and commercially meaningful platform for Pakistani fashion”.

This comes after the event’s first edition showcased the work of 37 designers and, according to the organisers, generated interest from customers from over 100 countries.

The idea behind the event is to designer collections available to customers on LAAM’s digital platform immediately after pieces are displayed on a live-streamed runway. This give Pakistani brands the ability to take their work to a truly global audience.

Talking about the upcoming edition of LFW, LAAM co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Arif Iqbal said, “LAAM Fashion Week was created to make Pakistani fashion more accessible, measurable and globally connected. The first edition showed us what is possible when creativity, commerce and technology come together with purpose. LFW2 is about taking that vision forward with greater scale, stronger integration and a deeper commitment to positioning Pakistani fashion on the global stage.”

Amir Iqbal, the brand’s chief operating officer, said, “What made the first edition important was not just the showcase, but what happened after it. Designers were able to reach new audiences, engage customers directly and see their collections move from the runway into real commercial opportunity, With LFW2, our focus is making the platform even more structured, more commercially effective and more meaningful for every brand and designer that participates.”

While further details on the programme, dates, venues and partners haven’t been announced yet, the organisers have called for interested “fashion brands, designers, retail labels, manufacturing brands and emerging creative voices from across Pakistan” to register for the event.

From summery yellows to cool lavenders, we love seeing fashion shine on Eid and this year is no different.

Lemon yellow

Hina Altaf chose a kurta shalwar set by Talha Batla in a butter yellow. The silk outfit was complemented by a pair of statement heels in green.

Kubra Khan also chose to wear yellow, though hers was a lighter shade. Her Wajahat Mansoor outfit featured sequined butterflies on the top and appeared to be paired with a sharara of the same colour.

Cool lavender

Amna Baber kept it simple in a lavender kurta from Cross Stich paired with an organza dupatta and wide-legged pants with lace detailing.

Maya Ali wore a lavender outfit from her own line featuring an almost-halter-top with silver detailing. The long kameez was paired with chooridar.

Sadaf Kanwal wore a floral lavender outfit from Faiza Saqlain. Her floral shirt was paired with a lavender shalwar and two-tone dupatta.

Baby pink

Areeba Habib wore a silky pink outfit by Erum Jamal. The kameez featured silver embroidery along the front, sides and sleeves, and Habib paired it with silver bangles and dramatic earrings.

Resham (and her niece) donned matching pink outfits by The Pink Tree Company. Their peshwas featured lavender and mint green blockprint patterns.

What were your favourite looks this year?

He also looked great while doing it.

One could write about what Saeed wore and the exhibit — and I will be doing that — but an analysis can also be dedicated solely to Rehar and how he can always be counted on to put his best fashion foot forward.

From a tapered ivory sherwani amplified by an emerald grand Imam Zamin, to another one in pink, paired with a chooridar; a fitted angarkha-jacket hybrid paired with balloon pants and then, for an after-party, a tailored jacket and pant set in ivory, Rehar’s outfits were all over social media. Saeed is one of Pakistan’s finest actors and she looked gorgeous, but even while she dazzled, you paused your online scrolling for a bit to zoom in on what Rehar wore.

There is grit beyond the glamour, of course. It was hard to track Rehar down post-Cannes, because he is taking a break and spending quite a bit of time sleeping.

“I only found out that I would be going to Cannes two weeks before the event,” he told me. “For 15 days, I was busy with preparations. My craftsmen worked day and night and then, I was in Cannes with Sanam for just two and a half days. We created so many different looks for her and I would be there, helping with the styling and making sure the fits were just right. I also had my exhibit. It was great but also exhausting.”

Saeed wore many of Rehar’s archival pieces, seen previously in his fashion shows and exhibits. Why then did he and his crew have to work day and night to get the outfits ready? “The outfit that Sanam wore at the main event was made from scratch,” explained Rehar, referring to the layered, exaggerated peacock dress that was worn by the actor.

Paired with an embroidered floral dupatta, Saeed accessorised the look with a simple teeka and gajras in her hair. “When I found out that Sanam would be walking the red carpet, I decided that this look would be perfect for her. She has the height and physique to carry off an elaborate design like this one. The floral dress that Sanam wore was also custom-made especially for her,” he said.

“The other outfits were from my past collections but they had to be tweaked. The green sari with mukesh work on it is from my Nargis line, worn by Eman Suleman in the show. We stitched a new blouse for Sanam, made a potli for accessorising the look and added big tassels. The sherwani and the long black dress with metal embellishments were both from the Jeevan by Hussain Rehar line.”

His exhibit, titled ‘A knot in South Asia’s loom’ and described, on the designer’s official Instagram page, as “a decolonisation of fashion’s origin story told through Lahore, craftsmanship and South Asian authorship”, also featured designs from his Nargis collection.

The clothes had recently been in the designer’s solo showcase in Lahore and he selected particular outfits to take with him to Cannes. “I wanted the clothes to represent the inherent beauty of Pakistan’s craftsmanship and the various techniques utilised by artisans in Lahore. These clothes were all created painstakingly, with workmen spending hours perfecting the embroideries. I wanted the world to see this,” he said.

It all looked gorgeous on social media but at the same time, Rehar and Saeed’s Cannes jaunt has led to conjecture.

It is no secret that attendance at the Cannes Film Festival can now be purchased, with different packages offering a selection of options — in fact, other Pakistani celebrities and a plethora of Indian stars also attended the event this year. You can attend a film screening, go to an ‘exclusive’ after-party, walk the red carpet, host a fashion exhibit and your interview can be featured in ‘exclusive’ publications in return for a hefty renumeration (this is not one of those interviews, mind you).

Keeping that in mind, one wonders how Rehar’s Cannes attendance came about.

“I was contacted by a media company called Us Studios and I felt that it would be a great opportunity to build my brand’s international image,” explained Rehar. “They asked me to suggest Pakistani actresses who could attend the festival with me and out of all the names that I suggested, Sanam got approved. I did pay for the exhibit, which also gave me access to attend a film screening, but I was assisted by Us Studios with the arrangements. After showcasing in Paris during Paris Fashion Week, I thought that this would be exciting territory for my brand.”

News reports stated that Rehar’s collection was “presented alongside luxury houses such as Gucci and Roberto Cavalli, showcasing Pakistan as a source of fashion, craft and cultural inspiration”. Why didn’t we see these other prestigious exhibits in the photographs shared on social media of Rehar’s showcase? The answer for this comes from Husaan ‘Huss’ Khan, founder of Us Studios.

“It [Cannes] is essentially a film festival, of course, but major fashion brands from around the world do set up exhibits and showcases around the same time as the main events. These exhibits take place at different locations. For Hussain, the venue was the Chateau Saint George. It was exciting to see so many people come and see the exhibit. Indian actor Taha Shah of Heeramandi fame was there, as were some members from actress Heidi Klum’s family.”

Images from the Gucci and Cavalli exhibits being discussed could not be found online at the time this article was written.

What we do, however, see — and cheer for — is Rehar’s showcase.

Stately mannequins wearing a peplum shirt, a glittering, embellished lehnga, an elaborate jacket, a heavy duty embellished dupatta. And alongside them Sanam Saeed and Hussain Rehar looking glamorous.

There were frequent critiques on the Internet that Saeed’s clothes were not an apt sartorial representation of Pakistan but I would like to beg to differ here. The silhouettes and the embellishments were Pakistani and the looks represented a Pakistani designer’s vision, in collaboration with Saeed, on what would work for attending events taking place during one of the world’s most celebrated film festivals.

This should be Pakistani enough to appease critics.

While attendance at the Cannes Film Festival may be up for purchase, designers pay similar participation fees to showcase at fashion weeks. When a designer hosts a solo show, they invest a sizeable sum into the event.

Rehar’s trip, as he has clarified, was made possible with the help of an international media company (Us Studios), and even though he did pay for his exhibit, this is a representation of his vision for his brand. If a designer chooses to strengthen their global footprint, investing not just in local fashion shows but also in international exhibits and shows, should this not be something to applaud?

And if that designer, accompanied by one of the country’s most well-known actors, does all this in a very classy way, curating looks that ooze glamor, the social media buzz it generates is only inevitable. One hopes that Rehar — who has wrapped up merely 10 years as a designer — continues to build his brand’s international image while not losing focus on the local market.

Another point of skepticism concerning the recent Cannes attendance was Saeed dedicating her visit to celebrated director, producer and actor Begum Shamim Ara.

In a beautifully-worded video, Sanam spoke about Shamim Ara’s many contributions and her lasting impact paving the way for female artists in Pakistan.

“She proved a woman can stand in front of a camera, sit in a producer’s seat, and call action from a director’s chair. She never got an invitation to Cannes, but her work made mine possible,” she said.

In a later post, Saeed shared a picture of Shamim Ara wearing green accompanied by images of herself in Cannes in green. “Here’s to you Begum Shamim Ara,” she had written in the caption.

It was reported that Saeed was the inaugural honouree of the South Asian Women Excellence in Cinema and Arts initiative launched by Us Studios. In an emotional caption, she had written, “I didn’t go as an ambassador for a brand, I didn’t go as part of a film team, I went just as a South Asian woman representing Pakistan and our heritage and craft. I told you I’d walk for the women of Pakistan, for the ones who came before us, for the ones who are yet to come and for the ones are never seen behind the scenes.”

“Sanam’s film was not screening at the festival so she was not officially invited by the festival itself. However, celebrities from all around the world are also pitched to walk the red carpet and attend film screenings. Sanam has such a powerful body of work to her credit and so much credibility. When we pitched her name to the Cannes team, they approved it immediately,” explained Huss. “She did not have to pay for her attendance and she represented Pakistan with such pride, grace and dedication throughout the various events.”

However, what did the dedication to Shamim Ara involve? Was one of the legendary actor’s movies or songs screened at the venue? “That’s what we had planned,” said Huss. “We were going to screen one of Begum Shamim Ara’s movies at the Chateau Saint George. Unfortunately, Sanam was not in Cannes for long enough. She was there for two and a half days and the screening could not take place.”

This means, then, that the dedication to Shamim Ara was mainly through social media posts and by virtue of the green sari that Saeed wore in recognition of the green worn by the legendary actor in a picture also posted by Saeed on social media.

One had hoped for more.

Huss reasoned, “This is the first time we did this and it will take time to iron out timelines. Hopefully, we will be able to do more next year. At Us Studios, we do want to take Pakistani actors and designers to Cannes every year. There is so much talent in Pakistan which should be showcased proudly to the world!”

Leaving skepticism aside, this is true. With the state of the economy constantly fluctuating, there are very few sponsors with the wherewithal to invest in Pakistani talent and bring it to a global stage.

When Sanam Saeed walked the red carpet at Cannes, you saw the pictures and thought that she deserved to be there and should have been there much earlier. When Hussain Rehar invested in his brand and made waves internationally, you appreciated his vision for brand-building. When a media platform — Us Studios — suddenly surfaces and announces that they would like to work with Pakistani talent and showcase them around the world, you are hopeful.

Maybe next year, we will get to cheer some more.

According to a report from US media outlet Puck, the Chinese retail juggernaut bought out Everlane on Saturday for $100 million. The company was reportedly in around $90m of debt when the deal was finalised between Shein and Everlane owners L Catterton, likely saving it from financial collapse.

The contrast is stark. San Francisco-based Everlane prides itself on its “radical transparency”, eco-friendly practices and use of natural fibres in its clothes.

Shein is the exact opposite, having been criticised for shoddy labour practices, misrepresenting environmental initiatives and reliance on artificial materials such as virgin polyester in the pursuit of ultra-cheap t-shirts and dresses.

Prior to the sale, Everlane had faced challenges with its revenue and leadership. The brand’s sales dipped in 2022 but recovered to some degree a year later. 2022 also saw the brand’s founder Michael Preysman stepping down as CEO and being replaced by Andrea O’Donnell, who was replaced by the current CEO Alfred Chang in 2024.

While the sale might help Everlane stay afloat, it will likely leave a bad taste in the mouths of some of its most loyal customers who flock to it precisely because of its promises of ethics and responsibility.

In an email to CNN, Neil Saunders, managing director of consulting firm GlobalData, said, “Shein has the finances and patience to undertake this, but it would also need to be prepared to endure some short term pain due to customer churn. Ultimately, the deal likely saves Everlane. But that salvation comes at a price.”

Families said they have been struggling to find new wedding dresses and many search instead for places that refurbish gowns and other kinds of clothes for their children.

Importers cite delays, high shipping costs, and restrictions on materials, ​such as the crystals encrusted into the elaborate wedding dresses, as key factors behind the shortages and ​price hikes.

Many workshops have also been damaged during the conflict.

“We try to reuse the ⁠old gowns that we have, produce them by fixing them a bit, work on them, wash them, arrange them, ​shape them,” said Rantisi, adding that work initially relied on a bicycle-powered sewing machine due to electricity shortages.

Rantisi said ​she used to buy the fabric for about 120 to 150 shekels ($41 to $51) before the war, but now pays around 500 shekels ($171).

“This has caused a big rise in the cost of bridal dresses and children’s gowns. We are living in a vicious circle from ​the war that affected us,” she added.

Cogat, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, said in ​a statement it “allows and facilitates the entry of various clothing items, in accordance with requests submitted by aid organisations and the international ‌community.”

Cogat ⁠said that it was not aware of any restrictions being imposed on materials such as crystals.

Most of Gaza’s more than 2 million people have been displaced, many now living in bombed-out homes and makeshift tents pitched on open ground, roadsides, or atop the ruins of destroyed buildings after two years of war with Israel.

High prices beyond reach for ​most in Gaza

Despite the ​hardships, some couples still find ⁠ways to celebrate, with mass weddings held in Gaza offering a rare moment of joy amid the devastation.

Still, shop workers say those celebrations come at a price.

“Before the war, ​prices were reasonable for everyone,” said Rawan Shalouf, an employee at a bridal shop.

“But ​now, given the ⁠circumstances we’re in, the price of a dress is ridiculous.”

Across Gaza, brides and families are struggling to afford even basic wedding needs. Shahed Fayez, 21, is due to marry in about four days but has been searching in vain for ⁠a ​dress.

“I don’t care about its style, what’s important is that it’s new,” ​she added.

“The cheapest dress is $1,000 or more, that’s the minimum, and all we have is less than $200. The entire dowry does not cover the ​price of a dress.”

Rather than wear western gowns, she’s chosen to represent Pakistani fashion and heritage at Cannes and we love it. But that’s not all she’s repping. According to Brut India, she is the inaugural honouree of the South Asian Women Excellence in Cinema and Arts initiative launched by Us Studios.

Saeed posted about the moment she walked the red carpet. “I didn’t go as an ambassador for a brand, I didn’t go as part of a film team, I went just as a South Asian woman representing Pakistan and our heritage and craft. I told you I’d walk for the women of Pakistan, for the ones who came before us, for the ones who are yet to come and for the ones are never seen behind the scenes.”

Earlier, she spoke about representing Pakistan and the many women in its entertainment industry. “Women are the custodians of Pakistani entertainment,” she said in a powerful video.

“This Cannes, I’m not just walking the red carpet, I walk carrying every woman who has stitched, written, directed, watched, and dared to dream. And the next generation, she’s already here.” 

And carry she did, in an outfit custom-made by Rehar. According to the designer, it took 50 artisans 2,354 hours to complete the embroidery on the ivory outfit.

In her earlier post, she went into detail about her clothes, calling Rehar a master of his craft who “keeps the women he designs for at the centre of his creations”. “This beautiful take on an Anarkali meets haute couture and the global trends of layering and volume and old world charm. The outfit is made from the purest of fabrics. Silks and chiffons. The intricate, metallic work called Mukesh was hand embroidered by women in Bahawalpur,” she said.

The flowers in her hair, a statement if we ever saw one, were handpicked from the garden by Samah, her ’“little helper there from Lahore/Houston”. “Her mother Ayesha aunty, who accompanied Samah, then strung the flowers to make the larees to wrap around my hair.”

Her gorgeous style statements extended to her pre-red carpet looks as well. At Rehar’s exhibition, she wore a black and white sherwani-style long coat, paired with what appeared to be a beaded skirt beneath it.

Earlier, she wore an amazing pale yellow outfit that screamed summer.

From her incredible outfits, chosen with care and intention, to the way she’s carrying herself with grace and poise, wearing her identity on her sleeve, Saeed is making all of us incredibly proud.

Sanam Saeed, you’ll always be our favourite.

Cover via Shakeel Bin Afzal

The National Chamber of Italian Fashion (CNMI), which organises fashion week, has been under pressure from animal activists to ban fur at the shows — something fashion weeks in London, New York and various others have already done.

But the guidelines published on Friday fell short of activists’ demands, making the request not to show fur voluntary.

“The CNMI believes that the most effective approach does not consist in imposing bans… but in issuing a request not to present, during the Milan Fashion Week shows, clothing, accessories, or any other item made of fur,” the body said.

The new guidelines, to come into effect starting in September, include the chamber not using fur in its communications.

According to the chamber, materials excluded from the guidelines include shearling, vintage fur and fur obtained “by indigenous communities through traditional subsistence hunting practices”.

Most fashion names who show at Milan Fashion Week have already gone fur-free, including the Armani Group, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada, but a major holdout has been Fendi, which began as a furrier.

In her first show for the brand, new Fendi designer Maria Grazia Chiuri showed a collection that included “remodelled” furs, or pieces from old furs reworked into new designs.

In March, anti-fur activists demonstrated during the women’s shows, unfurling banners that said “Milan Fashion Week Go Fur-Free”.

Animal activists noted that CNMI’s new guidelines fell short of the flat-out bans on fur seen in other fashion weeks, but nevertheless called it progress.

“Without a fur-free policy like those in place at New York and London Fashion Weeks, there is no guarantee that cruelty will be excluded from Milan’s runways,” said Emma Hakansson of Collective Fashion Justice.­

Originally published in Dawn, May 16th, 2026

The actor cut off her long locks and is now rocking a pixie — just in time for the summer — and everyone has lost their minds. From shock to horror, there are a lot of reactions online, especially on X where sane opinions go to die, so we thought we’d address some of them.

Sajal posted a picture of her new haircut on her stories on Tuesday night. Many speculated that it might be a filter.

She then posted a video of her hair to her account, and her sister, Saboor Aly, commented, which many took as confirmation that this was no filter or wig.

The internet then lost their collective minds. We’ve picked some of the tame reactions to include in this article.

There were some sane voices that pointed out that Sajal was not in fact the first Pakistani woman to get a pixie cut and that they actually used to be pretty common.

There were also others who understood that this was not normal behaviour.

We understand that many people appear to have a parasocial relationship with Sajal’s hair — if you take ‘understand’ to mean begrudgingly accept with great contempt — but the line really must be drawn somewhere.

If you don’t like a pixie cut, don’t get one, but Sajal has a right to get whatever haircut she wants. Sure, no one can stop you from having an opinion on her hair, though we don’t understand why it would be a point of conversation you feel deeply enough to post rants on social media about, but at some point, you’ve got to let it go and touch grass.

The girl got a haircut and everyone is acting like she’s committed a crime against humanity. It’s her hair and if she wanted to shave it all off, that would be her choice too.

And for all those in the ‘we have a right to our opinion’ camp, yes, you certainly do, but that doesn’t mean it’s valid.

We’d also like to remind everyone, this is Sajal Aly we’re talking about. She looks good in anything and everything.

TLDR: Let Sajal Aly get whatever haircut she wants because she looks good in everything.

The Pakistani designer will be presenting his collection Lahore — A Knot in South Asia’s Loom alongside the Cannes Film Festival’s 79th edition today (Friday). The exhibition will be an invite-only event at Château St George.

Rehar posted the details of the event in an Instagram post on his brand’s page, calling the collection “a decolonisation of fashion’s origin story told through Lahore, craftsmanship and South Asian authorship”.

The post said this was the first time a Pakistani designer was presenting their work alongside global fashion houses such as Gucci and Roberto Cavalli.

Clarifying the theme of the showcase, the post said it “celebrates Lahore as a source of fashion, craft and cultural inspiration”.

Going into the anti-colonial message behind the collection, it said Rehar “confronts fashion’s erasure of South Asian craftsmanship, calling out how traditions like zardozi, phulkari, khussa and maang tikka have been renamed and stripped of their origins”.

“You cannot rename what you did not make… If a kimono can be called a kimono, then a dupatta should be called a dupatta,” the designer said.

He added that this was not just a collection, it was “a return of signature, stitch and source”. His post called for a recognition of Lahore and the Subcontinent’s influence on global fashion and craftsmanship.

This isn’t the designer’s first soiree in one of fashion’s most significant cities. He presented his collection Jeevan in Paris during Paris Fashion Week (PFW) in October. The collection made a point to highlight the intricate work perfected by Pakistan’s craftspeople.

Before Rehar, Natasha Kamal showcased her work at PFW in 2017 as part of a special exhibition of couturists from 14 countries aimed at promoting peace through cultural dialogue.

In a style of censure usually reserved for women and their choices, Mustafa received intense public backlash for wearing a pair of shorts and sitting with his legs crossed.

The actor was called “shameless”, “vulgar” and all sorts of other names people used most recently to talk about fellow actor Dananeer Mobeen and sheer tights she wore under a skirt.

Mishi Khan, the actor known more for her social media commentary than her acting, even chided him for showcasing his “beautiful hairy legs”. She said different places had different dress codes and it wasn’t appropriate for male celebrities to be wearing shorts during interviews. “You’re not at some beach party,” she remarked.

She also talked about how women face so much more flak for these things and asked why everyone who treated Mobeen’s clothes like the end of the world just last week was silent today.

She wasn’t alone in this criticism — the internet was awash with people who were offended by Mustafa’s clothes for one reason or the other. From the hypocrisy of men being allowed to wear shorts when women were criticised for it relentlessly to his clothes being inappropriate for an interview, a lot was said.

However, it seems Mustafa knew this was going to happen and simply did not care enough about the haters. In the interview, he made a point about double standards in Pakistani society, where some things are kosher in foreign films but Pakistani filmmakers face backlash for doing them.

He said Nora Fatehi and her dances were hugely popular in Pakistan, but if Mehwish Hayat — his Zombeid co-star who was sitting next to him — danced in Na Maloom Afraad, it was suddenly not okay.

This is when he got to his shorts and asked what the big deal was if he did wear them. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve been wearing them since I was a child, they’re just shorts. What’s the matter?”

He said he had worn shorts in school all the way till sixth grade and continues to wear them for activities like badminton and cricket. The actor said you could go out on an evening stroll and see 10 people also wearing shorts, so it was unclear to him what the issue was.

When host Aamna Isani asked if he wore the shorts to promote his own clothing line, he retorted quickly. “I don’t give a s**t, that’s why I wear them. Why is everyone telling me what to wear and what not to wear?”

He then promptly used the opportunity to promote his clothing business.

The sad reality is that Mustafa is right. Society has a habit of linking clothes to morals and then policing them, for men and especially for women. While Mustafa is wondering why everyone is telling him what to wear, we’re wondering how this is one of the first male actors in the country who’s been policed for their clothes, especially given that female actors are policed nonstop.

Perhaps the solution is just to let everyone wear and do what they want…

Actors and models tasked their good friend Chat GPT to get them ready for the biggest night in global fashion and the results were… something.

Azfar Rehman — The one who followed the dress code

Let’s start with one of the better ones. Azfar Rehman’s “Met Gala look” was a suit and cape inspired by Barcelona’s iconic La Pedrera — a heritage building from the early 20th-century designed by Antoni Gaudi. It was perhaps the only look that kept to the Gala’s theme of ‘Fashion is Art’.

On the flip side, Mehwish Hayat called the outfit “very holesome” and we’re kinda mad we didn’t come up with that one.

Tooba Siddiqui — Mad Max: GT Road

Tooba Siddiqui kept things desi and likely used “goth truck art” — three words that have probably never been uttered together before –– in the prompt she used for her dress.

What came out can only be described as “truck art if the truck driver was also a pirate”. There’s very little colour, there are skulls, everything is black. It looks like something a toxic ex would wear to your wedding.

Srha Asgr — Fashion is the art gallery

In a leap of logic only AI is capable of, Srha Asgr’s look said, “Fashion is art, art is found in galleries, therefore fashion is the gallery.”

Her gown was covered from neck to toe in — empty — picture frames, making us wonder whether she was sending a message about the new-age obsession with everything picture-perfect, or if she just called it a day after a couple of messages with her chatbot.

Hina Altaf — Dressed for the wrong year

Hina Altaf had her look generated for a Met Gala, just not the one in 2026. Her look, a form-fitting tunic with a mandarin collar and gold embroidery would have worked for past events which focused on history — maybe 1979, when the theme was the Hapsburg-era fashion.

Still, if she’d get something similar made by real people and wear it to a real event, we think it could work.

Ahmed Ali Butt — Solar Superman

Okay, Ahmed Ali Butt’s creation was definitely unfit for this year’s Met Gala. He knows it, we know it, everyone knows it.

Still, the actor did send a message about renewable energy with the wings embedded with solar panels and a gas cylinder with “no gas” printed on it. We’re not sure we get the Jordans though.

Jokes aside, it’s odd to see so many artists resort to AI for costume inspiration at a time when Pakistani fashion can be said to be experiencing a golden age both at home and abroad.

Pakistan’s art scene would perhaps be better served if these celebrities worked with their friends and colleagues in the fashion industry to host an actual themed gala to benefit our own museums.

When the world is turning to Pakistani brands like Warp and Rastah for fashion, why are our own celebrities going to half-baked robots to dress them up anyway?

The theme for the Met Gala — the over-the-top charity event turned fashion spectacle — returned on May 4 with a theme reflecting the spring exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which is “Costume Art”.

We’re just going to be examining the good looks, because the boring looks were too meh to even discuss. Think breastplates — many, many breastplates — that tied into nothing artsy and men in boring suits.

Heidi Klum

The winner of the night has to be model Heidi Klum, who brought her love for Halloween and costumes to create an insane costume replicating the Veiled Vestal by Raffaelle Monti. If there’s one thing we know about Klum and her love for costumes, it’s that she’s going to commit to whatever she does, and she certainly committed to this look.

Created by special effects artist Mike Marino, this costume transformed fabric into sculpture, manipulating latex and spandex with extraordinary precision to mirror the stillness, delicacy, and illusion of carved marble, according to Klum’s Instagram.

Unfortunately, much like the veiled statues, Klum’s outfit isn’t very PG, so we can’t share full pictures of it. Suffice to say, she captured the beauty of a marble statue.

Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner’s far less elaborate but still on theme recreation of the Nike of Samothrace was also a winner.

Her outfit featured a peach corset beneath a ruched white gown, imitating the marble statue and was created by Zac Posen for GAP Studio.

Madonna

Madonna wore a custom Saint Laurent outfit, brining drama to the red carpet with her recreation of Leonora Carrington’s The Temptation of St Anthony, Fragment II, complete with a crew of colourfully attired women lifting her grey veil.

On her head was a miniature of a ship, much like the painting, and in her hands she carried a circular trumpet.

Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter’s look was a departure from the classical art-inspired looks on the red carpet. Dressed in Dior, her dress was reportedly created using film strips from the 1954 movie Sabrina starring Audrey Hepburn.

We guess she was making a statement that film is also art, which we appreciate for the creativity.

Bad Bunny

Speaking of creativity, we couldn’t have a list on good Met Gala outfits without a mention of Bad Bunny. Dressed as an old man, his look was possibly a nod to the museum’s Aging Body exhibition, which is pretty darn creative if you ask us.

His prosthetics were created by makeup artist Mike Marino, who also did Klum’s costume.

The Puerto Rican singer wore a custom black tuxedo he designed with Zara with a large bow on his neck.

Emma Chamberlain

Emma Chamberlain was draped in Mugler. Her look was designed by the brand’s creative director, Miguel Castro Freitas.

A gorgeous creation of swirls and movement, her gown looked quite literally like a piece of art come to life. One of the most interesting details of her gown was how the entire top half looked like an oil painting, mimicking the distinctive texture of the paint.

Hunter Schaefer

Model and actor Hunter Schaefer wore one of the more fun looks of the night, recreating Gustav Klimt’s Mäda Primavesi.

Wearing Prada, Schaefer even recreated the painting’s distinctive makeup — rosy pink cheeks and blue shadow on the eyes.

Beyonce

Beyonce made her return to the Met Gala after 10 years wearing a skeletal design by Olivier Rousteing, the former creative director of Balmain.

Perhaps paying tribute to the art that is the human body, her outfit recreated the skeletal system in crystals.

Maria Zardoya

A little creepy, a little cool, Maria Zardoya, lead singer of the band The Marias, wore a puffy pink tulle gown by Matieres Fecales to the Met Gala, while carrying a porcelain doll replica of herself and looking like she was pulled from a painting.

According to her Instagram, the porcelain doll, which was made in the early 20th century, circa 1910 to 1925, was meant to represent her because her family called her “the little porcelain doll” when she was younger.

Karan Johar

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar made a splash in Manish Malhotra.

His outfit was inspired by the art of Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. Johar donned a cape featuring paintings of what appears to be an Indian court and a heavily embellished coat inside.

What really caught our eye here is not just the overall cape — it’s how each it isn’t one dimensional. Each character on his cape gets their own gorgeous embroidery and fabric — the women wear saris of velvet with light gold embroidery, while the men’s shawls and coats feature embellishments. Even the pillars aren’t just paintings.

What were your favourite looks of the night?

Styled by Saad Hassan, the star wore a white shirt with a wide collar and puffed shoulders, paired with a traditional Balochi shalwar. The top and bottom were plain, likely in a deliberate effort to keep attention on the star of the outfit: an embroidered corset full of messages.

The corset, keeping with her film’s themes, had pictures of young girls playing football on it in green, black, white and brown threadwork. It also had rickshaws, palm trees and floral motifs, adding a tasteful pop of colour to the outfit.

The piece also carried some writing, notably a banner saying, “Lyari ka Fakhar (The Pride of Lyari)”.

The jewellery selection was quite distinct, with Mobeen wearing a necklace with three large heart-shaped gold pieces at the front. She wore two metal rings on her left hand and a panja — a bracelet chained to five smaller rings on her right.

The look was finished off with a pair of gold earrings and bright, colourful nails, bearing some fun messages. One said Lyari, while the another had a bedazzled L on it.

Her styling team fashioned her hair into a bubble ponytail with each section separated with a beaded hair tie.

The actor was all praises for her stylist, who drove in from Lahore — presumably to Islamabad — to drop off the outfit, and designer Ahmed Manan, who managed to put the whole thing together in just a day.

Mera Lyari is due to release in Pakistan on Friday after having played at the UK Asian Film Festival in London. The film is the story of a disabled football coach, played by Ayesha Omar, who goes back to her native Lyari in search of young girls to form a team.

There, she meets Afsana (Mobeen) and Kashmala (Trinette Lucas), two girls using the game as an escape from the pressure and abuse they face at home.

Yep, hawk-eyed observers spotted Meryl Streep’s iconic character from The Devil Wears Prada 2 holding a bag from the contemporary Pakistani fashion brand Warp.

The brand posted a clip from the movie where Priestly is seen in her office, holding its Accordion handbags in oxblood — a dark maroon.

The piece pairs well with her burgundy trousers and blue-patterned vest, but that’s a given considering we’re talking about the movie’s queen of fashion.

Streep isn’t the first cast member to be seen wearing one of Warp’s purses. Her co-star Anne Hathaway also wore one when she was promoting the movie over a month ago.

She paired the black Tobla bag with a gorgeous black Schiaparelli dress with gold detailing as she went out during the film’s press tour in Mexico City.

The Devil Wears Prada 2, which released on May 1, sees Streep and Hathaway’s characters reunited two decades after the events of the 2006 cult classic.

The film highlights the changing nature of fashion journalism, the rise of technology in the news space and the effects it has had on readership.

This isn’t Warp’s first rodeo in Hollywood. Rapper Doja Cat also had a Warp piece as part of her outfit at a listening party in October. She was carrying the Hexella Baguette in glistening yellow.

Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o carried Warp’s Cloud bag at a press event for A Quiet Place and actor Nava Mau took the brand’s Hexella Petite to an event for her miniseries Baby Reindeer.

The bags also have a Pakistani fanbase — Mawra Hocane was seen with one in Doha and Ayeza Khan carried another on the Ramazan transmission Mehfil e Khas. Meesha Shafi was also pictured with an Accordion bag from the brand.

Warp isn’t the only Pakistani brand making waves in the global fashion scene. Rastah, the clothing brand, has also become a favourite of international stars — Justin Bieber has been seen in one of their button-downs, Timothée Chalamet wore a sweatshirt from their catalogue and Anil Kapoor wore one of their jackets in a movie.

Diljit Dosanjh even wore Rastah in his film Sardaar Ji 3. American rapper Jelly Roll has been spotted in one of their denim vests, Zayn Malik sported a hoodie and wrestler Seth Rollins wore a Rastah coat into the ring.

Derek Guy, the editor of fashion magazine Put This On, wrote how “beautiful Western-style tailoring is often worn by men from non-Western countries”. As examples, he presented three men: Emperor Naruhito of Japan, senior Nigerian economist Akinwumi Adesina and Shehbaz, each with his own signature style.

Guy quoted a post from the Government of Pakistan that showed the premier at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. He stood out in a crowd of blues and blacks in his tailored, double-breasted beige coat with matching trousers. He paired the suit with a light grey shirt and a pair of dark brown oxfords.

We couldn’t exactly agree on what colour his tie was — someone said it was olive green, someone else said it had a tinge of brown to it, there was even a suggestion of it being grey. What we do know is that it looked great in the Mediterranean sun.

His accessories included pins on each lapel, a Pakistani flag on the right and a conference pin on the left.

In the tweet, Guy shared a second picture of Shehbaz to hammer home just how great the PM’s tailor is. The second shot was from the premier’s visit to Ankara last year and shows him wearing a similarly double breasted wool blazer in navy.

A pair of grey trousers created a slight contrast in the suit and white shirt provided the perfect background to a popping emerald-green tie. A pair of spit-shined black loafers completed the outfit and a set of silver buttons and a lapel pin added a welcome touch.

A quick glance at the Government of Pakistan’s X account shows Shehbaz is no stranger to ditching the bland black and blue suits everyone in politics seems to wear like a de facto uniform. After all, who can forget his many, many colourful safari suits and hats?

The two other leaders Guy praised had very different styles, but each was comfortable in his element. Dr Adesina wore a single-breasted pinstripe suit in navy blue with a striped bow tie adding a pop of colour. The Japanese emperor, meanwhile, wore a morning suit, keeping with established traditions of royal attire dating back to the reign of Emperor Meiji in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

It was recognised as a natural progression of fashion, with lawn — a pedestrian fabric and a summer essential — being reimagined, fine-tuned and metamorphosing into affordable designer-wear. Designer lawn surfaced and it was comfortable, glamorous and even edgy at times.

The economy was changing and this made sense. Internationally, Armani had diffused to Armani Exchange and Alexander McQueen to McQ, and young guns such as Zara and H&M had sprung up on the High Street, offering trendy looks at a fraction of the prices of their high-fashion counterparts.

In the same vein, in Pakistan, Rizwan Beyg translated his love for phulkari, ralli and paisleys on to lightweight lawn. Shamaeel Ansari turned her eye for colour, texture and print towards lawn’s mass-centric domain. Sana Safinaz also extended their sophisticated signature to designer lawn, which became recognised as a covetable, glamorous, summer wardrobe must-have.

Once a humble, comfortable summer staple, lawn was transformed into a glamorous, designer-led phenomenon during the great lawn craze over the last few years — creating new careers, challenging designers and changing consumer behaviour. And then it all seemed to end. Why?

Lawn’s golden era

Lawn was all set to take over and the customer was ready for it. While textile mills continued to bring out their own seasonal unstitched collections, almost all of Pakistan’s motley crew of designers also chose to venture down the lawn route at one point or another.

There were those who were great at it. Others struggled to translate their couture aesthetics into lawn’s massy domains. Nevertheless, most of them succumbed to the lure of selling to an avid, massive lawn customer base. If they succeeded, the profits could be huge, and the prestige of being recognised as a ‘lawn mogul’ was irresistible.

These were the days when lawn exhibits would be held at popular public venues and crowds of women would gather there at the crack of dawn, just for the love of buying a lawn suit that had them smitten.

And when a suit was sold out, customers would become even more eager to get their hands on it, willing to pay double the price if need be. There would be such a rush to be the first to wear a lawn suit that enterprising women would arrive at exhibits with buckets of water in their cars: they would buy the suit, shrink the fabric right there and then, before handing it over to the tailor immediately!

In retrospect, it all seems fantastical and unnecessary and, yet, when lawn mania raged through the country, such stories would often be heard.

Designer Zara Shahjahan — whose unstitched summer collections are extremely popular — notes, “The world and the economy changed, the middle classes became more visible and everyone wanted access to fashion. Designer lawn was an inevitable result of this.”

And yet, somewhere along the way, the designer lawn bubble burst. Many designer lawns lost the ‘designer touch.’ So what happened?

The changing lawn

Rizwan Beyg, who spearheaded the designer lawn movement in the days of yore, says, “Lawn has always been there. Historically, it is a derivative of the Dhaka malmals that were popular in the Mughal era — a light, nearly transparent fabric that was a summer essential.”

He adds that Pakistan’s initial unstitched lawn lines came from textile mills that would just replicate Korean and Chinese digital prints on to unstitched fabric, which had no cultural relevance. “Designer lawn changed all that,” he says. “I added traditional elements characteristic of my aesthetic to the lawn collections I designed. For the first time, designer-wear became accessible to the mass market, available to all and sundry.”

But then something else happened.

“In the early days, a lawn design relied on print, screen, blocks and digital prints,” says Rizwan. “When designer lawn gained popularity, investors entered the market and focused entirely on gaining a larger share of the market. Price wars began and, suddenly, what used to be a simple summer staple for every woman became a bridal outfit masquerading as lawn.”

The creative and not-so-creative sides of lawn

The mad rush to entice customers led to what Rizwan aptly describes as a jhanjhalpura [a state of chaotic excess]. The basic cotton suit began to come with multiple add-ons: embroidery, additional borders that could be appliqued, chiffon, silk and organza swathes, cutwork and even smatterings of sequins.

The three-piece lawn had transformed into an eight-, then 12-, then 16-piece jigsaw puzzle!

Lawn campaigns were in a rat race of their own, with designers opting for exotic locales to add oomph to a collection. The elaborate lawn suit started being photographed in places where you would never dream of wearing lawn! Embroidered shirts would sway down the cobbled streets of Rome, a dupatta would flutter against the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea, models would wear their high heels and navigate mountain tops, beaches and heritage sites in all their luxury lawn glory.

Touted as the ‘queens of lawn’ back when designer lawn was still trendsetting, Sana Safinaz would rule the summer sartorial season.

Designer Safinaz Munir recalls, “Our aim when bringing out unstitched lawn collections was to provide amazing fashion at affordable prices. Earlier, lawn was relegated to daywear, while women wore polyester as formal wear. We introduced lawn as an option for evenings. The fabric would be comfortable but also very formal. Every year, we would experiment and innovate.”

She explains that her team introduced chikankari bases, incorporated silk, added laces, and experimented with silhouettes. One year, they focused on the straight pant as an alternative to the shalwar, while in another, the white shalwar dominated their collections. They also dabbled in paste-printing, to prevent see-through shalwars, popularised new colourways, and innovated with digital embroideries.

Safinaz Munir adds, “We would produce our collections in large quantities, so that when a lawn suit would sell out, it would not be because stock was limited. It was because people had truly loved the design and bought it all!”

In all the madness, though, many designers were forgetting the whole point of designer lawn: to offer creative, original designs at an affordable price to the mass market.

“Designer lawn was supposed to offer customers a slice of high fashion, and introduce sharp, trendy options in the mass market,” argues veteran designer Maheen Khan. “Instead, Pakistan’s sartorial tastes deteriorated — from wearing starched dupattas and darted shirts we went on to wearing outfits drowned in nine separate pieces that the tailor could hardly figure out how to put together!”

She adds: “Just when fashion in Pakistan was finding its voice — structure, education, identity — it was hit by a massive lawn wave. Fast, loud and commercial, it washed away nuance, craftsmanship and depth. Fashion didn’t evolve — it drowned. And lawn took its place. Big brands took over and smaller fashion ateliers closed their doors.”

Lawn as a launchpad

Designer Kamiar Rokni, whose occasional trysts with lawn have always reflected his traditional, colourful ethos, agrees that lawn may have dumbed down actual design.

“Design is a creative endeavour that primarily caters to a niche clientele,” he says. “Lawn is a translation of this aesthetic, but design gets limited because the focus is on creating clothes that appeal to the masses. There is very little experimentation with silhouette or innovation with pattern-making.

“However, one can’t deny how lawn has transformed fashion. Credit goes to designers such as Hussain Rehar and Zara Shahjahan, who offset the ‘massiness’ of their product by elevating how it is presented. Creative campaigns, combining striking imagery and videos, have become the norm, opening doors for a young generation of creatives in their careers.”

Zara Shahjahan points out that lawn gave her and many other designers the opportunity to build their brands. “A brand like mine started off without any major investor on board and lawn was a lucrative venture, allowing me to earn enough to bring out more collections, open stores and invest in campaigns.”

Designer Faiza Saqlain adds that lawn gave her the opportunity to tap into a market that could not afford her luxury-wear. “Designing lawn was an eye-opener. My luxury formals and wedding-wear cater to a niche clientele, but there are so many others who find lawn to be a more economical option. A lot of women also prefer buying unstitched suits and having them tailored according to their body type.”

She continues: “My lawn collections are launched following detailed evaluations of the market. If Eid falls in the summer, around the same time that lawns enter the market, my focus is on coming up with a festive aesthetic, while sticking to the lawn fabric. There are also specific colourways associated with my brand that I like to translate to lawn.”

Does lawn dilute a brand’s aspirational value?

However, does lawn — affordable, easily available, boasting the name of a famed couturier — strip away aspirational value from fashion?

When labels, hitherto considered exclusive, suddenly start selling unstitched packets of lawn from the friendly cloth vendor on Karachi’s Tariq Road, do they suffer from becoming too accessible?

For Sania Maskatiya, the unstitched domain has been an inevitable extension of her label, offering options to customers on the search for formals in lightweight fabrics.

“Unstitched collections do not dilute our brand’s presence,” she maintains. “There are customers who enjoy wearing lawn. Others are on the search for more affordable options. We create our unstitched lines just like we design all our other collections, coming up with design elements that appeal to us.”

She adds that her brand doesn’t compromise on quality, which is why their summer unstitched line remains relatively expensive and niche. “The brand losing its impact over the market has never been a concern for us. In fact, our main priority has been to have our supply chains sorted and our design team organised so that we can cater to the demands for summer lawn efficiently.”

On the other hand, designer HSY counters, “A brand might lose aspirational value when dabbling with lawn, and we have seen this happen in some cases. The ones that have lasted in the long run are those that have stayed relevant with original designs, and worked in developing narratives that make their campaigns stand out.”

One remembers HSY venturing into the lawn market as well, more than a decade ago. His particular vision for unstitched stayed true to the glamour associated with his brand, with a lawn-clad Mehreen Syed on a private boat zooming along the Dubai coastline or reclining in a Rolls Royce Phantom. Why did he opt out?

“I realised that it would have been the death of my brand,” he says. “My brand’s ethos has always been very luxurious and I cater to a market where pricing and brand positioning are very important. Lawn’s mass market did not resonate with what customers expected from my brand.”

There were many other designers who had eagerly hopped on to the lawn bandwagon back when the fabric was considered the ultimate summer sensation, only to hop off it later, losing interest in the ride. Today, designer lawn — or rather, unstitched collections, since they include so much more than basic cotton — that remain in demand are those that truly reflect a brand’s unique aesthetic.

However, the fact remains that there are many lawn labels that are entirely forgettable, lost in a sea of embroidery, with no decipherable ethos. Has fashion’s lawn bubble finally burst?

One could say so. But before it did, it introduced new career paths in the industry, as the demand for innovative lawn campaigns heightened. Not to mention that it made the mass market more familiar with Pakistani fashion brands. But let’s not forget that, in many cases, it also did the Pakistani woman a disservice, brainwashing her into thinking that an 18-piece suit, drowned in embellishments, was actually ‘fashion’.

Lawn didn’t just change what Pakistani women wore, it left an indelible mark on Pakistan’s sartorial landscape, shaping both designers and customers, for better or for worse, for generations to come.

Originally published in Dawn, April 12th, 2026

Cover: Sania Maskatiya lawn

The star carried the Tobla bag in black.

She was styled by Erin Walsh and paired the bag with a gorgeous black Schiaparelli dress with gold detailing.

Hathaway is currently promoting her new film, a sequel to the 2006 cult classic with Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt. The second film reunites Streep and Hathaway as Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs, a pairing fans have waited nearly two decades to see again.

The pair will be joined by returning cast members Blunt and Stanley Tucci with Kenneth Branagh joining the cast as Priestly’s new husband. The film will also feature Simone Ashley, Rachel Bloom and Lucy Liu and reported cameos from Lady Gaga and Sydney Sweeney. The film releases on May 1.

Hathaway is not the first Hollywood star to carry a bag from the brand. Earlier in October, Doja Cat wore the Hexella Baguette bag to the listening party for her album Vie.

Pakistani-Canadian star of Ms Marvel, Iman Vellani, was seen carrying a bag from the Hexella collection at the Gold Gala in Los Angeles. Warp’s popular amongst Pakistani stars too — Mawra Hocane was seen with one in Doha and Ayeza Khan had one with her on the Ramazan transmission Mehfil e Khas. Meesha Shafi was also pictured with an Accordion bag from the brand.

Cover via Erin Walsh/Instagram

In a post on her Instagram account, she said clothing brand Engine had used her face on AI-generated visuals for their latest collection. Images has reached out to Engine for a comment.

She said she modelled for the brand before, but was not involved in the promotions for this collection and had not agreed for her likeness to be used in such a way.

The content creator said she had tried reaching out to the brand herself in an effort to resolve the issue, but didn’t receive a response. That led her to highlight the issue on social media.

Tahir said this wasn’t just about one just about one post or one brand. “Using someone’s face through AI without their permission is not okay, in any situation. Consent should always come first, whether the content is real or digitally created.”

She said the fact that these visuals were being displayed publicly and even being used for advertisements was especially concerning. She said creators and models deserve to have control over how their image is used and hoped the brand would address the issue.

In a series of follow-up stories, the content creator said the scariest part was that she was initially fooled too, thinking she might have modelled one or two pieces that she forgot about. She said it was only when she saw they had used her face for so many of their items that she realised what had happened.

She said the problem wasn’t AI taking over jobs, but people misusing it “deliberately and illegally”. She also suggested they might have done a faceless shoot with another model and had AI paste her face onto the pictures, which raises its own problems.

Several people, including models and fellow content creators, shared her concerns, calling the brand out for what they saw as creepy, unethical and even criminal behaviour.

Many, including Miss Universe Pakistan Erica Robin, tagged the brand in the comment section, as did actor Romaisa Khan. RJ Sabah Bano Malik, who called out the “violation of consent”, “theft” and “general ickyness”.

Hania Aamir also got involved, sharing the content creator’s appeal on her story and asking Engine to “please look into this”.

While Engine has not acknowledged the allegations publicly, Tahir said the brand had removed her pictures from their website in the aftermath of her post.

The incident highlights AI’s alarming body-morphing abilities. Similar concerns were raised in January when Grok — the AI arm of the Elon Musk-owned X — was found to be entertaining requests to digitally undress people whose pictures were on the platform, including children.

Musk said the company would not tolerate any illegal activity with its AI tools and Grok’s image generation features on X are now available to paid users only. However, in a post on March 12, Musk said anything “allowed in an R-rated movie” would be allowed for Grok to create.

From breezy florals to all-black statements, here are the looks that stayed with us well after the sheer khurma ran out.

Hania Aamir made a strong case for saris on Eid

There’s something to be said about committing to a vibe and not overthinking it. Hania’s maroon blouse paired with a cream and gold lawn sari hit that sweet spot between festive and unfussy. The real charm, though, was in the details — a bare-faced (or at least convincingly bare-faced) look, a simple braid, and bangles in maroon, gold, and white that skipped the obvious Kashmiri churi trend.

Add to that mehendi dotted with those tiny, stud-like embellishments that have quietly taken over Instagram, and you have a look that feels current without trying too hard.

Saboor Aly said yes to the frock comeback

Saboor’s black and white frock-style kameez felt like a throwback in the best way, structured yet playful, with that elaborate rust gota-embroidered neckline doing most of the talking. She paired it with a black baggy shalwar featuring a broad border that mirrored the neckline, which tied the whole look together without feeling matchy-matchy.

Braided hair, statement jhumkas, and minimal makeup sealed the deal. It’s giving, festive, but also ready to sit cross-legged on the floor for Eidi distribution.

Yumna Zaidi balanced softness with statement

Yumna’s look was a reminder that subtle doesn’t have to mean silent. Her pale yellow kameez with a breezy floral print felt like spring in outfit form, paired with a plain net dupatta with just a whisper of sequins.

Dark green khussas grounded the look, while her accessories did something more layered — literally and otherwise. Kashmiri churis (very on-trend) were stacked with pink and green glass bangles on alternating hands, but it was her mehendi — reading “Free Palestine, No To War” — that made the look linger. Minimal makeup, open hair, maximum impact.

Sadaf Kanwal made a case for all-black Eid

Eid pastels are great, but Sadaf clearly didn’t get that memo, and we’re glad. Her all-black ensemble from her own brand leaned into drama with a frock-style silk kameez, flowy sleeves, and black embellishments that caught the light just enough.

The real twist was in the shalwar-trouser hybrid, loose at the top, fitted at the border, creating a silhouette that felt both relaxed and sculpted. It’s the kind of look that doesn’t scream Eid, but still completely belongs.

Saba Qamar delivered understated festive elegance

Saba’s pastel green peshwas-style kameez was one of those looks that doesn’t need a second glance but gets one anyway. White detailing and emerald-studded accents around the neckline added just enough richness, while her accessories kept things interesting — classic jhumkas paired with a nath that featured a delicate chain to the ear. Not bridal, not basic, just perfectly in-between. Sometimes the win is knowing exactly where to stop.

Zara Noor Abbas went playful, but polished

Zara’s cream ensemble from Studio Dilbar could have easily been just another neutral Eid look — but then came the hearts. A bold pink embroidered heart at the hem and a smaller one at the neckline gave the outfit a sense of whimsy, balanced by rust-gold detailing on the neck, sleeves, and shalwar.

She leaned into the softness with kundan pearl jewellery, teeka, earrings, and stacks of pearl-white bangles. It’s cute, yes, but also surprisingly chic.

If there’s one takeaway from this Eid, it’s that there’s no one way to “do festive” anymore. Whether it’s political messaging in your mehendi, hearts on your hemline, or just really good bangles, the looks that stood out were the ones that felt like an extension of the person wearing them — not just a checklist of trends.

Let’s start with the fashionistas. Saboor Aly brought out the cutest violet kurta with matching chooriyan. Paired with traditional jhumkay, the resulting photoshoot made our Eid morning special.

Kinza Hashmi didn’t hold back either, rocking a white outfit with a sharp, embellished red border and matching red coat on top. Her earrings really completed an outfit that would make anyone do a double take.

Merub Ali’s theme for Eid appeared to be pretty in pink and boy, did she pull it off. The hair, the makeup, the mehendi on her hand, 10 on 10, no notes.

Hira Mani kept it simple in what appears to be a blue and white peshwas. The jewellery included a tastefully selected set with blue stones to match her outfit and some infinitely trendy Kashmiri bangles.

Hina Altaf took the style game up several notches in a flowing peach lehenga that could have just as easily worked on a red carpet.

Asim Azhar played it very safe and wore a white shalwar kameez. Clearly, he hasn’t had the time to go through our Eid menswear guide. The pictures with his dad are adorable, though, so we’ll give him a pass.

Meanwhile, Zahid Ahmed absolutely did take our advice and wore a patterned kurta. We love to see fashionable men.

Most of these came in on Saturday morning, or in the afternoon, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t get some pre-Eid treats. Junaid Khan, who is in the United States right now, posted his Eid pictures on Friday night.

Ahmed Ali Butt also sent his Eid greetings to fans on Friday night.

While everyone looks their best on Eid, the true spirit of the holiday lies in spending it with loved ones. Malala Yousafzai had the right idea, spending the day with her parents.

Sunita Marshall chose to take things slow on Eid, spending the day with her husband and kids. The photoshoot is just family goals.

Cricket star Naseem Shah also spent Eid with family, leading to these photos of him and his brothers Ubaid Shah and Hunain Shah.

Faysal Quraishi didn’t wish fans on Eid this year, but his son did and it’s the most adorable thing we’ve seen all day.

Eid Mubarak, everyone!

It was a historic, debilitating rise that triggered panic at petrol pumps as the price hike would come into effect at midnight, on March 7. Horns blared until late into the night, with vehicles queuing in long lines to fill up on fuel before the increment came into effect.

The price increase, triggered by the ongoing US-Israeli war in the Middle East, occurred midway through Ramazan, a time when crowds flock to bazaars and malls for their Eid shopping. In the Muslim world, it is considered one of the most lucrative retail seasons of the year, with customers inclined to splurge, make impulse buys and stock up on clothes and gifts.

With the economy under stress and inflation looming, would people want to spend as they had in better times? And while they may continue to purchase necessities, would they be inclined towards indulging in shopping binges or luxury wear at a time when, in the near future, they may have to struggle to make ends meet, given the economic uncertainty?

The logical answer to this question would be a resounding ‘no’. After all, one would assume that stores and bazaars would be empty and, more specifically, fashion designers’ Eid collections would gather cobwebs, with customers no longer able — or willing — to purchase them.

Eid spending vs economic reality

However, some versions of reality tell a different story.

Just a week before Eid, mayhem ensued at the pop-up exhibit at a mall of Nia Mia, a popular high street brand. Huge crowds — eager to shop — broke down some of the installed barriers amid a lack of crowd control.

Historically, the market for luxury goods, including fashion, has invariably taken a hit during periods of economic uncertainty. However, until that ‘hit’ truly makes an impact, Pakistan’s Eid shopping crowds seem to want to shrug away their sense of impending doom and head out to the mall.

High-street heavyweight Khaadi, for instance, continues to draw in huge crowds. “Business has not been affected at all,” asserts the brand’s CEO Shamoon Sultan. “It is an unfortunate reality that Pakistanis have seen a lot and are very resilient. So, despite the crisis in the Middle East, their Eid shopping is continuing as usual.”

He continues, “However, on a macroeconomic level, if the hike in fuel rates continues, it can prove to be dangerous. It will result in an overall price increase across the board and we will feel the crunch in the following two or three weeks. I hope that the situation improves because, otherwise, wallets will definitely shrink.”

Uzma Ahmad, Director at Image Fabrics, echoes a similar sentiment and observes that business has been only slightly impacted by the war in the Middle East so far.

“We have a niche clientele that continues to make purchases consistently,” she says. “I also feel that we have managed to establish ourselves in the middle ground — between high street ‘massy’ clothes and high-end luxury wear — and offer an aesthetic line that is not only sophisticated but is also relatively affordable. So far, business has been doing well and we are expanding, with two stores all set to open right after Eid!”

The luxury segment holds it ground

The local market for luxury wear is similarly on a roll. For instance, designer Rizwan Beyg, who specialises in luxury couture, says that his Eid collection is selling well, with local customers remaining unfazed so far by the global economic climate.

Sania Maskatiya’s CEO, Umair Tabani, observes that the brand’s sales were helped by the fact that its festive Eid collection was launched some time before Ramazan, and credits the timing for this.

“Maybe, if we had launched later, when the crisis escalated in the Middle East, customers may not have been as eager to place orders,” he says. “We got lucky with the timing. Customers placed orders and made advance payments, and now, we’re just making the final deliveries.”

Designer Mohsin Naveed Ranjha believes the impulse to buy is emotional. “I think people just want to celebrate. They may be upset by what is happening in the world but, at the same time, they are happy to be at least safe.

“A slight dip in sales occurred around mid-Ramazan, when tensions escalated in the Middle East, but soon afterwards, people began buying again. And now, in the last week of Ramazan, business is doing really well, with many people rushing to buy their Eid clothes.”

Shezray Husain, CEO of multi-label boutique Ensemble, also comments on customers’ sentiments: “I think we are just a really emotional nation and Eid clothing holds sentimental value for us. We particularly obsess over what we want to wear on Eidul Fitr, considering it as a kind of ‘reward’ following a month of fasting.”

She continues: “I think perhaps, right now, the middle class is more concerned about the crisis in the Middle East and how it will affect their pockets. The customers who tend to frequent Ensemble, though, have yet to feel the crunch, and they are willing to make purchases right now. It helps, of course, that there are about 150 brands within our umbrella and there is a diverse price range to choose from.”

Global blues

However, on the international front, business for Pakistani brands is not continuing as usual.

“International deliveries are getting delayed,” confirms Mohsin. “[More specifically] deliveries to the Middle East are obviously affected and even orders to the US and Europe were routed via Dubai. They are now being rerouted and this is resulting in higher shipping charges and longer delivery times.”

Menswear designer Emraan Rajput adds that customers are also requesting that their international orders be placed on hold until the situation improves.

“A client living outside Pakistan had placed orders for a destination wedding that was scheduled to take place right after Eid. They have now asked us to stall production, as the wedding has been rescheduled for a few months later, when, perhaps, things may improve. Also, with tariffs on the rise, international shipments have become very expensive and customers end up paying more.”

He also adds that the domestic market has been affected, unlike many of his contemporaries.

“There are so many men who shop for their Eid clothes at the very last minute, with areas such as Karachi’s Zamzama area usually becoming clogged with traffic. This year, though, spirits are definitely down. Customers who would usually buy four kurtas are buying two, and those who purchased two are now purchasing one. The excitement simply isn’t the same.”

However, people are still buying, and it is interesting to note how customers’ shopping patterns vary between the high street and the market for luxury wear. They may be more hesitant to buy designer-wear priced well above Rs50,000, but their wallets still allow them to indulge in shopping binges at malls and during Eid festivals.

Fashion events: on uncertain ground?

On her part, Maheen Kardar, designer and co-founder of Laam Fashion Week (LFW), observes that shopping activity has been continuing as usual.

For instance, she observes that the recent Laam Festival in Lahore was a success. “The footfall crossed over 100,000 people during the four-day festival and people were shopping and celebrating,” she says.

She believes that, as a nation, Pakistanis have really experienced an extended period of peace, given that political upheavals continue to occur, as do strikes, healthcare crises such as dengue or Covid and natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.

“This has made us very resilient and we just go on with life. I haven’t observed any dampening of spirits, be it at the Laam Festival or as far as the orders being placed at my design house Karma, are concerned.”

Rizwan Beyg concurs, “We are a nation that starts making memes in times of war. It’s not that we don’t realise the seriousness of the situation. It is just that Pakistanis have gone through so much that we now just simply go on with life and hope that things get better.”

But will this tone-deaf joie de vivre continue with the world at war, the economy perpetually teetering towards crisis and a volatile political climate that could, at any point, turn against Pakistan? It is unlikely.

The Hum Showcase fashion show – a three-day event tentatively scheduled to take place in April this year — has now been “put on the back burner”, according to its show director Rizwan Beyg. “Sponsors are understandably hesitant at this point but, once things get better, we hope that the event will take place.”

Cautious optimism

Fortunately, as mentioned earlier, the first LFW took place in early February this year. It was followed by designer Hussain Rehar’s solo show in mid-February and then, the Laam Festival — an Eid ‘bazaar’ — this Ramazan.

Featuring trendsetting fashion, major designers and impressive catwalks, these fashion events had undoubtedly rejuvenated the local fashion scene, making one hope that fashion weeks — having slipped into the shadows since the pandemic — were going to make a comeback and perhaps, finally, Pakistani designers would step away from generic, commercial apparel and be more innovative.

Now, given the economic outlook, will the next LFW, scheduled for autumn or winter this year take place as planned? “Yes, we will be announcing the date soon,” says Maheen Kardar.

They are brave and hopeful words.

The news headlines may fill one with a sense of foreboding but, right now, like many businesses, the business of Pakistani fashion is resolutely forging ahead, hoping that inflation won’t take over and that customers won’t get demoralised and stop buying, and that the global situation will improve.

As Rizwan Beyg puts it poetically, “Fashion, right now, is dented, but not dead.” But it is dented. That cannot be denied.

Originally published in Dawn, ICON, March 19th, 2026

While most guys are likely to go with the same solid-coloured kurta-shalwar combo they do every year — some might even get brave and get something that isn’t white — it doesn’t have to be this way.

So, if you’re willing to up your game when it comes to Eid fits or you have a man in your life who needs tips on how to do it, we’ve made this helpful guide on how not to look like every other dude at the daawat.

Kurtas

Starting off with the basics, you do not need to wear a plain white kurta every time the dress code demands desi wear. Sure, white is safe and works for everyone, but it’s also boring — and impossible to get saalan stains out of.

Instead, try wearing some other colours, like royal blue or purple. For the more adventurous, you can ditch solid colours entirely and try different patterns and even embroidery.

Different fabrics and textures can also add a touch of individual style, making the wearer stand out in a crowd of starched cotton.

Shalwars

The same ideas apply for the bottom half of the suit. You can try experimenting with colour, fabric and embellishments. Be warned, though, shalwars are a lot less forgiving if the combination doesn’t work out.

Alternatively, you can ditch the shalwar altogether and go for a pyjama instead. Made similar to trousers, the pyjama does away with the bagginess of the shalwar and works wonders if you’re not the type to skip leg day.

Footwear

This is arguably the most overlooked aspect of desi menswear and there are so many options. Let us be absolutely clear, you do not have to bust out the same pair of chappals you’ve been wearing for five years straight.

Khussas are a great addition to any man’s footwear collection and they add just a bit of a formal touch to any desi outfit. You can, if this all seems overwhelming, get them in basic black or brown and use them as a substitute for whatever you were going to wear in that colour, or you can get the ones with embroidery and motifs to really give your outfit some pizzazz.

Peshawari chappals are a staple, of course, but they don’t have to be in black and brown either, try getting a pair in blue or maybe even a suede pair. Kolhapuri chappals are also in, especially after Prada tried to sell them to unsuspecting westerners for $600.

Western footwear is also an option, although we’d suggest leaving your sneakers in the closet for Eid. Instead, try out some loafers or moccasins and see what works.

Outerwear

In our humble opinion, you can’t have true desi formal wear without a waistcoat or shawl. Now, we hear someone in the distance shouting about how it’s too hot for outerwear, but that’s all a game of fabrics.

A lighter, summer waistcoat works well to keep its wearer cool while also giving some shape to the outfit — kurtas can be unruly and easily creased. The idea, of course, is to maybe avoid the black ones, lest you look like that one uncle who dabbles in politics.

Shawls have a tendency to make one appear as if you’ll break into verse at any given moment, and they’re way too warm for March in most of Pakistan, which is where the odhni comes in. Usually made of cotton, it can give you the shairana vibe of a shawl without making you internally combust in 40-degree heat.

If you’re feeling particularly daring, ditch the shalwar kurta entirely and pair the waistcoat with a band collar shirt and trousers. Sure, it’s going to get you a couple of looks from some of the older people, but it might be the perfect blend of East and West for a more formal dinner.

Accessories

Men are often under the misconception that accessorising outfits is more of a feminine thing — it isn’t. When everyone’s wearing similar clothes, as is often the case on Eid, accessories are what will make you look like you put some thought into what your outfit.

Pocket squares are an easy place to start, with the right one adding a welcome pop of colour to an otherwise plain suit. We would, however, recommend wearing a waistcoat and not just placing one in a kurta pocket.

Buttons are also something you can play around with, getting a more ornate set for your waistcoat, possibly in a different colour or encrusted with stones.

Speaking of things that keep your clothes fastened, cufflinks are a great way to show off some personal style. With options now extending from initials to the usual gold and silver blocks or even superhero designs, you can choose to wear something that reflects your personality.

Lapel pins are also something that can add personality to an outfit, with a dizzying amount of options to suit all styles and tastes. Alternatively, you can just pin a flower to your coat; if it works at weddings, it can work on Eid too.

As a final note, we’ll just say you should wear what you’re most comfortable in. Eid is a joyous occasion, there’s really no point in ruining the fun by stressing out over clothes.

So, have a fun, blessed Eid and let us know your favourite holiday styles in the comments.

The 10-year-old designer has become the youngest person ever to showcase a collection at Paris Fashion Week, presenting his women’s ready-to-wear Fall/Winter 2026–2027 line earlier this month.

Max’s show took place on March 3 at the grand Palais Garnier in Paris, just days after he turned 10. According to multiple publications, including CBS LA and Vogue France, that makes him the youngest designer to ever present a collection at the French capital’s famed fashion week.

It’s a remarkable achievement for someone who still has primary school to worry about.

Max, a fourth-grader, began sewing and designing when he was just four years old and has steadily built a reputation as a dressmaking prodigy. His Instagram handle, ‘couture.to.the.max’ speaks for itself.

His Paris showcase featured a sustainable collection of 15 looks inspired by florals, reported People. The young designer said around 90 per cent of the pieces were made from sustainable materials, including deadstock fabric, surplus textiles, recycled bags and biodegradable materials.

The collection also featured creative reuse of unusual materials, including a corseted gown crafted from a French military parachute and a vintage sari that Max redesigned.

“I am happy I got to show the world my designs,” he said, adding that he hopes his work encourages people to rethink fast fashion. “Maybe [it will] encourage people to think about reuse and not buying so much fast fashion.”

Max made his debut at New York Fashion Week in 2024 when he was just eight. He also holds a Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to design a runway show at age seven on November 18, 2023.

During an interview in 2023, he jokingly told People he believed he might have been Guccio Gucci — the founder of Gucci — in a past life. “I actually was,” he said at the time.

By then, Max had already created more than a hundred designs, sold pieces internationally, staged his own fashion shows and even made a custom piece for actor Sharon Stone.

His mother, Sherri Madison, previously told the outlet that her son’s dedication to fashion was evident early on. “He’s just so committed to it, and he has so much fun. It’s truly his happy place, his studio, and even just playing with the material,” she said, recalling how the family initially thought the interest might just be a passing phase.

“For the first year or two, we said, ‘Well, tomorrow he’s going to be a cook.’ But it just stuck.” For Madison, her son’s achievements on the runway are only part of the story.

“It’s his golden heart,” she said. “Everything he does is with the intent of making people happy. His whole goal with these dresses is to make people feel beautiful — he says it all the time.”

Cover photo: AFP via Getty