What to wear this Eid: Capes, lace and gently flared pants make the cut

The run up to Eid is always full of exhibitions and new collections. Whether you splurge on luxury designer pret or shop the high-street for the perfect Eid jora, there are plenty of chic options to make a style statement.

At the top of the market, designers like Shehla Chatoor, Elan and Zara Shahjahan have exquisite Eastern pret collections. Shehla only offers bespoke outfits but Elan and Zara Shahjahan both stock pret at their outlets. The look is elegant and understated – delicate hand embroidery on silk nets and chiffon in contemporary Eastern silhouettes.

Sania Maskatiya stocks everything from printed silks to sumptuous embroidered outfits while Nida Azwer has a more limited but equally desirable selection.

Ayesha Somaya also offer a wide range of affordable designer pret. All three use a mix of hand and machine embroidery and offer both traditional and uber-trendy cuts.

There is a whole host of established designers working out of their studios and stocking at multi-labels stores. Sanam Chaudri’s Eid line is full of delicious details while Saira Shakira, Layla Chatoor and Farida Hasan are always hot picks at Eid.

Upcoming designers like Sehrish Rehan, Amber Gohar and Zohra Alam may never have shown at fashion week or stocked pret anywhere but they have a steady clientele and their Eid collections are highly sought. Look to these for modern cuts and an Eid look that is a little different from the norm.

Eid also brings out a plethora of indie designers and part-timers, who only exhibit occasionally. The weekends leading up to Eid are packed with exhibitions by the likes of Aleena and Fareena in Karachi and Maison De Lace in Lahore as well as lesser-known names.

Some of the prettiest Eid outfits are often to be found at these exhibitions. This year Nazli Akbar’s feminine lace and chiffon confections were particularly popular in Karachi. While exhibitions can be a mixed bag, it’s worth trawling through them for those that combine good quality and a fine aesthetic sense.

Various established designers, including Saira Shakira, Ayesha Somaya and Mehreen Menahel, started off with exhibitions of this sort.

Finally there’s always the high street or designer fabric. If you can trust your tailor to do a good job, Faraz Manan’s silk collection with Crescent and Farah Talib Aziz’s ‘Mediterranean Dream’ for LSM are two lovely mill-designer collaborations.

If tussling with your tailor is out of the question, Ideas and Chinyere both stock attractive formal ready-to-wear.

With Eid falling in late summer, many designers have been focusing on pastel colours and sheer fabrics with accents of beads and pearls. Lace is very fashionable as both an accent and as a base fabric, whether its faux Chantilly lace, giupure or crochet lace. Lace is also great for trousers - Mahnaz Adamjee’s bootcut lace pants are stunning and are available in go-with-everything beige as well as black.

The silhouette-du-jour is a boxy, knee-length kurta worn with slim straight pants or a shorter, slimmer kurta worn with a shalwar or dhoti shalwar. Jackets are still ‘in’ but the cape is this season’s must-have silhouette. Everyone is doing them – from top-name designers to part-timers who only exhibit at Eid.Sania Maskatiya was one of the first to introduce capes and Sehrish Rehan is particularly known for them.

Both Farida Hasan and Farah Talib Aziz have lovely cape collections while Layla Chatoor’s Dolce Vita cape is both unusual and striking. Ayesha Somaya stock both formal and semi-formal capes while every Eid exhibition in town seemed to showcase at least one.

The cape is a flattering, fashion-forward cut that hides a multitude of sins. Pair with bootcut pants or skinny cigarette pants for the best effect.

Fashion forward kids needn’t miss out. Designers like Blocked, Ansab Jahanghir and Chia have joined high street outlets like Origins in creating specific kids lines. Established designers will also whip up child-size versions of their outfits if you give them sufficient time. Choli lenghas and mini ghararas are having something of a moment in kidswear with some ultra-cute versions around.

Eid shopping has never been easier. With so many gorgeous options around, isn’t it great that Eid is a three-day affair?