Bright and casual: 6 takeaways from Imran Khan's post-PM wardrobe

It's often said that a bad breakup can lead to a drastic makeover. And while we can't definitively link Imran Khan's changes in wardrobe to one particular reason, the timing of it does make us question whether it had to do something with his ouster as prime minister.

Naya Pakistan may have come to an abrupt halt but the new Imran is going for bright colours, funky shoes, and, quite noticeably, jazzy sunglasses that he is not afraid to wear indoors as well.

Regardless of whether this is being done to exude swag, confidence or is just a more general laid-back approach to his appearance (though we don't buy it!), here are some style takeaways from Imran's new look:

Keeping it casual

Fashion says a lot about a person's personality and while his riled up speeches may not indicate as such, Imran's photos being shared by his social media team makes us think he's taking the whole "I don't have the responsibility of the entire nation on my shoulders" role in a stride.

His version of athleisure includes more casual shirts, trainers and sweatpants, replacing the crisp and official waistcoat kameez shalwar look.

Yes, it's not the first time Imran's been seen in casual activewear pieces but that siren red American Eagle polo shirt on the podcast with Junaid Akram, Muzamil Hasan and Talha Ahad wasn't a piece of clothing that he had been spotted in for a while. It marked perhaps the beginning of many fashion statements he is willing to make (we hope!).

A little colour never hurt nobody

When we think of Imran, an image of him in crisp white kameez shalwar with a black waistcoat and leather Peshawari chappals comes to our mind. But in a change of political and sartorial events, Imran has been seen experimenting with colour — safe ones but colours nonetheless. He's been spotted in shades of blue, more greys, green, red and khaki tones.

Given that the youth and women (it's true and you know it) make up a huge chunk of his fanbase, a pop of colour in his wardrobe will only work to enhance his appeal to them.

Side note: Seeing Imran in a red polo shirt or green monotone kameez shalwar makes us wonder if he took 'I could be every colour you like' — a song trending on TikTok and Instagram — seriously.

Not wasting time on waistcoats

Less than four years ago, as the prime minister-in-waiting, Imran Khan wasn't a man of waistcoats. An employee of the National Assembly had to lend him the waistcoat for his photo.

The story goes that Imran was taken to a room in the MNAs lobby for taking the picture for his official card. Usually, MNAs take their official photographs wearing a coat or waistcoat but Imran was dressed in a plain white suit. He then asked the official photographer Zafar Sultan to give him his waistcoat and the photographer pleasantly handed it over.

Imran returned the waistcoat after the picture was taken but the item of clothing became a staple in his prime ministerial wardrobe.

Now that he's back to being only the PTI chairperson and doing what he does best, i.e. rallying a large number of people with his rousing speeches, Imran seems to be gravitating more towards the basic kameez shalwar than the formal ones paired with matching waistcoats. Not that we're complaining; his relaxed attire makes us want to pick comfort over formals as well!

We did spot a sage green waistcoat at his Abbottabad rally, so he hasn't completely given up on the look (or the role of the prime minister, for that matter).

Throw some shade

Ray-Bans and Imran go way back to his early cricket days. While as an athlete he did experiment with various styles, in his political career we mostly spotted one style: the Blaze Wayfarer polarised sunnies in tortoise brown gradient.

The casual Imran seems to be sporting some newer shades and more importantly, he's not afraid to go all rock star and wear them indoors. So the next time someone questions why you're wearing sunglasses even though there is no sun, tell them if Imran can wear them indoors and post on social media, so can you.

New shoes, who dis?

Remember that song?

"...hey I put some new shoes on, and everybody's smiling, it's so inviting"

Call it the Quetta chappal, Peshawari chappal, Dera chappal or Kohati chappal, you know Imran Khan has played a big role in increasing the shoe's demand.

The plain leather ones may have been the claim to fame but now we're spotting some more experimental pair of kicks on him.

Though a light pistachio green kameez shalwar doesn't go with the base colour of his shoes, we appreciate the rust tone embroidered shoes. Sporting embroidery on this classic style is a definite yes for us!

Even as he experiments, we can tell that Imran is still quite loyal to his collection of plain leather chappals. But just changing a few things here and there is highly appreciable.

Glow from within or a strict skincare regimen?

They say that being a politician is a stressful job and anyone under stress gets uninvited visitors in the form of acne every now and then. Imran's clear and glowing skin has us wondering if he has a skincare regimen that people don't know of. And if so, can he use one of his many rallies to share it with us?

What we wouldn't give to see a Vogue style skincare tutorial from him!

Not that we expect a rack full of serums, night creams, cleansers or moisturisers but it would be nice to know the secret behind his clear skin, free of acne and almost no pigmentation (that we can spot anyway).

The changes to amp up Imran's fashion game are admittedly small but noticeable, so whoever is behind his recent looks, we appreciate you and your efforts.

If you were to follow Imran Khan's current fashion style, which item would you add to the cart?