Pakistan Fashion Extravaganza Glitters Karachi

Karachi is abuzz with fashionistas, designers, spunky models and stylish catwalks as a week long Pakistan Fashion Week draws to a close. Eight local designers opened the event experimenting with twists on traditional Pakistani dresses and western styles. Karachi is known for its glitzy malls and thriving cafe culture, just a two-hour flight away from militant hubs in the northwest. Intricate and colourful fabrics lit up the catwalk, while a towering black feather hat, off-the-shoulder dresses and halterneck gowns graced the frames of sultry models strutting in high heels past an awed audience. The extravaganza kicked off Wednesday at the luxury Marriott hotel. Western evening dresses fused with eastern design, rich embroidery, silk tunics, feathery hats, lacy tops, along with radical interpretations of the traditional shalwar kameez, all floated down the catwalk. Nadia Hussain, one of the nation’s top models, said she was not opposed to some censorship of overly raunchy outfits in Pakistan, but said creativity needed to shine through. While women in much of Muslim, conservative Pakistan wear headscarves and baggy shalwar-kameez (pyjama and long tunic), in the financial hub of Karachi, jeans and T-shirts are more likely to be seen.