Soha-Kunal wedding: Is this the best of Indian bridal fashion?
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Soha Ali Khan married Kunal Khemu this weekend in what was, by Bollywood standards, a fairly private wedding. The few pictures that have emerged of the wedding show Bollywood stars in designers like Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
While the bride is glowing, fashion lovers this side of the border can’t help but ask — is this the best of Indian bridal fashion?
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| Indian Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan (L) with his wife Kareena Kapoor Khan (R) attend the wedding of Soha Ali Khan (2nd L) and Kunal Khemu (2nd R) in Mumbai on January 25, 2015. — AFP |
Bridal fashion is certainly very different this side of the border. While the outfits chosen by Soha Ali Khan’s wedding party and guests show an emphasis on fabric and bold embroidery, our designers focus on silhouette, delicate embroidery and craftsmanship.
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| Soha Ali Khan with husband Kunal Khemu at her wedding reception.—Photo Courtesy: imagenese.com |
The bride chose a plain gold choli with a gulabi pink lengha for her reception. For those of us used to elaborate bridals, this looks overly simple. Designers like Misha Lakhani or Sanam Chaudri have churned out hip, young looks that are a little more 'bridal' than this.
From Sania Maskatiya’s Ara Ornament collection to Bunto Kazmi’s timeless creations, wedding season in Pakistan saw plenty of stunning outfits this year. So we can't help but wonder: If Soha et al had shopped on this side of the border, what might they have chosen to wear?
While Kareena’s sari was suitably subtle compared to the bride’s outfit, this Misha Lakhani sari may have worked better.
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| Sari by Misha Lakhani (L), Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan at the wedding.— Photo Courtesy: Publicity/ Twitter |
Soha Ali Khan’s mehendi outfit from Ritu Kumar was underwhelming. This Nomi Ansari ensemble would have been a good bet.
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| A model displays Nomi Ansari's collection (L), Soha Ali Khan wearing Ritu Kumar on her mehendi.—Photo Courtesy: Publicity/clickmaza.com |
Soha’s sister Saba would have shone in either of these lengha cholis by Sania Maskatiya and Nomi Ansari
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| Lengha Cholis by Nomi Ansari (L), Saba Ali Khan (C) and Sania Maskatiya's outfit (R)—Photo Courtesy; Publicity/ NDTV |
Amrita Arora would have looked trendier in this Misha Lakhani kaftan or this Sania Maskatiya ensemble
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| Misha Lakhani (L) Amrita Aurora (C) Sana Maskatiya (R)—Photo Courtesy: Publicity/highheelconfidential.com |
Neha Dupia and Konkona Shen Sharma are both young women who can carry the trendiest outfits. This Sanam Chaudri outfit or this Sania Maskatiya one would be striking on either of them.
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| Neha Dhupia (L); an outfit by Sania Maskatiya—Photo Courtesy: Publicity/IBNlive |
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| Sanam Chaudri's bridal collection (L) Konkona Sen (R)—Photo Courtesy: Publicity/ IBNLive |
Karisma and Kareena look lovely in Manish Malhotra respectively but this stunning Elan outfit would also suit either of them
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| Karishma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in Manish Malhotra (L), Elan (R)— Photo Courtesy: Publicity/missmalini.com |
Other beautiful Pakistani outfits guests could have chosen to wear for a distinctive, fashionable look.
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| Shehla Chatoor vintage garden sari (L) and Nomi Ansari's outfit from Bridal Fashion Week (R)— Publicity Photo |
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| Fahad Hussayn's bridal collection 2014 (L) and Juggan kazim wearing a Nida Azwer ensemble (R)— Publicity Photo |
Salima Feerasta is a freelance journalist and the creative force behind style blog karachista.com. Follow her on Twitter @karachista
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Comments (86) Closed
Jan 27, 2015 03:51pm
Indians seem to be copying a lot of Pakistani stuff
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Jan 27, 2015 03:55pm
@Pakistani well said.
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Jan 27, 2015 03:59pm
@Abdul Kadir Delusional !!!
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Jan 27, 2015 04:03pm
I don't like indian fashion much except for Sabyaschhii and Manish Malhotra's designs. Our dresses are more beautiful and trendy
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Jan 27, 2015 04:04pm
The title of this article stated a question. The answer is a Big N-O (non, niet, whatever). People like Soha (with all due respect to her and her family) barely represent a finger-nail of what Indian brides (as a whole) come up with. To most otherwise uninformed people, all this will seem like a wedding straight out of a place like Pakistan, not India. Little wonder such an article is appearing in this publication...
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Jan 27, 2015 04:09pm
All these outfits look very gaudy to me. I think these outfits would look better in an Bollywood movies rather than a real marriage. The are lacking in subtlety and taste.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:14pm
It is not the Dress that is ONLY important but the personality and fame of the person.
Even a simple or not so good dress becomes OK for such people.
The ones clad in better dresses are hardly known Or get any coverage in media and so it doesn't make much difference.
Hope you get the logic.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:24pm
@Sh Dear, not only your dresses are beautiful your people are also very beautiful. India does attract a lot of beautiful people and that is our strength. Your movies are also very good, I have seem Bol and what an impression it left on me. Though I am Indian but I admire a lot of things Pakistani, except the hatred and jealousy that a lot them have for Hindus and India. We are not object of hatred so please come over and see a liberal and vibrating India. We have Taj on the banks of Yamuna a really divine sight.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:25pm
Yes, no doubt our dresses are reasonably priced and well designed. Indian Ladies in Europe and America prefer Pakistani outfits.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:30pm
@Pakistani Yes some parts of Pakistani fashion specially the one for ladies are very popular in India. I am an Indian and I buy lot of Pakistani dresses for my wife. Thoda aap copy karo thoda hum karein !
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Jan 27, 2015 04:32pm
You do know that taste is subjective right?
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Jan 27, 2015 04:34pm
@Sh - I am an Indian from Bombay and I agree with you wholeheartedly. This is one area in which Pakistan is way ahead of India.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:49pm
I like soha ali khan a lot , she is graceful and never looks cheap
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Jan 27, 2015 04:55pm
@aryan
They are always delusional. I just read a comment on one of the Obama visit-related stories that Pakistan's economy is on par with India's.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:56pm
@Dinesh Singh - 'Vibrating' you say, Mr Singh? That would be quite jarring for a visitor. 'Vibrant' would be a pleasant experience.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:57pm
Fashion is a personal choice. The Indian Designers named in the article are very big names with fans and customers all around the world. They do not need a certificate from anyone. To say somebody might look better in Pakistani Designers' clothes sounds like a case of Sour Grapes... :)
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Jan 27, 2015 05:04pm
Only in Pakistan this will make news. Dawn has an article comparing Indian and Pakistani bridal wear. Not just that, according to the author, every outfit could have been better had it been designed by a Pakistani designer. Very immature.
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Jan 27, 2015 05:06pm
If our designs are so bad, I wonder why our designers' works are worn by international celebrities.
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Jan 27, 2015 05:08pm
And you think one wedding represents the diverse weddings that take place in India?? Kindly check out Marwari, Gujrati, Maharashtrian, Rajasthani, Bengali, Tamil brides to name a few..
PS: You know clothing choices are subjective, right?? :)
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Jan 27, 2015 05:09pm
@Pakistani Can't say they are. One is we have very little exposure to fashion trends in Pakistan. This piece is the first one I have gone thru' and I am surprised to learn that you have so many options. Also In India bridal fashion changes from community to community and from region to region. What's hip in Punjab may not be popular say in Gujarat or Maharashtra. South India is totally different from anything you get to see anywhere else
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Jan 27, 2015 05:30pm
Copying is not such a bad thing. It might be a sign of openness. No prejudices. Let the thousands flowers bloom
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Jan 27, 2015 05:38pm
@MT lol, well said
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Jan 27, 2015 06:34pm
I'm an indian and I believe pakistan have better sense of style and dressing than Indians other than North Indians, Pakistanis do have an urge of fashion where as in India love Pakistani dresses especially ladies
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Jan 27, 2015 06:41pm
Well apart from views about Indians Generally in UAE I have seen hundred of Indian ladies buying Pakistani stuff and staring our dress when we cross them ( Its my personal observation and my friends. )
I am just in love with Long shirts which is popular in Indian women here in GCC ....
PAKISTAN ROCKS.
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Jan 27, 2015 07:06pm
Beautiful photos thanks Dawn
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Jan 27, 2015 07:08pm
@Pakistani Your fashion. Really mate.
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Jan 27, 2015 07:24pm
thanks for showing other trends but ppl like soha ali khan or konkana sen sharma r ppl with "simple living and high thinking"... though Soha is the princess of pataudi...but all three (saif, soha and saba) never choose to live that life...I am proud that such ppl r role models of many indians...
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Jan 27, 2015 08:03pm
I'm surprised that Soha didn't wear anything vintage or traditional from her family - from either the Princely state of Bhopal or Pataudi. Her modern bridal selections were truly ordinary. Good article!
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Jan 27, 2015 08:05pm
@aryan Reality :)
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Jan 27, 2015 08:17pm
Um ok, this makes no sense whatsoever. Why is Soha Ali Khan's wedding being used for comparison? She is neither a designer nor a main stream actor.
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Jan 27, 2015 08:26pm
Really Ms Salima Feerasta? Imran and Reham Khan's outfits were nothing close to what this article implies either. Not everyone in India likes heavy work on their outfits or likes to spend a ton on designers. Fashion is about someone's individuality. Soha and Khemu do not represent all of India or its fashion industry, so please lets compare apples to apples and not oranges.
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Jan 27, 2015 08:27pm
I am sure the author knows that pink is gulabi in Urdu. What does then 'gulabi pink' mean? If you want to write rose pinlk, you write rose pink.Gulabi already has a definition.
Its like 'chai tea' in the West.
But do we always have to ape the nonsensical side of the West?
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Jan 27, 2015 08:53pm
@Pakistani How u know or is it the other way,Please elaborate
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Jan 27, 2015 08:57pm
@AliPasha(USA) No,why should he convert when he is happy to be a Hindu,even Nargis married Sunil Dutt,Madhubala married Kishore Kumar.
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Jan 27, 2015 09:03pm
This is one area where I as an Indian do not mind being in stone age.
My interest, zeal and energy is in raising the living standard of Indians.
Again my interest is not in being better than any other nation but simply better than we are on a continues basis.
No interest in one upmanship..
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Jan 27, 2015 09:05pm
Jodi salamat rahe .. Happy married life ..
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Jan 27, 2015 09:08pm
Vanity at its best
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Jan 27, 2015 09:17pm
Imran and Reham made a better couple
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Jan 27, 2015 09:26pm
Hmm.. This shows pakistan is so much obsessed with india. Indian media would never have compared any pakistani celebrity's bridal attire with that of its own designers. they don't even know or think of any of your celebrities but you guys do. But you know what's the height of hypocrisy? You guys compare, judge, declare winners just by yourselves and stay happy in that bubble. Indians love their tradition and your current tradition is indian too. Whether you accept it or deny. You all are ex indians and have indian heritage only. And where ever an indian lives he never de-roots himself from his tradition. So don't proud wothout a reason that indians would copy ex indians. An Indian will always be an Indian and they are proud of it. That's why they are so succesful.
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Jan 27, 2015 09:33pm
They are wearing MADE IN INDIA. Whatever you are just be patriotic.
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Jan 27, 2015 09:49pm
@Pakistani For your kind information..Pakistan was formed in 1947. Before that it was Bharat
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Jan 27, 2015 09:53pm
Though I dont understand Fashion, I feel the Fashion is quite same across the Border(From the eye of a Lay man)....
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Jan 27, 2015 09:54pm
To be honest, all the pakistani outfits look awfully gaudy and have no class. Secondly, I dont understand the point of this article - her wedding, her wish? What is the point of comparing indian designers versus pakistani designers through someone's personal life event?
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Jan 27, 2015 10:16pm
There wasn't a single piece in any Indian newspapers on how 'Indian designers could have done a tad better job' when your Meeras, Veenas, Reshmas etc etc got married and if you guys think that Pakistani designers are 'tad bit better' then compete with Roberto cavalli, Versace, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger of the world- rest assured I wish you good luck. But here it was a Indian wedding involving Indians and I didn't see any 'Pakistaniat' in it, So was this comparison was really essential?
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Jan 27, 2015 10:55pm
It was a wedding, not a bridal show! Great to see these talented actors and actresses looking like normal human beings - a neighbor, a cousin or a friend.
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Jan 27, 2015 11:33pm
@AliPasha(USA) What a mentality.... FYI - No
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Jan 27, 2015 11:44pm
@Fawad Gilani who are imran and reham?
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Jan 28, 2015 12:54am
Are you serious With this article? Weddings are personal choices. Now you will compare your entire fashion industry with one person's wedding and convince yourself that you are better? Funny how you have used ramp shows to showcase pakistani fashion and a regular function to showcase indian fashion. I agree that some pakistani designs are better but most of the times they lack finnesse. This is specially true for western designs. Just because you got few good designs from several fashion shows does not represent your entire industry.
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Jan 28, 2015 01:23am
@Different Thinker Pakistan is a progressive country has a lot of potential
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Jan 28, 2015 01:39am
@Yogesh because international celebrities havent seen whats available across the border.
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Jan 28, 2015 02:02am
@Different Thinker This is not a classroom. The message was conveyed alright. Many of us can pick up mistakes like those but we don't because this place is a more important function.
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Jan 28, 2015 02:08am
Its not fair to compare dresses worn by Indian guests at a wedding with those worn by models at Pakistani fashion shows. If you want apt comparison, compare your models with Indian models at fashion shows.
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Jan 28, 2015 02:09am
Pakistani are now well ahead in fashion industry. our designs are innovative in terms of work color and cuts and appropriate to the occasion while Indian motives are mostly cheap and bold which normally doesn't needs attention.
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Jan 28, 2015 02:09am
Wow and you haven't even put up pics of dr Haroon and bunto!
Those are works of art.
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Jan 28, 2015 02:42am
who cares... there are other problems beside this....
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Jan 28, 2015 04:01am
Why do the Indians at my Work in NY look so different than these Indians?
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Jan 28, 2015 05:18am
The dresses shown from PAKISTAN are stunning!
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Jan 28, 2015 05:20am
@Pakistani :- No need to copy.We are one people.Dresses ,designs,Language,culture is the same.The boundaries are artificial.
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Jan 28, 2015 05:24am
Wish there were no boundaries.Indians could come to Lahore and Karachi,enjoy lot of good food,do a lot of shopping and return.
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Jan 28, 2015 06:17am
@bezubaan "thanks for showing other trends but ppl like soha ali khan or konkana sen sharma r ppl with "simple living and high thinking"... though Soha is the princess of pataudi...but all three (saif, soha and saba) never choose to live that life...I am proud that such ppl r role models of many indians..."
And this is reflected in their outfits. Wedding clothes can be flashy and showy, but they kept it understated and elegant. Good for them. Especially love Sharmila's sari - fitting as a Bengali mother of the bride, simple yet special.
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Jan 28, 2015 06:19am
@sam "This is one area where I as an Indian do not mind being in stone age. My interest, zeal and energy is in raising the living standard of Indians. Again my interest is not in being better than any other nation but simply better than we are on a continues basis. No interest in one upmanship.."
agree...especially fashion...so superficial.
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Jan 28, 2015 06:39am
@aamed hmm wonder why, what do they associate Pakistan with?
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Jan 28, 2015 06:42am
@Mehr Most of the Pakistani women I see in the Middle East wear burkas so cannot comment
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Jan 28, 2015 07:46am
@AliPasha(USA) Why do you want to bring religion into this? Do you do same in USA?
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Jan 28, 2015 07:46am
@Gul do all the americans at your office look like brad pitt and angeline jolie?
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Jan 28, 2015 08:29am
Considering this as an article on fashion, a subject that most subcontinent males do not understand, this a very well written piece. I know since my wife agrees with it. We Indians appericiate the good in others.
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Jan 28, 2015 09:31am
Pakistanis seem to be copying a lot of Indian stuff
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Jan 28, 2015 09:58am
It was their wedding and their choice. Whats the big deal. It's about what they loke to wear on their wedding, not what others would like them to wear.
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Jan 28, 2015 10:08am
Those who are saying that this single wedding does not represent indian bridal fashion, we know what Kareena wore on her wedding, then Sania Mirza, Karishma Kapoor, even Ashwarya Rai, really they wore shockingly weird bridal dresses. They are well known celebrities and can afford any good designer. Its just the taste across the boarder, that is different than ours. Where I work, I have many Indian colleagues and they all same stuff on their weddings.
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Jan 28, 2015 11:17am
yes agreed , the pakistani outfits definitely seem trendier,have to agree with this article.
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Jan 28, 2015 11:28am
Lol too much of exaggaration on Pakistani fashion. gimme a break
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Jan 28, 2015 02:29pm
lovely .... so many beautiful :)
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Jan 28, 2015 03:21pm
@Mrs. Khan & I work with many Pakistani women who wear burkha, so can I genralise ?
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Jan 28, 2015 03:22pm
i don't know why media reports him as khemu when he is actually kemmu/even in his twitter kunal uses kemmu/he is grandson of famous kashmiri dramatist moti lal kemmu
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Jan 28, 2015 04:58pm
@babu.
Sharmila is wearing an Assamese mekhela, which is a two piece ensemble, not a sari. Her mother is Assamese, Ira Baruah, daughter of a famous Assamese writer Jnanabhiram Baruah. Her father is a Bengali Brahmo, a Tagore.
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Jan 28, 2015 07:58pm
not being anti--Indian but Indian fashion follows the same style that's CHOLI & LANGHA
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Jan 28, 2015 08:33pm
@Mrs. Khan
it is mostly because weddings in india are more about tradition than fashion. Average indian like me don't know fashion. and i doubt if people in india even remember what kareena wore on her wedding. sania mirza wore her mother's saree. Comparing weddings to fashion industry is like me comparing sanam baloch's wedding to entire indian fashion industry taking her wedding as a representation of pakistani fashion. Weddings are personal choices. Fashion shows show creativity.
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Jan 28, 2015 10:12pm
good professionals inspire and compete with each other. Both India & Pakistani professionals do the same. There no nationality or patriotism issue in this. The author has simply tried to compare nd contrast using the event as an example. So don't go ape wherever you live.
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Jan 29, 2015 07:26am
@Rajiv Baruah "Sharmila is wearing an Assamese mekhela, which is a two piece ensemble, not a sari. Her mother is Assamese, Ira Baruah, daughter of a famous Assamese writer Jnanabhiram Baruah. Her father is a Bengali Brahmo, a Tagore."
Thank you, I didn't realize it was a mekhla....so beautiful! Sharmila represents the best of Assamese and Bengali heritage.....one of the most beautiful and elegant women ever, not to mention the pedigree of good breeding which she continued in her children through marriage to Pataudi. Her children despite their wealth and visibility seem to be quite down to earth. Khemu seems to be a good sort too, for Soha to chose him over anyone else she could have picked.
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Jan 29, 2015 07:51am
@Mrs. Khan ..the celebrities you mentioned were just brides at their weddings and they dressed up as brides as per their regional culture, like aishwarya rai had to wear what a typical mangalore bride wouldwear, and Sania Mirza wore her mothers outfit which had some sentimental value,..now you don't expect an outfit which evolved some centuries back, in case of aishwarya to look like what a model on a ramp show would wear or sania's outfit which is from the 70s to look like a designer outfit of the 2000s...just grow up, in a wedding any girl would want look like a typical bride not as a ramp show model
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Jan 29, 2015 09:43am
I can't critique men fashion, let alone women. I live in the US and I have seen the Rajasthani Kurti and ghaghara being sold at top notch boutiques here for exorbitant price. The women here love the simple patterns and the light material. Come summer a large crowd of women are willing to shell out upwards of $140 for these kurtis and ghaghra.
Good fashion should always be exported and made some money from. The best part of the west is that they do not judge and are more than willing to take the good aspects of all cultures from all over the world.
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Jan 29, 2015 10:02am
@Weird compare apples to apples. Burqa is not wedding dress. its a symbol of respect for a woman. so its okay if u want to generalize that all Pakistani women are modestly covered ;-)
( I wish though)
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Jan 29, 2015 05:51pm
@Chanakya rightly said
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Jan 29, 2015 06:33pm
I'm amazed at the popularity of Dawn among Indians readers as on average there are not many articles from dawn that go by without Indians commenting..
Well done Dawn...
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Jan 31, 2015 07:06am
All I can say is Pakistanis and Indians have the same heritage and culture and for either side to claim superiority in haute couture is rather shallow an endeavor. A kurta, choli or lehnga will remain exactly what it is despite the bells and whistles added to it, which might appeal to some and not so much to others. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty and aesthetics are subjective and are different things to different people.
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Feb 02, 2015 09:48am
@Cm I agree and even our typical bride look is far more beautiful. but as I said its just about taste. India taste in fashion or traditional fashion is still very backward.
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