Fashion will save Pakistan from terrorism n’ stuff
Fashion - is a fight against the forces that aim to destroy the country.
Fashion is not just what you wear. Sometimes, it’s a statement; sometimes, it’s a call to action. But in Pakistan, fashion is resilience - an ‘in your face’ to the forces that aim to destroy the country.
Pakistani fashion is fast evolving into the counter-narrative that will put this nation on the fast-track to progress.
Don’t believe me?
Below is a selection of just a few of the ground breaking, era-defining, nation-building and instantly wearable designs that are fast eroding the cultural malaise we are experiencing.
Behold!
Design sense: Po-mo (post modern vs postmodernism) trash bag chique
Inspiration: Neon signs, California beaches, trash bags.
The ideal dress for the upcoming summer, given the rise in, load-shedding, this is a must wear for those who want to say:
My zip doesn’t work, but who cares! It’s summer time!
Design sense: Tribal badlands meet Egyptian slave love
Inspiration: Sindhi Ajraks, nudity, pyjama parties.
In this day and age, who doesn’t need a slave accessory?
Get a slave, draped in your choice of traditional, rural designs – guilt-free fun steeped in ancient culture is a must for the modern woman, and an excellent conversation starter at kitty parties.
Design sense: Reckless Sponge-bob classic vamp
Inspiration: Death, vampires, Alice in Wonderland, mutilated SpongeBob.
Its cross-cultural, laden with pop sensibilities ‘and’ refers to at least two lovable fictional characters.
Nothing says “I’m wounded inside, approach me if you dare” quite like this formal ensemble.
Design sense: None
Inspiration: Saudi Arabia, dungeons, bondage and bags.
This casual look is perfect for daily shopping trips out into the big bad world of Zamzama’s streets. Also works as an excellent cover for ugly noses.
Design sense: Funeral chique meets hell’s angels
Inspiration: Paper-bag-over-head, black, death, sex, post-mortem ecstasy.
Funeral-wear this season has been completely revamped to combine a classic look with the aesthetic charm of riding your Harley Davidson into the sunset. Perfect for the woman who dares to say,
Why can’t death be a fashion statement?
Design sense: CPLC inspired boho Sufi
Inspiration: Motorbikes, paranoia, struggling artist, safety first, mental institutions.
Are you part Sufi, part hipster and ‘really’ concerned with safety on the road?
This trendy get-up is just what the psychia… doctor ordered; ideal for long drives, drive-bys and garden parties featuring performances by Club Caramel.
Design sense: ‘Papa kehtain hain’ denial and deliverance
Inspiration: Lyari gang wars, mechanics, suhaag-raat (wedding night) emasculation, Nomi Ansari, terrorism.
There is far too much testosterone driven madness in Pakistan – and this is fashion’s bold step to counter this dangerous trend.
Ladies, get your men into this ensemble to save Pakistan from destabilisation, terrorism and to aid in the Pak-India peace process.
This is key.
Photographs by: FAISAL FAROOQUI @ DRAGONFLY, ATHAR KHAN, NEFER SEHGAL, AYESHA MIR
Read more by Nadya here.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
okay thats a very good fairy tale.Recommend
So homophobia is not limited to our male population,females are as homophobic and bigoted as anyone else. Snide homophobic comments and remarks are socially acceptable as long as women are doing it.Recommend
@Author,
But who is going to save Fashion from JI :) :) :)Recommend
Please Invite Taliban too to the Fashion shows for selecting best Dresses + best Models …Recommend
no sane Pakistani will wear these dresses >.>
the Pakistani fashion should be according to Pakistani culture not western.Recommend
The author’s naivety is appalling to say the least. Mutilating cultural symbols such as Sindhi Ajraks is extremely offensive. The only thing I can take from this article is that the author believes the less clothes Pakistanis wear the likelier we are to get rid of terrorism. Mind you, it is in fact this in your face attitude of our country’s liberal elite that has caused religious extremists to justify their actions. You want to be nude, please do so within the confines of your home, going out in public dressed like this sends out the wrong message to the poverty stricken families and their extremely impressionable children who look up to their more privileged counterparts. Even I wouldn’t want my children to be exposed to such indecency, I can only imagine what the poor, culturally conservative parents would have to go through.
I am not against fashion or modernity, but there should be limits to everything. We live in the conservative East where most people cherish their culture rather than being self-haters. We need to respect the values and culture of the masses rather than throwing our confused ideals in their faces to annoy and offend them. The threshold of modesty is different for the East than the West , you can go around in bikinis in California as much as you like but in Karachi, I’m sorry, but it should not happen. We are far behind western standards of modernity and development and what needs to change first is the education, healthcare, infrastructure, extremism, sectarian violence, etc. Not our fashion sense.
First aspire to reach western standards of development then you may think about becoming western fashion wannabes. I’m disappointed with Express Tribune for publishing such hogwash. Just goes to show the publishers standards. You really need to step it up and help bring change where it really counts given the extraordinary platform available to you rather than wasting space with such nonsense.Recommend
for the love of god can someone please, please, please explain me the point of this blog?? even Nadeem f Paracha wouldnt have thought of this for fighting the mullahs….Recommend
@The name of the game:
cannot agree more.Recommend
Correct title of blog should be, NUDITY WILL LEAD TO more disturbance in Pakistani society. As a citizen of Pakistan, I don’t want NUDITY in the society, now call me Terrorist :).Recommend
Oh God. The comments above mine prove that Pakistanis don’t get what satire is at all.Recommend
:) This blog seems to be against vulgarity :) the way she had written it.Recommend
@omer:
Ever heard of the term ‘Sarcasm’? No? look it up, it will come in handy…Recommend
are you sure they are “instantly wearable” ?Recommend
@Shariq
If people tell you that your article is neither funny, pointed, nor particularly good, tell them it is satire. Come up with what it satirizes later. (If you’re stumped, try, “insensitivity and bias in the media.” That one usually works.)
from the article, how not to write satire
link
http://articles.marco.org/231Recommend
Who knows if they are instantly wearable, but boy they sure are instantly drop-ableRecommend
Please don’t confuse fashion with being an ‘in your face’ statement. making it the most resilient force we have???
people in the fashion industry are those who dont give a damn what happens in the world.
having drinking parties during Ramadan, and you want to call that what???
are you serious?
Analyse the situaiton as it is my friend, we are a bi-polar extreme society.
We have left no ground to remain somewhere in the middle.
Either you support fashion or you don’t, either you are religious or you are not?
Our industry of fashion has yet to evolve further to achieve it’s full potential, one which will have wide-spread long lasting positive effects. I hope that day comes early because this industry is growing but still in it’s juvenile stagesRecommend
You made me happy and sad both right after another, Happy because we are finally promoting fashion in Pakistan and sad on what we are actually promoting i.e. NUDITY? NO CLASS? NO TASTE? COPY PASTE? INFERIORITY COMPLEX?
Being a Fashion Marketing student, I believe these people are RAPING this industry by producing awful designs, the designers need a reality check, they think they are participating in LFW, or PFW, but its Pakistan baby.. its Pakistan. The normal people don’t accept this, not even fashion critics would accept this. Making models walk in almost nude clothes would eventually let these designers hit ELLE magazine’s little corner of praise is FALSE DREAM never come true.
If you want to be a fashioner BE REAL BE ORIGINAL.Recommend
Jaw dropped….no words for the last photo…….Recommend
So you are going to dress up terrorists with these pretty costumes, Is not it a naive thinking…but thinking against thinking i really like the idea behind!! Bravo!!Recommend
I had been praising the wit and sarcasm of the author,but really,all those comments above made me question for a second,whether I was on the right track! Great piece of writing!Recommend
@Jawad:each and every word of this article screams that its sarcasm,satire!Recommend
I am hoping this is the first of many write ups on our fashion industry. The extent to which i can write about it all is beyond stating so I’ll just relax knowing that not everyone is being pulled under the sheets of western culture and the need to be MORE MODERN as in “SHOW MORE SKIN AND NUDITY”. Its enraging how people can disrespect religion, culture, shame and basic propriety when being “Creative” !
I’d like to look away and be happy that Humsafar was loved because of Khriat :)
Those who get what I mean I’m happy ^-^
Those who don’t, reflect.
There may still be a chance we can revive the dying soul of our PAK countryRecommend
hilarious! love the titleRecommend
you failed at satire but the people who commented thinking you promote nudity.fail at life.Recommend
What a lame article – Maybe the author needs to get out of her air conditioned bedroom and visit the real pakistan where 90% people are unaware of such fashion shows and over rated designers. 1% corrupt elite does not represent pakistan, its the other 99% which does.Recommend
@sss: lol are you writer’s friend?Recommend
After reading this article i reckon that Pakistan’s protection should be two fold. One from Taliban and other from our Fashion Industry.
Also the main heading is Fashion will save Pakistan from terrorism n’ stuff. As far as the terrorism is concerned it is comprehensible but what is meant by Stuff?. Could someone explain?.Recommend
Hilarious…you are a gifted writer…however, I think the message hidden in your sarcasm might not have been understood by many…we Pakistanis have started to lose our sense of humor…Recommend
wait a second! wait a second! ET blogs actually took something against fashion? now thats a very good fairy tale.Recommend
B*L ST post by this blogRecommend
its interesting to see how a layman sees these fashion shows – especially in a country high on paranoia. But anyway, a lame article by someone who doesn’t understand the purpose of fashion shows.Recommend
Nudity & obscenity never save any nation in the world, it is terrorism in its kind. Only sick mind can endorse it we are Muslim and believe that we are the creation of Allah and have to live by the rule of Allah, this nudity and obscenity is not the creation of modern age it is since stone ageRecommend
What the Hell… This all represents Paganism… Be aware…Recommend
chaa gayi thaa karkay!Recommend
Other than the title Fashion will save Pakistan from terrorism n’ stuff no other part of the article sounded satirical. The author failed miserably in connecting to her audience through her poor satirical skills. Knowing good English and being able to write long essays doesn’t make you a (good) satirist.Recommend
hell yeah this blody fashion that neither shows our culture nor our norms will bring peace to Pakistan, and i guess it more fashionable to wear less !!! i just wana ask all fashion designers here if any that doesn’t full proper Pakistani dress like shalwar kameez give you creepy creatures more room to design then that of wearing a red bra under yellow see through net ????????????????????????????????Recommend
Intersting!! O_o how could these half naked ladies will save Pakistan from terrorism?Recommend
Haha hilarious!
Ya Allah, please bestow upon my countrymen the sense of sarcasm. Ameen.Recommend
@ET admin please note that the comments have started becoming rude and trashy… please maintain the same decency for comments as was before…. otherwise respectable writers will not write for ET blogs due to indecent comments aimed at themselves and not actually critiquing the article.Recommend
Something called satire that no one understands here! Calm down people… OR maybe the satire is as alien as the fashion itself :pRecommend
What a terrible blog. Awful waste of time. Pointless stuff; fails at satire (if that was the aim), or any sort of humor, or any purpose altogether.Recommend
Even on a off day, Nadya V comes up with stuff that makes you sratch your head and say……………what the ???Recommend
You smoke weed IN a bong. The bong does not get consumed, only the weed gets consumed. Tsk tsk, kids these daysRecommend
@Shariq couldn’t agree more =}Recommend
Most of the commenters here are complete retards. The article is being sarcastic, it might not be the greatest attempt at it. But most of the comments prove why having a sane conversation with most Pakistanis is what will drive you insane. They don’t get it, but love to have an opinion. Like wanting to shoot yourself in the head.
And I’m sure some braniac will take a pick at the shoot yourself in the head line. Not guaranteeing it, but betting on it. If so, my friend you are the predictable. And probably just as nuts as the other commenters.Recommend
so when the taliban comes with ak47 ur gonna wear this po-mo dress or the one by nomi ansari loll ???????Recommend
The blog should have been titled “(Soft) porn will save Pakistan from terrorism”…!!!Recommend
By designing “see through” dresses for men and women, I think the designers are doing a favor for our nation because this will refrain the suicide bombers from wearing jackets underneath…!!! I think this is how the author thinks that fashion will save Pakistan from terrorism…!!!Recommend
This is so hilarious. Keep on writing and ignore the above discouraging commentsRecommend
LOL
loved it!Recommend
How many of these models are educated ? Did they even pass their high schools ? How are we going to get develop with this Fashion Industry ? Education should always come first.
YasirRecommend
This is why creativity is not prevalent in Pakistan. When people decide to express their desire to create something artistic, it is shunned because it deviates from the norm. These particular styles may be hideous to say the least but the concept behind them is important. The statement made by fashion like this is that the creative mind will not succumb to extreme conservatism. I personally don’t like these styles but I admire the perseverance of any individual who is willing to fearlessly express their imagination in their work.Recommend
@Sorry, @Aloof, @Anna, @Falcon, @SSS,
Kindly first read how not to write satire. http://articles.marco.org/231
Again and again, people come up with bad satire and in comments force people to accept that it is a satire, honestly this is a bad habit and mentioned everywhere discussing in how not to write satire.
Whenever the failed satire friends tell the readers that you are fool and have no sense of humour, it reminds me of the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent.
Who ever object the bad written satire is also stupid or incompetent and have no sense of humour.Recommend
where are cloths..?????Recommend
@Saad:
Is creativity only limited to fashion industry.
I hope, thomoas edison, michelangelo and many others , will also be creative in your thinking. If yes, then hopefully, you must have heard about Dr Salam, Dr Kadeer, Dr Saif, Dr Attaur rehman, Dr Shoab etc They are also creative still remaining in Pakistan. Honestly they have valuable creativity than the creativity like the above.Recommend
Shabaash author … Imaginative and innovative …. delivers the punch needed …. ALAS very few understood the sarcasm …Recommend
people here is fashion industry need to understand meaning of fashion and that is not westernizationRecommend
Hajraat!
Hamare humsaya mulk ke dekha dekhi mein,
hamari khawateen ke bhi kapdey,
dikhaa zyaada rahein hain,
aur dhak rahein hain kam!
Tauba! Tauba!
.
English:
Gentlemen!
In the emulation of our neighbour,
our ladies’ wardrobe,
conceals little, and reveals all!
Good lord!Recommend
the blog is against fashion which is increasing day by day and we are going away from our culture and most importantly we are forgetting that we are MUSLIMS.. nice blog :)Recommend
@Baba Ji,
i think you are also one of the “darzi”, who made the high quality fashionable dress for the king in the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, which was unable to be seen by the ordinary people. So the ordinary people thought that the king was Naked but you are able to see because you are not ordinary.Recommend
nice article….the way it is written is also very good cuz initially i was thiking what the hell is this and then you just understand it…Recommend
May be writer is taunting to fashion industry :pRecommend
@omer: NFP is a writer par excellence. Not that I agree to his viewpoints essentially, but his write-ups are intriguing and humorous. Please, do not compare him to an amateur writer.Recommend
Have never really liked any of Nadya V’s other blogs, but I love this one. Great point, great humour. Really hit the nail on the head!Recommend
Typical Nadia piece. Thumbs upRecommend
I lol’dRecommend
Only Lady Gaga would buy such clothes. :PRecommend
Can’t stop laughing. Fashion can save this country. Way to be stupidRecommend
Hilarious!Recommend
It’s amazing how many people missed that this was a sarcastic post. I thought this was brilliantly done, and the satire was almost immediately identifiable. You came across as sassy without being bitchy, which is a tough balancing act. Also, couldn’t agree more with your latent criticism of the Ivory Tower appropriation of fashion as some sort of a silver bullet against extremism, especially when the largely elite audience of these fashion shows has little in common with the majority of Pakistanis.Recommend
ROFL… fantastic fantasy.Recommend
@Reluctant Fundamentalist:
nice selection of words..!! :D
so is this fashion stuff not a kind of cultural terrorism??? who will save us from this?Recommend
If its Sarcasm…..then I will say there is fine line between sarcasm and ridicule. when one go through the above comments…he/she must think that she s just behind his goal of writing this piece.Recommend
If that’s fashion, I prefer “Terrorism ‘n stuff”Recommend
So the gist of this article, as per my meager understanding, is that exhibitionism and nudism will save the country/nation?Recommend
why are you promoting nudism in Pakistan?Recommend