Pakistan made salwar suits turning best sellers in Kolkata

Political relations between India and Pakistan may be suffering some serious jolts but where economic cooperation and investment between them is concerned, it continues to grow, especially in Kolkata.

Displaying a variety of Pakistani ethnic wear collections at 'Khoobsoorat', a lifestyle exhibition organized exclusively for women at Ice Skating Rink, the Shobazz Pakistani boutique has an astounding assortment of sophisticated clothing that is mainly known for its 'four stitches'. Housing a variety of rich ethnic wear, the Pakistani collection is known for its unique designs and attractive patterns.

"The clothes on display are manufactured in Lahore in Pakistan. The stitching differs widely. While people in India resort to a single stitch, people in Pakistan opt for four stitches. I enjoy designing both apparel and jewellery," says Maria, the owner.

Different types of designer materials are used in their manufacture, including fancy threads, stones and other decorative items. The range has a traditional element and imparts beauty and charm to the wearer. The collection is not only imported to Kolkata from Lahore, but also Kashmir and United Kingdom.

"The stall has some of the prettiest ethnic wear designed for its customers. I have purchased two sets of suits, one for myself and one for my daughter. I am glad that I attended the exhibition," says Reema Choudhury, a homemaker.

"Indians are treated pretty well in Pakistan. It is necessary for the two countries to share good relations since it is us who often face the brunt of their political issues", Maria adds.

In addition to the elegant varieties of suits, the exhibition also boosts of a large diversity of traditional and bridal wear for women. Sarees for party wear and various occasions along with popular lines of lehengas are also the eye catchers at the show. Embroidered designs with dazzling sequence and zari make the outfits stunning and exclusive.

"Handwork is our specialty. I have been in this field for the last four years and my collection is entirely handmade and is pure shimmer. We provide designer blouses to the sarees. We tend to use pure materials and only deal with sarees, lehengas and gowns," says Annapurna from Shimmer Fashion.

Roopa Chatterjee, another designer, says, "My saree collections are hand loomed. We specialize in cotton, synthetic, silk and contemporary Bengali sarees. Ranging from Rs. 550 to Rs. 4,500, we have something to offer customers from all classes."

If cultural wear was not enough, to beat the hot season, designer Rajni Beriwala's collection at Upraina consists of some modern and elegant cotton wear that portrays a great sense of style.

"I have a passion for designing. I usually make single pieces. I prefer cottons but to suit the modern requirements, I do georgettes also. I do not opt for very fancy cuts but go for the modern cuts; I love doing them the traditional way. I also design palazzos which are very comfortable during the summers," she says.

An array of highly stylised Indo-western collection is also something that the exhibition has to offer. With a sophisticated collection of cool western clothing, Erano allows for sufficient browsing of the latest collections of the time.

"We have Indo-western apparel and fashion accessories in store for the youngsters and adults. Being a fashion student myself, I have designed some of the apparel myself; the remaining has been imported," says Erum, the stall's owner.

Also on board are an exquisite collection of eye-catching accessories. It is difficult for one to miss the fun pieces like small wooden rings and funky acrylic necklaces, clutches, semi-precious stones that some of the stalls have to offer.

"There are cuffs and body chains, neck pieces and Egyptian stones. The stones are imported from Korea, Bangkok and China. Some of the accessories have been imported from Turkey," she adds.

Not only these, but one would also come across a variety of exquisite jewellery and with each creation being nearly a masterpiece, one may find itself being tempted and lured by just everything in sight.

"My entire collection is gold plated. I make them and design them on my own. I have been designing jewellery since the last 13 years. The collection draws inspiration from tradition as well as modern influence and sometimes even fuses two styles into rare pieces of the designer's art," says Geeta Sharma, a designer.

If clothing and accessories were not enough for a woman to carry herself well, clutches and bags are the perfect addition to any sophisticated occasion, to help her look her best and get noticed. 'Abundance' provides an exclusive collection of hand woven leather bags and clutches to suit the women's style.

"My bags are seamless and are made of pure leather. The most challenging task of manufacturing these leather bags is the time and cost ratio. I require more than a day to complete weaving and producing one bag. Since they are to be made seamless, the work requires a lot of time and effort to ensure that the outcome is as what I had expected. Being very particular about every detail, I ensure that my product turns out to be perfect," says Tripta, a budding entrepreneur.

Moreover, 'Abundance' also offers an exquisite collection of leather earrings to match the female cultural fashion. The young entrepreneur says that she is always looking forward to create a look that is alluring, yet tasteful and sophisticated.

"This exhibition has some very good ethnic collection. I found some necklaces to be really attractive. I usually wear simple jewellery," says Alexandria, who is from Scotland and is on a visit to India.

"This display is a good platform for youngsters to showcase their talent and built a customer-seller relationship," says Shalini Mantri, a homemaker.

Organized by 'The Xplorers', an event management company, 'Khoobsurat' is an exclusive three day exhibition on women fashion and lifestyle which aims at providing a colourful and vibrant experience to its customers to make their summer more exciting.