MENS SHALWAR KURTA

I like wearing Shalwar Kurta, the reason being they are really comfortable, in summers the cotton ones keeps you cool and the biggest of them is that they can hide the fact that you have been skipping gym for the last six months This last fact comes with a fine print, that is if your waist line is between 30-35 inches, then it’s cool, however if it is over 35 then it’s dangerous as that can potentially book you a trip to the cardiac ward of your local hospital.

Anyway, since I’ve been buying readymade shalwar kurtas for quite some time now, I thought I’d rate my top three favourite brands here.

Thredz:
Number 1 spot goes to Thredz. They have a great collection of Kurtas whether you want simple striped ones or the ones that are heavily embroidered and anything in between. The range of fabric plus a collection that is updated regularly makes this my top pick when it comes to buying ready made kurtas. However, they have some points that go against them, but they are more than made up because of the huge collection and the friendly staff that they employee.

First of all, they are the most expensive of all the brands listed here, the plain stripped kurtas without the embroidery are in the range of Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,200 depending on the fabric. Secondly, their size patterns are different from the rest. This means that if this is your first time, make sure that you try before you buy because the large that you buy elsewhere might be a medium here.

Cotton & Silk:
Located at Zamzama, they only have one outlet in Karachi. They are the place to go if you are looking for elegant Shalwar Kurtas instead of the flashy, colorful ones. They don’t get new designs that often, so you can’t make this the only place you buy shalwar kurtas from if you wear them regularly but the ones they do can be used on formal occasions. The only thing they lack is the embroidered ones but then for the elegant not so flashy it is always good that the embroidery is missing in action.

Third place is a tie between Junaid Jamshed and Khaadi:
Khaadi used to be my number one spot for Kurtas. This was when they were focused on only menswear. Now that they have diversified into everything from women’s wear to home textiles, it looks like no one pays attention to the thing that got them famous, i.e., menswear. Now they are mostly rehashing the designs from the past and the quality of their fabric has gone down drastically. It’s a hit and miss as far as their fabric quality is concerned. Some of them will last while the others bleed to death in no time.

Junaid Jamshed’s designs are my least favorite ones, but to their credit they always have enough designs that I can find something to my liking. However the thing that I like about JJ is they are very price competitive, add to that their 10% discount membership card (15% if you have the gold card) and it’s hard to ignore them. Their kurtas start from Rs 1,300 – 1,400 and minus 10% from that and you really can’t beat that.

I don’t know how you go about getting the membership card, I was lucky to get one for free as they gave it away when they launched it at one of their lawn exhibition 2-3 years ago and my wife was there shopping (hmmmm in that case I beg to differ as it wasn’t free), it doesn’t expire so I am still using it.

A black kurta with a contrasting white shalwar is definitely a striking combination. Most suitable for evening wear, and for occasions that are semi-formal to formal.

Traditional Pakistani, Indian and Asian formal and fashion wear of Men Wear including Shalwar, Kameez, Kurta Pyjama, in various colors and designs for Men. Embroided traditional party wear in great styles are available.

The Indo-Pak Shalwar Kameez has a very significant place in the history of the textiles of the sub-continent and traces back to the Vedic times. Kameez Shalwar has emerged as comfortable, elegant and respectful apparel of the Indian & Pakistani wardrobe. Essentially a medieval garment the kameez salwar in its original form was brought into the country by the Muslim rulers, from the year 750 A.D. Salwar Kameez was brought into India during the Mogul era as a courtly garment from the central Asian invaders, and slowly became the popular garment of the people of the countryside with the spread of Islam. The men and women both wore different forms of what is today known as the kamiz shalwar.