Tis the season of color, variety, new trends, and shopping (lots of it)- but wait, doesn’t that hold true for women all year round? Yes, indeed. And why in the world should we expect men to understand our undying love for clothes. Not like we have many options, to begin with when it comes to culturally appropriate dressing that is not frowned upon. That’s also a worry we often tend to face with clothes. Sad but true. This is where the country’s most talked-about and much-loved apparel, “Lawn” comes into play. How can we NOT be obsessed? There’s so much to choose from, and a slip can often be ignored, it’s our money anyway. After all, summer is one season that we get to experience most of the year, and Lawn wear has to be the most summer-friendly apparel to opt for.

As a UAE based journalist, Sadiq Saleem rightly adds, “Lawn, in Pakistan, is your best bet for daily wear and that is why there is a great turnaround in that market considering the summer lasts the longest in our country and how one tends to rely heavily and invest more on Lawn.”

There isn’t just one color, design, or silhouette we are going after – there’s so much more that can be done with a simple piece of cloth that others (read men) would find insipid and hard to comprehend. That’s okay…my point here is not to explain but rather INFORM my fellow counterparts to accept that we are here for a purpose – one that is bigger than they could ever fathom. We dress for our own fulfillment and not to lap up praises. So what if our obsession with Lawn is beyond our control? Bear with us while we go from shop to shop, window to window, to find what’s best for us. We live for it and look forward to each year being better than the past.

“Pakistan enjoys or rather suffers a very long summer and so obviously, clothing styles reflect that. Lawn is a variation of voile and is pure cotton, breathable. In certain months it becomes impossible to wear anything BUT lawn. So it has a very practical purpose,” says Aamna Haider Isaani – (Fashion journalist and founder of Something Haute).

Lawn is for every mood and gives us a lot of room to experiment with. Within the fabric, there are many varieties to choose from – be it cambric, dobby, traditionally rich chunri, or denim-inspired fabric, Lawn comes in all forms.

“Lawn as a material is just amazing. People all over the world are avid fans of the fabric because it’s super cool and breezy. The market is following a monotonous trend of producing lawn with the bombardment of prints which doesn’t necessarily work but our biggest edge is the quality of the cloth. That sets us apart from the rest,” says Salman Naseer Ahmad – (Co-founder of the fashion brand Zamanay)

There’s no such thing as a fixed or old style. My love for shalwars is endless but does that make me old-fashioned? Obviously not. Who knows, my obsession with churidar reaches the same height in times to come.

For me, style and comfort go hand in hand, and Lawn alone does justice to that among other fabrics. It’s breathable and super soft and can be styled with a hint of modernity, given the refined palette of design and colors we have today. Be it exotic florals, miniature styled paisleys, stripes, geometric print, checkered or abstract – there’s so much of it that you’d want one of every print in your wardrobe. Considering Pakistan experiences deadly heat all year round, it’s hard not to acknowledge its importance in our culture, making it an everyday staple for women at large. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have the time to get into the nitty-gritty of getting your clothes stitched. Even Pret wear to the likes of A-list designers like Misha Lakhani, Saniya Maskatiya and Rizwan Beyg fit the bill if you’re looking for something modern yet contemporary with their sleek, A-line cuts.

Shahjehan Saleem (Fashion critic and writer at Diva Magazine) aptly puts it, “Lawn in Pakistan plays the role of national heritage as we have accepted this cloth as our own in so many ways. Like India has the fabric of Khaaki, we have Lawn, and it is as important,” and I couldn’t agree more.

And then we are blamed for overspending and being too demanding with our style sense. So much so that getting into the depth of each shade in the color index can be tedious to explain. Men find every shade of color to be the same.  A mauve is a mauve and not purple. Mahogany is not brown. Indigo is not just blue. Vermilion is a color and clearly distinguishable from vermicelli if one were to pay attention sometimes. Oh, the effort we put into our clothes! Can you even begin to imagine our plight when we walk into a shop and witness a wide range of colors and prints screaming to us – to be swept off from the shelves and given refuge in our cupboards. Bet your shopping sprees aren’t as eventful as ours even though you have more choice in the matter, unlike us.

Trends come and go every year but some things just stick. That’s the beauty of timelessness and the purpose it serves for women. Indeed, we are timeless. So what if we have to sit up online and wait till midnight for a new collection to launch or be incessantly indecisive to choose between colors and prints that catch our fancy. All good things in life come to those who wait. *grins* And for the impatient queens, download the Savyour app for online shopping- offering you real cash on lifestyle brands.

So what if one round of shopping doesn’t end and is followed by multiple stops and fast food breaks in between? Oh, wait, not anymore as Savyour has come to our rescue – freeing you men off the burden and sheer torture you complain about. So, enjoy that pizza you’ve been craving on our shopping account, thanks to cashback!

We believe in living life to the fullest and we make it happen by being true to ourselves and what we like, irrespective of what others may think. *hint hint*
Inspired by all the fashion runways globally, we make ours by stepping out each day from the comfort of our homes and entering a new fashion haven (read mall). The passage becomes our runway and we truly own our national treasure like no one’s business.