BlueEmerald’s post about her homemade (and pretty mashaAllah sey!) wedding dresses really got me thinking about buying non-designer…a lot of members here post about designer dresses, but dont these designers just use good quality fabric and employ an amazing kaamdaar? Sorry if I sound ignorant here, but couldn’t you make a wedding outfit thats as pretty as something from Bunto Kazmi, HSY or Karma as long as you did this? Im just confused if the price tag is mostly the brand name, the quality or the ease of going to one person for the entire dress or all of the above. If you didnt care about the brand name or the ease, could you get the same sort of quality at a lesser price?
If a bride chooses to not go with a designer, what steps would you recommend in making a beautiful dress thats not as expensive? What places do you recommend going to for fabric and do you know of any good kaamdaars in Karachi? I’ve heard Hilal in Clifton and Banaras Silk Palace on Tariq Road are good.
Along these lines, does anyone even know the price range for designers like Bunto Kazmi and HSY? I heard they start at $5000…At that sort of a price, I don’t understand how people also buy all of their jahez outfits from these same designers.
Well i dont know abt karachi, but if u hv little knowledge of fabric and good materials for embroidery u can get good non-designers dresses. For this u need to roam around n look for sum place where u can get the best wid the confidence. Sum gals do hire skilled workers on thr own n advise them to make ther dresses as they want to.
But if u dont hv much time to spend on these things alone or u dont hv knowledge of related things then its better tht u go for a designer but again sum trusted one.
you can definitely get something nice w/o having to go with a designer. anyone who says otherwise, well they're idiots =)
PS, before someone throws a hissy fit
im not hating on the ones who do get designer, but the ones who think all they're too good for a non-name brand stuff.. (b/c then that implies something abt the ones who buy those non-branded stuff)..
Just wanted to say though that i did get my bridal from karma but my sister got a karma knock off made in kehkashan in khi. just have to say... i think those karigars (at lease the ones where my sister got her dress from) are a lot better than karma's. and her dress turned out better than the karma original.
i think u can definitely get a bridal dress made without paying the price that designers charge. i saw a bunch of designer bridal knock offs in kehkashan, and they looked superb. though u rarely see them with the karigar. i have to say however, if ur gonna go with getting ur lehnga made, find an awesome tailor. and if ur gonna get it made in khi, i will tell u which tailor (the most amazing stitching, possibly in the world).
ofcourse u can. u need to be in pakistan for that and have lots of time on your hands to get everything perfect...you'd be surprised at what GREAT stuff you can get there for very good prices. Bargain Bargain bargain.....dont let them find out u're from amreeka or england because then they assume that you're playing in money.
Banaras Silk house is AWESOME. Their workmanship is beautiful. but they never show their exclusive hosue designs unless they KNOW for sure you're a serious customer and not someone who will want to copy their kaam. There's also Rizwaan Moazzam that does exclusive bridal outfits/party wear at really reasonable prices. Zareen's or Zareen in Gulf does good formal wears. Even the local darzi will tell you he can copy a designer outfit but to get the best bang for the buck i'd suggest u check the reputable mid-range shops.
Unless you're able to afford it, you probably have a budget and you have to stay within it...some choose to splurge on outfits, others on jewellery, others on makeup or photography. You can decide what it is that is most important to you and works for your and your family's budget :)
If you visit the homeland trust me you will be overwhelmed by the wonderful variety available in our country. If you are going to pakistan i'd suggest taking your time looking at different designers, local kaamwaalays and reputable shops in tariq road/gulf etc.
As for a $5000 outfit my personal opinion is to instead spend it on something that will actually have some re-sale value like gold. (unless again...money is not an issue)
I wud browse plenty of bridal magazines and decide on the color's and sort of kaam and cut u're looking for. I wud then purchase the material and it's critical to buy good fabrics that drape well as well as hold u're "kaam" as kaam tends to get heavy =)
Take the pics to several "kaam-wala's" and get quotes and see their work and finishing as well. Make sure when they make u're outfit they do "over-locking" so u're dress doesn't tear down..or the seams don't rip. Make sure they "line" u're dress for u as well..it gives a nice finish to the outfit.
My aunt and I had a bet and I told her that her kaam-wala won't be able to make a dress like HSY so she took it on as a challenge, had the pic magnified and enlarged and got me a sari that cud fool 98% of people.
when i was getting married.. i thought i may go the designer way.. but then we talked within family and we have a shop everyone in our biradari goes to nad have been doing so for god knows how long, to have bridals done..
so i took a pic of my fav gharara.. and they said what would work and what wouldnt... changed this and that.. in the end what i got.. was out of this world... when i wore it to the wedding everyone loved it .. such fine embroidery and excellent quality of fabric...
so in the end.. it doenst matter if its designer or not.. if u know ure fabrics.. and the karigari... and know a good shop and karigar.. everyhting is possible.
of course you can, it pays to shop around and see everything before you purchase ur outfit, I bought a mix of designer and non designer stuff, but it wasn't the name It was just what i was looking for. I wouldn't pay the price most designers have for there work, so it is good to get copies, especially as fashion is always changing. In fact, my sisters barat clothes from a non designer were prob more expensive than a designers!
Just wanted to say though that i did get my bridal from karma but my sister got a karma knock off made in kehkashan in khi. just have to say... i think those karigars (at lease the ones where my sister got her dress from) are a lot better than karma's. and her dress turned out better than the karma original.
i think u can definitely get a bridal dress made without paying the price that designers charge. i saw a bunch of designer bridal knock offs in kehkashan, and they looked superb. though u rarely see them with the karigar. i have to say however, if ur gonna go with getting ur lehnga made, find an awesome tailor. and if ur gonna get it made in khi, i will tell u which tailor (the most amazing stitching, possibly in the world).
I've heard a lot about Kehkashan market. Where is it exactly?
Also, I might be going to Khi this December (ishallah) so would love to know about the tailor. I don't need a bridal jora stiched...just regular semi-formal/formal wear.
Yeah I think thats my problem Mano, I’m getting married in khi but I’m in the US so designer seems to be the best option but I would love to try to get things made on my own for a lower price without sacrificing quality!
Sumorani, youre a huge help!! Info about that tailor would be appreciated. Ive been to gulf and I remember someone saying that some of the designers even get the cloth from a pathan shop owner there…I second naqsa, where exactly is kehkashan? and where do people find these karigars?
Also does anybody here know about price ranges for designers? I mean, can you negotiate with them and if so, by how much do you think? I guess I’m wondering if theres even a slight chance that I could get a Bunto outfit for less than $5000? I thought I would be able to buy my shaadi and valima suit both for $5000…
My barat lehanga was something i got from anarkali but the kaam and kapra are just gorgeous. The detail and the safai of the kaam is extremely good and was done on good quality katan silk. Ofcourse i wished it could be somewhat different but honestly, i didnt spend more than i did, because to me other things were important as well.
there is one in Ichra..they r very gud..made one lehnga for my cousins wedding (was the lehnga karishma wearing in the song "mujhe ishq hone laga hai" from chal mere bhai.)...
i gave them a pic and then they did it....they made also my shaadi lehnga...i think i paid about 35.000 - 40.000 Rs. for my shaadi lehnga.
the shops name is Zari House.
there is one in Ichra..they r very gud..made one lehnga for my cousins wedding (was the lehnga karishma wearing in the song "mujhe ishq hone laga hai" from chal mere bhai.)...
i gave them a pic and then they did it....they made also my shaadi lehnga...i think i paid about 35.000 - 40.000 Rs. for my shaadi lehnga.
the shops name is Zari House.
i knw the owner of Zari house...(well they r related to my In laws somehow ), anyways if you dont mind could you please show me some pictures of urs and ur cousins outfit. PM is fine too.
