I am going to be going to Lahore next year for wedding shopping and I need some help. I am from the UK, and usually only got to Isb and I know that city fairly well. However Lahore I know no one and nothing. And I going with 2 other Brits who know no one and nothing. So, I have a couple of questions:
Where are the best places to buy ready made clothes (party wear)?
Where are the best places to get clothes made to design (bridal and for the bride's mum/sis/cousin etc)
What are average prices?? How to navigate prices without being ripped off? I know it is inevitable to some extent as they will know we are out of towners - but has anyone got an ideas/suggestions on how to navigate decent prices?
Roughly how long does it take for one suit (bridal and non as mentioned above) take to get made?
If we were to put in an order, is it okay to put in a order (pay a deposit) and then leave Pakistan and come back a few months later to pick up the clothes? Or is that a recipe for disaster aka is it better to have someone kinda checking in with the tailor/store quite often (is just calling them from the UK sufficient enough?)
I know there are a lot of questions - so any help would be great! Thanks!
Great thread and perfect timing. I may be traveling to that area too next year and had similar questions in mind. I hope we can get some good ideas via this thread.
Where are the best places to buy ready made clothes (party wear)?
You can find nice formals / semi formals, designer as well as nondesigner in all the malls (Packages / Emporium) as well as the older markets (Anarkali / fortress / Ichra).
Where are the best places to get clothes made to design (bridal and for the bride’s mum/sis/cousin etc)
Not much info on that but I believe Ichra market has some shops that make bridal outfits in 15 days or so but you’ll have to visit the market to get accurate info on time duration.
What are average prices?? How to navigate prices without being ripped off? I know it is inevitable to some extent as they will know we are out of towners - but has anyone got an ideas/suggestions on how to navigate decent prices?
A tip I was given by a local was it’s important that you dont look foreign from your appearancd to avoid being double charged for cheaper stuff. I did try to look as much local as I could but they still figure out from your way of talking & upon discovering your cluelessness. I went to buy a suitcase & still got ripped off despite following all the tips given to me, lol. Meaning they sold cheap stuff on a higher price. So try not to speak at all. Only when you need to.
I was at ‘Moon Market’, Allama Iqbal Town just a few days ago to check out gold shops. Heard they were cheaper as you can get good bargain. While walking around in the market, I saw some heavy formals. One shop had not so attractive heavy formals at 7k+ PKR. So I expected something better to be over 10k. But then near a gold shop where I was checking some gold jewellery, I saw another shop. They had about 10 dresses on display but only 2 of them were really attractive & delicate. Rest were just ordinary. This guy quoted me 5K PKR for each of those 2 dresses. I think he gave me a really good price. But they were semi stiched meaning visits to tailor so didn’t get them.
Roughly how long does it take for one suit (bridal and non as mentioned above) take to get made?
I think 1 week to 15 days depending on number of orders they have. But you’ll have to visit the market to know exactly.
If we were to put in an order, is it okay to put in a order (pay a deposit) and then leave Pakistan and come back a few months later to pick up the clothes? Or is that a recipe for disaster aka is it better to have someone kinda checking in with the tailor/store quite often (is just calling them from the UK sufficient enough?)
No info on that but I won’t take that chance. Tell them you need on urgent basis. Better get semi stiched. There are some good options in semi stiched but you will need to explore the market to find the right shop. They don’t always have the best stuff on display. If they think you’re a serious buyer then they show you more & better stuff. You will need to spend alot of time exploring.
or check out malls. Dont miss to check seasonal discounts / promotions on designer products.
I recenlty went lahore for my wedding shopping and best place to shop is MM Alam road and liberty market. In like 10 minutes drive from there, you will see City Tower, they also have great unstitched party wear collection and they can stitch it for you in a week or so. City tower has better quality and reasonable prices. MM alam road has alot of designer shops , and alos check out Emporium mall and Fortress for ready to wear dresses.
Bridal dresses takes atleast a month and we placed the order at Brides on MM alam road. And if you give them your whatsapp number, they will send you whatsapp pictures as they progressed with dress. So I dont think there will be problem if you leave and come back like a month or two later. Make sure you bargain with them regarding price or u will end up paying double price. If you are also looking for place to stay, I will advise you to live near liberty market as it is close to all the shopping places you will be going to...
Good Luck ♡