Trend File with Secret Closet: Jacket Racket!

We may not live in negative temperatures but there’s no reason we can’t partake wholeheartedly in winter trends, especially when they look so good.

You may have to skip the knee-high leather boots and adorable beanie hats, but you can still have fun with outerwear and layering. It’s time to pack up those pretty lawns and step it up to edgier style territory with some jackets and cute vests. There are options galore that will make your head spin from classic Western to fusion chic, so that you just can’t help yourself.

Classic menswear fabric jackets, including hounds tooth, herringbone, pinstripes, and Prince of Wales checks, were another dominant movement on the Fall runways. Add tweed and boucle blazers to the list to achieve an intellectual sophistication that is oh-so-timeless.

Mariam Rasheed in white tweed blazer, Ayesha Farook Hashwani in Chanel tweed jacket & Miranda Kerr in Mango A/W13

The Chanel classics on Sana Hashwani and Ayesha Farook Hashwani set the benchmark. The above textured fabrics align with the androgynous equation and work in harmony with an elegantly tailored cut.

Sania Maskatiya and Umair Tabani, Shamaeel Ansari Eastern prêt & Sania Maskatiya Aaghaz Resort 2013

These were just the basics. Now, we move closer to home with what our own designers have innovated over the years and continue to explore. If you’re looking for a seasonally less restrictive style, the conventional ‘koti’ is the ideal choice, except now, you can wear it with everything from harem pants to a short kurta.

Ava Mirabell gilet

London-based online brand Ava Mirabelle and Shamaeel Ansari demonstrate the style beautifully. Longer cape vests are another fusion prêt option that inspire individualistic elements as portrayed by Sania Maskatiya’s attractive silk juxtaposed statement print versions or the softer lace style available at Sheep prêt.

The Sherwani jacket is wonderfully smart and polished. Deepak Perwani instills his masterful cuts and intricate detailing to create distinctive separates this season that exude a polished glamour of sorts.

Deepak Perwani luxury occasion wear, WOV by Hena Anwar

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy also chose the crisp, powerful silhouette for her appearance at the Documentary Emmys and showed up wearing a tailored black coat with resham garden motif embroidery and subtle embellishment designed by Sania Maskatiya.

Farah Talib Aziz formals, Aaamina Sheikh in Shehla Chatoor Luxury Pret & Delphi A/W’13

Finally, for the winter wedding season, ditch the strappy sleeveless kurtas and instead, opt for a trendy fully embellished bolero jacket kalidar by Farah Talib Aziz or explosive vibrant Mehndi wear by Sanam Chaudhri involving gota detailed vests or an asymmetric layered screen print jacket.



Mehendis are becoming an increasingly modern affair since the arrival of the long jacket over jumpsuits and lehengas took over. The dress code continues to get more experimental with biased layering and innovative cuts, so don’t be afraid to try something new.

Miranda Kerr in Mango A/W13, Splash A/W13 jacket

Leather biker jackets may sound like a stretch but they are more wearable than you’d think. They are warm without being bulky and are always in style. When shopping for one, make sure you pick the right size as this is one style that doesn’t allow for oversize being a plus point. It adds an instant sleek chic factor to uplift the simplest blue jeans and white tee. You can grab it at Mango and Splash, along with a choice selection of other jacket styles from bomber to tartan.

Before you enter fancier twists, let’s cover the basics with the all-time fabulous jackets and vests that everyone should have. Taking a cue from the Fall 2013 runways of Altuzarra, Lanvin, Michael Kors, and Tom Ford, and their wild uninhibited tribute to fur, high street fashion brings back the short fur vest. It is simple, luxurious yet casual.

Shehla Chatoor, Faryal Makhdoom wearing a Shehla Chatoor chinoiserie fur coat

Always a step ahead, Shehla Chatoor has been spotted time and again modeling the look with winter whites to pairing it with a cosmopolitan belted dress. You cannot go wrong with the fur vest and, this season, it gels with the cropped style displaying even shorter bolero versions. If you really want to stand above and apart, Shehla inserts bold faux fur accents in her statement chinoiserie printed coats that are true collectibles.

Pioneering the art of Kaantha jackets that have now become famous for their transformation of the age old threadwork technique, Farida Hasan is all set to introduce her latest range of jackets comprising boho chic hand embellished signature pieces. Each has a characteristically distinctive patchwork pattern.

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Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2013.

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