Get your winter fashion trends right

Flat biker or combat boots can really grunge up your look in the winter time

Winter is finally around the corner and ’tis the season to pull out those yummy sweaters, capes, furs and boots. As much as I love the winter in Lahore, there are certain fashion choices people in Pakistan make that I have never understood. Some people might not agree with me but oh well, this is my rant as a fashion and culture reporter about what I like and do not like so here it goes:-

Firstly, Ugg boots — the warm, velvety boots with fur edges that you see girls wearing in upscale parts of Lahore and Karachi. Guys, we are not living in London or New York where it gets deathly cold and you have to walk to work on cold pavements. We live in Pakistan where everyone who has Uggs also has a car so it kind of defeats the purpose of those shoes. Another thing I have never understood is when people wear knee-high boots here in winter. Again, the same principle applies. I understand that you want to be stylish but this ‘style’ just looks very impractical.

With that said, here is what I absolutely love and would like to see more of this winter: capes! This season is all about capes. Whether you prefer Eastern or Western wear, capes can be paired with almost anything. After Burberry’s monogram cape caught the attention of street style-mongers and fashion magazines, it was almost certain that this season, capes will be all the rage. Another thing I absolutely love is fur, the bigger the better. Whether you like real or faux, that’s your choice. But ladies, you sure want to be seen with some fur accessories this season. Fur lapels are really in style and not just add warmth but they also hack up the luxury metre on your look.

Androgynous accessories — the kind that flatter both men and women — are also quite ‘in’ this season so go for minimalistic gender neutral pieces. Flat biker or combat boots can really grunge up your look and also give you that added warmth that is needed in the winter time. The best thing about winter is, of course, snuggling inside a warm shawl and beautiful shawls available not only at local designer outlets across the country but also at bazaars. So let’s bundle up and enjoy the next few months of winter!

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2014.