Between March and May 2013 (roughly), I spent a small fortune on buying lawn, exclusive of what I paid for getting the damn things tailored. And this was me restraining myself after claiming and announcing that I would not buy lawn this year. This is the breakdown:
I can’t wear this print without walking into a print-double at any point of the day. Out.
Sana Safinaz: 3
Sania Maskatiya: 3
Nida Azwer: 2
Khaadi: 2
I have already passed on 3 prints to my maid, 2 have been reduced to night suits and 2 have been over-washed and thus are too faded to wear outside the house anymore. 2 prints were too see-through for me to be comfortable in, 1 was too common for me to want to wear it. Bottom line: that’s approximately 45,000 down the drain for me. So I’ve told my friends that if I go to a single lawn exhibition next summer, just take a gun and shoot me.
I have learnt the hard way. Lawn may be Pakistan’s favourite fabric but for those of us living in a fashion bubble, it’s everything that a ‘fashion person’ should be averse to. And here’s why I’m never, ever buying lawn again…
1. I don’t want to be caught dead wearing the same outfit as seven other women in the mall and hundreds if not thousands in the country.
2. I don’t want to depend on the tailoring of an outfit to know whether I’ll like it or not. Ready to wear looks the same when you bring it home as it did in the store.
3. I’d be happier and several levels more stylish by buying less commercial fabric (like Koel, which is my new Khaadi since Khaadi has stopped putting out unstitched fabric) and having the liberty of having it designed without the restriction of having embroidered bits and pieces that you’d feel guilty about not using since you paid through your nose for them!
4. I wear scarves, not dupattas and those 3-yard chiffon drapes go completely waste.
5. It’s just not fashionable to wear lawn anymore, if it ever was. No matter how many designers get involved, it is and will remain a garment for mass consumption and while fashion does go to the high street, rarely do you see it at a general store. Lawn, unfortunately, is the general store of style.
My conclusion: lawn cannot be an endorsement for your sense of style, au contraire it can deprive you of it.Â
