“I can’t feed oysters to people who want chicken karahi”

It is a matter of taste. You could be an oyster/escargot kind of person or you could be a hardcore karahi fan. Either way, you can’t convince one type to feed on the other. As Nabila aptly puts it, “People who want karahi should go to Laal Qila.”

What in the world is she talking about? She’s referring to the Lux Style Awards red carpet and how it has deteriorated over the years. I, for one, remember the ceremony in 2003 as the highest in fashion excellence; it was a year when the stars dressed up impeccably and each and every one of them was red carpet worthy. Over the years the red carpet has become a) a pavement on which every Tom, Dick and Harry walks (i.e., it isn’t exclusive to celebrities) and b) everyone looks the same. There is hardly any high fashion or individuality left. And we have seen enough ball gowns with gota work, bridal makeup and sonay ke set to dress all of Lollywood circa the ‘80s.

Nabila’s creative team works at the back end (back stage) at the Lux Style Awards each year but she absolves herself from taking any responsibility for the decline in how the stars look these days. She explains that while celebrities world over have style teams managing their appearances, celebrities in Pakistan insist on devising their own looks, often walking out as sartorial disasters.

“Anyone is welcome to come to us for LSA styling,” she says specifically about the upcoming event.” But if stars want to do their own thing then they’re very welcome to. I can’t feed oysters to people who want chicken karahi.”

We actually don’t mind either. But there are days for escargot and there are occasions for chicken karahi. And you get the worst kind of concoction when you attempt to mix the two, which is a mistake most celebrities make. Combining the two could result in a culinary, or in this case, a sartorial disaster. Needless to say, the Instep fashion police will be pointing them out!