Politicians & luxury goods part 2: Hina Rabbani Khar

As the ban on imported luxury items takes effect, we can’t help but wonder how our favorite politicians intend to survive this. After all, when it comes to true luxury, the kind that’s found in Fendi boutiques and Birkin showrooms, it’s our leaders who are most inclined to dip into their foreign reserves. And while the government has put a ban on luxury items (including our pet peeve, cat food), we wonder if sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

This week, Something Haute will take a look at the luxury brands that are so inseparably seen on some of our leading politicians. We may be pushed into wearing local brands of shoes, for example, but will Bata ever replace the Blahniks that we see adorning their feet?

It would be remiss to do this series without giving ode to Pakistani politic’s favorite international jet-setter: Hina Rabbani Khar. The PPP minister first turned heads during an official visit to India in 2011. It was not her diplomacy that we were talking about, however.

It is a moment forever etched into Pakistan’s collective memory (or at least that of the fashion girl’s): Hina stepping off the plane, wearing a blue ensemble, chiffon dupatta over her head, a stream of pearls gleaming at her neck — and round Roberto Cavalli sunglasses covering her face.

While it’s hard to tell which exact model Hina was wearing on that fabled visit, a quick visit to their website gives one an idea of the price range that they fall under. On average, Roberto Cavalli sunglasses retail for about USD 200. With the current exchange rate, most of us would have to skip out on the monthly groceries if we got a pair. Hina is not concerned with such trifles it seems, since the former foreign minister has been seen in at least one other pair.

Her taste for expensive sunglasses also extends to Chanel, which can retail for anywhere between USD 500 and USD 1,500. This is, however, loose change to Hina who prefers to budget her foreign reserves for other accessories. On that visit to India, the sunglasses caught our attention for but a moment, before it turned to the piece de résistance of her ensemble — a black Birkin. The handbag, made by Hermés and named after the actress Jane Birkin, is an iconic design that symbolizes wealth and luxury. Something Hina apparently has in abundance, even while the majority of Pakistanis live below the poverty line.

Much like Maryam Nawaz and her Blahniks, it seems Hina could not make do with her favorite bag in just one color. She’s also been seen wearing a white Birkin. We recognize the practicality of getting monochrome colors but, when the bag in question retails for over USD 11,000, we’re not sure if we’d call that practical.

Like most of us, Hina has a special love for handbags and it seems the more they cost, the more she loves them. She’s been wearing a black Chanel Classic Handbag on more than one occasion. We can’t tell if it’s the large or the maxi but, either way, it retails for over USD 9,000. Once again, Hina takes the route of practicality. You guessed it, a white Chanel Classic Handbag also sits in her wardrobe.

It’s hard to dislike Hina for her extravagant tastes in handbags. After all, we can relate and she does wear them well. And she doesn’t always go for the expensive ones either, it seems she likes to diversify. Her Red Prada Galleria, for example, costs USD 244. More than the minimum wage in our country and, for Hina, the minimum she’ll spend on a handbag. After all, it wouldn’t do for our abundant nation’s state minister to be seen in anything remotely economical, would it? Can’t have the world knowing we’re poor, after all.