Evening star., 1954-05-09
Nv Elem;

norm By aDelI- dressed people tn
vGrious parts OF the tDorld.)
By Eleni
In Pakistan old saris never
die. They may be handed down
for 40 or so years, then turned
into a family jewel when they
have been burned and the gold
removed from them.
In Pakistan, too, women never
worry about appearing at the
same party wearing the same
outfit, says Begun Ali. lovely
wife of the Ambassador Of
Paklstan.'
This pleasant state of fashion
affairs is further enhanced when
you find out that If a woman
wants a new evening dress for q
party, she can, if she lives in
Karachi, go to Elphinston street,
where the jewelers.. shoemakers
and the sari supplierS are locat-
ed. She can walk into the famous
Cinderella Shop, pick out six
yards of a magnificent fabric
lavishly embroidered, and go on
to her party dressed in a new
and exciting costume.
The most familiar fashion Of
Eastern women is the Sari,
whose classic lines have not
changed since the days of Alex
ander the Great. Pakistani
women share the wearing of it
with the women of India. But
they have other fashions, too.
There is the Shalwar-Kamiz,
consisting usually of white cot
ton fabric made up into baggy
trousers and tailored tunic. It
is worn for Office work, sports,
travel and every day use.
Another dress is the "Garara,"
the Muslin court dress consist
ing of a divided skirt with a
short "kurta" or tunic cut to
the knees, and a veil called the
"dupatta" worn on the shoul-
ders.
Wedding Dress
The PeshwaZ costume, which
we have pictured, is worn today
as a wedding dress or only for
the most formal occasions. It is
a full-gathered skirt with at
tached Tight fitting bodice worn
over tight-f1tting pajamas.
Brides in PakiStan give away
all their old clothes before they
are married and start with a
completely new wardrobe.
PakiStani women love bangles,
baubles, and glass beads. Re-
gardless of how rich or poor.
from the day she is born and is
given a gift a girl in Pakistan
starts accumulating her jewelry.
Families hand down fabulous
sets called KUNDIN. consisting
usually of a gold necklace set
with uncut diamonds and
enamel work on the other side.
This reversible piece of jewelry
is matched with earrings, three
or four bracelets and perhaps
an ankle bracelet. Many rings
are worn by women in Pakistan.
One well-known piece of jewelry
has five rings, one for each
finger, joined together with gold
chains attached to wide gold
bracelet.
Jewelry for the feet includes
thick solid gold bracelets that |
may match hand bracelets called
''karas." The Pazeb consists Of
chains of gold with a fringe of
minute tinkling bells. At village
festivals and weddings the
women will wear all Of their
treasures. The Begun says that
the lavish display produces such
glittering that it is hard to focus
and see the individual beauty of
each jewelry piece. In some
Pakistani villages the heavy
valuable pieces worn by a mans
wife or his daughter represent
his life savings.
Eorrines Beautiful
The earrings worn by the
women Of Pakistan are amongst
their most beautiful accessories.
Karanphul is the name given to
the "ear-f1ower," q design usually
of gold flower set in stones to
which is joined a bell-Shaped or
nament about an inch in diam
eter. It may be worn by pierc-
ing the ear or by having q gold
chain passing around the ear to
reduce the strain on the lobe.
A beautiful jewelry item worn
by newly married girls is the
forehead ornament called the
"tikka." It is worn just below
Cne parting of the hair and is
pinned to the back Of the hairdo
with gold hook.
Though women Of well-to-do
families and those who have
studied abroad may follow Euro
pean hair styles, the most usual
is the long plated tress with the
seasons flowers interviewer into
it that is liked by the village
girls. Roses and jasmine are
the favorite flowers. Another
hairstyle is the one that is
parted in the center. with the
hair pulled Sleekly back into q
large bun.
City-bred women may allow
their nails to grow quite long.
In the villages it is considered
unhygenic for the women to do
this as so much of their eating
is done with their hands. The
practice. of tinting nails dates
back many centuries with the
women of the East. The use Of
henna for the nails and Surma,