Markets and Shopping Areas

Ashiana, Clifton
This market—a bridal favorite—offers a gorgeous selection of fabrics for tailoring.

Empress Market, Saddar
Karachi’s central business district is full of fabric, kaam and tailor shops.

Kahkashan Market, Clifton
This is the place to go for any kind of kaam you can imagine. Bring a close-up picture from a magazine, and the artisans here will replicate it. An economical way to get beautiful bridal clothes without the designer markup. But take a local—dealing with the shopkeepers isn’t always easy.

The Forum Mall, Clifton
A modern mall in upscale Clifton area of the city with a wide variety of shops including jewelry, handicrafts, clothing and shoes. You’ll find reasonably-priced bangles, costume jewelry and the like.

Gulf Towers, Clifton
One-stop shopping for reasonably-priced bangles, dupattas, parandas and other mish-mash.

Park Towers Shopping Mall, Clifton
Karachi’s premier shopping mall with up-market boutiques and jewelry stores.

Tariq Road
Another popular shopping in area in Karachi, you’ll find several shopping centers including Dolmen Centre, Dolmen Mall, Shalimar Centre, Rabi Centre, Dubai Mall, Tariq Centre. Some stores carry ready-made ensembles, but you’ll find kaam karigars and tailors, also.

Bridal Wear

For a complete listing of Pakistani bridal designers, see page two of Vow to Wow. For mid-market finds, see below.

Bargello
This gigantic store offers bridal and party wear that “borrows” from top designers. Order from anywhere in the world.
28-C, 5th Commercial Street, Khayaban-e-Badadr, Phase V, Defence, Karachi, 75500, Pakistan
9221 534 1401, 02, 03 & 04

Body Focus Museum
What started as a casualwear line as involved into a boutique with denim casuals; pret a porter cottons; Knitwear; Hand block printed pure silks; Classic evening and occasional bridal wear
38-C-6 Off Main Shahrae-Faisal Karachi 75400 Pakistan
Tel: (92-21)452-5631 FAX: (92-21)4529870

The Designers
This outlet carries bridal and partywear from high-end designers such as HSY, Karma and others. If you’re in Karachi and want access to Lahore’s designers, this is the place. Perfect also for those in a rush—you’ll find ready-made ensembles, as well.
Main Zamzama Blvd.
DHA, Karachi
92 21 586 1915, 92 21 537 0126

Hilal Silk Palace
The most beautiful fabrics you can find–but they come at a price.
Zaibunissa Street, Saddar
Ph:5211617

Jabeen’s House of Wedding
Mid-market bridal wear.
Shop #1,Sasi Centre,Tariq RoadP.E.C.H.S
Ph:4389196

Men’s Wear

MM Alam Road is the home of many designers, including for all menswear.

Amir Adnan
Designer synonymous with men’s wedding fashion. He is widely credited for re-introducing the sherwani into modern fashion. Famous clients include both Indian and Pakistani heads of state.
Shop A-12, Park Towers Mall, Clifton
Tel: 9221 5832661

Shop G-100, Dolmen Mall, Tariq Road
Tel: 9221 4381613

Shop 14, Plot 14-D, Sky Garden Apartments
Tipu Sultan Road, KDA
Tel: 9221 4313056

Shop 2, 14-C, Zamzama Lane 5
Defense Phase-V
Tel: 9221 5861875

Shop 313, Block-Z, Commercial Area
Defense Housing Authority
Tel: 9242 5896441-42

Deepak Perwani
Men’s and women’s designer best known for stylish groomswear.
Shop 0-1, 16-C, Zamzama Commercial Lane #4
DHA, Karachi
92 21 587 7371

Gr 8a, Ground Floor
Park Towers
Clifton, Karachi
92 21 582 4625

Junaid Jamshed
Former Vital Signs singer’s boutique known for men’s wear.
16C, 2nd Zamzama Commercial Lane, Phase V, Defence
Ph: 5834904

Fine Jewelry

Aliel
Formerly known as Sayegh and Co., these high-end jewelers carry the work of numerous talented designers. Feeling extra wealthy? Check out their “Nur” collection—each piece is completely unique and will never be replicated.
Shop # 64 & 65
Regent Plaza Hotel
Shahrah-e-Faisal
Karachi.
92 21 5670752
92 21 5670763
karachi@aliel.com

Meena Jewellers
Reliable jewelers in Saddar.
Parr Zaibunnisa Street, Saddar
Ph: 522305

Chhotani Jewellers
One of Karachi’s oldest and most famous jewelers. They specialize in oriental gold ornaments, made to order.
Zaib-Un-Nisa Street, Saddar, Karachi 74400.
9221- 514-775, 567-1021

Crescent Jewellers
Very expensive but beautiful selection. Find everything you can imagine, from gaudy to elegant.
31/34, Bliss Shopping Centre, Zaibunnisa Street,Saddar
Ph: 522785, 527750

Karat Jewellers
They will copy anything you show them to a tee. They carry a line of traditional, ethnic, contemporary jewelry.
Karachi Marriott
92 21 111 22 33 44
92 21 568 0111

Private Collection
Exclusive, beautiful diamond jewelry imported from Italy.
Karachi Marriott
568 0175

Bangles, Bindis, Henna and Other Miscellaneous Wedding Goods

See Markets and Shopping Areas above.

Bori Bazar
Cave-like shops are stacked to their ceilings with excellent pieces of embroidery, hand prints and other goods.

Uzma Market
An alternative to Bori if you don’t want to venture to the center of the city.
DHA, Clifton

Bombay City Guide: Page 2
New Delhi City Guide: Page 3
Lahore City Guide: Page 4
Karachi City Guide: Page 5

For a complete list of Indian and Pakistani bridal designers, see page 2 of Vow to Wow.

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5

1. June 20, 2007, 4:58 pm Saadia

   OMG i absolutely love the wedding issue. I feel like planning my wedding once again from the start. Its not only helpful for the desi Americans but also for South Asians. If living in Lahore, there is a good guide on Karachi, Delhi and Bombay; main fashion capitals here in Pakistan and India. From big couture designers to small market places, i loved each tiny detail. Well done
2. June 20, 2007, 6:31 pm Raj Bhandari

   Very informational and well researched issue.

   Just anecdotally, we get quite a few brides from all over the country in our Dallas office, who have been to India/Pakistan, and could not find or make their dream trousseau in the time they had - and like to work with an experienced US based company (like us).

   Keep up the good work!
3. June 26, 2007, 5:19 pm priti singh

   in gurgaon, there’s a mall, that’s just designed for fine jewlery, and all famous jewelers are there such as tanishq and notanda’s and sons.

   one stop, you can have a huge variety of different jewelry and prices, its definetly a must stop for all shopping for fine jewlery. can be a bit overpriced, but its worth the extra price rather than searching all over for different stores, esecially it you’re short on time.
4. June 28, 2007, 9:01 pm janki

   looks good!
5. July 16, 2007, 6:13 pm adeela ali

   I love pak wedding!!!
6. July 18, 2007, 8:12 pm aliya

   can u send me bridal dresses or can u tell me a very good beauty parlour for the bridal makeup
7. July 23, 2007, 2:37 am priya

   hi,
   on ur website if u add website link of designers,would be very helpful for viewers to shop…
8. July 25, 2007, 2:32 pm sukanya

   what about all those bengali girls who are shopping in kolkata? wheres the guide there?
9. August 17, 2007, 2:28 pm val

   This is great, but what about shopping guides for south indians? I like this magazine but wish you would be pan-Indian, rather than cater to a North Indian audience.
10. December 15, 2007, 4:08 pm sehrish

    i like bridal dresses.specely pakistani bridal dresses. can show us new fashion bridal dress in ur web?
11. December 21, 2007, 10:41 pm Aarti

    Hi, my name is Aarti, First let me say i love this web site… who ever is keeping up with it is doing a great job. Keep it up!. Now can someone send me a link to shopping places in bombay.. yes the page two or shopping guides gives you most of the high end stores to shop from but i am asking for botiques reasonable indian clothing, or shoes or purses.

    Please if anyone can tell me where to go shopping when going to india or in bombay.

    Thank you very much.
12. January 29, 2008, 1:31 pm SAPNA SUBHASH AGARWAL

    hiiiiii……plz can any1 suggest some places in bombay where we get designer sarees n dress materials at whole sale prices…i mean i would like to know the wholesale markets.(bridal wear).
13. February 9, 2008, 7:54 am veena kotecha

    where we get Georgette, chiffon, royalsilk thaans

    I would like to know the whoesales prices

    tankyou
14. February 15, 2008, 4:50 am shan

    I ‘m a designer from lhr… working for an english newspaper’s magazines … also worked for some fashion mags here in lhr…
    I just say that your presentation is great … Excellent work …. Good
15. March 1, 2008, 10:54 am Saadia

    Hi, wanted to update everyone about this new mall in Lahore, called as 10-Q by PFDC (Pakistan Fashion Design Council) under which almost all the known designers of Pakistan come. To name a few HSY, Karma, Kamiar rokni, nomi ansari, sehar saigol of libas, niki nina, zara shahjahan, elan, and a few new upcoming including Ahsan nazir and Sania Qureshi. They have the famous jewelery designer Shafaq Habib from islamabad and shoe designer Naila of Panic. Its a great concept of bringing all the designers under one roof. Now you can just go to this one place and have the luxury of ordering all your clothes from one place or just pick it up from their pret collections. And if you visit don’t forget to go upstairs (its not part of PFDC) but they have a new designer zarmina khan their and the shoe designer nadia kassam from karachi is finally here in lahore. Def go check it out
16. March 6, 2008, 4:30 pm Jigisha

    Hi, do you by anychance have details on where to shop in Bangalore for bridal wear? My wedding will be held there and I’ve never been to that city before, thanks!
17. March 19, 2008, 8:55 am Sundas

    AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH. I really needed this, keep up the good work
18. March 26, 2008, 11:19 am rabia

    plz can u tell me the complete address of 10-Q PFDC in lahore?
19. April 1, 2008, 1:58 pm Chandni Arts

    Looking for Imitation Jewellery, exporters from India, bridal, Bindis, Tikkas, Sarees, Punjabi Suits.

    Thanks
20. April 2, 2008, 12:16 am Imran

    Hello,

    Plz can you tell me about fashion designer for man, who works in catual,offices,parties and etc.

    Thank you.
21. April 6, 2008, 4:01 pm Payal

    I hope all the people who bought their wedding clothes and party favors or even going to the extreme of having their wedding in India are extremely happy. You have contributed to the India’s economy while single handily destroy the economy of your country. I realize how expense weddings are but instead of spending your money in other countries try to find economic ways to spend money in your own economy. Maybe one day your job you hold will to be outsourced to India too.
22. April 7, 2008, 5:01 pm prerana

    Going to India to buy items for your wedding is not about trying to contribute to the Indian economy and screwing over the economy of the country you live in. Its about your tradition and culture.
    As Indians, sometimes it is much harder and less efficient to buy some of these items in countries such as the UK and US, even though there are shops and many South Asians. Many local Indian goods sellers inflate the prices. Things can be unnecessarily expensive. If you go to India, you get what you pay for, nothing less. You can buy more things, have more choices, learn something new…
    I know, I know. You spend money to fly to India, but still, sometimes you get more out of that trip than you do to the local ‘Little India’ of your hometown.

    prerana
23. April 9, 2008, 12:16 am Pooja

    Payal: i’m not sure you understand, weddings aren’t held while keeping in mind economic circumstances (culture, family etc), and even if they were why not spend money in India (or anywhere else as a matter of fact? (are you opposed to the so called “destination weddings” as well? Or is it just India you have a tiff with?) When I first started reading your post, I assumed it was going to be one of those posts that pushes people to donate money to charities in India rather than spending exorbitant amounts of money on a wedding…but! I was wrong.
    First of all; not all jobs are outsourced to India (it is a smaller percentage than you think) Second: India outsources jobs as well! Third: One of the reasons why jobs get outsourced and people of south asian decent get hired is because there is always a need to fill positions that require math and science concentrations. There is a smaller proportion of Americans graduating with these degrees thus creating a demand which South Asians fulfill. Fourth: Corporate companies based in India stuggle to retain their employees, because outsourced jobs from foreign countries/companies attract the Indian employee pool; leaving Indian companies without employees in their own country…sound familiar?

    New York Times: Outsourcing Works, So India is Exporting Jobs

    New York Times: As a Center for Outsourcing, India Could Be Losing Its Edge
    –The company also distributed some $23 million in bonuses. ‘’And we’re doing a lot of other things to retain employees,'’ said Stephen R. Pratt, chief executive of the Infosys consulting arm in the United States.

    Infosys is hardly the only Indian company making a serious effort to attract and keep employees. Over all, according to a recent survey by Hewitt Associates, the consulting group, wages in the country’s major outsourcing sectors have been rising by close to 15 percent a year.

    The reason is increased competition for labor, thanks in large part to American companies’ rush to outsource work offshore. In fact, the competition has become so fierce that typical Indian operations in business processing — including call centers and offices handling payroll, accounting and human-resources functions — can expect to lose 15 to 20 percent of their work forces each year, versus single-digit percentage losses in the late 1990’s.

    Do.Your.Homework.

    Thanks!
24. April 21, 2008, 9:07 am rabia

    plz can anyone tell me the comlete address of BARKAT ALI SAREE WALAY in LAHORE?
25. April 21, 2008, 9:40 am Nirali Magazine

    Barkat Ali

    43-COMMERCIAL BUILDING, SHAHRAH-E-QUAID-E-
    AZAM, LAHORE - PAKISTAN
    Ph: 213213/211298
26. April 22, 2008, 9:16 am rabia

    IS it on mall road?
27. May 23, 2008, 5:24 am Asim Nazir

    Hello please do your work same like that and also give one picture of one item on your web site all the jewellers Thanks
28. May 23, 2008, 5:31 am Asim Nazir

    to rabia yes mall road comercial building asim nazir
29. May 26, 2008, 12:06 pm saj

    hi can some 1 plz give me the full address of 10-q in lahore
30. May 27, 2008, 11:40 am rabia

    can anyone tell me that 10 q gulberg shopping mall is under constructionOR they started?
31. June 2, 2008, 8:57 pm ASHAR KHAN

    hi can some 1 plz give me the full address of 10-q in karachi
32. June 16, 2008, 5:20 pm Anamika

    Hi, i will be getting married in December and i wanted someone to design my bridal outfit that was in one of the indian movie songs, does anyone know any designers in bombay who can do this.

    your information will be really helpfull..

    thank you
33. July 1, 2008, 8:03 am Samson Inayat

    Greeting in the name of God Almighty,

    Dear Editor,

    We have studied your comments referred to Libas-e-khas. Sir perhaps you do not know about our credibility in fame in the field of fashion and designing. As we are the magicians and producers of lastest designs in Pakistan. We have participated in Fashion Shows in Pakistan and internationaly.The people all around the world know our products.
    Therefore we request you to not write such kind of negative comments related to our unique work in fashion and designing. If you some kind of doubt ,please personally visit our out lets.

    Yours in Him,
    Samson.
34. August 3, 2008, 5:49 pm Sandya

    Hey!

    This is such a GREAT article. I am getting married to a Mississippi boy in Delhi this December and this is such great info for all the shopping we have to do !

    i am also looking for any recommendations ya’ll have on wedding photographers based in Delhi, India. I have been looking for alternative photographers but all I find is the usual, bland ones. Any ideas?

    Thanks for the help!

    Sandhya
35. August 5, 2008, 5:42 pm Rahema

    where can we find stuff for men in Pakistan?