Pakistani Clothing A country with tremendous history and magnificent past, Pakistan is home to almost 200 million people. Pakistani people have the clothing culture enriched with the numerous influences of thousands of years old heritage and to say, the traditional dresses of Pakistan are the legacy of ancient civilizations. There are many varieties of the ethnic costumes in Pakistan, mainly including the desired cultural and traditional dresses of Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochs, Pashtuns (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Kashmiris. Dress in each regional culture reflect weather conditions, way of living and distinctive style which gives it a unique identity among all cultures.

1. COSTUME OF OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES:
Costume of Pakistan
By:
Monalisa Das
Faculty Associate , School of Fashion Technology, KIIT, Deemed to be
University

2. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
Pakistan, populous and multiethnic country of
South Asia. Having a predominately Indo-
Iranian speaking population, Pakistan has
historically and culturally been associated with
its neighbours Iran, Afghanistan, and India. Its
capital is Islamabad, in the foothills of
the Himalayas in the northern part of the
country, and its largest city is Karachi, in the
south on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Pakistan
is bounded by Iran to the west, Afghanistan to
the northwest and north, China to the
northeast, and India to the east and southeast.
The coast of the Arabian Sea forms its
southern border.

3. A country with tremendous history and magnificent past,
Pakistan is home to almost 200 million people. Pakistani
people have the clothing culture enriched with the numerous
influences of thousands of years old heritage and to say, the
traditional dresses of Pakistan are the legacy of ancient
civilizations. There are many varieties of the ethnic costumes
in Pakistan, mainly including the desired cultural and
traditional dresses of Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochs, Pashtuns
(Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Kashmiris. Dress in each regional
culture reflect weather conditions, way of living and
distinctive style which gives it a unique identity among all
cultures.
Pakistani dressing has similarities with Indian
dressing because of pre-partition culture which was shared
by these nations for thousand years but the religious factor
was always there which makes a difference. Traditional
Pakistani dressing also shares similarities between the ethnic
groups of central Asia and ethnicities of the Iranian plateau
such as the Turkic ethnic groups (i.e. Khazakhs, Uzbeks,
Turkmens) and Iranian ethnic groups (Tajiks, Khorasani
Persians and Pashtoons), that have been separate from the
cultures of modern day Pakistan during the Durand
agreement between Afghanistan and the British raj. With the
passage of time Pakistanis are adapting modern dress and
cultural clothing, especially in big countries.
Embroidered dress, Kohistan, Northwest Frontier
Province, Pakistan, early 20th century, cotton, silk, glass,
plastic, silver, brass - Fernbank Museum of Natural
History

4. The salwar kameez is the national dress of Pakistan and is worn by men
and women in all four provinces Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa in the country and in Azad Kashmir. Salwar refers to loose
trousers and kameez refers to shirts. Since 1982, all officials working in the
secretariat are required to wear the national dress.
Each province has its own style of wearing the salwar kameez
such as Sindhi shalwar kameez, Punjabi shalwar kameez, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa shalwar kameez and Balochi shalwar kameez. Pakistanis
wear clothes ranging from exquisite colours and designs to various types of
fabric such as silk, chiffon, cotton, etc.
Traditional Khet partug. (Traditional
loose shalwar worn in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa) (1842)
Balochi shalwar kameez
Sindhi shalwar kameez
Punjabi shalwar kameez

5. Men all over Pakistan prefer shalwar kameez with
some additional accessories which include
Pakistani Waistcoat, Achkan and Sherwani with the
shalwar kameez or with Churidar Pajama. Jinnah
Cap also called Karakul, Fez also called Rumi Topi
and Taqiyah (cap) is used with Shalwar Kameez.
Khussa is a popular foot wear with shalwar
kameez. Men like to wear traditional shawls made
of Pashmina or other warm materials especially in
Northern part of the country.
1. salwar kameez
The shalwar is tied at the waist with the
help of a drawstring. More recently, elastic
is also used in place of drawstring. The fit
is generally baggy or tapering.
Narrow tight-fitting shalwars are known as
churidars. The kameez is large and loose-
fitting tunic, worn with the baggy shalwar.
Men as well as women wear the same
attire, with a difference in the color of the
cloth, fitting, silhouettes and the
embellishments used.
2. The Sherwani
The Sherwani is usually worn by the
groom on his wedding day. Hindu
groom Men also prefer Sherwani and
vest along with the shalwar kameez.
Kandahari or Jinnah cap is also
commonly paired with a Sherwani or a
shalwar kameez. A Sherwani is a long
coat worn with a shalwar and is
generally made from heavy fabrics
4. JINNAH CAP/
KARAKUL
3. The Khussa
Peshawari Chappals and Khussa
are the most preferred footwear
among men. Mostly worn by
Punjabis, the Khussa goes well
with Sherwani as footwear.
5. Shawls
Pashmina Scarves
In regions where
temperature is considerably
cold, Pakistani men opt for
Pashmina or Shahtoosh
shawls to keep them warm.

6. 1. BALOCHISTAN
In regional clothing, A
Balochi people wears a long
jama (robe) like a smock-frock
down to the heels, loose
shalwar, a long chadar or
scarf, a pagri of cotton cloth,
and mostly shoes that nanow
at the toe. The material is
thick cloth with very wide
shalwar to protect against the
hot wind of the dry Sulaiman
Range and Kharan Desert
.They wear Balochi turban
made of a very long cloth,
often in white color to prevent
their head from sun rays.
A Baloch Man
Balochi turban
Baloch Culture Day Celebrated Across Pakistan

7. SINDHI
Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic
group who speak the Sindhi language and
are native to the Sindhprovince of Pakistan,
which was previously a part of pre-
partition British India. After the partition of
India in 1947, most Sindhi Hindus and
Sindhi Sikhs migrated to India and other
parts of the world. Today, Sindhis are both
in India and Pakistan.
Sindhi people wear a version of
the shalwar called a suthan with a kameez
called cholo. Other traditional clothing
includes the Sindhi cap and Ajrak of
beautiful designs which are made locally.
Men also traditionally wear the dhoti and
the long angerkho.
SINDHI CAP

8. PUNJAB
Punjabi men wear the straight cut
Punjabi shalwar kameez, kurta and
shalwar, dhoti, lungi[ or tehmat and kurta
according to Punjabi climate.
Other Punjabi shalwar styles include the
Pothohari shalwar, Multani shalwar, Dhoti
shalwar and the Bahawalpuri shalwar
which is very wide and baggy with many
folds.
Turban of a thin cloth is also worn
especially in rural areas of Punjab where it
is called pagri. It is also used with Shalwar
Kameez especially in rural areas of Punjab
where it is called Pagri.
Footwear include the khussa. It is also
used with Dhoti Kurta.
Bhangra Dance performers in Punjab wearing
Kurta and Tehmat.
FOOTWEAR KHUSSA

9. KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA
In Pashtun dress, people wear traditional
Peshawari chappal as footwear. The
traditional male Pashtun dress includes
the Khet partug, Peshawari shalwar and
the Perahan with turban.
Males usually wear kufi, Peshawari
cap, turban, or pakul as
traditional headgear. The Pakol (Pakul or
Khapol) which is rounded topped hat
made up of soft wool. For wearing it
requires rolling from sides to form a band
which helps to rest it on the head just like
cap. Brown, black and gray colors are
usually popular for Pakol. Most men also
wear waist coat which is a sleeveless
jacket buttoned in the middle
PESHAWARI CHAPPAL

10. KASHMIRI
Kashmiri people use Pheran, Shahmina
(Cashmere wool), Shahtoosh and Jamavar
which makes them warm in the cold
climate of Kashmir.
Shahtoosh is the name given to a
specific kind of shawl, which is woven
with the down hair of the Tibetan
antelope, by craftsmen and women of
Kashmir.
Jamawar, or grown piece, is a
special type of shawl made
in Kashmir. "Jama" means
robe and "war/var" is chest
and metaphorically body.
JAMAVAR

11.  SHALWAR KAMEEZ
Pakistani women wear the shalwar kameez which is worn
in different styles, colors and designs which can be
decorated with different styles and designs
of embroidery. The kameez can be of varying sleeve
length, shirt length, necklines. The drawers can be the
straight-cut shalwar, patiala salwar, churidar, cigarette
pajama, tulip trouser or simple trouser.
DUPATTA
The Dupatta is an essential part of shalwar kameez
ensemble and is considered a symbol of a woman's
respect. It is used with different embroidery designs of
Kamdani and Gota.
Portrait of a Hindu girl from Karachi, Sind, in
narrow Sindhi suthan and paro. c. 1870. Oriental
and India Office Collection, British Library.

12. Balochistan
 A typical dress of a Baloch woman consists of a long frock
and shalwar with a headscarf. Balochi women wear heavy
embroidered shalwar kameez and dupatta with the
embroidery utilising Shisha work Dupatta according to the
weather conditions.
Balochi Dress for woman is one of the beautiful cultural
sides of Balochistan. The Balochi Dress is attractive, in
fashion, classic and very rich that a woman from any part of
world can’t deny wearing it. Balochi dress is called “phashik”
in Balochi language.
It has heavy embroidered sleeves and borders. It has
pockets which are in triangle shape. This triangle shaped
pocket is sewed with Daman and lots of beautiful
embroidery is done on it too.
In making of Balochi Dress glass, multiple colored threads
and a fabric is used. This fabric can be anything of your
choice but usually cotton and silk are used. Generally red,
green, black, yellow and blue are the most commonly used
colors in making of Balochi dress, but as due to
requirements of design, the Balochi dress can be consisted
of countless colors.
The balochi dress is very beautiful and adorable and hence
it takes lots of money and time to be prepared. Its price
ranges from few hundreds to thousands. An average balochi
dress takes 7 to 8 months to prepare since this is one of the
unique hand-made dress.

13. SINDH
Sindhi costumes have different styles of embroidery
and some women use Ajrak as Dupatta. women also
wear bangles in their traditional way. In addition to
wearing the suthan and cholo, Sindhi women wear
the lehenga and choli known as the gaji which is a
pullover shirt worn in the mountain areas of Sindh.
The gaji is composed of small, square panels,
embroidered on silk and sequins. The neck line of
the gaji is cut high, and round on one side, with a slit
opening extending the other. Unmarried girls wear
the opening to the back and married women, to the
front. Sindhi clothing displays embroidery using
mirrors
Portrait of a girl from Sindh, (1870s)

14. PUNJAB
Punjabi women wear the straight cut Punjabi
shalwar kameez, originally a purely Punjabi dress,
which is most frequently worn, and is the uniform
of the women's National Guard of Pakistan,
the women's naval reserve, the Pakistan Girl
Guides Association, Pakistani nurses and forms
part of national dress.
Punjabi women, in villages, also wear the
Pothohari shalwar, the Patiala shalwar, the laacha
(tehmat), kurti,ghagra, lehenga and phulkari.

15. KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA
Women of the kalash region wear long
dresses colourfully embroidered.
In other areas, women wear the shalwar
kameez known as the firaq partug which is
also worn in neighbouring Afghanistan.

16. KASHMIR
Pheran -Women
 Kashmiri phiran style kameez has
heavy embroidary on the front neck
of the kameez and is often made of
wool. Women Dresses.
 Women wear a modified version
of this pheran throughout the year.
While there are many materials to
choose from, the most poised will
always remain velvet.
 Women’s pheran are knee length,
and the velvet ones are profusely
embroidered in real silver thread at
the throat, cuffs and hem.
There are a few standard designs
for the embroidery, the most lavish
being stylized Chinar leaves around
the neckline.
Silver embroidery on a velvet
pheran is a status symbol