Cultural Dresses of Pakistan

The dresses of Pakistani people represent their regional culture and are popular all over the world. The traditional dress is the legacy of ancient civilization. However, there are numerous varieties of costumes in Pakistan which include dresses of Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, NWFP and Kashmir.

  1. Shalwar Kameez

Shalwar Kameez is very popular among Pakistani people and is regarded as the national dress of Pakistan. It is two piece dress for men i.e. trouser with long tunic shirt and three piece dress for women i.e. trouser also known as Pajama, top which is known as Kurta and Scarf. One major importance of dress is of its luxury to wear and comfortable. The women wore a short Kameez somewhere between the hip and knee during the start of twentieth century but the dress was introduced with numerous designs at the end of that century. The material of the dress changes during summer and winter. People usually wear silk and cotton fabric like Shalwar Kameez in summer whereas heavy brocade work is applied on the dress in winter. The length of the dress also varies for men and women. Normally, the length of the Kurta or Kameez is up to more than knee for men but there are long slits on both sides. The men prefer Shalwar Kameez having pockets on both sides.

 

  1. Waistcoat

Waistcoat is regarded as another popular garment for Pakistani people having a full vertical opening in the front which fastens with buttons. These are designed in multiple styles and shapes suiting to the dress. However the common material used for waistcoats is leather and woolen fabrics.

 

  1. Sherwani

Sherwani is another one of the popular outfits from Pakistan which is like a coat but the difference is that the dress is very long and usually stitched with a lot of grace. People of Pakistan usually prefer Sherwanis over Kurta due to the unique and attractive quality that the dress is designed with intricate embroidery. However, the Sherwani is accompanied with a wedding turban. People also prefer to wear it at their memorable events like wedding. It gives a unique look to the people and adds to their outlooking appearance.

 

  1. Churidaar Pajama

This is one of the famous and modern outfits chosen by the women of Pakistan and is worn with a tunic top known as Kameez. However, Pakistani men use Kurta for this purpose. Now days, Churidaar Pajama is liked with long shirts. One of the most significant reason of its popularity is that it is somehow similar to the fashion of Europe and America.

 

  1. Ajrak

Ajrak is regarded as one of the famous cloth worn over Shalwar and Kameez by the men of Pakistan. However, the dress is mostly used by the locals of Sindh and Southern Punjab. The dress is available in various colors like indigo, crimson, white and black patterns. People usually wear it on mirthful events such as wedding and cultural programs. However, Sindhi cap is also used by the men of Sindh along with Ajrak and they feel too much pride in wearing Sindhi cap along with Ajrak.