A clear space that emits natural light complimenting the simple pristine all white mouldings with elegant high ceilings is what strikes one most when they first enter the Zara Shahjahan store in Karachi. It’s hard to miss the eye-catching showcase of the beautiful floral prints that are on display even as you pass by Khayaban –e-Bukhari and main Shujaat to enter the glass doors that lead into the space. Situated right next to the new Xanders, this area now has it’s own bustling vibe. As you enter you are greeted with a warm welcome from the staff and one that is dressed to impress. Encapsulating the brand’s philosophy in every way the sales representatives adorn a lemon yellow neutral color kameez with sleek straight pants and a blush red vest with peach florals that add a personalized touch to the signature floral style statement of Zara Shahjahan’s brand. Nothing impresses us more than a label that holds a strong brand image and one that it’s own employees advocate.
As you strut around the spacious store you will find two distinct lines from the label. Coco that is Zara’s ready to wear and casual line encompasses scarves, digital print kurtas for a fun casual look, solid colored kurtas for a more sleek look and cotton trousers that are either printed (that we personally adore) or available in solid colours for an every day simple look. (Price range Rs3,000-Rs5000)
The fuschia pink cambric kurta with blue and white button detailing had our eyes glued! The geometric finishes on the sleeves and neckline totally won us over. Paired with navy printed pants this entire look is one we wanted to purchase. Another one from the family of prints from the Coco line that is on our wish list is this super fun Persian carpets inspired printed khaddar kurta shown above with black button and gold chains. It’s versatility of pairing it with both white or black pants made it our fast favorite. For the simple solid look we especially liked this earthy tone Kurta accentuated with floral threadwork of blues and red that added just the right amount of finish to adorn this trendy sophisticated look.
Tassels galore, we loved how every Coco piece was embellished with a different touch that made it stand out. This lime green nature inspired Kurta with pink blossoms and pinecones with meena kari got a major nod from us.
Next stop we headed towards the lace and cut work pants from the Zara Shahjahan label that encompasses luxury and prêt wear. We loved the neutral beige color lowers that you can adorn with anything. Grazing high to show a bit of skin and tapered to every size these pants are a go to in our books for a formal staple separate. Walking towards the display of heavier worked trousers we laid our eyes on these must have strikingly beautiful silver embellished pants on white and gold embellished pants on black silk. Ideal to wear for an eastern and western look these pants serve a dual purpose and are definitely statement worthy.
Moving forward we headed towards the print side that we all know Zara is well known for. We spotted these jaw dropping trendy retro geometric pants with pearl studded detail and chevron beige striped pants in silky white. What was great about them was that they came in different materials. The retro geometric print was on cotton and had a great emboss effect whereas the chevron striped pants were created on a sultry silk material that draped perfectly to fit. We couldn’t resist trying them on and if you want to amplify your style game these pair make a fashion forward statement for that brunch look you often may be stressing about.
You think it would end here but our wish list just kept growing. The super fun floral digitally printed dupatta from the luxury prêt collection in a simple white hue was one that we draped on ourselves and did it look gorgeous! The detail on the work was so vivid and beautiful that it was an instant yes for us. Blown away by the silk tunics in a variety of colors of bold red, midnight blue, mellow yellow and lime green we especially loved how each tunic had its own signature cut and style. One was scuffed to the waist with a tasseled tie up, the other a front open jacket style, the third a floral A line kurta and the fourth a belted separate kurta that you could attach for that formal look.
Despite the confusion we finally decided on a favorite. The midnight blue with chevron details on the sleeves and on the neckline with a front open style and floral detailing was our definite crush!
A label that has emerged and keeps evolving to offer a myriad full circle collections in prints, solids, heavy embellishments and next the much awaited bridal collection; keep a look out for this awe inspiring label and have a look at our picks as we give you a taste of our next tour into Zara Shahjahan’s Karachi studio.
