Mideast Culture

Style, Translated: Summer’s Bottoms are in Full Bloom

We are excited to launch our coverage of Mideast related Style here at Aslan Media.  Just as Art and Music are undeniable markers of culture, world perspective, and individual experience, so, too, does Style function as an outward expression of internal life. It blends a variety of stories and visually builds bridges. We want to make this everyday carrier of self-expression and creativity an ongoing conversation for our readers. “Style, Translated,” is a weekly new feature that will take a look at international fashion trends and how Middle Eastern countries are translating these trends into their fashions.

From colored denim to printed pants, it’s bottoms up for 2012. On and off the runway and around the world, floral pants are quickly becoming the season’s hottest item, with designer collections such as Prabal Gurung, Richard Chai Love, Alexander Wang and others incorporating the trend in silhouettes ranging from cigarette pants to wide-leg trousers.

For the average fashionista, floral pants are quite easy to style and are available in a variety of cuts and fits to work for all body types. Paired with a plain white tee or a chambray button-down, they are perfect to cool off the heat during the day. Take your look from day to night by throwing on a blazer or a leather jacket and high heels. Don’t be afraid to juxtapose different floral prints for a daring and edgy ensemble.

In other parts of the world, local designers are putting their own twists and variations on the floral pants trend. Pakistan Fashion Design Council Fashion Week 2012 also saw a strong inclination towards florals for the spring and summer season. From the long tunics worn in South Asian cultures -- called the kameez -- to fierce jumpsuits, Kamiar Rokni’s “Sweetest Taboo” collection at the PFDC Fashion Week was a beautiful riot of clashing florals and 80s-inspired prints on both cultural and international silhouettes. The styling of the collection was at par with international runway shows, yet paid attention to local cultural tastes. The floral straight-cuts, harem and palazzo pants can be worn with the longer kameez, and can equally be on-trend with a tucked-in top in a solid color or a clashing print.

Another Pakistani designer that showcased botanicals in her collection is Zara Shahjahan, whose “Pretty Please” for the PFDC Fashion week 2012 consisted distinctly of floral palazzos pants in breathable cotton, making them perfect for the local dry and humid summer conditions. Like Rokni, Shahjehan also incorporated both local and international styling in her collection to make it relative across markets. She paired her floral pants with the trendy “hi-lo” or bias-cut tops, long shirt-dresses with high slits, blazers and of course the kameez of varying lengths.

The international appeal of the floral print pants validates that it is merely not a fad. The trend is going strong in fashion markets around the world, and has the capacity to be carried over to fall and winter in a darker color palette.

*Photo of Alexander Wang: Wikimedia Commons

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