What to Wear in Autumn in Lahore, Pakistan

Autumn weather in Lahore, and in most of Punjab and Sindh, is a brief yet pleasant transition period between the post-monsoon summer heat and winter chill. This region is generally categorized as having three distinct seasons, the hot, the wet, and the cool. Nevertheless, locals tend to revel in the fall and spring, short periods between the hot and the cool. This year, October was still quite hot, so the autumn weather and dropping temperatures didn't really come until November. Entering December, it's already time for sweaters and gas heaters.

Despite the fact that autumn is so short, it is one of the times when people in Pakistan can enjoy wearing different fashions. For men, the staple button-down collared shirt and dress pants basically stays the same all year. Younger men, who are not yet in the work world can now wear their jeans comfortably, and they may add a trendy fall jacket to their wardrobe. If men were wearing sandals in the summer, they may now switch to close-toed shoes. Most men in business casual attire wear leather square-toed shoes all year round anyway.

For women, autumn is a lot more exciting. Most Pakistani women have completely different clothes for different seasons, so when the cool weather comes in they take out all their suitcases or autumn/winter clothes that were packed away and rediscover them. While in summer women wear shalwar kameez suits made out of lawn (thin cotton) and chiffon, in autumn they swathe themselves in georgette, crinkle, silks, and warmer stiffer cotton. As the cool weather comes, so does wedding season, and bazaars stay busy with ladies shopping for saris and exquisite shalwar kameez suits.

Jeans and kurtis (shorter shirts) worn with warm shawls start to come in during this season. In summer it just too hot to wear jeans or most trousers, but in fall and winter these are very popular with the upper and upper middle class. The stiffer materials of fall and winter also allow suits to be made with trousers instead of baggy shalwar. The latest fashion in Lahore is long shirts coming about 6 inches below the knee paired with trousers or Capri pants. Dress this ensemble up with stiletto heels and you will be right up there with the trendsetters.

Pakistani ladies prefer to wear heels most of the time, and the autumn weather does not prevail in forcing them to give that up just yet. Some ladies will start wearing sandals with socks, matching socks of course, but most stick with dressy sandals and heels until it gets too cold to bear it.

Sweaters and cardigans can be seen in early morning and late night, but most women still don't wear them during the day in autumn. Let's face it, a bulky sweater just does not look nice over a paisley print silk suit. This autumn, matching sweater vests offer a way to stay warm and fashionable.