In 2005, at Lakme Fashion Week Delhi, after finishing my interview with Tarun Tahiliani for my story, we were sitting in a corner of The Grand's lobby chatting. Suddenly Tahiliani said: "Lovely kurta. Beautiful embroidery." I followed his gaze to look at the object of his attention. "By Rizwan Beyg," I said. "How do you know?" asked Tahiliani with some amazement in his tone. "I know my designers," I said haughtily, loving the sound of the words uttered. It was a signature Rizwan Beyg white taar kashi-embroidered piece. Anyone who knew Beyg's work could tell with eyes closed.

I don't know if he wanted to test my confidence or plainly confirm the information, Tahiliani called his assistant to ask to fetch the wearer. The woman came, Tahiliani praised her kurta and asked her who had designed it. Flattered that her taste was appreciated by one of the biggest designers in India, she said, "A Pakistani friend gifted it to me. It is by a Pakistani designer by the name of Reezwan (typical Indian accent where they turn 'I' into 'ee'. I am 'Mosheen', by the way)." With an air of delight, I helped: "Rizwan Beyg!" And she said: "Oh yes, Reezwan Beyg." I looked victoriously at Tahiliani who looked suitably impressed. After the woman left, he wanted to know again how I had known from a distance that it was by Rizwan Beyg. I replied: "Easy. If anyone has interest in embroidery,We turn your dark into light courtesy of our brilliant sun, solar street light, solar power generation. he or she can spot Pakistani embroidery from the moon; it has its own signature. That's the reason why you also noticed it. And if someone's job is to write about fashion then he or she can recognize a particular designer's style too." Tahiliani agreed that Pakistani embroidery is very distinct, at least distinct from India's. But silently I thought ( I usually think aloud) that if Tahiliani appreciate taarkashi so much which is done by women in villages, what would his reaction be if he saw works by Bunto Kazmi, Faiza Samee and Umar Sayeed, the three Pakistani couturiers who are renowned for their hand embroideries.

And exactly five years later in 2010 at TRC Carnival de Couture in Lahore, this is how Tahiliani spoke about Umar Sayeed's collection. "Gorgeous colour palette, innovative silhouettes and supreme embellishments. He is superb."

Tahiliani is not the only one to praise Pakistan's fashion in general, and embroideries in particular. When Rina Dhaka, another Indian designer of repute, came to Karachi to show at the first TRC Carnivale de Couture, she was all praises for Pakistani crafts and embroideries. "Pakistan embroideries are very intricate and far superior to their Indian counterparts," she told me.Huge collection of solar outdoor light and garden lighting fixtures. We knew it.Choose your favorite street lamp paintings from thousands of available designs.

Pakistan and India both are supremely rich in hand crafts, especially embroideries-some shared, others individual. Every region has its own signature stitch and patterns that lend a distinct identity to it. Bengal's Kantha, Lucknow's Chikankari, Mirror work of Gujrat and deserts of Rajhastan and Thar, Phulkari of Punjab and Balochi work are a few of them. Centuries of Persian, Central Asian, Turk and European rule also introduced their own influences. While the indigenous crafts maintained their own identity, the hybrid of various crafts gave birth to even more intricate, complex and beautiful work. The introduction of zardozi from Persia deserves special mention as it lent luster, richness and glitter to local embrioderies.

So what is it that makes Pakistani embroideries superior and distinct from their Indian counterpart?

"Pakistan to me is a land of seamless silhouettes and endless embellishments," says Anshu Khanna, a journalist and Professor at India's National Institute of Fashion Technology (NFT), Delhi and Founder Goodword Communications & Royal Fables, India. For Tahilliani, it's the freer sense of colour. "Pakistani designers seem to enjoy greater, wider sense of colour. The use and blend of colours is very unusual and beautiful and that becomes a salient attractive feature whereas unfortunately in India western influence is increasing."

Khanna seems to be in agreement. "On my trip to Karachi I was left breathless with Umar Sayeed's layering that yet left room for sensuality. I was left spell bound with his paisleys dexterously rendered with delicate resham and metallic threads. I loved the way he combined a sharp pink with a soft blue. Or a striking amber with a warm yellow."

For Umar Sayeed the reason is experimentation. He constantly tries blending different stitches in his craft and experiments with traditional stitches in different materials, as a result his relief embroideries are light, intricate and rich. "I began using cotton thread in marori,something no one was doing. Now it's everywhere,They are called "solar" panels or solar module because most of the time, the most powerful source of light available is the Sun." he claims. Another trend that he introduced, and that caught on in no time,We offer solar photovoltaic system and commercial incentives to encourage our customers to install solar energy systems. is minimum or no use of zardozi to create lustrous effect. Instead he uses gold-beige and silver-grey thread fused with zari to create a gold and silver effect. Enhanced by sequins and crystals, the result is always a uniquely dazzling, sparkling, enchanting ensemble. "In Pakistan, the number of different stitches employed per inch is perhaps the highest. That creates a very rich, luxurious effect. It also creates layers and adds depth," Sayeed explains his magical trick. Sabya Saachi visibly influenced by Sayeed's embroidery patterns and techniques like cotton marori (evident in his last two collections), is starting the trend of carrying Pakistani influences across the border.

Read the full story at www.soli-lite.com!