April 4, 2025
ISLAMABAD – This year, all anyone could talk about were farshi shalwars. On Eid, women donned farshi shalwars like their lives depended on it, with every colour in the rainbow on display. But amid all these voluminous shalwars another trend emerged — flared pants. What made this trend all the more interesting was that it was donned by men.
On Eid, Pakistani men tend to play it safe, donning traditional kurta shalwars in neutral shades. The more fashion-forward of our menfolk choose brighter colours and patterns and the most avant garde opt for embroidery. This Eid, however, saw the unexpected revival of a vintage trend — flared trousers.
Once a 70s staple, flared trousers and bell-bottoms first gained traction in the late 1960s, heavily influenced by the hippie movement. It was at the shrines of Lahore, the beaches of Karachi, and at the bus stands of Peshawar and Rawalpindi, where most Pakistanis came into direct contact with passing hippies and their fashion.
As portrayed by the late Zia Mohyeddin on The Zia Mohyeddin Show, the ‘radical chic’ and ‘hippie attire’ developing in the West caught the fancy of young urban middle-class Pakistanis.
By the 1970s, bell bottoms, flared pants and flowery, flamboyant shirts had become a signature style, often worn as part of suits. The look was synonymous with rebellion, youth culture, and artistic expression.
Pakistani film stars Waheed Murad and Shabnam helped popularise the trend locally, mirroring the glam-rock and disco movements globally. However, by the 1980s and 90s, this relaxed and exaggerated silhouette gave way to more fitted styles like chooridars and straight trousers.
Now, after decades of dormancy, the flared trouser is making a return once again. Though we aren’t seeing 70s-style bell bottoms with the wider flare at the bottom, we are seeing a resurgence of some sort of flare.
Here are some celebrities who embraced the flare this Eid:
Ali Ansari: A classic white with a twist
Ali Ansari opted for a plain all-white kameez and trouser set — perhaps the most predictable Eid outfit for Pakistani men. However, his trousers set him apart. Instead of the typical straight-cut style we’re used to seeing, he chose a flared pant. He was seen posing with his wife, Saboor Aly, and their newborn.
Farhan Saeed: Minimalism meets retro flair
Another advocate for the all-white look, Farhan Saeed, styled his ensemble with a shorter kameez and flared trousers. Both Saeed and Ansari completed their looks with formal footwear — instead of traditional sandals or kolapuris, they opted for sleek formal shoes, lending their outfits a layer of sophistication.
Saud: A risk that didn’t pay off
Veteran actor Saud also hopped on the trend with white flared trousers paired with a short, blue printed kameez. While the concept was promising, the execution fell short — the semi-sheer, shorter kameez did little to complement the trousers, making the overall look seem unbalanced.
Babar Azam: A missed opportunity?
King Babar sported a mint green kameez with straight trousers that flirted with the flared trend but didn’t quite embrace it. While his trousers were looser than usual, they lacked the dramatic flair of other stars’ pants, making them appear more like an ill-fitted pair rather than a deliberate style statement.
Osman Khalid Butt: Baggy, blue, and beautiful
Osman Khalid Butt took a more fashion-forward approach, donning an all-blue three-piece ensemble. His kameez featured puffy full sleeves, while his trousers, though not overtly flared, had a baggy, straight-legged silhouette. The monochrome look, paired with a matching waistcoat, gave off a refined yet effortless vibe, reinforcing his reputation as one of the best-dressed men in the industry.
Danish Taimoor: Elegant in beige
Danish Taimoor kept it classy with a beige embroidered kameez and plain flared trousers, styled with chunky brown loafers. The embroidery added a touch of luxury to the minimalist colour palette.
Fahad Mustafa: East meets west
Fahad Mustafa went the haute couture route, donning a Sana Safinaz kurta set with a coat featuring elaborate net embroidery. His look was a perfect balance of textures — the silky, lightweight kurta contrasted beautifully with the structured, khaddar-like flared trousers, very high-fashion.
While some of these looks failed to impress, we hope the return of flared trousers isn’t just a passing fad and signals a shift towards embracing bold silhouettes. As it is, our men are quite staid in their fashion and we’d love to see them experiment with their clothes a bit more, even if it’s just with flared pants.