Luxury formals are for the weddings you are close to but not the centre of: the bride's sister at her mehndi, a mother at the barat, a cousin or friend at an evening function. They carry more handwork than pret and take five to six weeks to make in our Lahore atelier.
There are three groups. Velvet shirts come with jamawar shararas or trousers and net dupattas, as in Gulalai in green, Nazneen in maroon, Zohra in brown and Tazkia in blue, alongside three embellished velvet shawls. Front-open tissue shirts sit over badla shararas in Svera, Julia and Eva. The rest are lehenga choli: Korean raw silk lehengas with tilla and mirror work for the mehndi, and net and sequin lehengas such as Black Musk and Crystal Blush for a reception.
For less volume, Aurelia pairs a gold tissue shirt with a raw silk trouser, and Eleonore is a zink green raw silk shirt with a worked shalwar.
Every formal is cut to your measurements at no extra cost and shipped free by DHL. Some lehengas take longer, so check the making time on each product page. Need something lighter for a dholki or dinner? See our luxury pret.
Which formals suit the bride's mother or an older relative?
The velvet sets are the usual choice. Nazneen in maroon, Tazkia in blue and Zohra in brown pair a worked velvet shirt with jamawar, in deep shades that look right at a barat or walima. Aurelia, a gold tissue shirt with a straight raw silk trouser, gives the same finish with no sharara or lehenga.
What is the difference between the velvet and the tissue sets?
The velvet sets pair a velvet shirt with a jamawar sharara or trouser and a net dupatta, in maroon, green, blue and brown. The tissue sets are front-open shirts worn over an inner blouse with a badla sharara, in gold, peach, ash gray and moss green, and they catch more light. Both are worked by hand in naqshi, dabka, stones and Swarovski.
Can I buy a velvet shawl on its own?
Yes. Meera in green, Neeli in blue and Zeba in mehroon are sold as separate pieces. Each is velvet with floral handwork in naqshi, dabka, stones, Swarovski, pearls and crystals, heaviest along the hem, and can be worn over a formal or a bridal outfit.
Which lehengas are best for an evening function?
Darker shades hold up best under evening lighting. Lakshmi is black raw silk made with a qawali night in mind, Shahnaaz is midnight blue with mirror work, and Black Musk is a black net lehenga with a sweetheart choli for a reception. Lyric in magenta suits a family member who wants colour at night.
I'm a guest at several functions. Do I need a formal for all of them?
Not usually. Many guests keep a formal for the mehndi, barat and walima and wear something lighter to the dholki and smaller dinners. Our guide to luxury pret and formals compares the two, including making times.
Client experiences
What the Reviews Say
Google reviews from clients who ordered for weddings, mehndis and formal evenings.
Very beautiful dress and amazing customer service. I was really worried about not getting my dress on time, but I'm so happy that it did come all the way to USA on time.
“
★★★★★
I just received my clothes today to Norway. I had a great experience — I always recommend Waqas Shah clothing for overseas. Great quality, perfect size, I love it. Thank you so much for a great shopping experience and great customer service.
“
★★★★★
I was truly amazed at how the outfits looked just like the picture or even better. I was nervous ordering from them because I have never ordered from them before but the customer service was spectacular from my outfit measurements to responding time of any questions I may have had. Delivery was as promised. I would give them a 10 star if I could! I can't wait to order again in the near future.
“
★★★★★
I absolutely love my Mehndi outfit made by the Waqas Shah team. The team is cooperative and stayed in touch until we met our deadlines. Amna was in touch with me throughout the process of making the outfit, even giving every single update. The outfit, the fittings, everything was on point — love the details. I highly recommend them; they even provided the outfit before the date mentioned.
Aurelia
Neeliya
Farz-e-Nikkah
Naaz Rs.69,500.00 /
Velvet Shawl Meera Rs.150,000.00 /
Velvet Shawl Neeli
Velvet Shawl Zeba
Tazkia Rs.69,500.00 /
Zohra Rs.69,500.00 /
Gulalai Rs.69,500.00 /
Nazneen Rs.69,500.00 /
Svera
Julia Rs.93,500.00 /
Adele
Eva
Chloe
Eleonore Rs.85,000.00 /
Lyric Rs.149,000.00 /
Black Musk Rs.135,000.00 /
Crystal Blush Rs.149,500.00 /
Mint Bloom Rs.145,000.00 /
Golden Patel Rs.152,000.00 /
Coral Bliss Rs.155,000.00 /
Mystic Rose Rs.148,500.00 /
Ruby Rs.153,000.00 /
Aabroo Rs.99,500.00 /
Zari Rs.97,000.00 /
Mastani Rs.95,500.00 /
Shahrbanu Rs.110,000.00 /
Aarohi Rs.89,000.00 /
Mahrang Rs.87,500.00 /
Lakshmi Rs.87,500.00 /
Shahtaaj Rs.88,500.00 /
Shahnaaz Rs.95,000.00 /
Shah Bano Rs.97,500.00 /
Mahira Rs.155,000.00 /
Resham Rs.160,000.00 /
Simran Rs.225,000.00 /