Shopping at Liberty Market, Lahore's wedding marketplace

Rolls of fabric in every hue, shawls and scarves sporting intricate designs, slippers, pumps and heels, chunky gold and silver jewelry, lace, buttons and borders –- Liberty Market in Lahore, Pakistan is where DIY fashion meets great bargains.

Located in Gulberg - the heart of the city’s commercial/shopping area, the market comprises of scores of boutiques, shops and tailoring outlets nestled closely together.

A boy unravels one of his best-selling fabric piece.

And every winter, the pace of the market seems to multiply many-fold.

This is because wedding season within the city is in full swing -- yards of fabric for elaborate wedding apparel are bought and cut, the buzz of countless sewing machines hard at work drowns out excited chatter, and shoes and jewelry are vociferously haggled over the hustle-bustle and racket of the busy, pulsating market.

Here is a pick of some of the stalls and shops worth visiting should you make it to the market.

Liberty Market fabric.

Prince Silk Center (Shop #29-G, Phone: 042-35875293) in Liberty is one of the many shops that sell a variety of plain and embroidered pure silk fabrics. Depending on the intricacy of the work on the fabric, the starting price is about PKR 2000 and above.

“Silk does for the body what diamonds do for the hand,” designer extraordinaire Oscar de la Renta  once stated, and at Prince Silk Center you’ll get just that –- good quality silk that can be stitched as a trendy top to be worn over a pair of slacks, or to create a long, elaborate tunic with matching trousers.

Little shop of surprises.

Specializing primarily in jamawar (a kind of ethnic fabric comprised mainly of threads of silk and polyester), Safura Fabrics (Shop #197-G, Phone: 0321-4550817) sells an assortment of the material in different colors and motifs.

The starting price for a shirt piece (approximately PKR 300), again, is dependent upon the intricacy of the work on the fabric and on one’s bargaining prowess.

Imran with one of his creations.

A tailor by profession, Imran (above) manages City Gold (Shop #128-G, Phone: 042-35751158) with another one of his peers who looks after the jewelry section of the tiny shop.

In Liberty Market, rather than splitting up the process of buying fabric, having embroidery/stones/beads stitched onto it, and then finally taking it to a tailor to stitch it into the final product, shops like City Gold take care of the whole process from start to finish.

He's holding up a short, vermilion top (that is worn with a flowing, ankle-length skirt) -- the starting price is PKR 7000 for the top alone. Others are priced at PKR 10,000 and above.

Prices of ready-made outfits all depend on the sophistication of the work and the quality of fabric used to create the finished piece. Prices of the gold-plated bangles, however, range from PKR 1500 to PKR 4000.

Lace and border to adorn clothes.

Bisma Embroidery Collection (Shop #199-G, Phone: 0300-4140020), located snugly between fabric and shawl shops, is one of the market’s many embroidery shops that sell lace, ribbon and embroideries that can jazz up a plain outfit or give an extra bit of bling to something already stylish. The thicker the border and more detailed the embroidered work, the higher the price -- approximately PKR 300 and above for a yard.

Ethnic shoes for every occasion.

Perhaps the most popular shoe shop in Liberty Market is Khussa Mahal (Shop #141-G, Phone: 042-35756676) which sells a variety of ethnic footwear –- from dainty sandals to Sinbad slippers in a myriad of colors and beaded work. Starting prices at the shop range from PKR 1000 to PKR 3000.

Shimmery bangles.

Plain silver and gold metal bangles to shimmery glass bangles with bling and beads -– almost every second shop and mini stall at Liberty Market sells them. Approximate price for a set of twelve bangles; PKR 60.