Tailored Perfection

​In t​he far left corner of the brightly lit access only Lux Style Awards back stage area six men surround a ​whirring​ Singer sewing machine. The calling card of their trade: a measuring tape hanging around their neck identifies them as tailors. The men are busy making last minute adjustments on the elaborate costumes that dozens of backgrounds dancers will wear during the show.
Azeem, barely looks up from the swiftly moving red sateen when I ask him what it is like working here.

“A stitch is a stitch,” he answers, completely unfazed by the movie stars that surround him.

Azeem has been working on the glamour tailoring circuit for over a year. His day job is creating custom bridal wear but when special events come up he is called upon for high-pressure alterations.

Another tailor, Waqas diligently hemming a sequin

​n​ed dress says that he began backstage tailoring at Fashion Week. The techno music, model drama, flashing paparazzi all fade into the background for him as ​his eyes zero in on the delicate task at hand. He usually works near Hyderi market, where middle-class women employ him to get lawn suits stitched – but today he is working on a shimmering confection of sequins and sateen.
“The glamour of this job does not hold much appeal to me much, I am a simple man,” he admits. “My joy is a job well done.”
When the curtain rises and the music swells, a two dozen perfectly fitted dancers rush on to the stage.