Pakistan models defy Taliban with first fashion week

Some women strode the catwalk in spiked bracelets and body armor. Others had their heads covered, burqa-style, but with shoulders - and tattoos - exposed. Male models wore Islamic robes as well as shorts and sequined T-shirts.

As militant violence grabs headlines, Pakistan's top designers and models are taking part in the country's first-ever fashion week. While the mix of couture and ready-to-wear fashions would not have been out of place in Milan or New York, many designers made reference to the turmoil, reflecting the contradictions and tensions coursing through this society.

The four-day event, which was delayed twice because of security fears, is aimed at showing the world there is more to Pakistan than violence.

"This is our gesture of defiance to the Taliban," said Ayesha Tammy Haq, executive of Fashion Pakistan Week. However, in a culture where nearly all women dress modestly, many outfits were too racy.

"This does not represent what we are as a people," designer Ayesha Tahir Masood said. "Only 0.001 percent of Pakistani women would wear these clothes, and then only in a controlled environment when drunk out of their minds."