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Thursgay traveleved outside its usual domestic milieu yesterday to bring us news of a Fashion Week taking place in an exotic land far beyond our ken: Kazakhstan. "Where have I heard of that country before?," you're probably not wondering. Well, in case you're a Borat fan who's still not clear on the distinction between fact and fiction, the Times wants to inform you, again, that Kazakh ladies aren't strapped to plows or trapped in cages — really. No, they're dealing with a much classier brand of indignity: the humiliation of showing up at a party in the same Dior dress someone else is wearing. The solution? Turning to indigenous Kazakh designers, whose work is comparable to anything Gucci and Donna Karan can turn out, but with a twist. Why, just listen to this enticing description:

This year there are 40 shows, among them 28 Kazakh designers. One is Kuralai, a brand that incorporates ethnic Kazakh themes into its beaded evening gowns, sequined culottes and paisley turbans.

Oh, wow! Now that we're totally sure we're not going to be forced to become #5 prostitute as soon as we get off the plane, we're totally headed right over there to pick up some sequined culottes. Psych.

For Make Fabulous Kazakhstan [NYT]