The fifth edition of the Hum Style Awards was held last night with stars big and small from TV, film and fashion, but many watching the snippets and photos from the red carpet flow in on social media felt one guest was distinctly missing — the style itself.

While the usual criticism of so-called “revealing” clothes was plenty, what was notably called out was the lack of originality and the poor quality of styling and workmanship. Red carpet photos also revealed the stark difference between reality and the perfectly staged and edited pictures intended for Instagram — but poor lighting at the venue is also partially to blame.

“Ladies, you all are beautiful and talented so trust me you don’t have to wear revealing dresses to look like a diva in any award show (with due respect),” wrote actor Bilal Qureshi on Instagram. However, his comments policing only the women at the event were not appreciated on social media.

On the other hand, model Alyzeh Gabol also took to Instagram, indirectly commenting on the more bizarre outfit choices on the red carpet that veered into costume territory.

Similarly, Iffat Omar also criticised the lacklustre red carpet fashion on display, calling it the "death of fashion".

"Sad but definitely true." Indeed.

Veteran actor Simi Raheal simply had no words. "Do we have any cultural identity left? Please someone explain why it is important to dress like the Western fashion world [sic]?" she wrote, composing her thoughts in a later post on her Instagram feed after an initial post on Stories. "Do we have any cultural identity left?"

However, coming in with the most sane and kind take on the disaster was Mathira, "Why are people bashing people's style statement?" she wrote late on Sunday night. "Let the women dress how they want. That's her body, her choice she should feel happy with what she wears and that's what matters."

"Live and let live. Women have the right to wear what makes them feel beautiful."