Bridals were never very interesting until the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW) came along four years ago. This year’s edition had some very strong points and a few weak ones — but then again, the PFDC would need to wave a magic wand to make all bridal designers push the figurative fashion envelope.

Old habits die hard and the bridal juggernaut intrinsically veers towards the conventional. Slowly, though, the desi bride is venturing into more exciting territory.

The three-day long PLBW took off with claps of on-stage thunder and lightning. A fabulously grand stage, conceptualised by Chairperson Sehyr Saigol, formed the backdrop while the usual heavyweights flitted about: CEO Saad Ali setting things in motion; the indomitable HSY who kicked-off the event with the opening showcase and proceeded to produce it from backstage; spokesperson Sara Shahid; Maheen Kardar Ali with the finale for the first day; longstanding member Kamiar Rokni, whose label may have skipped out on a fashion week showcase this year, but who still sat in the front row on all three days and of course, Sehyr Saigol, the major domo under whose astute eye the council has grown stronger and wiser.

And yet, for the first two days at least, the front rows didn’t really razzle and dazzle. The final day featured more of Lahore’s glitterati but where had they been earlier; the politicos, socialites, celebrities and coiffured begums who had always dominated the black carpet? Their places were taken up by students and an irritating number of tawdry men who had somehow contrived to obtain passes for themselves. Was this lax attendance due to the current political turmoil in Punjab?

The show’s getting slicker, the models are walking better and the styling is the icing on the wedding cake this bridal week season

Analyzing audience attendance is secondary to the bigger picture, explains CEO Saad Ali. “Our focus is primarily on the business of fashion.” Business-wise, then, the cogwheels are certainly spinning on. Sania Maskatiya, Shamaeel Ansari, Maheen Kardar Ali, Zara Shahjahan, Misha Lakhani and Kiran Aman — whose jewelry designs featured in Misha Lakhani’s showcase — all followed up their fashion week outings with sale or order-based appointments in their own stores or at especially organised exhibits. Debutante Ammara Khan is gearing up for a trunk show at Karachi’s Ensemble after Eid. Also, once the Eid rush dies down, Nomi Ansari, Fahad Hussayn, Ali Xeeshan, Misha Lakhani, Karma, Nickie Nina and Ammara are planning to exhibit and take orders through Lahore’s PFDC Boulevard store. The council, admirably, allows free exhibit space to all its participants.

Outfit: HSY(L) Outfit: Sana Safinaz (R), Photography: Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly

Production-wise, the show’s getting slicker. The models are walking better and the styling is the icing on the wedding cake. Khawar Riaz styled the men while Maram & Aabroo created flawless runway brides on the first day. The team at Nabila — creating the looks for the next two days — had a tougher job at hand; notably while adjusting elaborate floral head-pieces for Shamaeel Ansari and catering to Fahad Hussayn’s penchant for ornamentation. It was a job that they managed admirably well. N-Gents styled the men for day two and three.

“We want to encourage our young designers,” says Sehyr Saigol. “Having established designers on board is always an asset but even the newer ones are learning very quickly. Bridal fashion was earlier considered mundane but the PFDC has managed to present a vast cross-section of designing sensibilities.”

And across the diaspora, there are some aesthetics that absolutely stood out. Here’s what we liked …

Bridal’s best foot forward

Outfit: Sana Safinaz (L) Outfit: Nida Azwer (R) Photography: Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly

It is a sign of Shamaeel Ansari’s maturity as a designer that she doesn’t need to create dramatic silhouettes for her clothes to get attention. Her clothes step off the catwalk, directly on to the retail rack without any translation.

The drama is very much within the design itself! Her line-up featured intricately layered velvets, silks and brocades, heavily worked and merged together to create veritable heirlooms for the unabashedly bold, vivacious woman.

Just as impressive although completely different was Nomi’s Ansari’s magical, Technicolor garden, ‘Gul’. There was filigree tapering down lehngas, geometric prints, bright smatterings of sequins and Swarovski crystals, golden roses popping on turquoise and shimmery risqué bustiers that will ultimately get translated to demure shirts for Nomi’s masses of traditional clients.

Mawra Hocane and Mehwish Hayat posed as celebrity showstoppers but really, even without them, these clothes were absolute stars.

The Sana Safinaz line — the finale for the last day — was undoubtedly the event’s most cutting-edge collection. The trendsetting designer-duo masterfully reinvented bridals, asserting that wedding-wear didn’t necessarily have to be laden with embellishment. The mostly earthy palette was translated onto saris and lehngas, boat-necked blouses and knee-length fitted tunics, jackets and shawls. Sana Safinaz has always been trendsetters, sartorial favorites for women across the country. We’re hoping this collection guides bridal fashion away from bling overdoses towards edgier, classier statements.

Another winner was Fahad Hussayn’s ‘Putlighar’ which easily toed the fine line between high drama and commercial viability. These were clothes with character, distinctively beautiful and complemented by impeccable styling by the stylist of the day, Nabila. Puppet head-gear and heavy ornamentation — matha-pattis, teekas, heavy-duty earrings, necklaces and a jhoomar or two - set off the clothes perfectly.

HSY’s ‘Divine Decadence’ played out amidst thunder, lightning and melancholic violins. The line ran the gamut from modern-day cuts in hues of blues and blacks to lavish conventional designs in red, beige and gold. It was a well-constructed collection that became exciting when it dabbled towards experimentation and somewhat repetitive in the case of the more traditional designs. Two decades into his career, HSY is a seasoned hand and this is how he likes it. “I don’t want to alienate my audience,” he explained. “These are clothes that people want to wear and not just applaud for their dramatics.”

Think pretty!

On that tangent, Karma’s ‘The Lotus Raj’ featured flirty pinks, romantic pastels and meticulously crafted multi-colors, opening up a treasure trove to suit every day of the big fat Pakistani wedding. Maheen Kardar Ali didn’t take too many risks, just aiming for the ‘pretty’ look. She did it well.

Nida Azwer’s ode to Ghalib did not have anything new to offer in terms of silhouettes but presented flawlessly delicate, extensive hand embroideries on the ensembles as well as on the shawls that she retails every winter.

Sania Maskatiya’s predominantly pastel and white ‘Ara-Ornaments’ line came together beautifully, innovating through the details rather than the silhouette. Pearls, resham and gota-work were fashioned onto florals, mixed with print and set onto saris, long shirts and shorter tunics. This was wedding-wear for retail, to be available at Sania’s stores in multiple sizes. It’s very convenient and price-points are generally under the Rs 150,000 mark.

Zara Shahjahan spun out ‘A Folk Tale’ that stood out with its Oriental inspirations, color-ways and innovative embroideries. Waistcoats and shawls complemented the womenswear and menswear — ideal for the coming winter season.

Embroidered nets and velvets were a consistent part of Misha Lakhani’s line, delicate florals crafted onto nets and wielded into saris, flared angarkhas, cropped pants and easy-breezy tunics. The embellished kimono-kaftan shirts particularly stood out, cinched at the waist with peek-a-boo cutwork at the back. Misha’s understated glamour is gorgeous, effortless, designed for the woman who loves fashion and knows how to carry it well.

The talents that emerged

Mahgul’s ‘Wild Rose’ certainly ‘emerged’ with its trailing hems, fine workmanship and some very funky silhouettes. More of the same — perhaps an entire showcase next year instead of a capsule collection — and this brand could become a bridal fashion force.

Wardha Saleem’s ‘Madhubandi’ had its high points: a multi-colored shimmery sequined dupatta or a lehnga embroidered with florals and figures. One expects, though, to see finer workmanship and greater innovation from an established designer like Wardha. The verve that she pours into her luxury-pret was clearly missing.

As for the rest, there were clothes that trundled down to the catastrophically gaudy to the bearable to the boringly conventional. And conventional may still please the unassuming customer but it can hardly hold its own on a fashion week showcase. The fine line that distinguishes a generic bridal from a creative one is a difficult one to walk — go overboard with the dramatics and you may win over critics but alienate that all-important lucrative bridal customer. Play it too safe and you’re not winning any accolades. It’s a balancing act and designers need to know how to walk it. Laying on the bling is just not enough — bridal’s gilded wings have now carried it to newer creative realms.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, October 12th, 2014