The highs

International waters

Drones walked the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) runway with Ammar Belal’s Parsons MFA graduate show, dedicated to the war on terror. His NYFW collection was a complicated, spectacular mix of print, texture and traditional embroideries prompting heavyweight Donna Karan to declare it to be her favorite collection. Closer to home, Maria B. joined hands with Indian textile company Sahiba Limited to create prints for India, cashing in on the huge demand for the Pakistani lawn aesthetic across the border. The Trade Development Authority Pakistan’s wielded political clout with their ‘Aalishan’ exhibit and fashion showcase in Delhi. Textile bigwigs and major fashion designers were part of the project drawing in the Indian crowds — the far reaches of social media have ensured that they’re well aware of the luxe finery of Sana Safinaz and the comfortable but chic philosophy behind Khaadi.

The high road to high street

Lahore’s spunky Mohsin Ali became part of the design team at Sana Safinaz and judging by his recent fashion week outing, he’s going to be adding his unmistakable edge to the brand. Also trickling down to affordable realms is Khadijah Shah of Elan, as the recently appointed Creative Head for textile giant Sapphire’s new lines of prêt and unstitched fabric. Ready-to-wear gets that extra oft-missing oomph whenever a designer plunges into the high street. For these partnerships to last — rather than dwindle away as they often do — is what we’d really like to see.

A swan song to remember

Maheen Khan took a final bow for the ‘House of Maheen’s trysts on the catwalk at November’s Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW), leading to many a moistened eye. The effortlessly elegant ‘House of Maheen’ has long dressed the discerning begums of the country but from now on, only Maheen’s high-street label, the vivacious Gulabo, will dabble with the catwalk.

Glamour highs

There was pomp, grandeur and heady spurts of glamour highlighting some of the year’s most scintillating events. In February, the politico-savvy Sindh fashion festival show took place at the glorious Hindu Gymkhana and featured fabulous couture. In March, the Porsche Polo Diaries event had Lahore’s well-heeled glitterati turn up a la ascot, in hats, tailored suits and sunshades. The ambrosial House of Lux dinner toward end-September and wrapping up the year, the launch of Swarovski by Nishat Textiles, were nights to remember; gilt-edged by a dazzling, illustrious guest-list and wrapping up with firework displays.

The year 2014 has brought unprecedented pain to Pakistan but looking back, it was also a year where fashion careened through a rollicking, kaleidoscopic rollercoaster ride. Here are some of the year’s highs and lows

Haute off the runway

Ammar Belal’s tribute to the victims of drone attacks on the runway in New York

There’s no point to showing at a fashion week if you’re not going to sell. This year, designers like Nida Azwer, Sania Maskatiya, Deepak Perwani, Shamaeel Ansari and Khadijah Shah cashed in on the fashion week hype by quickly translating the designs to retail. Kudos to both fashion councils — the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) and the Fashion Pakistan Council (FPC) — for diligently putting up regular fashion weeks and educating and encouraging designers to get their business chops in gear.

Debutantes to watch out for

There were some fabulous debuts this year: Saira Shakira with their Harlequin-esque theatrics followed up later in the year by a unique collection of formals at the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW). Studio S’ Seher Tareen shows promise as does Madiha Raza, who sailed on the wings of exotic birds at the Maybelline New York Millennial Fashion event.

Baubles and blitz

Outfit: Madiha Raza

Jewelry was in the frontline, from Shehla Chatoor’s stunning pieces in beaten metal to long-time favorite Kiran Fine Jewelry setting up store at Karachi’s Ocean Mall to Indian brand Outhouse exhibiting just recently in Karachi with its chunky, eclectic head-turners. Swarovski’s taken its first tentative steps into the local market and Khaula Jamil’s K for Karachi is one-of-a-kind, transferring cityscapes onto limited-edition jewelry. It’s veritably a glorious, gorgeous candy-store of choice baubles for the affluent lover of statement jewelry!

The lows

The tale of two cities

Fashion’s Karachi-Lahore divide has now trundled down to the absolutely silly. While Karachi-based designers are regular features at the Lahore-based PFDC’s fashion weeks, most of Lahore’s contingent prefers to stay close to home. As the business of fashion gets more streamlined and buyers more discerning, council loyalties seem like a paltry excuse for a designer to remain fixated to one city. PFDC’s founding stalwart HSY happily showed at the Spring/Summer edition of FPW and has been wielding his choreographic talents for major events in both cities. Others need to follow suit.

Lackluster red carpet affairs

Plummeting down from the grandiose precedents they had set in earlier years, the Lux Style Awards and Veet’s Miss Supermodel Contest cut corners and shortened that elusive red carpet to low-profile halfhearted affairs. It was disappointing to see the events downsize to low-budget ‘tasteful’ high-tea gatherings and slipshod shows. Organisers, take note: do be willing to invest into platforms that you have spent years in building for if you don’t take them seriously, nobody else will either.

Scuffles and the waning guest-list

Even as content gets stronger at fashion weeks, the guest-lists have begun to wane. Along with financial clout, sponsors bring in masses of ‘guests’ who jostle and push and have been known to weave through empty aisles before a show and pick up goody bags allotted to the front-row.

What further brings down standards are scuffles that take place between participating designers and front-row journalists, as they did in one ill-fated incident this year at the PLBW. Designers who show at fashion week need to be prepared for criticism. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. What just can’t be allowed is bad language or violence directed at a critic. At best, genuine criticism allows a designer to improve; at worst, it can be ignored.

The bias that brings us down

Where solid critique can help hone the industry, sycophantic flattery can make it nose-dive to lackluster realms. How can a genuine critic be wearing clothes at a fashion week that are yet to air out on the catwalk? Doesn’t that ensure a biased rave review of the collection? ‘Friendships’ forged between the media and designers can lead to far too commendable reviews while other, not favored designers, end up being slammed down brutally. There are far too many self-acclaimed ‘critics’ out demanding freebies, far too many publications and blogs leaning towards unabashed favoritism. The biases that bring fashion down need to be curbed – for the sake of allowing bona fide talent to grow, to dissuade run-of-the-mill ateliers; for the sake and the love of fashion.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 28th, 2014