Dolmen Mall’s fashion show on Thursday night was part of their winter shopping festival.The three-week festival has featured discounts, competitions and performances at Dolmen’s three locations in Karachi. The fashion show featured nine of the brands at Dolmen and included brands as diverse as Agha Noor and Sania Maskatiya.

Mall fashion shows are a class apart from proper fashion week presentations. The whole purpose of mall fashion shows is to give retailers a platform to showcase their in-store stock. As a result you rarely see anything avant-garde or groundbreaking at such shows. What you do expect to see is the coming season’s stock, well styled and attractively presented.

The show itself was professionally run, with top models including Rubya Chaudry and Abbas Jafri. It was choreographed by model-turned-choreographer Fayezah Ansari, with hair & makeup by Nabila & N-gents. The fashion presentations themselves however varied widely in terms of content and verve.

Several of the retailers, such as Yellow and Giordano, chose to show their winter collections, which are now going on sale. Given a platform with top models and extensive media coverage, it was a strange decision. It makes more sense to showcase a spring/summer collection since winter is practically over and buyers are reluctant to invest in winter clothing.

Yellow's collection. - Publicity photos.

Brands like Gulabo did show their spring/summer 2015 collection but overall there was too much winter-wear on the ramp.

The fashion showed a good cross-section of the various brands available at Dolmen Mall. Caanchi & Lugari showed blingy women’s shoes and bags, along with menswear and shoes for men. Yellow and Giordano showed western wear – with Yellow including office wear and Giordano showing a more casual range as well as kids wear. In fact, the children that Giordano put on the ramp easily stole the show – varying from cheeky to grumpy, they were the stars of the ramp.

Agha Noor demonstrated why they have become a retail sensation. Their formal yet incredibly affordable tunics fly off the racks and it’s easy to see why. Agha Noor presented a range of silk net embroidered kameezes with a touch of bling – formal and elegant, it’s difficult to credit that these start at just Rs3,500.

Agha Noor's collection. - Publicity photos.

Origins and Cross Stitch also showed elegant Eastern collections. Origins embroidered tunics have a semi-formal feel that is great for daywear. Cross Stitch meanwhile showed a summery selection of pastel-hued embroidered organza kameezes. Wearable and chic, both collections were apt for a mall show.

Another high street brand, Ideas by Gul Ahmed, opted to show a trendy collection of dresses along with some capes, skirts and slouchy trousers. While there were some pretty outfits, the dresses on display could only appeal to very small cross-section of mall goers. It would have been more effective to show some of the great kameezes and trousers that Gul Ahmed stocks. They did better with their menswear section, with selections that were both fashionable and wearable.

enter image description here

Sania Maskatiya represented the high fashion end of mall shopping. She showed a selection of formal capes, kameezes, jackets and trousers. Chic and luxe, the clothes were all pieces that are available off the rack. They included outfits with elements from Sania’s Sakura and Kauma collections, which she launched at fashion weeks over the last year. Her print-lined capes and embroidered cigarette pants were both particularly attractive – versatile pieces for any fashionable wardrobe.

Sania Maskatiya's collection. - Publicity photos.

Gulabo by Maheen Khan brought the evening to a close and demonstrated that mall shows can be both relevant and exciting. There was nothing pedestrian about the show, which featured a performance by Ali Gul Pir and showcased Gulabo’s new Spring/Summer collection. Energetic and vibrant, Gulabo’s presentation included both menswear and womenswear.

Gulabo by Maheen Khan. - Publicity photos.

The soft silhouettes featured Gulabo’s new prints, which are inspired by Arab Keffiyeh and Sindhi Ajrak. These were layered with Gulabo’s modern shalwar trousers and pieces in their map prints. True to Gulabo’s modern desi-chic aesthetic, this was a brilliant, contemporary collection. With upbeat music and models plainly having fun on the ramp, this was a lively way to bring the evening to a close.

Salima Feerasta is a freelance journalist and the creative force behind style blog karachista.com. Follow her on Twitter @karachista