The week in lawn: HSY and Ayesha Hashwani make it work

Published March 12, 2015
(L-R): Nida Azwer, Elan, Sana Maskatiya for Al-Karam, HSY.— Publicity photo
(L-R): Nida Azwer, Elan, Sana Maskatiya for Al-Karam, HSY.— Publicity photo

Amongst the many faces of lawn this year, there is one that never fails to catch the eye. Milling about a kaleidoscopic of dewy beauties is a man, impeccably suited and absolutely glamorous.

The showman to the tee, you see him on billboards, stepping out of a Rolls Royce Phantom or lounging on a private boat zooming over the waters of Dubai, a lawn-clad Mehreen Syed by his side.

When Hasan Shehryar Yasin — aka HSY, aka Shero — delves into lawn, you’re bound to see him on the billboards and somehow, not find it odd!

It’s an advertisement that actually stands out better than a model in three-piece glory — we’ve seen that so many times before and we don’t need to be told that today’s designer lawn comes with embroideries, silk and chiffon add-ons. With the exception of crowd-pullers like Sana Safinaz, Khaadi or Elan, chances are that we won’t take much notice of that lawn billboard featuring a Brazilian beauty sauntering through Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka or even good ol’ Karachi.

HSY: The brand and the man are inseparable

Shero’s not just selling lawn, he’s selling a brand image. It worked when he sauntered onto advertisements for Sunsilk, a bald man uncannily selling shampoo! And it works for lawn. For HSY, suited and primped, emulates the luxury that is an intrinsic part of his brand.

Mehreen Syed with HSY.— Publicity photo
Mehreen Syed with HSY.— Publicity photo

His good friend and model Mehreen Syed stands next to him, wearing the lawn with a smattering of diamond earrings and gorgeous accessories, at scenic locales in Dubai, exuding the glamour that you end up relating with the HSY lawn prints for Ittehad.

With her doe-eyed, East meets West looks, the svelte Mehreen makes a fantastic model for lawn, whether she’s on the billboards for Ittehad and HSY or smoldering in the Gul Ahmed’s prints catalog.

Back to HSY, what could also work for his prints is the fact that in the mass market for lawn, he’s a star who’s well recognized by all and sundry, with a weekly talk show on local TV. While you may or may not be an avid fan of Shero’s designs, all this does make you curious enough to brave the lawn customer crowd and see what the prints are all about.

It’s what drew masses to HSY and Ittehad’s lawn launch, in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Shero’s just about friends with everybody and the celebs came in droves.

Karachi sprinkled the pixie dust with fashion’s heavyweights in attendance; Bunto Kazmi, Umair Tabani, Deepak Perwani, Sanam Chaudhri, Wardha Saleem, Tapu Javeri, Zahir Rahimtoola and Mohsin Ali, among others. The Lahore launch at Raja Sahib was graced by Pakistan Fashion Design Council stalwarts alongside Shaan and Meera.

Are the prints worth the hype? To some extent only. The line does feature the embroideries and formal palette associated with luxury lawn and some designs certainly appeal. Still, one prefers the oomph of HSY’s luxury-pret and bridals to his print-play.

Ayesha Hashwani plays to her strengths

Yet another busy glittery launch introduced Ayesha Hashwani’s collaboration with the So Kamal group for Kamal lawn. The designer’s flair for luxury-pret was easily visible in her lawn line-up, resonating in the tapering paisleys, embroideries and dark color palette.

So Kamal Lawn by Ayesha Hashwani.— Publicity photo
So Kamal Lawn by Ayesha Hashwani.— Publicity photo

And at the fashion showcase introducing the lawn, the fabric was styled a la quintessential Ayesha Hashwani, in long, tapering capes and short tasseled shrugs. Lawn easily trundles towards the boring when structured into routine, conventional silhouettes. A few unique twists and a great print becomes standout!

So Kamal Lawn by Ayesha Hashwani.— Publicity photo
So Kamal Lawn by Ayesha Hashwani.— Publicity photo

What's next

In upcoming lawn releases, heavyweight Elan comes out on the 19th of March, with prints traversing Oriental, Ottoman and Moroccan influences. Designer Khadijah Shah has a knack for merging colors and prints without over-embellishing and the lawn, modeled by the sultry Rabia Butt, looks like a hit in the making.

Elan— Publicity photo
Elan— Publicity photo

Also on the horizon this weekend is Nida Azwer’s limited edition collection of stitched and unstitched single-shirt lawn prints.

Nida Azwer's collection.— Publicity photo
Nida Azwer's collection.— Publicity photo
Nida Azwer's collection.— Publicity photo
Nida Azwer's collection.— Publicity photo

In an ongoing series that will be stocked at Nida Azwer Atelier stores and multi-label boutiques, the collection features trellises, ceramic pottery, Turkish pottery and Nida’s signature birds, sans the eyes!

Nida Azwer's collection.— Publicity photo
Nida Azwer's collection.— Publicity photo

Lawn’s for the masses and it makes economic sense to make certain retail-friendly changes while staying true to design sensibilities.

A few more weeks down the line, two of the most highly coveted lawn brands of the season are slated to release: Sania Maskatiya for al-Karam and the kingpin of all designer lawns, Sana Safinaz. In an exclusive preview, Sana Safinaz revealed their collection for the year: a delectable mélange of lawn, melded with chikankari, nets, organza and distinctive, head-turning embroidery.

Sania Maskatiya for Al-Karam— Publicity photo
Sania Maskatiya for Al-Karam— Publicity photo

The Sana Safinaz lawn is an indisputable trendsetter; they brought in chikankari in lawn last year only to have everybody else follow suit this time around. Similarly, many years ago, they introduced plain lawn for lowers in a suit simply because it suited the generally heavy-set Pakistani woman.

Sana Safinaz's collection— Publicity photo
Sana Safinaz's collection— Publicity photo

The 2015 Sana Safinaz collection is a fabulous summer fashion statement; there are flocked net dupattas that are absolutely irresistible, shirts embellished with kantha-style embroideries, Turkish motifs enlarged and positioned as necklines, sparkling bejeweled neck-pieces and chikankari, tweaked and perfected. One can tell straightaway that this line is going to be a rage, pushing boundaries while remaining true to the design house’s elegant aesthetics.

In a similar vein, Sania Maskatiya’s prints are a translation of the designer’s hit lines on the ramp, trickled down to the lawn-strewn high street. What’s even better is that – like Nida’s single-shirt line-up – Sania’s three-piece lawn will be available in both stitched and unstitched options. The rigmarole with tailors can actually be eliminated altogether!

Drifting through Sania’s lawn moodboard, one sees glimpses of her funky ‘Kuamka’ or bridal ‘Ara’ from recent catwalks. There are Japanese pagodas, Egyptian structures, wig-wams, fish, ducks and birds (once again, without the eyes – you gotta please the majority!), dots and an array of filigree drifting about Sania’s canvas. Spurts of bright yellow, tangerines, turquoises and greens mix in with lowers that vary from the plain to exuberant dotted pieces reminiscent of Sania’s hugely popular luxury-pret.

And that, after all, is the point of designer lawn – for a designer’s particular aesthetic to be translated from the catwalk to lawn’s affordable, comfortable realms for the masses.

Very few designers resist the urge to overdo embellishments and strike the delicate balance between design and saleability – but it is this minority that’s making lawn such a fun, stylish statement this summer.


Maliha Rehman is a fashion and lifestyle journalist with a penchant for writing, all the time! Log on to Twitter for more updates @maliharehman

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