KARACHI: With over 24 designers and a segment highlighting the great masters of fashion and design, the three-day Telenor Bridal Couture Week organised by Hum Network’s Hum Sitaray concluded on Sunday with a celebration marking subcontinental weddings and the ensuing festive occasions along with a sneak peak at the upcoming Eidul Fitr release, Bin Roye.

Earlier on Day Two, Tabassum Mughal showed a trousseau collection Through the Vintage Rose Garden inspired by the imperial courts and the Victorian garden-scapes in which she fused silk thread elements with metal work and rich fabrics to create opulence and grandeur. Cut-work motifs, semiprecious stone work, beehive patterns on borders and a chatta-patti border stood out in her collection.

The House of Arsalan Iqbal was next with menswear sherwanis in same-tone embellishments.

Jaipur paisley weave self prints, jamawar fabric and front-open long shirts in women’s wear, white-and-gold bridals in tissue and other vintage fabrics.

Bandish by Erum Khan featured old school embroidery techniques such as hammer work, jaal kaam, stone-encrusted elements of bling and a minimal use of red. Short shirts, peach-and-silver combinations, sea green with gold and oversize floral-print skirts with twin peacock motifs also made an appearance here.

TV actress Sanam Jung presented the showstopper piece in the segment.

Telenor Karo Mumkin featured Sarah Gandapur who opened the segment with Hasan Rizvi in a vibrant kurta and went on to show mostly gota-splattered bridals. Singer Komal Rizvi concluded the segment with a performance of her latest single, Tu Beh Gaya.

Umsha by Uzma Babar was all about cut-work borders, dense jaal kaam, three-tone bridal wear in mute tones, paisley motifs with Moammar Rana and wife in showstopper pieces.

Amina Yasmeen by Mansoor Akram displayed ethnic embroideries on sheer fabric dramatic silhouettes in pink tones and saris with dramatic borders and pallus. He had just the right aesthetics to draw a steady round of applause from die-hard fashionistas with stunning jhoomer kaam high on the wow factor and a variation in black with flashy blue-black menswear sherwani with heavily stone-worked shoulders. Other standouts included a short beige kurta pajama worn with a waistcoat and more.

Shabnam Naz’s short frilly shirt with a matching train in beige worn by supermodel Nadia Hussain and a diva outfit with an illusion neckline worn by Fia drew a sharp draw of breath from the audience. The rest of the collection fared slightly less but was still a knockout. Saba Qamar wore the showstopper piece in the segment.

Zainab Chottani with Dhanak redefined bridals in grey tones with flashy embellishments and fused them with pastels in contrast to bring out its full effect. She liberally used fabrics like nets and chiffons and other self-worked fabrics. The showstopper pieces were worn by Urwa Hocane and Farhan Saeed.

Day Three of the Telenor Bridal Couture Week saw Adnan Pardesy put his designs to the ramp test. Inspired by subcontinental weddings, rich Eastern culture, architecture and abstract art, the trousseau collection was an amalgamation of pristine white, antique gold, candy pink fused with dull green and chatta patti craft. For the white, the designer employed the free use of crochet fused with stone beads and a loose weave effect that created vacant squares to a unique effect.

The antique gold look screamed vintage with yards and yards of luxurious fabrics worn in myriad ways to a polished, sophisticated and elegant effect. The candy pink heavily worked long shirt with chatta-patti sharara fused with a dull green dupatta as well as a crimson sari also with a hint of green, and a dhani sharara spoke volumes about deft craftsmanship and an eye on latest trends and fashions as well as initiating new ones.

Mifrah followed with an intricate collection of outfits that defined fine sensibilities and influences from gara embroidery. Charri work and classic bridal tones worked their magic on the ramp heightened by showstopper creations sported by Faisal Qureshi and Aijazz Aslam.

Telenor Karo Mumkin featuring Mohsin Naveed Ranjha stood out for black on dull gold brocade and a play on combos. Its showstopper creations were presented by a host of celebrities including HSY, Saud and Javeria and Zurain Imam.

Almirah showcased menswear in traditional Eastern wear in dark, rich tones with understated elegance in an array of shalwar kameez, waistcoats and classic sherwanis.

Next was a capsule collection featuring prominent designers that started with a dance performance based on the soundtrack of the upcoming Eidul Fitr Hum Films’ release, Bin Roye, produced and directed by Momina Duraid. The jewellery displayed in the segment was by Sheherzade Rahimtoola.

The designers who featured their collections in the following Gold Stars segment were Amir Adnan, Elan, Nickie Nina, Nida Azwer, Mina Hasan, Rana Noman, Sana Safinaz, Shamaeel Ansari and the House of Kamiar Rokni. The underlying theme was gold and each outfit presented a play on the element in one way or the other.

Asifa & Nabeel’s La Joya featured bejewelled needlework, floral patterns, and infused with pearls and Swarovski crystals. Waseem Akram made an appearance in the showstopper outfit.

Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi, the president and CEO of Hum Network, respectively, shed light on their work with event partners, thanked the media and all those present for their attendance during the three-day bridal extravaganza.

Finally, the UAE-based Amato Haute Couture defined femininity with rich textures, luxurious detailing and drew inspiration from romantic Shakespearean tales and vintage postcards to the new-age cities and the revolutionary and unique dramatics of a corpse bride.

The hair and make-up of the models on all three days was done by Saba Ansari of Sabs Salon with event choreography and direction by HSY.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2015

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