Fashion week itself buzzed and throbbed and brought on the glamour in heavy doses. The celebrity quotient ran high; amongst the audience one spotted Fawad Khan with his wife, Farhad Humayun, Juggun Kazim and a somewhat befuddled Rashid Rana making sense of the bridal brigade. Lip-synced concerts were the order of the day on the catwalk: Ali Sethi sang for Fahad Hussayn’s finale, Uzair Jaswal for Nomi Ansari and Sara Haider for Mahgul. Mira Sethi walked for Nickie n Nina, Humayun Saeed and Mehwish Hayat for Nomi Ansari and Ali Xeeshan’s showcase featured Misha Shafi, Sohai Ali Abro and Mickey and Minnie Mouse (more on that later)!

Designers face the daunting task of marrying tradition with statement-wear, somehow creating a collection that is distinctive and yet, pleases the deep-pocketed oft-conventional client. The one question that kept winding its way into social media via Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat that have, with the aid of some very nifty cellphone cameras, made one yearn for constructive critique, is: Was every light-hued design with beaded embellishments trying to copy Khadijah Shah of Elan or Faraz Manan? Both designers are indisputable bridal heavyweights, their forte lying in creating ethereal pastels. But if all and sundry are following in their wake, perhaps it’s time that they move out of their comfort zone and shake things up with brilliant color or a bit of spunk?

Bridal design is only fashion forward when its tries to push past its gilded boundaries and set new trends in a bling-infested arena. Fortunately, there was much more to PLBW than an influx of pastels, sequins and net. The few who stood out, created magic. 

There was much more to PLBW 2015 than an influx of pastels, sequins and net. The few designers who stood out, created magic

The elaborate route done right

“We wanted to create pieces that stand out as separates as well as complete outfits,” explained Kamiar Rokni. “Bridal couture is expensive, after all.” The result was ‘Alchemy’, a collection that showcased works of art guised as bridal-wear; unabashedly bold and breathtakingly beautiful. Traversing inspirations from around the world, modulating them into interesting collars, sleeves, skirts and jackets and then, blending them with all the colors of the rainbow, this was the House of Kamiar Rokni’s return to the catwalk after a two-year sabbatical and it enthralled.

Equally colorful but following a very different ethos was Nomi Ansari’s ‘Oudh’. Floral prints and embellishments in a quintessential technicolor palette stood resplendent in heavy smatterings of sequins and Swarovski crystals. The silhouettes were refreshingly tapered, there were quirky can-cans and layers upon layers of color, all created with a finesse that is testament to Nomi’s wizardry. Bling dominated … but, for once, in the right way.

Elan’s ‘The Jasmine Court’, meanwhile, was scintillating, merging pastels with bursts of bright color and standing out for its delicate, intricate detailings. The play with structure, hemlines and incorporation of the shalwar were absolute highlights and reaffirmed Khadijah Shah’s status as a bridal big gun.

Keeping it classy

Beyond the lure of the unwieldy farshi gharara, many other designers preferred savvy statements without the aid of heavy-duty embellishment. Sana Safinaz opted for the slinky and classy, cinching gowns and tunics at the waist, molding peplum hemlines and surface-treating fabric, layering it with organza and working it with machine and hand embroideries. The resulting designs were avant-garde and eye-catching, reflective of how wedding-wear doesn’t need to always rely on overdoses of bling.

In a similar vein, Shamaeel Ansari broke away from her signature opulence to present a line that was modern, very well-structured and reinvented traditional zardozi and mixed it with print. There were beautiful cut-worked capes, embroidered sashes, short flared shirts, dramatic upturned collars, tasseled hems and loose, flouncy pants … an amalgamation of luxury-prêt and trousseau-wear that veered wedding apparel towards the trendy.

Fledgling brands Mahgul and Saira Shakira impressed the audience by showing distinctive signatures and resisting over embellishments. Mahgul’s eight-outfit capsule was a treat with its 3D detailing, thread-worked pants, tapered silhouettes and out-of-the-box statements such as a heavily embroidered dupatta wound around the wrists. Saira Shakira’s toed more conventional lines and the designers need to concentrate on better finishing. Certain statements, though, were unique and could become wedding-wear favorites: zig-zag embroideries, trouser legs featuring disparate embellishments and of course, predominantly short hems.

On the other end of the spectrum, there was Sania Maskatiya’s very pretty ‘Afsaneh’. With a consistent eye on retail, the designer worked velvet with organza and brocades and aligned machine embroideries with zardozi, sequins and aari-work. The silhouettes remained retail-friendly: capes and loose, short tunics paired with cigarette pants.

Predictable waters

And what would bridal fashion be without designers faltering towards conventional, repetitive waters? Fahad Hussayn’s ‘Matam’, for instance, was crafted with impeccable workmanship but although stunning, this collection could have been so much more effective had the silhouettes been less conventional. Misha Lakhani’s understated elegance, unique color combinations and neat craftsmanship is always a pleasure to observe but her silhouettes —– lehngas, saris and loose kurtas – were far too reminiscent of her earlier work. There were elements that worked in HSY’s grand finale — the naqshi and gota merged with laser-cutting was beautiful — and others that didn’t.

Ali Xeeshan’s ‘Toofan’, also reflective of his previous collections, included bright swirls of gota and riots of color. However, from elaborate neon accessories to Sohai Ali Abro and Meesha Shafi as showstoppers to Disney characters dancing on stage, the theatrics took the spotlight away from the clothes. Overplaying the drama doesn’t always work — this is something that the designer needs to understand.

Accessorize!

Rivaling the clothes was regal statement jewelry. Among the most notable; Sherezad Rahimtoola’s elaborate jhoomars, teekas and matha-pattis complemented the splendor of Elan; Indian jewelers Vasundhara accessorized Mahgul’s collection and the House of Kamiar Rokni showcased jewelry from Rehana and Shakil Saigol’s The Private Collection. Fahad Hussayn, with his penchant for dramatic catwalk looks, fashioned faux polkis, old kundan and nauratan into Marathi naths and Mughal-inspired saharas. Complex and veritably theatrical, the accessories caught the eye as much as the clothes.

With the assorted jewelry options on the catwalk, perhaps it would make sense for the PFDC to formally include the names of jewelry designers in their line-ups. Anyone on the lookout for wedding-wear is usually also interested in jewelry, after all.

The business end

And following fashion week was a constant flow of exhibits and trunk shows, cashing in on hot-off-the-ramp designs. It’s great to see the business of fashion spurring on and while most designers took orders for the upcoming year, Umair Tabani of Sania Maskatiya committed to clients for weddings in upcoming November.

“Our focus this time was primarily on trousseau and since we have mixed machine with hand embroideries, it will be easier for us to replicate these designs,” he reasoned. Fashion week and prompt retail … that’s the business of fashion for you and Sania Maskatiya has been a veritable harbinger of it. 

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) had strategies of its own to devise — namely, a counterattack to help designers through the crippling taxes imposed upon them recently. A refusal to pay these taxes had lead to the temporary closure of several designer stores in Lahore but the PFDC planned to now come to the designers’ defense, said the council’s Chairperson Sehyr Saigol. “We have been asked to pay a service tax when as designers; we are already paying a good tax. The designs we create are completed goods that are then sold at stores. This is an argument that we hope to raise with the government right after this fashion week.”

It may turn out to be an uphill battle but it’s good to see the council step in to support the design fraternity. The PFDC, as a credible, respected council for local fashion, also needs to fine-tune collections more stringently now. When new brands falter, it is admissible — but one wonders what happened to some of fashion’s most acclaimed names this time when threads fell out on the catwalk and designs slipped into shimmery, blinding tedium.

Time will tell. Till the next fashion week … may creativity live on, bridal ennui die … and the pastels make a definitive, much-awaited exit!

The top six

1. The House of Kamiar Rokni — for yet another collection that captivates and pushes the pretty realms of bridal design towards the creative and edgy.

2. Elan — for exquisite workmanship over a very feminine palette.

3. Sana Safinaz — for boldly going where no bridal had gone before with some very swanky, not-too-heavy sartorial statements.

4. Nomi Ansari — for mixing up a veritable candy-store of colorful bridal offerings.

5. Shamaeel Ansari — for re-addressing bridals with her high-end luxe signature; merging texture, pattern, print and embellishment with success.

6. Fahad Hussayn —  for his painstaking love for details and elaborate design, set off by some very gorgeous jewelry, also made in house.

Overheard at fashion week

“I am so tired of dressing up for fashion week; I am not even going to wash my face once it ends.”

“Is the wi-fi working?”

“Someone stole all my press goodies!”

“That’s a Faraz Manan copy!”

“That’s an Elan copy!”

“This music is making me go to sleep.”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 25th, 2015

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