Mehdi opened first day-first show with The Royal Courtyard in orange fused with green to create a classic combination, as well as select menswear. Classic red with gota was worked into the collection towards the end.

Farhad Humayun walked for the designer.

Others included a segment titled QMobile Rising Star in which the label HEM showed Shahi Muhalla based on the art and style of the Mughal era. Resham walked for the label in a beige/gold showstopper outfit. Imran Abbas made an appearance for FAS Design Studio which showed next.

In Chaap Tilak by MNR Design Studio, Soch the Band opened the act and Mawra Hocane walked for the label with jewellery by Samreen Vance. Designer Zonia Anwaar also showcased her festive collection Daria’i Noor.

Weddings remain a joyous, hectic affair with last-minute changes and frantic preparations. And so was the case at Hum TV’s 13th edition of the three-day Bridal Couture Week held last week at the landmark Faletti’s Hotel in Lahore. A total of 24 emerging and established designers, as well as design houses, showcased trousseau collections for the Winter/Festive season

Celebrated vocalist Ali Sethi lip-synced to his popular tracks in Imperial Voyage based on revivalist trends by IVY Couture. The ravishing Iman Ali in a resplendent gold-on-gold embellished outfit walked for the label. Ayesha Imran’s Afsana-i-Ishq saw Moomal Sheikh make an appearance in bridal finery. The grand finale belonged to Sobia Nazir’s traditional collection titled The Mahal.

Seeped in deep earth tones and bronze hues, the traditional and fusion pieces in Dhanak by The House of Arsalan Iqbal featured Mohib Mirza and Munib Nawaz as showstoppers on Day Two.

It was followed by Anees Malik’s Paheeli, crafted around the romance of dreams, poems and riddles. Charcoal showed smart, formal western wear with the dapper-looking Emaad Irfani as the perfect choice for the celebrity showstopper. Mashal-i-Rukhsar by Shazia Kiyani followed. Erum Khan’s kalabattu-riddled Nawabzaadi put Saba Qamar on the ramp in a showstopper piece.

Others who also showed on the day included Chinyere with Husn-i-Janan, Hina Butt’s Ladli Begum Sway to Rhytm of Storytellers featuring Sadia Khan and Meekal Zulfiqar, and finally Munib Nawaz’s star-studded Moonlight Romanticism.

On Day Three, Wardha Saleem chose the culture and tradition of Lahore as the inspiration to put together her bridal collection which saw Sonya Hussayn walk for the designer. The ‘chaiwala,’ Arshad Khan, show-stopped for groom’s wear in the Ziggi Menswear segment and Meera Sethi walked the ramp for designer Faiza Saqlain.

Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane made an appearance on the ramp for Umsha by Uzma Babar with jewellery by Samreen Vance.

Sahara the Band performed for Asifa & Nabeel while Ushna Shah walked for Nickie Nina and Nabeel Shaukat performed his popular tracks.

The grand finale by Amir Adnan witnessed a host of celebrities and socialite couples invited by the designer in an effort to ‘keep it real,’ and to parade individually crafted outfits that added to their persona and showcased the designer’s style aesthetics.

The QMobile Bridal Couture Week was styled by Sweet Touch and choreographed by Vaneeza Ahmed Ali, with hair and make-up by the creative team at N-Pro and N-Gents.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 4th, 2016