KARACHI: Friday, day three of Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive ’19 commenced with a much-delayed opening segment by designer Zainab Chottani showing her collection of beige with splashes of turquoise, red and black-on-gold bridals titled ‘Khwahish’ (desire) befitting royalty. The gold kamdani, zardozi and tilla work stood out in the manner in which it was incorporated into the overall design ethos by the designer with strictly traditional cuts such as lehengas, ghararas, cholis and front-open long tunics. Mawra Hocane and Fahad Mustafa walked for Zainab Chottani.

Huma Adnan worked with women refugees from the Middle East living in Karachi to create heirloom pieces for the modern bride with handcrafted jewellery and accessories for her ‘Darwaish’ collection. Her voluminous lehengas with intricately crafted embroideries spoke of the rich cultural heritage of Pakistan. Noor Zafar Khan and the deputy consul of the US, Darian Arky, dressed in a black velvet sherwani walked for Huma Adnan.

‘Uraan’ (flight) by Nauman Arfeen showed menswear and womenswear in crème gold, mint green and maroon with intricate embroideries and classic silhouettes, coupled with impeccable craftsmanship. He weaved his sartorial tale around the undying bond of father and son, and played out the story of a man who learns to let go of his son who enters adulthood and gets married. No surprises then that his choice of showstoppers were the father and son duo of Wasim Abbas and Ali Abbas.

‘Limitless’ by Saba Asad featured bridals with crystals, pearls, Swarovski and fine gota work on pastels and nets with Shaniera Akram walking the ramp for her, and flashing her yoga tights and joggers underneath her ornate lehenga. Next up, ‘Talea’ by Shiza Hasan focused on pastels with tissue fabric and oversized embellishments on a palette of beiges and reds mostly. Waseem Akram was the showstopper in this segment wearing a deep grey embroidered sherwani.

‘Adam & Eve’ by Sadaf Fawad Khan showed coordinated bride and groom wear in pastels and deep tones with chandelier motifs in full-on bling and sheer fabric. The models walked hand in hand as a further play on the theme. Although the relaxed manner of the presentation enabled many present in the audience to notice the intricately detailed embroideries, it was Fawad Khan sitting in the front row for his wife’s show that drew most of the attention. Hania Amir and Feroze Khan closed the show for SFK Bridals.

Ayesha Ibrahim showed frills on bridals in pastels with Sumbul Iqbal as her showstopper.

Deepak Perwani, whose tenure comes to an end this year as the Fashion Pakistan Council spokesperson along with the rest of the FPC board, and with elections scheduled sometime soon to elect new FPC office-bearers and governing body, showed a collection inspired by the exalted Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. In the collection, strong vibrant colours in velvets with kaamdani, diamantes, pearls, sequins and mirror work, as well as silk thread embroidery, played with the theme of Mughal art floral patterns.

The choreography and show direction on all days was by Nubain Ali with hair and make-up by Nabila’s N-Pro & N-Gents.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2019