Ali Xeeshan —Faisal Farooqui @Dragonfly 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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