In a world of veranda tailors and constant echoing within fashion, Misha Lakhani’s launch was a pleasant surprise. The occasion marked both the introduction of her namesake debut collection and her boutique on E-Street in Clifton, Karachi.

The spacious store with pink and light brown French macaroons saw prominent socialites, fashion icons, femme fatales, ingénues and old guards who had come out to support the designer who is both a graduate of Columbia School of Journalism and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, as well as a protégé and former intern of Bunto Kazmi.

For the brief fashion segment, square planks were placed strategically throughout one part of the store for the models to stand on one by one as they modeled the cacophonic, statement-making pieces. Models for the event were Sadaf Kanwal, Mahroosh, Abeer, Sehrish and Sana Sarfaraz with their hair tied back, no accessories and no shoes. Simple yet successful.

“The focus is on the clothes,” explained Lakhani. “I wanted the models to be barefooted to reinforce the feel of how effortless the look was. So I tried to show that through no jewellery and no shoes.”

While fusion in fashion has typically been about combining East-West and difficult cultures, Lakhani defined and redefined fusion in layer upon layer. First, she paired Western streamlined cut outfits with traditional Eastern heavy dupattas. Then she combined informal outfits and fabrics with very formal embroideries and traditional pieces. Every element of her work was defined by a clash of textures, fabrics, cuts, traditions — everything we know about fashion.

Sometimes it worked and sometimes it just felt off but with the cuts consistently being top notch. The overall outfit made a clamour, a loud statement that the designer has the potential to bring a change to fashion if her style philosophy catches on.

“I’m impressed,” said fashionista Frieha Altaf while speaking to Images on Sunday and looking stunning in a white outfit by the designer, “I love the way she elegantly puts the East and West mix without rules. No reason you cannot put a traditional dupatta on an off-shoulder dress.

“It’s very important for a designer to have personal style. Only if you have that can translate that into someone other people should be doing and it’s very hard to compete in this day and age.”

“I love mixing formal wear and informal wear,” reinforced the designer. “There is one piece where the inner piece is all block print on muslin. Very earthy and casual. I layered it with shadow work and formal gota embroidered net. You could wear either the inner or outer piece on its own or with other pieces, for a variety of different looks. I like to keep my pieces versatile. With Western clothes, you can easily dress them up or down. I want to bring that same kind of versatility to Eastern clothes.”

The designer enjoys using a variety of different fabrics because she likes mixing different textures, ones that are not conventionally put together but she feels like they will go together beautifully. “I like pairing velvets and nets, for example, as a bit of contrast is always nice — like karandi with a lining of raw silk.”

The designer says she favours georgette, crepe, satin and muslim as well, but shies away from banarsi. “I adore old traditional craft and embroideries such as vasli, marori and resham threadwork, different stitches, bita work, discharged printing, screen printing, digital printing, shadow work, etc. But in some of the techniques I use there is a lot of beaten work mixed with embroideries that are not beaten, which is something that I think is interesting. I have also commissioned shadow work and tharkashi lace-making from women’s coops in Punjab.

“I’m drawn to the polarity of past and present because it’s something I’m grown up with,” Misha Lakhani says. “The culture, the heavy embroideries are all part of our heritage, but I love experimenting with new cuts and proportions as well.”

This debut was an experiment and only time will tell if the designer’s style philosophy catches on.

Meanwhile, also spotted at the event was the iconic Bunto Kazmi in her trademark chic kurta and pearls, Amin Gulgee, Saira Lakhani, Ronak Lakhani, Zahir and Sherezad Rahimtoola, Nida Azwer, Uzma Jamil Baig, Zurain Imam, Uzma Mansur and Arsalan Bilgrami. The event was managed by Catwalk.