On a chilly December evening, the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) held its first-ever trade show at Lahore's Royal Palm Golf & Country Club, put together by 20 fashion designers and without the help of any big-budget sponsors. Some of the designers/design houses who featured their collections were Mehdi, Ammar Belal, Libas, Maheen Karim, Sobia Nazir, Rehana Saigol, Kamiar Rokni, Karma, HSY and many others.

The show took off with Sehyr Saigol's Libas line which was seeped in frills and dainty colours of beige and tea pink. Designer Waseem Khan's collection was extraordinary as it was regal yet gypsy; fun yet sassy. With long kaftans, long, loose blouses and flowy skirts with large borders adorning both the skirts and blouses, the line was something else.

Mehdi's collection was surprising as it was pretty distinctive. Gia Ali's white dress (fitted at the thighs with forest-green motifs adorning the front of the ensemble and a long, sexy slit which ran all the way down to the spine) was interesting. But I think the closely-cropped look really doesn't do much for her sharp facial features and slightly broad build.

Sara Shahid's Sublime was perhaps a bit bland for the ramp, but one has to hand it to the designer for keeping her cuts clean and sharp. In fact, Sara's work reminds one of Sonya Battla's — not to draw any comparisons but just to exemplify the understated chic that both Sara's and Sonya's lines carry. Besides, both Sara and Sonya understand their niche market intuitively well.

Frills, plaids, old school bling and funkadelic school girl oomph was what Ammar Belal's collection was all about. While some gawked at the 'out there' outfits in which models waltzed down the ramp, I thought it was risky and fun. After all, art's all about taking risks, right? The models strutted their stuff to The Who's Baba O'Rilely, which seemed to juxtapose Belal's current design philosophy with the song's melody (not lyrics) quite aptly.

While Maheen Karim's line was very Cher and sequincy, Asifa & Nabeel's collection was slinky, silky and velvety in lilacs and deep purples. Cybil looked absolutely ravishing in one such gown. Maria B's collection, on the other hand, was Moulin Rogue-ish with the models sporting massive feathers in their hairdos. I just didn't get it. On a personal note, I think Maria needs to understand the different between calculated risk and going over the top.

Sobia Nazir, for instance, understands her market well. Her collection was diverse — vis-à-vis the colour combinations and they worked pretty darn well. New designer Khadija's line, Élan, was decent. Iraj in particular wore one of Khadija's loose-fitted, A-line, white kameez and pants. It was stunning as it featured silver work which ran from the shoulders, all the way down to the hemline of the kameez. Coupled with Iraj's blazing dark skin, the outfit shone on the ramp like a jewel.

But the show stealers of the night had to be Rehana Saigol, Kamiar Rokni and HSY. Nadia Hussain wore a double-shaded sari by Rehana which was jaw-dropping beautiful. Kamiar's line, too, was memorable and ethnic as it struck an appealing balance between ethnic patterns and contemporary cuts — very Mongol-inspired.

HSY's beige, brown, white and cream ensembles were gorgeous as well. They were from his spring/summer collection that he'd apparently shown at Dubai Fashion Week. Flirtatious at best, HSY's line was heavily embellished with contemporary designs.
 
The PFDC show was entertaining minus the delay and the minor sound goof-ups, and it wrapped up pretty quickly. However, the lighting on the ramp was so stark that those in the first, second and third row seats could easily make out stretch marks and flabby cellulite on some of the models' arms and midriffs. Perhaps that can be combated if some of the models quit starving and decided to hit the gym. If you're a ramp model you've got to sculpt your body and maintain it. Eating a bare minimum just won't cut ice. With the exception of Vinnie, Cybil, Nadia Hussain and Sabina Pasha, whose skin was taut and glowing, the rest looked edgy and under-nourished.

During the show, as Iraj made her way back to the centre of the stage, a relatively newer model walked down the ramp perhaps too soon. Iraj looked ticked off as she motioned with her hand and facial expressions at which the newcomer looked petrified. Mistakes happen and senior models, as in any other profession, have to handle such goof-ups gracefully and cover up if they can.

Having said that, the PFDC show was snappy, the music great and most of the designers shone in the spotlight. The hair and make-up was by Nabila and the choreography by HSY. Here's hoping the design council holds more such shows real soon.