FASHION PAKISTAN WEEK 2015

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FPW15

Fashion Pakistan Week, the most talked about Fashion Week of the season, was many things: a casual, crisp and curious blend of genres. An updated take on the typical bridal wear. An architectural assemblage of pieces uplifted by refreshing ruffles and patches. The show was fantastic! But sadly, it wasn’t diverse.

DAY 1:

All designers who showcased their collection on day 1 at FPW 2015 included:

Shehla Chatoor:

Celebrating 20 years in the industry, this is the first time Shehla has shown her bridal wear at a fashion week. Shehla Chatoor opened the night with her All The Raj collection that included an embellished velvet dhoti shalwar, off-the-shoulder velvet blouses and a fierce leather lengha with gold dabka embroidery.

Toni&Guy:

Toni & Guy ‘s Hair and Fashion Scout segment featured two very different collections – one by Sania Maskatiya and other by Gulabo. Sania Maskatiya’s Ori collection contained no prints at all. Solid colours and folding techniques, the entire collection based on the Japanese art of origami. Gulabo’s collection, however, was a mish-mash of prints and textures which could have been better as the cuts were trendy.

Ayesha Farook Hashwani:

AFH’s Ellada collection, inspired by Greece, was more of a party wear collection. Some of the pieces looked really great on the ramp but the collection overall lacked the charisma of last year’s collection.

Tena Durrani:

Tena Durrani’s Omorose collection contained sheer and velvet fabrics. The colour palette was honeyed creams, warm pinks, earthy pewters, blended with rich golds, reds and sage greens. Pearl and crystal detailing with threadwork and motifs made her collection one of the strongest of the night.

Hisham Malik:

Hisham Malik’s Eternal collection didn’t impress many. Trying to show creativity, Hisham left the audience a bit confused. Plenty of experimentation can sometimes lead to a disaster. He really needs to up his game.

Sana Safina:

Sana Safinaz ended the night of Day 1 with their Russian Roulette inspired collection, that comprised of embellished gowns and velvet pants to cropped jackets and chic pencil skirts – teamed with Outhouse accessories. The collection was glamorous and sophisticated but it wasn’t something that wasn’t seen before.

Day 2:

Wardha Saleem:

Day 2 started off with Wardha Saleem’s ‘Zar Gul’ festive collection which was a dramatic story of a Golden Flower represented through different traditional techniques of intricate embroidery using gota, dabka, beaded appliques and age old block printing that really stood out. Diyar-e-Dil couple Osman Khalid Butt and Maya Ali walked the catwalk while Zeb Bangash sang for Wardha Saleem’s show.

Maheen Karim:

Maheen Karim’s ‘Tempo Di Festa’ was far from the typical wedding collection and created that party-going milieu. The collection comprised of jumpsuits, short dresses, cocktail gowns, skirts, capes and flowing tunics cinched at the waist. Velvet in deep tones was her fabric du jour as well as a delicious silk print, with swirls of multicolours. Though some of thr silhouettes reminded of her earlier work, it was a cohesive line up overall.

Obaid Sheikh:

Obaid Sheiks’ collection was an inspiration from rich Russian embroidery but unfortunately, it didn’t have much to offer. Like Jodhpurs look great on men but I still have to witness a man donning jodhpurs at a typical wedding. The utilization of shalwar was intriguing but we have seen it recently, and we have seen coats over lehengas too. Fabrics like tissue and velvet didn’t really stand up. The one thing that I liked was the embroidered velvet shawl.

Elan:

Elan’s ‘Sauvage’ was definitely one of the head-turning collections of the night. Khadija Shah too safely stayed away from the wedding circuit, and with her unmistakable flair for fashion, preferred to make a splash with luxury-pret. The jungle prints were bright and beautiful with menagerie of deer, toucans, snakes and flamingoes and what not! The audience witnessed some gorgeous jackets and capes and luxe cancanned skirts.

Nida Azwer:

Nida Azwer is known for her finesse but it was plain sad to see when motifs began to fall off Nida’s designs as soon as they emerged on to the ramp. Many of the pieces had untidy finishing. Nida’s ‘Mystical Garden’ with shimmery grey and silver hues comprised of some very interesting bridal silhouettes like cowled shalwars, tunics with variant hems, off-shoulder thigh high shirts paired with culottes, baggy arm-holes for sleeves. There was one piece with a quintessential phoenix emblazoned in flight on the back of an elegant white shirt. The collection varied from the use of florals to the odd rabbit scampering down a sleeve, deer, grasshoppers and butterflies – a garden that might not appeal to most bridal clients.

FNKAsia by Huma Adnan:

Fnk Asia’s ode to Tuscany was very confusing. It was supposed be a luxury-pret collection but the amalgamation of embroidery and silhouettes didn’t make much sense and that made it look more like a wedding collection. Some pieces were likeable, like the embroidered velvet pants and the brand’s jewellery featured some really gorgeous ethnic statements.

Deepak Perwani:

Deepak Perwani’s La Vie en Rose collection should have been the best of night but it wasn’t. There were some pretty pieces with lace and floral embroideries and heavily-worked velvet constructed into coats, lehngas and dupattas. Silhouettes were nice but there was nothing new about them. Other designs just didn’t work. There wasn’t much menswear but whatever was seen looked okay-ish. One expects more in terms of finesse and stronger statements from a veteran designer like Deepak. Wiqar Ali Khan, Sana Bucha and Zoe Viccaji were the showstoppers.

Day 3:

Umar Sayeed:

Mahira Khan, Sheryar Munawar and Adeel Hussain, HoMannJahaan’s cast, opened the show for Umar Sayeed’s Elysian to the beats of Shakar Wandawaan and a very enthusiastic audience. Cancanned lehngas, off-shoulder short shirts, halter-necks and dhaka pajamas with an amalgamation of zardozi, French knots and diamantes, embellishments, the collection was a treat for watch.

Zaheer Abbas:

Zaheer Abbas’ Baad-e-Naubahar was an interesting blend of traditional trousseau-wear, interspersed with on-trend capes, fitted high-collared shirts and a variety of shalwars. Designs were neat and embellished with a mix of shimmer and embroidery. Amna Ilyas was the showstopper.

Delphi:

Delphi by Nida Tapal showcased its collection ‘Dreamweave’ which was an amalgamation of superior crochet weaving methods complimented with traditional Zardozi craft. The fabric was wielded into a variety of silhouettes that were inimitable and classic. Mora Sethi was the showstopper.

Zainab Chottani:

Zainab Chottani’s Dilruba was all about colours. There was a wide range of fuschia, hot pink, deep red and orange. The dupattas and shawls lined with velvet were quite eye-catching. Mehwish Hayat in an all-out bridal dress took the catwalk.

Faraz Manan:

Faraz Manan showcased his latest Formal Collection “Imperial AW 2015”which was a beautiful mix of the fabrics including french silks, brocade and organza with maroon, grey, pink, silver and gold hues majorly used. The whole collection had traditional embellishments and intricate embroidery techniques with modern cuts for a wider appeal with colour palette sticking to pastels and whites.

Nauman Arfeen:

Nauman Arfeen’s ‘The Legacy’ was the only all-out menswear line at FPW, and surely it was a defined one. Well-cut sherwanis, waistcoats and coats were refreshing with no overdoses of effeminate bling. Abbas Jaffri made a come back with a very powerful walk that stunned the audience. Aijaz Aslam and Faisal Qureshi also walked for Nauman Arfeen. Major props to the song selection which was very well suited for this royal collection.

Nilofer Shahid:

It won’t be wrong to say Nilofer Shahid’s The Rembrandt took everyone’s breath away! There was drama, there was poetry, there was fashion! Each piece had it’s own story. Digital prints, 3-D florals hand-stitched into Baroque elements, militant jackets, capes and gothic black, treated with feathers and layered with gold and glitter. The heavily trailed gown worn by Mehreen Syed in the finale was inspired by Rembrandt’s infamous ‘The Jewish Bride’. The Rembrandt stole the show!

Photo Credit: Tapu Javeri