In the hot summerish Sunday, fashion
industry stopped for a minute at the beginning of day two in order to pay the
respects for the lives lost in the tragic accident from Siachen.
After that the show started rolling
with Shehla Chatoor’s latest
designs. The collection had a composite and posh look with colors like white, metals
and pastels dominating the ramp. The pieces of the collection go beyond the
Pakistani borders and address to the modern and emancipated women from all over
the world. There was a tiny touch of Eastern in the prints, but the kind that
would make you stand out from the crowd and look unique and stylish. I
appreciate the most the attention paid to the accessories, as this helped the
line have a complete look.
Kuki Concepts came up with a time travel story of love, passion and
luxury. The collection (inspired from Rajasthan) took us to the far lands of
Raja, Maharaja and Mughals and proved that tradition and luxury have a new
name: Kuki Concepts. The colors choice was impeccable from white, to gold,
burgundy, emerald green, turquoise, and purple. The collection went beyond the cuts
and designs by using exquisite fabrics like velvet and brocade. The designer
proved that vintage is timeless by using fabrics 50 to 100 years old.
In their collection Ayesha Somaya played with the shades of
pink: rose, salmon, blush and fuchsia. Some of the pieces from the collection reminded
me a little of the cocktail dresses from the ‘20s through the flapper fringes and
the beads, but had modern touch as well. The designs were embellished with lace
and crystals. It is a collection targeting not only modern Pakistani
fashionistas, but also international ones.
Next was Next with a street fashion – prêt-à-porter collection for summer
2012. The label came with casual looks for the modern youngsters. The range of
colors was from ice pastels to electric beats, daring the young professionals
to follow the trend. All cheered and applauded when the ramp was taken by
children presenting few outfit choices.
Tayyab Bombal presented a modern collection for casual meet-ups or
for casual Fridays (in international corporations). It was a westernized
collection that emphasized the importance of small details like a cool beads
bracelet, a minimalist wallet / purse or funky accessories such as neon color
sunglasses.
Evening was closed by Umar Sayeed who presented pieces from
several collections. The designs went from sleeveless and backless dresses, to
mixed prints black and white jumpsuits and reached the height of priceless Pakistani
haute couture. We witnessed the colors grow from white to beige, mustard,
purple, turquoise, pink. Apart from the modern and global designs, Umar Sayeed
presented some bridal designs that had the clear influence of Pakistan embroiled
into them. They were outstanding jewel-like art pieces that made many young ladies
reconsider their must have list for their upcoming weddings.
There were some beautiful designs today and luxurious fabrics, but I wish to see more wow factor on the ramp tomorrow.
Things to work on:
Although things went smooth in
day 1, in day 2 there were some technical issues with the sound at the beginning
of the show.
Seeing the same 20 models in
every single designer’s presentation is starting to be boring. I bet Pakistan
has more than 20 good models out there! Plus this is also making things difficult
for hair stylists and makeup artists and their work looked sloppy here and
there (visible extensions, almost same hairstyle for every collection) and did
not match the designs.
I did not dig the Jesus Christ
look of that male model (sorry I don’t know the name).
Photo credits: 18% grey (via http://pakteahouse.net)
