Pakistan Fashion Week London’18

Season 13

Seeing Pakistani fashion at its best abroad is a treat for sore eyes especially when it is set in the heart of the hustling and bustling city of London. Pakistan Fashion Week LONDON’18 Season 13 was an outstanding event by Riwayat, filled with colours, and what made it more astounding was the participation of the profound Pakistani designers.

Chirawan Lewis opened her collection JAL with a short dance performance followed by enticing and innovative fashion pieces. Mermaid tales, peacock style wings and golds dominated her show bringing us a fusion of Pakistani and Thai culture. 

When fashion meets a cause, a movement is initiated. Maheen Khan’s #MeinBhi fashion line gave a voice to the unspoken and tarnished silence. ‘Save the earth’ and ‘Water is life – Do not waste it’ were written artistically on plain kurtas while some kurtas and capes had silhouette of earth printed on them. Fauzia Aman and Zara Abid walked for Maheen in red and white drapes coupled with golden pants and hats, beautiful confidence.

Showcasing the latest bridal trends, Ayesha Imran brought to the ramp her very best with Dhaka style pants, knee length shirts with dramatic backs, and gorgeous kamdani. Lehngas with frills at the bottom added a modern touch to the traditional bridal looks which were perfected by adding chokers and jhumars. The designer brought forth a different palette of colours – merging greens with pink and red, and using pastels in a monochrome look.

Faika Karim merged yesterday and today’s generation together and introduced Rangrez which is an uber chic collection ideal for the modern girl. Bell sleeves, ultra-dramatic back trails, short shirts and A-lines made on jamavar and net with adda work was showcased in shades of gold and silver.

Banarsi cutwork and fancy net were combined in formal and semi-formal looks in Bushra Wahid’s collection, Attire. She played with oranges, bringing detailed dupattas and shimmery chiffon in a stylish front-open look. A fusion of western and eastern cuts, the black banarsi lehnga and the front-open boxy cape with fancy net lehnga were the highlights of her show.

Sadaf Aamir’s collection left us mesmerised – a red silver opening by Zara Abid followed by finely detailed showcase of tunics and traditional outfits. Swarovski-detailed worked, colourful appliques, multi-layer gharara pants and black monochromes stole the show.

Komal Nasir started off as a designer for family and friends, and showcased her originality on the ramp through intricately worked shawls. Adorned gracefully on all black attires, the multi-coloured embroidered shawls were presented as a stylish accessory to make a simple look, extravagant.

Presenting a tirelessly elegant range, Laeeqa Akbar put her best foot forward with singular modest tones of lilac, gold, and white. Her work revolved around chiffons, chunri and elaborate cuts merged with old-school styles like long shirts presented a distinctive mingling of the millennials with the generation of yesteryear.

Bringing an evolution in Pakistani fashion, Shazia Kiyani brought together robust and intricate designs with similar aesthetics using resham, beadwork and semi-precious stone-work. Off-shoulders, short coats and contemporary craftsmanship on high end fabric illustrated her geniuses.

Day 1 was brought to an end by an illustration of every bride’s dream in Uzma Babar’s collection, Khwahish. She spoke volumes through its flamboyant reds and gave birth to a woman with not only idea and goals but with a will to accomplish them. Depicting the amalgamation of the modern world with romance, Uzma showcased some exquisite pieces with tilla work, pearls, naqshi and kundan work on front-open and two-layered lehngas, back trail shirts, and peshwas.

Fahad Hussayn opened the second day with modern cuts, chic and outstanding artistry, vintage grandeur and contemporary patchwork techniques. Feathers, frilly neck pieces and dashing head pieces were the highlights of his show.

Mohsin Naveed Ranjha brought forward his passion through distinctly designed bridal and heavy formals with each dress representing a unique character and story. The designs had a spectacular finish with beautifully detailed embroidery, intricate embellishments of dabka, tilla, zari, naqshi on rich fabrics like raw silk, tissue, chikankari, net, cotton knit, velvet and chiffon. Mohsin presented a vintage palette of colours, playing with the traditional maroons and reds, along with neon pink and light blue. He showcased traditional straight shalwar-style pants, off-shoulders, boat neck and ornamented sherwanis.

Moazzam Abbasi presented a collection incorporating a bit of urban and edgy lifestyle; ideal for the city of London. Crisp edges and sharp geometric colours integrated with whites, all crafted on the most exquisite materials reflecting contemporary 3D embellishments, cutwork and appliques. He exhibited some very trendy looks – turtlenecks, angarkhas, plain inners with embroidered outer layers and culottes.

Gogie by Hassan Riaz was all about stripes. His pieces were dramatic and constructive combined with ethnic and tailored cuts, he mastered the art of stripes and presented them in great splendour on blacks and whites. 

Bohéme by Kanwal’s Kath Putli Tamasha was one of a kind collection – inspired by the puppet shows seen as a child. Each dress represented an exquisite, colourful puppet displays in detailed hand embroidery. The collection was all about cheerful memories, love, laughter and family – the colours of life. She set a nostalgic theme and exhibited mirror worked, and vintage themed short coats with old-school techniques and accessories. Each piece had its own illustrative and spellbinding puppet tale which she presented in tones of orange, mustard, navy blue, purple, green, yellow and white. 

Diva by Sana Rashid showcased her collection Anmol that exuded old school charm fused with intricate craftsmanship, reliving an era inspired by the glorious history and intricate designs reflecting the Mughal era. All models walked with custom handcrafted wooden fans. She used a fusion of pastels with vibrant pinks and blues on rich fabric like silk and chiffon.

Haris Shakeel enticed us with his flawless pairing of greens and pinks, chunris, hand embroidery and kundan net. He showcased traditional embellishments bringing back shalwars and chooridars created with old school techniques which reflected the elegance and splendour of the versatile styles of the past.

Sheeba Kapadia launched her chikankari bridals at PFW; a coming together of Lucknow’s brilliant art of chikankari, mukesh, kamdani and zari work on A-lines, and lehngas. A one of its kind bridal, Sheeba Kapadia’s show was applauded immensely by the spectators because of its unique showcase.

Labelled as King of Couture by Harper Bazaar, HSY finished the grand finale by raising the fashion quotient. He used fine fabrics like raw silk, jamavar, net and chiffon on front-opens, A-lines, slouchy sheaths and elaborate trumpets. A showcase of grandeur and art, his use of vivid shades of black, golden, and dark blue were commendable.

The grand fashion event was hosted by the stunning Hajra Laljee, who was inspired by the unity and support between designers. “The way each designer supports the other designer is amazing.”

The spirits of the spectators were also kept uplifted by live folk music by singer Naseer Ahmed Khawaja during breaks.•

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