For fashion connoisseurs, a late show or two is routine fashion week behavior. But when the show is two and a half hours late and you have ten shows to sit through, it can get a bit exhausting. That is what happened last night. Add to that, collections that were held together by celebrities showing face and gimmicks on the runway, it’s a questionable affair. And that’s what the first half of PLBW19 Day Two was like.
With ten shows in the line-up, including big names like Kamiar Rokni and Sania Maskatiya, the excitement at the 4th floor of the Nishat Hotel was palpable; even more so with every passing hour. Every ten minutes you’d hear someone ask, “When is it starting?” and the wait really dampened the mood, with a yawn seen here and there even before the show started at around 6:45 pm.
Saira Rizwan’s ‘Aaina’ at the PLBW19 with Sumbul as celebrity model
Day Two finally kicked off with Saira Rizwan and with her collection titled Aaina, she offered a more diverse color palette, thankfully. It was a relief to see colors other than light pastels that seem like the ultimate go-to for a more commercial collection. However, other than that, the collection did not have a lot of standout moments and was, perhaps weighed down by embellishments.
There was little experimentation which seems to be the one mistake that bridal couturiers make a lot at fashion week. What’s a fashion showcase without the introduction of new trends and styles? A celebrity sashaying down the runway in your clothes can only do so much for the collection as a whole, and one hopes that designers realize this soon.
Ahmed Sultan with ‘La Vie En Rose’ and Sara Khan at the PLBW19
With a color palette that seemed to be just one color wide for women; icy, metallic grey/blue, Ahmed Sultan‘s La Vie En Rose still had its moments. Veering high at some points with the variation in silhouettes, the collection also dipped low with silly accessories don’t work in bridal couture unless they’re adding something to your brand (as in the case with Ali Xeeshan); the only apparent purpose here was to keep reminding the audience that it’s AS showing.
A day and half into fashion week, men were seen on the PLBW19 runway for the first time and the asymmetric hemlines on some of the pieces were perhaps the only interesting part for the men’s half. Overall, lots of playing around with pleated ruffles, feathers and tassels could be seen, and one could also spot 3-D fleurettes which was an interesting variation in embellishment. However with so much work being put in to showcase a whole collection, one wonders why proper fit and finish seems to lag behind on the check list.
Tayab Moazzam’s ‘Feline Riposte’ featuring the gorgeous Mawwra Hocane
Another one to add to the growing list of collections that seemed to rely on a celebrity to garner audience applause was Tayab Moazzam‘s Feline Riposte. One could barely register one theme when another rolled out. There was entirely too much happening, some of it not too bad, some good, and some just plain confusing, like the two men in knitwear. The applause? Mawra Hocane closing the show.
Asma Aslam’s ‘Serene Glam’ at the PLBW19
A lot of pieces that evoked a sense of déjà vu were seen on the catwalk, owing to the fact that so many of them employ the same techniques of craft and silhouette. Asma Aslam‘s Serene Glam had some head turning pieces like the one with layers of tassels sewn on, perfect for shimmy-ing your way down, and that’s exactly what the model did. Gold on gold, and some more gold, and you’ve summed up the collection.
‘Kaleido Nyfi’ by J&H Studio at the PLBW19
Putting little flower girls on the catwalk to open your bridal showcase may be a cute idea, until the tots refuse to turn and leave the catwalk and that was the highlight of J&H Studio‘s Kaleido Nyfi, that aimed to channel kaleidoscopic visuals on the catwalk. Whether it worked is the major question. Sabeeka Imam’s princess moment with a blush pink ballgown-meets-east ensemble was a treat on the catwalk though.
‘Timeless Pieces’ by Sonia Azhar at the PLBW19
Sonia Azhar with her Timeless Pieces collection made some statements, with a wide ranging color palette and reflections of old world glamour in some pieces. Classic roses set in tight hairstyles, with layers of gold hanging from luxe chokers on the neck, the styling was a plus, however more experimentation would have elevated the overall collection.
- All photographs by Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly
