It’s March 24, 2017 and in a week we are about to rush in, head-on, into a manic month of style-oriented activity. With the holy month of Ramzan beginning in May and a merciless sun hanging over our heads already, designers, brands and award shows have been scheduling programs left, right and centre in order to wrap up in April. The result is a datebook that reads like a Kardashian calendar. If one could wear lawn to events then all the hoarding experienced and witnessed in March would come in handy but right now it seems that April is going to need a special reserve of style management as well as energy.
March 30 will see the unveiling of the Spring/Summer edition of Bridal Couture Week, which has become a favourite for designers looking for television exposure and the business-generation that follows. It’s also when TV stars and starlets walk the runway and enjoy the applause of a live audience. The three day event will be held in Karachi and will feature significant names like Amir Adnan, Fahad Hussayn, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, Sonya Battla and Saadia Mirza amongst others.
The biggest fashion event of the year, the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week will take place in Lahore between April 13 and 16 and will not only flaunt a top-notch lineup of designers but will also present the new format, designed on international standards. Designers and their allotted time slots will be distributed between two separate show areas within the venue, allowing the media and guests breaks between shows as well as the choice to select which shows to watch. As always, fashion week will be interspersed with fashionable brunches, lunches and after parties to keep the energy levels spiked!
Pakistan’s oldest and most credible style awards, the Lux Style Awards will be held in Karachi on April 19, and one will witness the entire industry (media especially) swing from Lahore to Karachi. This will be a star studded event, with nominees from the four segments of fashion, film, music and television putting their most fashionable foot forward. The LSA red carpet is always just as much a talking point as the event itself and given the list of this year’s nominees, it will be super exciting. Moreover, this year will see Hassan Sheheryar Yasin on the Show Director’s seat, which raises expectations that come with change. We are looking forward to it as we absorb all the controversies that path the way to the show!
April 20 will pull everyone back to fashion as a new platform, Showcase, being organized under the Creative Direction of fashion pioneer Rizwan Beyg will kick start in Karachi. The timing isn’t so good, as the industry is small and it will be recovering from the exhaustion of the LSAs; however, the show must go on and so it shall for three well-packaged days. Showcase is an effort to put the spotlight back on well-crafted and innovative fashion, which can lead the way to trends and not sales. The lineup includes some of fashion’s top names like Bunto Kazmi, Rizwan Beyg, Faiza Samee, HSY, Nomi Ansari, Adnan Pardesy, Ahmed Bham, Faraz Manan, Shamaeel Ansari, Mahgul, Sania Maskatiya, Umar Saeed, Wardha Saleem and Zaheer Abbas. With Rizwan Beyg in charge, one has a lot of expectations from this event.
Last but not least, the month will end with the Hum Awards, another celebration of TV and Film, hosted by the TV channel. The Hum Awards are said to be scheduled for April 29 though we have not received an official confirmation yet. While this event is held to celebrate the eponymous platform, it is extremely well attended and does provide an evening of entertainment, which is then aired for fans and followers of their favourite stars.
With such a busy month coming up, one can only hope that time will not allow other events to wedge themselves in on free days. And once it’s over, everyone should go on a well-deserved vacation…just not a communal one as by the end of the month everyone will have had enough of each other!
This article was originally published in Instep, March 24 2017.
