The first day of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2015 ended in absolute chaos. Guests in the audience were left in a state of complete disorientation when the last show of the day wrapped up at 9:15, ending at an unprecedented decent hour. Many of media’s fro-wers had sent their cars away, calling them back at 11pm. Others hadn’t planned anything for the evening ahead. Those invited to Ali Zafar’s party wondered how to kill time to not be the first ones there and one lost soul was even overheard saying, “Yar, they could have stretched it to 10. What will we do now!â€
Personally, I felt it was delightful and set an extremely professional tone for the three days ahead. I’ve been saying it for years and while the PFDC, HSY and the entire management team deserves credit for making yesterday a disciplined event, I’ll take a little credit for nagging them in that direction too!
The very happening lunch hosted by PFDC at the newly opened Polo Lounge Cafe in Mall One. In the picture: Sara Shahid, Zainab Malik, Sehyr Saigol, Selina Rashid, me, Andleeb Rana and Fareshteh Aslam. Picture courtesy Siddy Says.
The lunch ended on a very high note with a lot of catching up, fashion information exchange and general networking. Lahore always gets full marks for hospitality.
The couple of hours left after the lunch and before the shows were spent in preparations and contrary to tradition (which demands the show start late), the showcases started rolling out around 8pm. It was a quick, brief day, with only six designers on the lineup – that too without any breaks – so the most groundbreaking thing to happen was the 9pm conclusion. As HSY pointed out (several times), the evening ended at a great time!
But here’s what it offered in terms of content…
Fahad Hussayn
There’s no doubt that Fahad Hussayn has a fantastic sense of print and a strong handle on garment construction but his collections are now bordering on monotonous when it comes to the dark, melancholic and Gothic strain. There were some interesting pieces – like that all black outfit – but overall it all seemed like seen-before.
Bank Alfalah Rising Talent Show
Four young designers showed in the BARTS segment – Asrar Yaqoob, Hisham Malik, Najia Qazi and Nida Waqar and they all showed promise and potential. This was a much stronger showcase than what the BARTS featured two weeks ago at the TFPW in Karachi. One would like to see these students take it forward.
Misha Lakhani
This collection was a breath of fresh. Light, sophisticated and very summer-appropriate, I think my friend Andleeb Rana hit the nail on the head when she said this was perfect ‘Destination wedding’ material. Separates, resort wear and delicate whites for summer, this made for some very fresh viewing. As always, Misha Lakhani’s aesthetic was impeccable.
Zonia Anwaar
Another pleasant surprise was the collection, Zambezi, by petite young designer Zonia Anwaar. She may have faltered once since making a debut on this platform several years ago but Zonia shows potential each time. This time her tribal prints and patterns both made an impact and every piece had aesthetic and character. She promises that her collection will be available for retail, here’s keeping our fingers crossed.
Natasha Kamal
Natasha Kamal set up her eponymous outlet last year and took a year to bring her talent to fashion week. The collection showed a commitment to luxury clothing, with its use of fine fabric, impressive detailing and the expensive, couture feel that it exuded. That said, there wasn’t much that established her signature. There were no standout pieces that one will remember as Natasha Kamal’s. It was all very Elie Saab inspired, which the designer is actually known to be. To build a stronghold for herself as designer, NK will have to exhibit some more individuality, because she obviously does have the knack for it.
Nickie Nina
It was a collection better than the last few that they have shown on this platform. Nickie Nina brought out all-white for summer’s luxury pet and used a lot of beadwork and appliqué to make it appear light and cool. It was a collection that will work wonders commercially but again, when I look back I can’t think of a single stand out piece.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, the fashion was good. The best thing about the day, however, was the timing and the worse had to be the seating that was too close to the runway and too cramped. There is a second row guys, you don’t have to sit in each other’s laps.
