Surrealism gives prints a hand at fashion week

While solids were a big trend at the PFDC fashion week last year – most memorably established at Kamiar Rokni’s Minimalist collection – this season was just as much about prints. Anyone with an eye on international fashion could have predicted the popularity of prints for spring/summer 2012 and anyone who has been following trends may have come across art on fashion or surrealism to be exact as one of fashion’s biggest inspirations. At PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, I found Sadaf Malaterre and Anjum Alix Noon’s as the most interesting for their uniqueness and their surrealistic edge. Anjum created the prints and Sadaf designed the clothes; both being good friends, their ideas gelled completely.

This (above) is very Picasso. And taken from the Style.com website:

Manish Arora always thinks out of the box.

While both prints are completely different, the abstract mood just shows how tuned in to international trends Malaterre is. And she had the sense to commission her own canvas of prints instead of picking up what the market has to offer.

Diane Von Furstenburg’s hand shadows

What is surrealism without hand prints and sure enough, even Sadaf incorporated some hand prints in her collection:

Sadaf’s highly creative reinterpretation of hand prints

 Sigh. I for one would love to see lawn prints evolve into kitsch and edge, be it in Daliism, Dadaism or any form of alternative art. I loved Sadaf’s take on it and will surely be getting these prints in my wardrobe soon.

But why, oh why can our local print-makers not give us interesting mood boards in Pakistan? Why does everything have to be classic and traditional? Why are we so devoted to the words feminine, floral and paisley? How many of us would opt for the Surrealism instead of the Renaissance? I know I would.

Thankfully, designers at least are taking pains to go to lengths to develop their own. Sadaf Malaterre showed one such collection and Sania Maskatiya – with her birds – created and showed another.

I ‘heart’ these prints; they reminds me of winks and kisses!

Sadaf’s prints were arty, and the hearts, lips, and eyes were more graffiti that (thankfully) truck art. Leaving you with a fabulous range of costume jewelry from Lanvin:

Lips and eyes and not so ‘Grey’ anatomy by Lanvin.

PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week photography by Faisal Farooqui @ Dragonfly. Manish Arora, Lanvin, Rodarte and DVF from the Style.com website.