Lahore, April 1 (IANS) Transparent umbrellas in light shades, fresh rose ‘potlis’ (bags) and jewel encrusted hand-fans – a whole range of ramp accessories added drama to the second day of the PFDC-Sunsilk Fashion Week in this Pakistani city.
Out of the eight designers who showcased here late Thursday evening at the Expo Centre, four – Omar Farooq, Sadaf Malaterre, Khaadi Khaas and Akif Mehmood – stood out.
Farooq’s showed an immaculate men’s wear range under his lable Republic and the collection had Sherlock Holmes look for men in their 30s.
Titled ‘Vegabond’, the sophisticated line was inspired by the movie ‘True Grit’ and had slightly upper slim fit trousers with extra fabric nipped at the waist and shoulders. It was teamed up with smart-fitted tweed coats, woollen tench-coats, leather jackets and Farooq accessorised them with hats, interesting brooches, leather belts and big handbags.
Designer Sadaf Malaterre is getting better with every season. This is her third fashion show with the council and her best so far.
And this time she created a pleasant atmosphere by presenting soft, feminine clothing line in breezy blue colour sprinkled with little starry shimmer. The flowing chiffon was transformed into panel dresses.
Models hit the ramp dressed in multi-layered gowns with transparent umbrellas in their hand and surprised everyone by sharing pleasantries on the ramp with big smiles on their faces. It was fun to watch this with peppy music in the background.
Young designer Akif Mehmood knows the pulse of the audience and is in tune with fashion trends. Hence he presented a very wearable clothing line titled ‘Fkeerni’ (Rags to Riches), inspired by gypsy community.
The tone was muted earthy brown with some floral prints in materials like khadi, cotton and he used velvet and brocades on long gowns and jackets, short coats. A lot of path-work dominated his clothes, however, he kept the use of embroidery minimal.
The surprise package was Khaadi Khaas, an extension of retail giant Khaadi by Shamoom Sultan. His line Bohemian Rhapsody had a young, energetic feel. Though there was not much experimentation with silhouettes, the colourful prints and long dresses, gave a boho look to the entire line. The kaftans, tunics and bandanas gelled well with the theme.
Karma by Maheen Kardar Ali had opened the show and he made a beautiful rose arrangements on the stage – fresh rose flowers bouquets were places on the ramp and rest of the stage was decorated with roses. When young moms strutted down the ramp with their kids, it was a beautiful sight. The focus was more on kids than on clothes.
But in the second round, the models took charge when they came in palazos with kurtas, spaghetti top teamed with heavily embroidered lehengas, printed jumpsuits, dresses and gowns in myriad colours and he used a lot of embellishment on neck, back and hemlines. Ali tried to showcase everything without much focus on silhouettethe, so his line lost focus and appeared to be unimpressive.
‘Chand Begum’ by Sarah Salma had nothing new to offer. Inspired by vintage style of dressing, the designer played it safe and used fabrics like chiffons, chicken and satin embellished with hand embroideries, mirrors and crystals – an utter disappointment.
For his collection Sweet But Salvage, Rizwanullah restricted the colour palette to black and white. He showcased trench coats, long cowl neck dresses, multi-layered gowns, hence nothing new.
Same was with designer duo Asifa-Nabeel whose collection was inspired by Sufism and presented both men’s and women’s wear. The male models sported beige kurtas and female models one came in traditional salwaar-kameez on the ramp. The fabric was chiffon and silk, embellished with traditional thread-work, stones, zardosi and dabka.
