LAHORE: Day 4 had its fair share of drama on the runway. While some collections made a real impact, others failed to do so.
Rizwan Beyg
We do not understand why Beyg even showed his collection this year. His Digitruck collection was exactly the same as last year. Last year we enjoyed his fresh take on truck art, but showing the same collection in different colors is not innovative. While his digital print truck art take on silks made the collection very wearable and retail friendly, we can’t say the same for the wedges showcased on the ramp. Despite the fact that the wedges were funky, we doubt they’ll be flying off the racks any time soon.
Akif Mahmood
Akif Mahmood has a very strange aesthetic and his last couple of collections looked as if they were made to dress a sacrificial cow. This year, however, was an improvement with his Matadora collection. While his tailoring was great and the prints looked good, some of his fabrics looked like old-school curtain material with wild floral prints. It is good to experiment with traditional embroideries on western wear, but his take on the oversized gota on denim pants didn’t really work.
HSY
The master showman closed PSFW 2014 with his Sher Collection, celebrating his 20 years in the industry. HSY paid tribute to Pakistan, and produced prints inspired by Islamic architecture. Churidars paired with sheer shalwars worked well for HSY. This was easily the best collection HSY has put out thus far. Saris paired with jackets and sheer, intricately embroidered, off-white gowns; the collection was full of very cohesive elements and had an understated class to it.
Saira Shakira
Saira Shakira debuted at PSFW this year with a prêt a porter collection titled Cirque du Vanite, inspired by the circus. The harlequin inspired collection had some very fun elements and great styling. For their first runway show, the collection was very well put together, with intricate embroideries, and a well-defined concept. From sheet nets to creative bibs, the collection paid excellent attention to detail. Appliquéd sequined patches on jackets and pants were very visually pleasing, and had the right amount of drama for the runway.
Zara Shahjahan
Everyone knows that Zara Shahjahan is the floral it-girl, but one also wonders how her design aesthetic will innovate over time. This year around, she puts out her prêt a porter collection Love Bug that was not only different, but stayed true to her passion for florals. While the cuts, details and tailoring were immaculate, what was sad to see was that she picked up Lanvin’s Cockroach print and replicated it into her collection. While Shahjahan uses dragonflies and beetles along with the roaches, the general aesthetic was very similar to that of Lanvin’s prints from F/W 2013. Shahjahan’s wild floral prints on white were beautiful, and had a very Matthew Williamson feel to them. From jackets and cropped tops, to cut out dresses and a dress with pants look, Shahjahan put out a well-tailored, cohesive collection.
Khaadi Khaas
Khaadi Khaas was by far the best collection of the evening. Inspired by the Baroque era, quilted floral print jackets and beautifully draped patiala and jodhpuri shalwars were all the rage. The design house’s take on the peplum shirt inspired kameez looked fantastic. There was a good mix of cuts and silhouettes. However, while the collection was absolutely fantastic and made you want to wear every piece, what stole the show for Khaadi Khaas would have to be the boxed bags. We cannot wait to see them in retail, because ladies, this is one piece of arm candy you will definitely be wanting.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2014.
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