The ramp wasn’t the only sizzling feature at the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) Sunsilk Fashion Week 2013 held in Lahore last week; the entire red carpet was peppered with previews of what was to come with designers and notables modeling versions of prints from collections to be showcased.
In some ways, it was a great way to show audiences how to style the pieces off the runway to suit occasion and lifestyle. Here’s a look at the worthy trend alarms that were set off on the PSFW Red Carpet on Days 1 through 4.
Colours to keep
It was almost as if there was a secret society or club whose participants had furtively decided on neon yellow and lime as the ‘it’ colours for the show as there was a flock of flashing fashionistas parading the hue and it felt just right. Amongst the members of this exclusive club were designer Sana Hashwani in a bright yellow strapless toga dress, designer Ayesha Farook Hashwani with an embellished motif on the same hue, and designer Sara Shahid of Sublime who loved the citrus effect so much that she wore it both on Day 1, as a cut work tunic paired with beige pants as well as on Day 4, as a fluorescent crushed kurta with a neon orange scarf that could stop traffic. Even designer Nida Azwer styled it in her own understated way, colour blocking yellow with a serene blue to balance. That was just the yellows. 
The next most popular shade in the same family was lime greenish yellow seen again on Shahid who is clearly a fan of the trend and promoted it extensively in her NOW SS13 collection which was a huge hit. Frieha Altaf modelled the trend courtesy designer Shehla Chatoor, working the colour into a one-shoulder loosely draped dress imposed with a signature Renaissance print from the designer’s Soigné collection that struck gold at PSFW. Shehla herself wore a rather pleasant version that combined the yellow and lime into a print dress with subtle hints of tan.
Asymmetric prints
Printed pants have topped the trend charts for over a year now but SanaSafinaz gave it a quirky new spin by composing print just on one leg and making it pop. Sadaf Muneer Jalil shows you how to work the lime and the offbeat trend to the tee.
Up top braid
Serving a hat trick, SanaSafinaz was also responsible for the third most exciting trend that caught our eye on the red carpet. An up top braided ponytail which was a running theme not only used to style their collection on the runway but also seen on both Sana Hashwani and Altaf who polished the SanaSafinaz drape dress with the hair style. It’s simple to do on your own — it’s young, and it’s a keeper!
Pop that waist
The invisible belt effect was another unspoken rule that everyone followed. We can’t remember who started it first; it may have been Misha Lakhani’s cinched skinny belted waists or a natural development from the drop waist jumpsuit, but the style has gone viral. It makes perfect sense as not many trends serve the dual purpose of style and comfort while hiding that bit of belly beautifully. It can be used to style long kurtas or give a bit of definition to loosely draped silhouettes. On the red carpet, it was seen carried elegantly by model Misha Shafi and designers Layla Chatoor, Lakhani, Shehla Chatoor and Khadijah Shah.
Blazer up
Finally, for making a powerful statement with a sensible balance of femininity and none of the fuss, simply add a well-tailoured blazer the way Shahid did on Day 3 with a neon orange top and black on black. Your options are three quarter sleeves as seen on Shahid, a push-up sleeved and/or coloured jacket on monochrome print for an effortless cool look courtesy designer Wardha Saleem, or graceful chic as pulled off by designer Feeha Jamshed in all white with the blazer placed casually on her shoulders.
Shady business
Ayesha Farook Hashwani, best known for her play on feminine falling draped silhouettes, enhanced this aspect by injecting a shaded effect on the fabric pleats. This was a prominent trend in her collection as well, and possibly her best red carpet look of the entire event.
Peek-a-boo sleeves
A little shoulder goes a long way and once again AFH wearing herself and Altaf wearing Maheen Karim demonstrated this most alluring of trends on the red carpet. The whole oversize kimono wing sleeve on its own is an obvious keeper, but we prefer it even more with cutout elements to highlight your structure. It’s almost tempting to take a pair of scissors and go straight through all our closed sleeves and with the heat wave just setting in, some breathable windows wouldn’t be a bad idea!
Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2013.
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