Make way for the modern bride

Designer Zara Shahjahan showcases first bridal collection, speaks about future projects

LAHORE:

In an industry already saturated with competition, the ability of fashion heavyweights like Zara Shahjahan to hold their ground and remain relevant to the market is commendable. The class couturier has showcased a sneak peak of her very first full-fledged bridal collection, Rahgeer. In what was described as a “private viewing” at her flagship store in Lahore’s Gulberg Galleria, Zara gave the fashion fraternity a chance to experience her exquisite bridals up close.

Keeping in line with what she is most comfortable with, Zara has built upon her signature feminine, floral aesthetics for the collection. Even though the collection is labelled as bridal wear for the winter season, most of the pieces comprise a pastel colour palette, except for a couple of ensembles made in darker shades. The designer has toyed with dusty pinks, mint greens, peach, blue and maroon hues. While one could describe the collection as somewhat quirky, there is no gainsaying that Zara is one of the few local designers who can successfully merge traditional, bridal galore with contemporary edges.



There is an element of harmony that emanates from every piece; from the floral printed lengha with a heavily-embellished kameez to crushed, gold pants. Upon closer inspection, one can see the occasional crane or butterfly working its way into the embroideries. Zara walks the fine line between the traditional and the modern; coupling gota cut work with a whole lot of crystals.

Speaking with The Express Tribune, Zara shed light on the inspiration behind her collection. “We really thought very hard about what we wanted the Zara Shahjahan luxury bride’s identity to be,” she said. “We looked at current trends and incorporated them with my floral aesthetics.” Zara also mentioned she had wanted a well-rounded appeal for the pieces, so that they might be worn on mehndis, shadis and valimas alike.



Private viewings, like the one held by Zara, bode well for designers like her who have specialised in intricate, detailed work. A miniaturist by degree, she offers a degree of finesse in her karigari that can only be appreciated up close, as opposed to in photo-shoots or on the ramp. Such was the case when the Rahgeer collection was featured in a recent print spread, depicting supermodel Amna Babar at a railway station in Lahore. A simplistic shoot, albeit with a dreamy, timeless look, the spread failed to do justice to the beauty and intricacy of Zara’s pieces.

Models Amna Babar and Cybil Chowdhry strike a pose at the trunk show

She will feature her collections at both fashion weeks being organised by Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) in 2016. Speaking about her collection, she shared that, “My PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week show will have very wearable pret.” She is also preoccupied with plans to unfold her bridals at the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW).  The trunk show also included a kaarigar working on ethnic motifs, which are a part of the upcoming PLBW collection. “We’ve created elaborate gowns before but by the end of this year, we will have six stores throughout Pakistan so we have to think about what will sell.” Zara recently pivoted towards Islamabad, having established a running store in Karachi already. She also hopes to launch four outlets in Lahore by the end of the year.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2016.

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