Fast and furious

The Pearl Continental showcased a vibrant collection of attire with automobiles.

LAHORE:

The idea of vintage cars and fashion sounded rather ‘racy’ (pun intended) and adventurous for an establishment as sophisticated as the Pearl Continental (PC) to put up with. Much to the dismay of aficionados of the odd like myself, there was hardly any convergence of the two ‘fast items’. The automotive beauties stood pristinely outside the ballroom, awing many a hapless man who entered. It was quite a sight to observe men swooning and ogling at the Ford Mustang from the 1960s, gawking lustfully at the Studebaker, Hupmobile and the Humber Pullman as they stood in the company of an Austin Princess amongst a bevy of other classics.

Inside the ballroom, beauties of the mortal kind romped under the spotlight. Yet many bemoaned that there seemed to be no connection between the cars and the fashion. However, Alia Tariq, the public relations director at the PC, rose to the defence: “Fashion and cars do have a lot in common. The young sporty looking, yet classic cars represent the pret line of work, while the vintage classics relate to the traditional bridal couture. Vintage cars add a new dimension to the whole experience and were a great attraction for the people.”

While the event was held to launch a new sunscreen, SpectraBAN by Stiefel, the fashion show made no reference to the brand itself, apart from gifting a generous basket of goodies to the women in the hall. The show featured two of fashion’s most exciting talents: Ali Xeeshan and Munib Nawaz, designers who are known for being eccentric and energetic on the ramp. “To associate these designers with the new product seemed appropriate because they are equally popular among the target audience the brand is catering to — women on the move,” said Tariq. “Besides, one needs to encourage these designers as we see the more established names left, right and centre already, all the time.”

Munib Nawaz opened for the night, doing what he does best: presenting a line of daring clothing in lusciously hued kurtas and blazers for men. Nawaz is known for his magic with men, but for the first time, he chose to venture into women’s wear by presenting a three-tiered showcase of western and eastern casuals and an eastern formal line for women.

Interestingly, the female models donned the male kurtas, opening up a new market for Nawaz which goes in line with the androgynous look for the season. But androgyny aside, many women, particularly from an art background, have been known to sport their signature loose fit male kurtas. In his resort collection for women, Nawaz, a true maverick, remained restrained and conservative in his monotone choice of colour for women and instead went wild with a techno acid pallete of reds and oranges for men’s blazers. Xeeshan brought his most celebrated collection, The Phoenix, onto the ramp with variations in style and silhouette, incorporating prints and shawls that he had showcased at his most recent showing at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week. The first half of his collection featured his pret line in his noted crushed silk look with tunics and jumpsuits, while the second half was a formal presentation of the bridal and trousseau wear that Xeeshan does for Crimson’s clothing line. While the clothes were marked heavily with Xeeshan’s signature edgy style, with each passing presentation, it has become clear that the man is a genius with accessories. Whether it’s faux parrots or the more practical, yet stunning mirror and gota jewellery that Xeeshan’s used for Fashion Week and the Bridal Couture Week, he’s certainly got a knack for creating a perfect awe-inspiring look. This time around, the eccentric craftsman utilised ordinary kaam walay pearls to create mughlai jhumkas and maatha patis for a glorious regal bridal look.

In spite of a satisfying fashion presentation, one couldn’t help feel disappointed that the vintage cars were not used more creatively for the show. Perhaps they were too valuable to become a more integrated aspect of the fashion showcase, yet one hopes that other’s pick up on the idea and deliver a more conceptual show in the future.





Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2011.