KFW: Of bold colours and cocktail dresses

A model displays a creation from students of Newports Institute of Fashion. PHOTOS: NEFER SEHGAL / EXPRESS TRIBUNE

To highlight the diversity of the event, the first night not only saw established brand Fifth Avenue showcasing some of the best of their winter collection, but also gave a chance to upcoming designers, who made their debut in the fashion world. Some of these included Jazib Qamar whose menswear collection sported a casual, funky look and Trevor Castelino whose women’s line exuded an air of sensuality.

Fifth Avenue    

Fifth Avenue’s collection for women was in sober, as well as playful colours — from shocking pink and maroon tops to brown leather jackets — while the men’s collection had a more formal look, albeit with a funky touch. Sticking to their signature style, the collection also saw numerous dinner jackets, all in hues of brown, black, grey and blue.

“With the best fabric and a wide range of materials, what we brought to KFW 2011 was the best of the best from the winter collection for this year,” said Amir Anees, the CEO of Fifth Avenue.

Newports Institute

They might be young, but they know about cuts and style and that showed in their work. A team of students from Newports Institute presented four collections: western-gowns based on the theme of ‘Dreams’; cocktail dresses based on ‘Mughal Art’; dresses based on ‘Science Fiction’ and an eastern bridal collection. While some pieces were eye-catching, the multi-coloured cocktail dresses with a tinge of a Indo-China touch were off the mark and gave the impression that the designers are still in the experimenting phase.

Aamir Baig

Aamir Baig, who has been in the profession for the last eight years, showcased a collection that was a fusion of eastern and western designs, and consisted mainly of knee-length dresses that incorporated classic embroidery along with western cuts and styles. All of his models adorned masks, which added a mysterious touch.

Waseem Noor

Waseem Noor’s collection was a complete fusion of bold designs consisting of western cuts, eastern fabrics, jamawar borders and embellished necklines. Since this was one of the first collections, the knee-length cocktail dresses initially made an impression, but with a number of designers using the same concept over and over again, it became a little excessive.

Sharifah Kirana

Deeply inspired by legendary figure TunTeja (regarded as the most beautiful woman of her time), Malaysian designer Sharifah Kirana brought forward a wedding trousseau collection,  which may be suitable for Malaysian brides, but not for Pakistanis. The models were in short white gowns made out of satin or chiffon. One of the trousseaus even sported a motif of a lady’s face, both in the front and at the back of the outfit. The highlights of the collection were the bridal dresses in red and pink, with floral embroidery and embellishments of diamantes.

Jazib Qamar   

Jazib Qamar’s menswear collection titled ‘Road Lane’ was, perhaps, one of the day’s most daring experiment. He brought forward unconventional colours along with a bold collection of shoes and funky accessories, which included long lockets and wrist bands. Qamar not only toyed with the outrageous combo of a copper green shirt and pants with florescent green chappals, but also experimented with a bright yellow top and a lungi-ish shalwar with white chappals. However, his out-of-the-box approach seemed to have backfired as the creations did not deliver the impact he had hoped for.

Trevor Castelino   

Trevor Castelino’s collection, which flirted with the colours black, deep gold and white, was based on the musical “Moulin Rouge”. A daring mix of western-styled outfits and enchanting silver jewellery by Taneez, the collection was one of the better ones of the night. However the designer, like so many others in Pakistan, is talented but needs to be directed and guided in the right direction.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2011.

You can view a slide show of pictures from the first day of KFW here.