The new look for fashion: volume or structure?

Pakistan has grown quite fed up of the tent-like voluminous look which has been en vogue for over four years now.

This week fashion’s highest authority Suzy Menkes made a conflicting observation: the graduating class of London’s prestigious Central St. Martins forecasted “constant, roomy, oversize shapes” while all over New York and London fashion weeks, the holy grails of fashion, the look was sleek, slender and structured.

“Is volume the new shape?” questioned Menkes as she pondered over the fact that “designers this season have mostly focused on the long, thin and shapely. But a Saint Martin’s graduate is supposed to be ahead of the curve,” to finally conclude that “the future of fashion is straight, square and huge.”

Pakistan has already grown quite fed up of the tent-like voluminous look which has been en vogue for over four years now, with many women criticising the loose heavy look for the yards and yards of fabric that it requires. As the new kid on the block, Mohsin Ali, pointed out: women who are pregnant or post-partum or just too plain lazy to work out, have loved the cover-up that loose forms provide, but the young (and fit) are itching to move beyond the sacks. “The next trend to hit us will be a ‘v’ line,” predicts Ali. “The hemlines would converge in a ‘v’ up front and the sleeves would be batwing.”

Designer Kamiar Rokni who is lauded for his funky traditionalism and has incidentally shown form-fitting collections over the past two fashion week showings, feels that we may not have to make the choice between volume and sleek lines. “Although I am personally loving the new minimalism in the international fashion that Celine brought in, I feel for local fashion the new look will be the slick above the knee shalwar kameez either with tights or with churidaars. This is not a replacement to the voluminous look, but an alternative that can coexist with the longer trailing hemlines,” predicted Rokni. It is interesting to note that a relatively low-key designer like Zahra Shahjehan was able to rightfully identify this trend and showcased an entire collection on the same theme. Of the St. Martins students being ahead of the curve, Rokni is not too sure commenting that “the students are probably experimenting and to me their work isn’t really indicative of the international trend of opting for volume.”

Fashion’s most exciting debutante Ali Xeeshan was the only designer to have created his own silhouettes with his own construction of fabric in his last collection titled ‘The Phoenix.’ Known for being ‘crazy cool’, Xeeshan echoes Rokni’s thoughts, “a huge lot has just become friendly with the volume since women in Pakistan have a herd mentality towards fashion. So even though designers are sick of designing the long and loose look for the past few years, many will experiment with fitted clothing along with volume. Hence both looks will coexist for a while now,” explained Xeeshan who also added that it takes at least a year for international trends to filter down to the country’s ramps and stores.

Feeha Jamshed of Teejays is one designer that has proven that she is certainly ahead of her peers. At her last showing in November, she claimed that the reigning trends on the global catwalks (which would soon filter down to the local ramps) would be the print-on-print and a play on lengths. From the trailing-long to the near-the-knee hemlines with a silhouette that hugs the body; diversity is the essence. Lo and behold! That is exactly what fashion weeks in New York and London demonstrated. Jamshed showed a whole spectrum of looks: a long trailing hemline, a short fitted kameez replete with pockets with churidaar, a short kameez and a gharara, military inspired shirts and jackets, and even futuristic fashion with Star Trek like shoulders.

Sahar Atif, A designer who operates her own label and also teaches at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design in Lahore, firmly states: “Tents are out. It’s all about the straight look. The silhouette has to change to conform to international trends and basic wearability.”

With the wedding season still in full bloom, women who are getting their trousseaus made or those that are getting clothes to wear for the occasion as family and guests should capitalise on the moment and reuse all those voluminous garments this season before they become a relic of the past, which they certainly will by the time the next bridal season begins. Those who want to latch onto the tents can always justify it by saying they are following the next generation of designers yet to come out from St. Martins.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2011.