BCW 2016: Picking up the pieces

Day two of fashion show saw some shining moments, despite being a generic bridal showcase overall

LAHORE: Over the past few years, Bridal Couture Week (BCW) has become the top platform for designers to showcase on. The show has immense influence on bridal fashion as it gets maximum airtime and repeat telecasts ensure millions of viewers and great mileage for the designers.

Day two of the grand fashion event saw many A-listers make an appearance on the ramp but sadly, none of the singers involved sang live. They all relied heavily on lip synching which took away from the overall performance of the show. Also, the venue was swamped with people, most of whom got filtered in via the sponsors and could be seen taking pictures on their Smartphones.

One more thing that put a damper on the evening was that no Indian music was used on account of the current political struggle between India and Pakistan. This left the designers with few options for their background scores, leading to repetitive music. “There are some copyrights on local music that not all designers are willing to buy. For instance, fashion house IVY official bought the rights from Coke Studio for its showcase while House of Arsalan Iqbal made a concerted effort to produce an in-house track,” revealed choreographer and former model Vaneeza Ahmed Ali. “But I am very excited that Mr. Yousaf Salahuddin gave me the rights of a qawwali that Rahat Fateh Ali khan has sung. We used it for Sobia Nazir’s showcase on day one.” As for the clothes, day two was a much-welcomed improvement.

Designer: House of Arsalan Iqbal

Collection: Dhanak 

Thankfully, the brand veered away from bling and strictly focused on using luxurious, custom pattern weaved silks and merino wool blends for men with innovative weaving techniques. Fashion cannot be inventive if it’s lacking in originality and this was a collection high on some smartly tailored men’s sherwanis and jackets in varying lengths. The saris and lehnga cholis were devoid of customary bling but extremely ingenious on display. Grooms-to-be should take cue on how to do a sherwani without the bombardment of dabka.

Designer: Anees Malik

Collection: Paheeli

Malik displayed a muted toned collection with a pop of colour added through kalamkari dupattas with doli motifs and scenes of wedding processions.

Designer: Charcoal

Untitled collection  

Charcoal, a formal menswear label put forward some basic men’s fashion on the ramp, without anything new or experimental. Actor Emaad Irfani walked for the brand, looking dapper in a black bow-tie suit.

Designer: Shazia Kiyani

Collection: Mashal-e-Rukhsar

A potpourri of outfits and subtle design changes, this collection was not without its glitches. It was a heavy duty bridal outing, punctuated with some intricate embellishments. Although peach and cream bridals are better suited to the spring/summer wedding season, they looked elegant on the ramp.

Designer: Erum Khan

Collection: Nawabzaadi 

Khan delivered a balanced and cohesive collection, making clever use of design in her pieces. There was a modern twist that allowed some kind of creativity to unleash. One approved of the criss-cross backs and bows tied at the back, sashes, belts cinched at the waist and tapered tops teamed with shararas. Hot on the heels, Lahore Se Aagey star Saba Qamar walked the ramp for the designer in a trailing burgundy bridal.

Designer: Chinyere

Collection: Husn-e-Janan

Chinyere, a high street brand, made a brave move and brought stomping energy on the ramp. While the clothes were not groundbreaking, the burst of colour on the runway was refreshing enough.

Designer: Hina Butt

Collection: Ladli Begum Sway to Rhythm of Storytellers

This collection was inspired by the architecture of extravagant Mughal courtyards, where the dancing girls would work their magic. There was emphasis on detailing, while no new silhouette was introduced. However, the ensembles work perfectly well for an elaborate engagement party from lilacs to navy blues going well into bridal luxury wear, with a burst of traditional red. The one off jamawaar sharara pant looked on point, teamed with heavily embellished front open tunics.

Designer: Munib Nawaz

Collection: Moonlight Romanticism

The finale of day two was a star-studded affair, with Osman Khalid Butt, Hassan Niazi, Momar Rana, Wali, Noor, Jana Malik and Noman Jawed walking the ramp for Nawaz. The menswear guru’s collection was a mix of everything, from pleated pin tuc fitted pants to his signature, neon-coloured sherwanis. There were also some velvet sherwanis for women which looked much better than the lackluster saris.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2016.

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