Zeba Bakhtiar, Mahnoor Baloch and Amna Baber in new photo-shoot

LAHORE: Zarqash’s latest collection, Bel Amour by Zarqash, has redefined royalty with absolute finesse. Its shoot images tell the tale of an eternal love; a journey that explores the essence of love with regality mixed into some gorgeous silhouettes.

But even better than that, images feature three leading ladies of the Pakistani entertainment industry, each a veteran in her own right. Zeba Bakhtiar graces the shoot with a grace like no other while Mahnoor Baloch wants you to know that she is still right here, if no longer on television. Amna Baber, who seems to have sealed a spot in the local modelling spheres, accompanies them, all three styled and photographed by none other than Ather Shahzad. The elaborate set has been created by Qasim Yar Tiwana and the collection designed by Areeba Naeem.

According to the designer, she and her team tried to make the shoot memorable by building upon the concept of ‘modern-day heirlooms.’ “We have used pure fabrics like chiffons, massouri, zari, net and jacquard to make the clothes,” Naeem told The Express Tribune. “All the fabrics are fully embroidered with a variety of techniques used, such as resham, tilla, sequins and cut work. We deliberately opted for a very royal, yet subtle, colour palette and used a great deal of ivories, navy blue, deep reds, black, gold and silver. This is a very modern royal collection.”

The festive collection boasts of refined craftsmanship with the ideal balance of elegance and uptown confidence. It is no wonder that the brand was able to persuade named like Bakhtiar, Baloch and Baber to come on board. “I have never been one to do too many fashions shoots but I couldn’t help but agree to this one because all of its elements were just right,” said Bakhtiar, when asked what prompted her to take up the project. “The clothes are beautiful, Ather’s styling is great and more than that, I have always encouraged new designers and fashion houses to come forth.”

Perhaps it was also the chance to don a sari that attracted the actor to the shoot. “All my life, I have worn saris as formal wear. They are timeless ensembles and look just so elegant!” shared Bakhtiar. “I love wearing saris and for this shoot, I got to wear one that truly made me feel beautiful.”

Naeem explained that idea to associate the collection with such big names arose from the brand’s ideology that average women should also get to feel like royalty. “The larger than life beauty of Zeba, Mahnoor and Amna resonated with our philosophy which is to add sparkle to the stars of today and tomorrow,” Naeem said.

“The idea of shooting with celebrities was a thorough pleasure. Add to that the clothing and it was a match made in heaven!” stated co-owner of the brand Omar Saleem. “We try to bring the very best of both design and creativity for our beloved clients and this dream project is for our loyal customers.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2016.

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