A good day for brides

The PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week kicks off today.

LAHORE:

There is little doubt that fashion’s biggest market and consumer is the bride. While India has its own dedicated extravaganza ‘Bridal Asia’ to cater to this enormous industry, Pakistan didn’t quite have as glittering a platform, as even the ‘Bridal Couture Week’ is often a haphazard and lacklustre affair. However, with Pakistan’s most credible fashion platform, the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC), taking up the mantle with global beauty behemoth L’Oreal Paris, one has high hopes that their brainchild, PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW), commencing tonight will seriously up the ante, befitting a bride.

The four-day showcase begins in Lahore from December 18 till 21. The choice of the hosting city could not have been more perfect as this is the cultural capital known for its grandeur and flamboyance. The past week, one saw fashionistas and reporters tweet excitedly, ‘let’s bring the punjoos out in us all’ as a testimony to Punjab’s tradition for glory and extravagance. And with a designers roster comprising of the inimitable Hassan Sheheryar Yasin and Umar Sayeed, the eccentric and fun Fahad Hussayn and Ali Xeeshan, the sublime Nida Azwer and Rouge, along with the hugely popular brand for bridals, Karma, the PLBW promises to be a fire cracking affair. Retail queen Maria B will be bringing her bridals to the ramp for the first time and designers Asifa and Nabeel, for whom bridals seem to be the most comfortable arena, will also be showcasing along with Sonia Azhar and Emraan Rajput.

The fusion of fashion and jewellery

Additionally, jewellery brands like the boutique designer Kiran Aman, the traditional mughlai designer Reema Malik and Damas, with its whole spectrum of designs, will also have their own shows. Not only does every designer get his own glory with his own ‘black carpet’, but each show will be treated separately as a solo production with the supremely talented Hamza Tarrar working his magic on the set designs.

What’s more, each day will see a fresh look with style gurus like Nabila, Athar Shahzad, Toni & Guy and Depilex recreating a bridal look in their signature aesthetic. The male modelling and styling, as always, will be Khawar Riaz’s domain. Curiously, the reigning name in bridal make-up Sabs is missing from the list but then the lady has shown her prowess over two years with PFDC’s biannual fashion weeks.

Unlike fashion week though, the bridal week is an exclusive affair for 500 people, much akin to a private wedding party. And keeping the focus on weddings, collections have been geared in a manner that they are centred on a bridal from, with derivatives like formal wedding wear for the bride’s own trousseau or attire for the family have evolved. Hence, akin to a fashion week, each collection will have coherence and a structure with complementing outfits.

Meanwhile, to add the necessary thrills, the bridal week has several showstoppers thrown in as a surprise. Also, with Nabila’s ‘Gold to Bold’ segment at the opening night, it will be a glorious ride to witness how PFDC and L’Oreal Paris unfurl their bridal week.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2011.