PLBW Day Three: Playing it safe

Though the show was marred by time delays, performances by Bilal Khan, QB and Josh livened up the mood.

LAHORE:

Day Three at the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW) was more about performance than bridal fashion per se. With the quirky and fun Ali Xeeshan opening the show, one couldn’t — and shouldn’t — expect any less than a loud statement, thunderous enough to crush any traditionalist perspective of bridals. And sure enough, when Xeeshan’s models walked the ramp with silver foil origami skirts and top half-styled ala Xeeshan with brazen headgears, he continued in his signature vein of deconstructing tradition.

Nearly a year ago, Xeeshan’s love affair with Kashmiri shawls started, which he incorporated in his acclaimed Phoenix collection, and then extrapolated the same concept to bridals. So with his tribute to the breathtaking beauty of Kashmir at the PLBW, which began with a potent and contentious political documentary on the disputed territory, Xeeshan’s collection, titled ‘Pahalgam’, was an ode to the nation’s craft with paisleys, scruffy mountain shoes and wide bottom shalwars. As always, it was more about the concept than the clothes, but one needs mavericks like Xeeshan to brighten up fashion weeks.

What worked for the designer was the marriage between Tony & Guy’s superb hairstyling and Xeeshan’s eccentricity. “Ali approached us a month ago to discuss his Kailash valley-inspired concept, so we had plenty of time to develop this theme fully,” said Shammal Qureshi, Director Tony & Guy, Lahore. The salon created majestic crown-like head pieces and circular disks braids among an array of other fanciful extensions to add to Xeeshan’s wild sensibilities.

Unfortunately, for the salon, brands such as Rouge, Sara Rohale Asghar and Asifa & Nabeel did not show much creativity in hair. “A synergy between the designer and the stylist is imperative for a complete fashion look but designers usually don’t take out that kind of time to discuss their looks with us,” bemoaned Qureshi. The drama that these designers lacked in the area of styling, they made up for with live performances peppered with local and foreign music acts.

The young designer Sara Rohale Asghar roped in the energetic and groovy band Josh, who had the audience swaying to their memorable tracks like “Kabhi” and “Mausam”.  Meanwhile, Asifa & Nabeel took a chance with singers of the new generation riding on “Coke Studio” fame; the melodious Bilal Khan and the throaty songstress Quratulain Balouch whose Reshma-like voice stirs the soul.

All three fashion brands, Rouge, Sara Rohale Asghar and Asifa & Nabeel showcased collections that played it very safe to showcase what their clients’ expect of them: tastefully crafted, well-cut and finished embellished ensembles that will look lovely enough to elicit warm compliments and perhaps increase the demand for the designer’s business card for future reference to other weddings.

Arguably, that is what bridal fashion means at the heart of it: orders, sales and business. But bridal weeks are a platform to have fun, to push boundaries and create fashion hysteria. Had Day Three not had agonising time delays between shows (upto 45 minutes at times) and was tightly structured, it could’ve ridden on Xeeshan’s creativity as well   from the live musical acts for a vivacious and fun evening.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2011.