PLBW day 1: Elegance and experiment

LAHORE:

The prestigious PFDC L’oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW) has begun. Held at the beautiful Faletti’s hotel, Day 1 saw diversity and freshness as designers set the ramp ablaze with traditional and contemporary bridal looks. While couturier Hassan Sheheryar Yasin is often the obvious choice for a grand finale, this time around he chose to open the week with a theatrical display. Apart from newbies like Deena Rahman and Sania Maskatiya, the platform also witnessed an exclusive hair trends show offering clients a complete bridal package.

Sania Maskatiya



Although Maskatiya has been designing bridal wear for a really long time, this was her first bridal showcase at PFDC Bridal Week. Sania Maskatiya was refreshingly experimental, and presented a collection that echoed sophistication and finesse. Staying true to her design aesthetic, her Tilism collection merged innovative prints with embellishment and each outfit seemed to be telling a different story altogether. The choice of fabric and embellishment was vast but the designer made it all come together in an appealing manner. Her outfits showed an array of intricate threadwork, zardozi, gota, kamdani and tilla and a variety of playful cuts. Sania too showcased cropped jackets and shorter hemlines. Embroidered capes and ponchos gave a new meaning to the dupatta and showed a variation in the ways it can be used.

Elan



Khadija Shah proved that she is one of the most consistent designers when it comes to creativity. Her Sultanate collection at the PFDC Bridal Week which drew inspiration from Eastern royalty, was mesmerising. Playing with hues of white with a tinge of bright pink and black here and there, the label presented an ethereal collection that left one wanting more. While the designer is known to extensively use diamantes to enhance her outfits, she bravely experimented with embroidery and incorporated it with flair. From mermaid shararas and sheer embellished jackets to jamdani shawls and belted saris, Elan’s was a delightful fusion of traditional and modern. Her vintage Mughal-inspired black cropped jacket paired with a sheer ash white shalwar kameez was definitely an interesting twist on the trending bridal wear.

HSY



What’s an HSY show without some drama? The couturier presented his collection titled My Muse – a tribute to three renowned Pakistani women that he has enjoyed styling and who have inspired him by their confidence and beauty. These included model-turned-entrepreneur Vaneeza, model Mehreen Syed and Lollywood queen Reema. The first segment opened by Vaneeza set the tone of traditional red and gold bridal ensembles, crafted intricately with classic gold pitta, marori and girra work. These outfits had a nawabi appeal; a cropped embellished sherwani paired with a heavily detailed lehenga was surely memorable. The second segment saw model Mehreen Syed walk down the ramp in a surreal gold and beige lehenga accentuated with colourful embroidery on the borders. From there on, HSY presented a range of subtle coral and peach outfits but while they were overwhelming in terms of styling and colour, the overall look was typical of his work and not out of the box.  The final segment saw an array of daring midnight blue ensembles with Reema as showstopper. The luminous collection including silver handwork and semi-precious stones was definitely the strongest. The menswear collection in this segment was simple and wearable with clean cuts compared to the other two. While this segment was the highlight of the entire lot, what really took the audience by surprise was Reema’s stumble, which she handled ever so gracefully.

Deena Rahman



HSY’s protégé Deena is a newbie and her lack of experience was evident. While she offered an array of sophisticated bridal wear in diverse colours – including saris – the underlying concept of the collection did not appear to be cohesive. She primarily played with tissue, net and pastel textures but also featured velvet and chiffons. Overall, the collection was feminine and echoed a muted elegance, but did not bring anything new to the table. It will take Deena some time to define her creative niche and mature as a designer. However, her pastel saris with pops of purple stood out.

Exist



Exist made its debut with a menswear line called The Masterpiece. Inspired by the James Bond 007 series that was defined by well-thought-out designs and craftsmanship, the collection utilised exquisite fabrics such as cashmere for suits, velvets for jackets and Egyptian cotton for shirts and handmade silk for ties. The line was edgy and perfect for the contemporary man. However, their collection of cropped pants paired with blazers and travelling bags seemed a little too familiar and had a very similar aesthetic to that of Republic. Nevertheless, the funky cravats gave an overall edge and sophistication.

Tony & Guy’s hair trends show



After a vibrant showcase of designer wear began L’Oréal Professionnel’s Hair Trend Show that displayed the “it looks” of fall/winter 2013-2014. It also showcased complementary capsule collections by Mohsin Ali, Sublime by Sara and Wardha Saleem. Depicted by stylist Shammal Qureshi, technical consultant for L’Oréal Professionnel, the Hair Trend Show was a well-rounded blend of great music, chic hairdos and trendy ensembles. The show entailed three major hair trends: Silver Blonde Chignon, Rose Gold Retro Waves and Icy Brown. Model Fauzia looked glamorous in the Jessica Chastain-inspired retro waves, and the above-the-shoulder icy brown bob was sported by model Amna Ilyas. The triad of hairdos that were presented was both stylistically and aesthetically appealing.

View our slideshow on PFDC Bridal Week here.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2013.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.