PSFW Day 2: A series of hits and misses

LAHORE: With Élan stealing the show, and Deepak Perwani being a surprising disappointment, PFDC Day 2 had its ups and downs.

But the icing on the cake is that for the first time, the event ended at a decent hour.

Here’s what we loved, and what we didn’t.

Shehla Chatoor



Shehla Chatoor’s Samsara collection opened the first act with a hint of sparkle and a whole lot of studs. Shehla Chatoor has become a red carpet diva, being the most worn designer on the red carpet. While here, eastern wear has its set audience, Shehla loves playing around with western cuts. What was fantastic about this collection would have to be the infusion of Eastern cuts and styles in the collection. From jackets, capes and dresses to saris, capris and kameezes, Chatoor had a wide array of cuts and silhouettes on the runway. Studded pants and jackets merged with her new oriental prints created a great juxtaposition between retro chic and lady-like glamour. Credit needs to be given to Shehla for her attention to detail, from custom made shoes to accessories, all her looks tied together very neatly. However, it has to be said that her accessories are what stole the show. Chunky necklaces and well-crafted earrings definitely need to make it to retail soon!

Hina Butt



Teena by Hina Butt had a disastrous debut at PLBW in 2012, and regardless of her sales and clientele, one did not expect her to be a trendy prêt wear designer. The MPA and designer has shocked the audience with the way she has grown as a designer. While the silhouettes were more high street than luxury prêt, her collection Rukn-e-Alam: Pillars of the world was cohesive and not over the top. She stuck to a stringent colour palette of white, blue and hues of green. Even though the prints had a very Zara-like high street feel to them, there were elements that are worth talking about. The cutwork detailing on the sleeves and capes is what added the luxurious element to the collection. Fauzia walked out in a sleek white and blue jumpsuit that had a Ralph Lauren feel to it but the minimalism of it worked.

Deepak Pervani



Deepak Perwani’s Très Chic - Extension was a sore disappointment. To see an industry leader not only just play it safe, but not even come out with something new and original, is disappointing. There were many elements in the collection that seemed to be inspired by Sania Maskatiya and Sana Safinaz. The print aesthetic was not original, and did not work for Perwani, who is known for his originality. To top it all off, the collection also lacked cohesion and a general aesthetic appeal.

Muse



Just when you think that they have become creatively redundant, the design house bounces back with a new feel to their brand. Their collection Foiled Wrapped Candy was fabric and silhouette centric. It was refreshing to see the design house move away from jumpsuits, and embrace wrap dresses and sheer fabrics. It was all about draperies and one off embellishments, which really allowed for the fabrics to shine. Having outsourced their fabric from Italy, Muse wanted to showcase the fluidity of the fabric and to do so, went with a no fuss look. While the sheer fabrics and embellishments worked well, some of the more solid pieces were not as flattering as one might have expected.

Elan



Élan is one design house that can do no wrong when it comes to designing and churning out one beautiful outfit after the other. The pop art inspired collection Art Struck Élan stole the show, and was by far the best collection yet at PSFW 2014. Screen printed organza was all the rage, with well-defined silhouettes and pop art elements being used as core embellishments. From Andy Warhol’s sartorial aesthetic to Markus Lupfer inspired bags, Khadijah Shah took a risk and somehow managed to make it work. It was also refreshing to see Élan move away from the orient and experiment with a new design concept. Cropped tops, voluminous skirts, each piece is a work of art. High fashion draperies from wrap dresses to the merge between pants and skirts worked very well and tied the collection together. The custom made Élan accessories added to the drama of the show. What can be said about Élan, is that each year the brand keeps setting the bar higher and higher as far as luxury prêt is concerned.

View a slideshow of pictures from the show here.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2014.

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