From luxury prêt to affordable casuals that pop with colour, here are our sartorial choices for the season.
If wishes could come true, our wardrobe would be chockfull of spellbinding fashion right now. Our favourites vary: from avant-garde luxury prêt to affordable casuals that pop with colour. Most new collections continue to be dominated by the usual digital prints, but a few designers still manage to give a unique twist to them. That’s what makes them a cinch for our sartorial choices this summer. Here’s what we’re wishing for:
Ear-candy by Shehla Chatoor
Shehla Chatoor’s cutting-edge jewellery line, which she launched at PSFW, primarily focused on funky necklaces and cuffs. Post a successful initial jewellery showcase, the designer has created an array of stunning earrings in a mélange of beaten metal and semi-precious stones like amethyst and topaz. With meenakari and traditional theva filigree on brass, this is jewellery that screams luxe – striking enough for all kinds of events.
Pops of art by Elan Vital
The brand new Élan Vital line comprises quirky day-wear. Élan’s ‘art-struck’ PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week (PSFW) showcase, which includes doodles, graffiti and edgy imagery including cats and a dollop of holey cheese, among others, gets translated into digitally-printed lightweight cotton-lawn tunics. The line is available at Élan’s Lahore flagship store and Ensemble in Karachi at prices below Rs10,000, in contrast with the lofty rates of Élan’s luxury prêt.
Khaadi Khaas silk jackets – better late than never!
The Khaadi Khaas jackets that we ogled at fashion week early last year are finally making their way to the stores. The first few designs are on the racks already: slinky jackets inspired by the Japanese Shibari geometric patterns, edged with embroideries and with a diverse colour palette. The jackets are available at prices below Rs 10,000. Dress it down with jeans or skirts or up with single-toned cropped pants and tops; the fabric’s lightweight printed silk makes it ideal for the summer.
Sania Maskatiya’s African odyssey
Sania Maskatiya’s tryst with Africa, PSFW’s ‘Kuamka: Awakening’, is in the designer’s stores with its printed flora and fauna. The collection depicts turbaned African girls, monkeys, giraffes, lions and rainforest-inspired filigree flit over retail-friendly tunics, cropped pants and ankle-length streamlined dresses that are cutting-edge yet can be worn easily in Pakistan. This is Sania’s luxury prêt and prices are steep, teetering mostly at about Rs15,000 and beyond.
The Fifi bag a la Deepak Perwani
Deepak Perwani’s ‘Fifi’ bag is dedicated to Pakistan’s first woman in fashion editing, Fifi Haroon. The black-and-white canvas PU and leather bag is printed with Londoneseque landmarks: Big Ben in the backdrop, a bright-red telephone booth and a woman (Fifi, we’re assuming) carrying a ‘Deepak Perwani 2014’ carrier bag. At Rs18,500, the price is steep but this bag is something of a collector’s item.
The ‘Icon’ic trendsetter by MK Nation
We all have our icons and we probably have some in common with designer Maheen Kardar Ali. The MK Nation Icon kurta is splattered with multicoloured images of everybody ranging from Princess Di to Elvis Presley to Mona Lisa to Shahrukh Khan. Available at Karma stores in pure cotton for Rs4,000, chances are the Icon kurta will become the next big rage, just like MK Nation’s Imran Khan kurta set trends last year.
Ethnicity for retail with Inaaya for Sana Safinaz
The indigenously-crafted Inaaya paired with Sana Safinaz’s wearable sophistication may just be a match made in heaven. Inaaya’s recent Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW) showcase was an ode to rilli. With the backing of powerhouse duo Sana Safinaz, Inaaya represents the craft in prêt, which is distributed to Sana Safinaz retail outlets. The initial two tunics are due in stores any time now, and are priced below Rs10,000.
Prints to watch out for
As for unstitched options, the latest Wardha Saleem lawn by Shariq Textiles emulates the designer’s love for print and colour. Another option is accessory designer Mahin Hussain’s debut in print, which promises to merge kitsch with colour, geometry and florals, due to be launched by early July. Prices for the limited edition collection are around Rs3,500 for single prints and begin at Rs5,500 for two-pieces. Also to hit the market by the end of this month is Sana Safinaz’s Eid collection comprising embellished lawn priced at Rs6,300 per suit.
Maliha Rehman is a fashion and lifestyle journalist with an obsessive, compulsive need to write. Log on for more fashion updates on Twitter @MalihaRehman.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2014.
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