Fit & Fabulous: Who’s showing what at PLBW 2014

As the bridal week gears up to take centre stage, we give a preview of its offerings this fashion season

KARACHI:

It’s time to get set for the upcoming wedding season as one of the most anticipated bridal fashion weeks in Pakistan is just around the corner. Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) has just announced the line-up for the fourth PFDC L’Oréal Bridal Week (PLBW), which is scheduled to take place in Lahore from September 30 to October 2, 2014.

The programme includes Pakistani bridal fashion heavyweights Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY), Sana Safinaz, Sania Maskatiya and Misha Lakhani, but there is plenty of new blood as well. Saira Faisal and Shakira Usman showcased their label Saira Shakira at PDFC Sunsilk Fashion Week this year, but this is the first time the designer duo will be putting up a bridal collection on the ramp. The PLBW will mark the fashion debut of designer Ammara Khan. Bridal-week newcomers such as Seher Tareen and Sofia Chishti have been offered spots in the ‘Emerging Talent’ showcase.

It’s disappointing to see Mahgul Rashid showing a capsule collection once again in the ‘Emerging Talent’ section. While she is exhibiting her designs at bridal week for the first time, she has established enough of a footing for us to expect a full show from her.

This PLBW looks like a great mix of old and new, featuring big names from both Karachi and Lahore, but there are some notable exceptions. Élan is missing from the PFDC line-up for the first time ever, which leaves the fashion week significantly poorer. Khadijah Shah’s opulent, ethereal collections are always a highlight of PLBW and will be missed. But Élan is not the only major absentee; Kamiar Rokni, who wowed with his Oriental collection last year, is not showcasing his collection this time around either.

Trends to watch out for include jackets, cholis, farshi ghararas and gowns. Expect lots of net, lace and velvet. Watch out for western-styled pieces from HSY and a shift to more eclectic collections from designers such as Sana Safinaz and Zara Shahjahan. The catchword of bridal week is set to be ‘separates’, a trend defined by Sania Maskatiya and Misha Lakhani.

Check out the full line-up and inspiration behind each collection

Misha Lakhani

Collection: Nowruz

Inspiration: Old-fashioned romance and the idea of paradise replete with blooming floral clusters, fireworks, birds and bugs

Zara Shahjahan

Collection: A Folk Tale

Inspiration: Folk culture and a hybrid of different cultures

Karma

Collection: The Lotus Raj Collection

Inspiration: The essence of love in the subcontinent; flowers, iconic romantic cities and more

Sana Safinaz

Collection: ‘We never name our collections’

Inspiration: Folk-orientated embroidery, shawls

Nida Azwer

Collection: The Ghalib collection

Inspiration: From the time of Mirza Ghalib

Asifa and Nabeel

Collection: Meena-Maniratna

Inspiration: The reel and real life of Meena Kumari

HSY



Collection: Divine Decadence

Inspiration: Contradictions in society, the designer’s travels and his reflection on 20 years in the industry

Nickie Nina



Collection: Rumi to Raj

Inspiration: Mughal era queens and princesses

Fahad Hussayn



Collection: Putli Ghar

Inspiration: Royal ruins and remains in Cholistan and Thatta, dolls from the region and glimpses of the Ranjeet Singh era

Sania Maskatiya



Collection: Ara-Ornament

Inspiration: The art of ornamentation used over the centuries

Saira Shakira

Collection: A midsummer night’s dream

Inspiration: William Shakespeare’s play

Shamaeel Ansari

Collection: The wedding

Inspiration: Pakistani weddings in all their avatars

Ali Xeeshan

Collection: Baghawat (stand for yourself)

Inspiration:  Ancient Roman civilisation and barbarian warriors

Ammara Khan

Collection: The Winter Palace: A Celebration of the Russian Tsarina

Inspiration: The opulent lifestyle of the Russian royalty

Nomi Ansari

Collection: Gul

Inspiration: Flowers with a contemporary vintage theme

The ‘Rising Talent’ section 

Mahgul

Collection: The Wild Rose

Inspiration: Wild roses and how they reflect modern femininity

Sehar Tareen

Collection: The Emperor’s Assassins

Inspiration: Chinese cult film Hero directed by Zhang Yimou

Sofia Chishti

Collection: Tilism (magic)

Inspiration:  Wardrobes of royals of the east and west and their fusion

Wardha Saleem

Collection: Madhubani

Inspiration: Madhubani paintings of Bihar, India

Akif Mahmood

Collection: Virsa

Inspiration: Imaginary queen from the subcontinent, who is influenced by the region’s different ruling families, such as the Rajputs and Mughals

Pictures for the story are from PLBW 2013 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2014.

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