The ‘Metropolis’ of retail prêt

Designer Shamaeel Ansari’s latest collection caters to the <br /> sartorial-savvy urban woman.

KARACHI:

Many designers lose their way when translating high-end luxe to mass-oriented prêt. Somewhere down the line, in the process of slashing down price-points and simplifying designs, they lose out on their distinctive aesthetics, invariably downsliding to run-of-the-mill pieces. It’s a risk that designer Shamaeel Ansari understands well as she dips her toes into the clustered waters of affordable, ready-to-wear retail.

“It is important to me that my brand retains its distinctive signature,” she has said often. Her words ring true with the launch of her new cotton-based casual-wear line ‘Metropolis’. As the name implies, it’s a collection designed for the sartorially-savvy urban woman, and while prices range between an affordable Rs7,000 and Rs 12000, these are still clothes that stand out.

It has been a busy year for Shamaeel, from the introduction of the luxury evening-wear line ‘Tughra’ in the Spring/Summer edition of Fashion Pakistan Week to her hit showcase of bridals and wedding formals at PLBW last month to now, Metropolis.



In this new line, Shamaeel’s most popular and far pricier luxury prêt lines reflect here and there: the Mughal miniatures, the turquoise filigree that defined her ‘Tughra’ collection, and the hot pink and orange palette that were recently seen at the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week. The embroideries are less elaborate and the fabric has veered from luxurious silks and velvets to cottons, but the Shamaeel signature is palpable.

To create standout high fashion and to be discerning enough to trickle versions of that culture down to retail-friendly prices is a fine line that Shamaeel is fairly waltzing through. It’s no wonder that the two-day long exhibits in both Karachi and Lahore, introducing Metropolis to the market, managed to attract a persistent throng of customers.

One hopes to keep seeing a consistent flow of new apparel in the Metropolis line. Already, the ‘Tughra’ collection, launched earlier this year, is barely visible at the multi-labels where Shamaeel stocks. Come December, with the party season in full swing, Shamaeel plans to bring in new stock. “We will continue to replenish stock at multi-labels until the launch of the House of Shamaeel flagship store in Karachi next month,” says Shamaeel.



“After that, our various lines will be available at the store in Karachi and continue to be stocked at the Fashion Pakistan Lounge in Lahore, Melange and Labels in Islamabad, and our online store,” she adds. The culmination of all her efforts will be her flagship store, where she plans to house all the diverse options that fall under the House of Shamaeel umbrella, a room dedicated to wedding wear, another, to the royal regalia of Tughra, and the third, to the street-girl glam that identifies the brand new ‘Metropolis’.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2014.

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