A fashion hello to spring

Here’s how you can keep your style on-point with these sizzling trends for the season .

LAHORE:

Winter frost is gradually paving the way for the bloom of spring in Pakistan and stores are already prepping to empty out their chilly stock, making room for summer staples. Fortunately, a few trends from last year are carrying over to 2015, such as the refreshing white-on-white trend. This fashion season, style your ensemble by mixing textures, layering pieces or teaming up diverse shades.

Crop-top it like it’s hot



Embodying itself as the desi choli and finding its way in the more daring of our closets, the crop-top is here to stay. Lady-like at Oscar de la Renta and boxy at Marc Jacobs, they are versatile and elegant. Zara Peerzada wore a home-grown version of the piece by Punjab, with Ghalib and Iqbal’s poetry written on it to the recently-held Lahore Literary Festival and Telenor Fashion Week.

We look forward to Pakistani designers upping the crop-top with a dash of their signature style. And some already intend to do so. “I plan on doing a lot of crop tops and off-shoulder versatile pieces for this season,” says designer Misha Lakhani.

Belt it out



The kimono trend carries on from 2014 and we are grateful because it is cool and laidback. Add fringes to it and you have a winner. Saira Qizilbash of Saira Shakira says, “Loose silhouettes along with fringes are going to be back this season.” Outfitters’ ‘Castaway’ collection this year features a few great ways to wear them, one being to cinch them at the waist.

Celine and Gucci sported theirs with belts that mirrored the look of martial arts champions. However, you can try medium-sized obi belts, which are one of spring’s most flattering trends. Tie on a medium obi belt and bring the knot to the front or to the side for maximum waist-whittling benefits. From graphic metal trims at Alexander McQueen and Chanel to snakeskin links at Lanvin, belts haven’t enjoyed this much attention since perhaps the 1980s. This season, tie them higher on your torso to elevate a simple kimono or shirt.

Bombshells, take note



Urban Culture was bang-on trend, featuring an entire collection at the recent Telenor Fashion Weekend, on military garb. Since it first hit the runway over 40 years ago, the khaki/military trend has always been a classic. Designers have embraced khaki as the new neutral colour for spring, with Marc Jacobs and Chanel doing military silhouettes and Ralph Lauren taking the more glamorous and unexpected evening update on it.

Locally, Umaima Mustafa is going to do her take on the modern safari look this season. The hippie aesthetic is also creeping into design ethos, as seen at Forest Blu’s latest collection titled ‘Hipster’. A laid-back and comfortable look, it has been shown by designers, such as Tommy Hilfiger, who recently dressed his models in a hippie look with a twist.

Flower power



“Florals for spring? Groundbreaking!” jested Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, but stylist Alishay Adnan predicts the trend is set to make a huge comeback this season. Florals for spring may not be anything new but they are a trademark fashion staple we’ll never get enough of.

Hair affair and make-up



With outfits sorted, let’s talk about make-up or the lack thereof. With spring approaching, flushed and luminescent skin will replace blushed and bronzed cheeks. For eyes, there were leather strips spotted at Fendi, satin ones at Dior, and graphic lines and shapes just about everywhere else, including the Toni and Guy Trend show at the Telenor Fashion Week.

Shammal Qureshi, creative director at Toni and Guy North Pakistan, says, “This summer, I’m looking forward to seeing people play around with their natural texture. Since it gets really hot in Pakistan, it’s practical for ladies to tie their hair and I encourage them to experiment with different kinds of braids and ponytails.” He advises, “Feel free to incorporate accessories, fabric or even metallic elements into your hairstyles and see the impact they have.” As far as colour is concerned, ombre, dip-dyes, balayage are out and subtle baby-lights are in.

Published in The Express Tribune, March  13^th,  2015.

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