Fashion Pakistan Week Day 3: Name your colour

If there was any colour you didn’t know existed, you’d have found it on the ramp of Fashion Pakistan Week’s day three; well almost any colour. From the simple whites to the brightest reds and blues, the stunning array of colours on display even managed to camouflage the flaws, including the nearly one-and-a-half hours of delay!

Shamaeel Ansari’s collection, which went on the ramp first, was focused on the colours of nature — greens, reds, blacks, browns, oranges and whites of course. Kimono style kurtas, short flared bordered tops and wraps lent a rather boho-chic effect to the entire collection. While it wasn’t exactly the most outstanding collection, clever layering of textures and fabrics did quite a the trick of making it passable.

Baani D, a label that was showcasing for the first time, was the one that took everyone by surprise. Skirts, dresses, kurtas (long and short), innovatively structured harem pants in vibrant pinks, blues, reds, blacks and whites took over as we were treated to a lovely few minutes of fabulous patterns — geometric, architectural and even zari work. In fact, the flexibility of the clothes as far as age and body type is concerned, was what worked best for them.

Ahmed Bham, whose men’s line came as a welcome relief after the last day’s line up of garish colours for men, literally showed the guys how to layer clothes and use prints and patterns. Colours that were bright, but just about, balanced dutifully with something more neutral, enhanced the various prints and motifs Bham had used.

And then there was Gulabo, the prêt brand by Maheen Khan; her easy-to-wear truck art inspired clothes were bright, comfortably, fabulously tailored and innovative for sure. From prints of Karachi’s famous bus route numbers to popular hot spots and landmarks of the city on the clothes, Gulabo was an instant hit. Bright blues, oranges, greens and pinks, balanced by the sensible use of white, black and brown — we saw an array of long and short kurtas, shirts, tank tops, tees, denim salwars and straight pants for men and women.

Wardha Saleem, who came next, did justice to her predecessor, by displaying a fabulous blend of colours and cuts. Her line-up of kurtas, designed in multiple and innovative ways, short dresses, skirts (long and short), churidhars and jumpsuits brought the flavour of the deserts of Kutch and Rajasthan right before us. From traditional patterns to the most contemporary motifs, the designer threw every possible colour on the ramp. Using mostly linen and cotton as the base fabric, this was one fun collection that most women would love to wear, especially if they have a dash of the desert in their hearts.

The final show of the evening, by Nomi Ansari, was more about the people on the ramp than the clothes. The designer had chosen celebrities, including some designers, choreographers and even stylists, who were part of the entire fashion week to be his models. The show even had a model who is in the trimester of her pregnancy to showcase the designs. The audience loved it of course, especially since it had famous Pakistan actor Meera as well. However, his collection, which was of course meant to be for any woman, irrespective of age, community and body-type, didn’t do much of the talking.