Fashion Pakistan Week Day 4: Mixed reactions at curtain call

The anticipation in the air, on the last day of the fashion week, was inarguably high, given that the first three days had given Karachi’s fashionistas some serious designs to consider for their wardrobes. Unfortunately, that high met with a slump and general consensus was that a few changes and omissions could have done this successful comeback of FPW a world of good.

Beginning the evening was Sana Safinaz, a popular brand in Karachi, owned by Sana Hashwani and Safinaz Muneer. The duo showcased a range of palazzos, cocktail and evening dresses, skirts among others. From rich gold embroidery to dark velvet trousers and palazzos to silk dresses — the collection showcased great tailoring skills for sure. A special mention goes to the embroidered jackets made in jute — one of those let’s-buy-one-now kinds.

The next show was perhaps the unexpected winner of the evening. Photographer Tapu Javeri, who’s been part of the organising committee of FPW, featured a line of bags under the label Tapulicious. In short, these bags can give any leading brand around the world some serious competition. Funky, kitschy, bringing Pakistan’s love for colour and design alive, this particular series featured pop art, prints of photographs taken by Tapu and then the ‘model bags’ with photographs of some of Pakistan’s most famous models were printed on them. The fabulous part of the show were the models, who were all dressed in abayas of different styles, some of whom took of their burqas before the cameras, not to revolt or protest (Karachi doesn’t require to you wear burqas as such) but more to make a style statement. Set against the black abayas, desirable and divine, Tapulicious bags were the hit of the evening for sure.

Following Tapu was Abdul Samad who created quite an unhappy stir in the audience as he played a speech by Zaid Hamid, a controversial man in Pakistan. The speech was about Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who the show was inspired by. And while the clothes by Samad tried to replicate the impeccable style of Jinnah, they didn’t quite fit into the whole Spring-Summer mood as models in long overcoats (too much for summer we think) walked the ramp. Sadly, the show ended up looking a bit like a fancy dress party rather than a fashion show.

Thank god for Body Focus Museum, a label by Iman Ahmed; the designer brought to the forefront some of the most outstanding designs of the entire fashion week. Layers of white and black cottons and shimmery georgette made into dresses with perfect silhouettes and cuts, palazzos in chiffon, and khadi silk kurtas and jackets that brought in elements of Greek and Oriental fashion sense — the show was worth taking the ramp home, with the clothes on them. From digital prints to delicate embroidery and smart texturing, Iman showcased her expertise in cuts and using textiles to its maximum.

Deepak Perwani came next; a popular designer who focuses on men and women’s clothing, his current collection wasn’t exactly as good as what we’d seen at store earlier. His collection looked more like a resort line and had mostly dresses and salwar kurtas in digital prints and embroidery. While some of them were fun, casual and even buyable, it was not exactly as high-fashion as Deepak is known to be.

The penultimate show of the evening was by Feeha Jamshed who dedicated her collection to her sister and her closest friend’s sister, both of whom have passed away. The collection featured a beige silk robe jumpsuit, gold wrap around a silk shirt with a red sari skirt and a velvet cropped coat, a wraparound colour blocked high waisted skirt, an off-shoulder gold jumpsuit and a white cropped dinner jacket with a pink pleated skirt among others. Her high-waisted khaki maxi skirt with a wraparound belt and safari shirt was one of the highlights of the show.

The final show of the evening was perhaps the one that could have been done away with. Honey Waqar, who apparently sells more in India than in Pakistan, showcased a line of dresses, lehengas and salwar kurtas that looked, to put it mildly, like wedding cakes and rose gardens. In fact, it appeared as if the term opulence was invented for her. Perhaps a line here and a stitch there could be appreciated but by and large, Honey Waqar didn’t work at all. Too bad that she was chosen to be the grand finale designer; perhaps Body Focus Museum would have been a better choice.