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Fashion Pakistan Week: Tradition weds contemporary, and you’re invited

Real fashion is that which protects the workmanship and culture of the country it belongs to.

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Real fashion is that which protects the workmanship and culture of the country it belongs to. And after a gap of more than two years, Fashion Pakistan Week returned on stage with a glittering lineup of designers. Day 1, held at the Pearl Continental in Karachi on Saturday, reflected the tradition of the country and of course the socio-economic and cultural changes Karachi is going through.

The show began with internationally-acclaimed designer Bunto Kazmi, who showcased some of her magnificent bridal and formal wear for women. Now here’s the thing about Bunto, you’ll never find her at any store and she never has a ‘collection’ to speak of. Bunto works only on appointment so each garment is unique and what FPW showcased were clothes that already belonged to someone. With a line up of about 14 garments, Bunto showcased the Nauroze shawl that is inspired by the French on a Kashmiri shawl where the most intricate resham embroidery on silk tells a story, if you look closely enough. In fact, every one of those 14 designs the models wore on the ramp had its own tale. Be it the Floral Fantasy, a garment inspired by the Persian flower fountain drawn by Fatima Surraiya Bajia where embroidered tulle was embellished with pearls, Swarovski crystals and sliver zardozi  or the Fields of Gold, where kursikijaali work (trellises) in gold wasli with Mughal motif in cameo was done on the back of the dress, with resham embroidery and gold zardozi embellishment on organza being the primary layer. If you want to know what real haute couture is, you have to see, feel and perhaps even experience Bunto Kazmi’s works.

Moving on to Sanam Chaudhri; her latest collection, Bitten, was perhaps created to prove the non-conformist that she claims to be. Jumpers, dresses and shorts in interesting colours were in store. Neon colours that might not be palatable for everyone invaded the stage and the models showcased some bold experiments the designer has undertaken for the show.
Sanam Agha’s collection had a dash of contemporary and tradition, blended in a relatively balanced manner. Churidaars, tweaked to look like pants, with hints of gold zardozi work and cropped jackets moved onto the colourful jumpers and kaftan dresses.

Afh, Ayesha Hashwani’s label, was about digital prints and some. With black and white taking centrestage, hints of bling and colour helped to break the monotony. However, the collection wasn’t outstanding enough, and apart from the occasional digital print that made us happy, much was left to be desired.

Arsalaan & Yahseer, the penultimate show of the evening, presented their collection, Coloresque, a measure taken to prove that men aren’t afraid to wear colours; even as it did become difficult for us to envision guys in bubblegum pink. Fifteen casual and four semi-formal outfits in tangerine, orange, honeydew, turquoise, beige and some more stormed the stage with men in jumpsuits, suits, jackets, shirts and more. The collection focused on Irish linen with occasional silk detailing — great thought, average execution.

The grand finale show of the evening was by Maheen Khan, a designer who is loved and respected by all. Her luxury line featured whites, red, greys, black and muted bronze and had dresses, kurtas, and churidaars with little blue motifs on them, ruched kurtas that everyone in the crowd wanted and her grand finale piece — a stunning black and gold waist-coat.

It was a rather befitting finale as Maheen Khan’s collection left everyone in awe — her impeccable finish, unique and yet wearable garments and selection of motifs, colours and fabric proved that she is one of the true mistresses of fashion.

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