Lights, Camera, Fashion
By Sama F | Arts & Culture | Fashion | Society | Published 9 years ago
Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW) is undoubtedly one of Pakistan’s most coveted fashion weeks, with some of the industry’s biggest names in attendance. It is the obligatory, go-to event to learn about current trends in fashion and which designers to look out for.
As always, journalists, bloggers, photographers, a host of celebrities and ‘the grand conductor’ himself, Hasan Shehryar Yasin, could be spotted at this year’s FPW Autumn/Winter, held at the Pearl Continental hotel in Karachi.
The three days of fashion kicked off with duo Sana Safinaz’s Havana-esque ‘Venue: French Beach’ collection, designed by Ather Ali Hafeez. Bright colours, floral patterns and a retro sensibility were the collection’s constant.
Photograph by Tapu Javeri
For designer Amna Aqeel, if getting someone’s attention means jolting them out of their seats, so be it. Aqeel’s showstopper, Amna Ilyas, walked out in a plunging neckline that left little to the imagination.
By contrast, Ayesha Hashwani proved that you don’t have to titillate to drop jaws or get attention. Hashwani’s exquisite jackets and capes in rich silks and velvet saw the use of baroque prints and exquisite detailing and were the stars of the night.
Others who showcased that night included Levis with their western winter wear; Ishtiaq Afzal Khan with his sharp cuts and subdued colour palette; and Gul Ahmed with a more commercial line.
Closing the night was Zaheer Abbas. Great things were expected from the promising young designer. He wowed us at the Sindh Festival and then again at Pantene Bridal Couture Week this year. But perhaps his ‘Neo-Nude’ wear should have been titled ‘neo-Nazi’ instead. With opera music, the models sporting white-fringed wigs, super pale skin and a general The Hunger Games vibe to it, Abbas’ collection in blood red, cream and black was somewhat disappointing. Perhaps the expectations were too high.
Day Two of FPW saw the crème de la crème of the fashion industry — Shehla Chatoor, Emraan Rajput, Sanam Chaudhri, Adnan Pardesy, Huma Adnan of FnkAsia and Deepak Perwani, as well as the up-and-coming Deepak Kumar and Fahad Yaqoob of DnF — showcase their latest lines.
The final day featured Sadaf Malaterre, Maheen Karim, Nida Azwer, Faraz Mannan and Nauman Arfeen, and ended with a grand finale by one of Fashion Pakistan Council’s founding members, Maheen Khan. It was her last show on the ramp — an ode to Karachi, a city she adores.
This article was originally published in Newsline’s December 2014 issue.
The writer is a journalist and former assistant editor at Newsline.