December Issue 2007

After a 10-year sabbatical, Shamaeel hit the catwalk with an inspired collection that wowed Karachi’s fashionistas and proved that her cutting edge sense of style is as sharp as ever.

Always a designer with a difference, Shamaeel’s sartorial innovation lit up both silhouette and embellishment in her triumphant comeback show at Zeba Hussain’s multi-designer boutique, Ensemble.

Setting the catwalk on fire were her dressed-up jeans, elaborately embroidered and given a funky twist with touches of suede fringing. Equally striking were the richly worked panelled jackets trimmed with feathers. The pale champagne-gold and black segment was drop-dead elegant: figure-hugging, slashed black tops embroidered with Chinese dragons over sweeping pallazzo pants. Not to mention the star of the show, a dragon-emblazoned black and champagne sari that took one’s breath away.

The fact that the models, make-up and choreography were all gratis is testimony to the goodwill Shamaeel still has in the fickle world of fashion.

While memories of Shamaeel’s ground-breaking “Orient Express” show still linger, this show, with no extra frills, shot Shamaeel right to the top of the fashion graph.