PLBW Day One: Nida Azwer further strengthens her signature

Lahore: Day One of PFDC L’Oréal Bridal Week opened up with a lineup featuring some known names; Nida Azwer, Hussain Rehar, Saira Shakira and some upcoming, rising talents. There were some visible changes from the previous years; some good and some that could have been done without. Model Hira Shah choreographed the show from above the photographer’s pit, taking the reins from Sadia Siddiqui. There was a change in the ramp design with a single file as opposed to the parallel ramps from last year and the backdrop was a faux garden setting with Astroturf on the ramp. It didn’t make for the most pleasing aesthetic mix with the bridals.With bridal week, there are rarely many innovations in silhouette, craft and colour palette. Day One had almost none. Could it be owed it to the struggling economy that is forcing designers to appease the steady clientele that will surely buy pretty, traditional clothes? Are they trying to avoid experimental, cutting edge – albeit beautifully embellished – design and just invest in what will actually bring in the bucks? The next two days will answer that question better for us. With little innovation seen in design, sometimes a good collection at bridal week is simply one that further establishes a designer’s aesthetic and shows how it’s gotten stronger over time. It’s also important that the designer does not compromise in the slightest with fabric, construction and embellishment – a shoddy job with any of them will be visible on the ramp. The upside of the first day worth mentioning is that one saw many new, fresh faces on the ramp that knew how to walk the walk. Over to the collections…Hussain ReharHussain Rehar is known as the risk taker, the one who likes to walk off the beaten path and innovate continually so his collections are always exciting to see. Fateh Pur, an ode to his ancestral village of Punjab, opened with Sophiya Salim Khan and Rehmat Ajmal – the former who was the star of his recent #SophieKiShaadi campaign. His showstopper Iffat Omar will also be in the designer’s next campaign – a tell-all sign of how he links a physical ramp show to his overall digital strategy. It is after all a mix of his design aesthetic and intelligent branding that has helped him rise so fast from his debut bridal showcase last year. The fashion in-between was not Rehar’s most experimental – his signature choli deep back lace ups remained and the colour palette was fresh (powder blue and pink with purple, green and magenta) but it was his most restrained collection to date. It may be the sign of a designer maturing but not letting commercial interests control his ideas. One does hope that in the future, he doesn’t lose his unique edge, even if it is with bridals. Zubia ZainabZubia’s debut collection Dare to Dream was meant to be about breaking barriers and pushing boundaries but we really wonder if she managed to execute it. In a pastel colour palette, she had worked in sequins and ‘gown’ like cuts which, from the get go couldn’t set her apart from the milieu of other designers who’ve done so in the past. The fabrics used were too thin; at times showing off more than necessary. It may bring in clientele but as far as runway debuts go, we’ve seen better. Aquafina Rising Talent showcaseThe rising talent section featured four designers who with their thesis collections get the chance to prove their skill set alongside established names. It is a commendable effort by its stakeholders to keep bringing fresh graduates to the fore, in a bid to keep the wheels of the fashion business turning. Urwah Ali, who stood out, showed a collection inspired by Biker Ballerina with tulle and balle figures embroidered on a cape. Elaha Ahmed had a Daenayrs Targaryen-inspired collection where one could see the progression in them, as with the trajectory of the character, but they fell short of the mark. Mehak Yaqoob was inspired by Louis Vuitton trunks, taking her inspiration too seriously with literal buckles and belts. Abbas Jamil paid a tribute to the Versailles Palace with layering and drapes and a massive trail of tulle on Mushk Kaleem, which looked very similar to other tulle dresses of the past. Milan Fashion Week-return Mushk still made a stunning showstopper in his outfit. Nida AzwerNida Azwer’s Anarkali had to be the strongest collection of the night – not because she displayed any new trends and perhaps we didn’t expect her to either. What we did expect is her strong signature – an ode to the Mughals with miniature scenes etched across shawls and lenghas. Her embellishment is carefully balanced, never too much and is the kind of heirloom worthy design work that one would want to invest in. Sometimes, that’s enough for bridal wear – it may not establish new trends but it’s reliable and lasts you a lifetime. Saira ShakiraTheir collection Kali – a bloom, ran the gamut from traditional silhouettes to slightly more contemporary ones, as their collections always do. They always work with crystals and pearls, as much as they do with gota and zari. From this collection, the darker bridals and other lighter and fully embellished ones were your regular heavy-duty regalia, glittering with embellishment from dupatta to shirt and the lengha. Saira Shakira’s clientele for wedding wear is considerable in Lahore and will probably place an order for these designs. The second half of the collection was more fun, reminiscent of their earlier collections with a long jacket layered over a collared jumpsuit, a sari, a jacket and a column shirt. By dividing their collection into two different aesthetics, it seems they divided their design flair over commercial interests. Let us see what Day Two and Day Three hold for us. – Photography Credits: Faisal Farooqui and his team at DragonFly

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