Counting Stars

Fashion Pakistan Week’s media partner, Urdu One, ensured the runway was star-studded.
Instep picks the top celebrity appearances from the three-day fete.

Even though the style quotient at FPW wasn’t as high as we hoped, the runway did dole out a high dosage of celebrity sightings. We spotted actors, directors, film stars and TV starlets all present to support their favourite brands or walk in their show. Aamina Sheikh, Sikander Rizvi, Ayesha Omar, Ayeza Khan, Asad Ul Haq, Zhalay Sarhadi, Atiya Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Syra Shehroz, Humaima Malick, Azfer Rehman, Soniya Hussain and Iman Ali are only some of the names we’ll drop. Fashion and television (especially in Pakistan) don’t necessarily go hand in hand, which is why our resident fashionistas did have trouble identifying all the showstoppers; front rowers were often spotted nudging each other asking “who’s that?” when mainstream stars took to the ramp. Yikes! But with so many celebrities coming together on one runway, which of them managed to make a mark? Here’s our pick of the stars that outshone all others at FPW ’16.

Asad Ul Haq

Sonya Battla’s day 3 opening show was high in drama and haute couture but went from being an intense, conceptual fashion presentation to full blown theatrics when director Asad-ul-Haq walked out holding a smoking incense burner. He stomped across the runway with a stern expression on his face, only breaking character when sounds of his name being called out from the audience reached him. His walk was reminiscent of a shamanic ceremony, replete with a tasseled white cape and walking stick. Haq is as much of a natural in front of the camera as he is behind it.

Atiya Khan

Supermodel of yore, Atiya Khan is to Pakistani fashion what Naomi Campbell means to the international circuit. She walks with confidence and elan, and has accepted her age gracefully. Khan took to the runway for long-time friend and couturier Shamaeel Ansari, opening her show with buoyance and setting the up-beat tone for the rest of the models to follow. Her twirl and flourish at the end of her walk were so effortless that they stand testament to the fact that age is but a number and modeling is an attitude.

Azfer Rehman

Silver screen hottie Azfer Rehman donned a crisp white kurta layered with a black waistcoat and a textured blue sports jacket for Amir Adnan. The heartthrob flashed his signature smile and stole hearts with his relaxed demeanor as he sashayed down the runway and soaked up cheers from the audience.

Sikander Rizvi

His film may have bombed at the box office but that has, in no way, affected his popularity; Sikander Rizvi continues to proudly wear the crown of Karachi’s hottest restaurateur. He took to the runway as Deepak Perwani’s showstopper on Day 1, driving Insta girls and boys in a clicking frenzy. It’s extremely important for a celebrity showstopper to have presence and Sikander has all that and more.

Amin Gulgee

Creative people have a reputation for eccentricity and Amin Gulgee fits perfectly into that description. The phenomenal artist walked up with an energetic walk, unexpected moves and crazy antics on ‘Dhoom Machale’ that shook a bored audience out of slumber. While Nauman Arfeen is known more for his polished menswear, Gulgee’s presence is what took the show a notch up. We need more showstoppers like this one!

Humaima Malick

At her coquettish best, Humaima proved to be a crowd pleaser. Twirling around in a white Zaheer Abbas creation, flicking her hair and flirting with the winds, the actress walked down the runway in all her starry glory, giving fashionistas enough social media fodder for a lifetime. While the actress has been missing in action for a while, there is no denying that her popularity extends to the masses and for that very reason she was a great choice for a showstopper.