The day was big on showcasing festive ensembles that were less experimental and more focused on catering to the huge market for wedding wear.
Karachi: Culminating the three-day event, Fashion Pakistan Week Spring/ Summer 2019 came to a close with seven designers showcasing their collections on Day 3. On display (on Thursday) were Nomi Ansari, Huma Adnan, Amir Adnan, Saira Shakira, Zainab Chottani, The PinkTree Company and Tena Durrani.
Creating a dynamic mix of vibrant bridals and heavily-embellished formals, the day was big on showcasing quintessential ensembles that were less experimental and more focused on catering to their individual clientele tastes. In this sense, while some stood out for their craft, others remained underwhelming at best.
Over to the collections…
Nomi Ansari
The king of colours is hardly ever a miss with his collections and Nomi Ansari’s Kaleidoscope was no different. Bringing a pulsating colour palette of bright oranges, pinks, yellows and blues to the runway, the display brought forward a mix of interesting colour combinations over the kind of silhouettes Nomi does best.
It served as the perfect opener to the day and one could tell whoever would be showcasing next would have a difficult time keeping the energy as high.
Huma Adnan
Introducing a bridal collection that played around the idea of a monsoon wedding, Huma Adnan’s display of shimmery lehngas in ivories and whites mixed with a subtle colour palette of purples, reds and pinks brought a fresh perspective to the collection. However, while this was one of the better displays by the designer, it needed a bit of editing before it was sent out on the runway. Some pieces could definitely have taken out.
Amir Adnan
Sticking to what he is most known and celebrated for, Amir Adnan chose to display an interesting mix of layering through his sherwanis, waist coats and groomswear for his collection, All Day I Dream. While it brought forward a showcase where Amir shined with making new designs for the younger men in mind, one wishes there’s more freshness in the designs. It seemed like the designer was holding on to the quintessential Amir Adnan man while looking on to the younger one.
Saira Shakira
Bringing forward a myriad of silhouettes and cuts that played with geometric and linear embroideries and organic motifs with Euphoria, Saira Shakira tried experimenting with their display and came out successful – to some extent. While the addition of crisp golds to their already signature use of metallic blues was interesting, a few of the structures and cuts could definitely have been subtracted from the display.
Zainab Chottani
If there’s one couturier who designs more with her clientele in mind than making collections that reinvent her aesthetic, it’s Zainab Chottani – and this FPW, it was of course, no surprise when she stuck to her aesthetic. Displaying a palette of reds, powder pinks and silvers, LaFee was largely for those who like what the designer does. For anyone else, it was an underwhelming collection. However, what the ensembles couldn’t do, the finale couple – Asim Azhar and Hania Aamir - did with their appearance.
The PinkTree Company
Taking inspiration from age-old Subcontinental traditions of the mayoon and mehndi, The PinkTree Company brought forward a collection that perfectly displayed a splash of popping yellows, greens and pinks as the models sashayed down the runway with dholki songs playing in the milieu. Out came a myriad of silhouettes that one can take inspiration from, and along with it, came showstoppers like Aliya Iqbal and Sonya Hussyn who added to the magic of the show. While sticking to their roots and their ideology, it was the brand’s love for craft that made it one of the crowd’s favourites of the day. This should have been the finale of the day.
Tena Durrani
Ending Day 3 with a grand finale, Tena Durrani showcased her collection Nur, which focused on displaying a palette of silvers, golds, peaches and light blues that interpret the concept of eternal light. Although the concept played to the strengths of the designer, it was barely anything new from what we have seen the couturier design before. If anything, it reminded one of all the previous collections by the designer and made one wish that Durrani had taken a bit of a risk this time around.
– Photography by Faisal Farooqui
