Trend alert

wardrobe

With the new season almost here, it's time to prep the wardrobe. This week You! rounds-up latest trends in styles, hair and makeup as witnessed at the 10th edition of Fashion Pakistan Week Spring/Summer 2016, held recently in Karachi...

Fashion forward:

Fashion Pakistan Week Spring/Summer 2016 showcased three days of varied collections ranging from casual pret to bridal, and even included a Rising Talent competition. Amongst the mixed assortment of showcases, there were some distinct trend alerts, it was noticed that most designers were leaning toward casual chic as their look of choice.

Denim:

You don't often see a pure denim collection on the catwalk, but Zainab Chottani created a true tribute to casual denim, with a target audience of young moms and youth.  She featured ripped jeans, kerchiefs and patchwork denim. Bold red lipsticks paired with playful, wearable clothes.  The look was spotted on Alizeh Pasha on the red carpet, and although extremely casual, was instantly recognizable.

Kerchiefs:

Kerchiefs made a frequent appearance on the catwalk this FPW 2016. Amir Adnan's Escape collection featured them in his menswear collection, Zainab Chottani paired them with denim, and Natasha Kamal featured them with a pastel feminine, flirty collection.  In the former two cases, blue and white kerchiefs were used, but Adnan's was paired with blazers, kurtas and even some more tailored shirts, while Chotanni's was an accent to the wearable denim theme of the collection. Kamal, on the other hand, had pastel pink kerchiefs and they were styled more tightly, almost like a wide headband.  They showed more hair and the feminine colours enhanced the summery chic feel of her girlie collection.

In all cases, the look was youthful, approachable and casual chic. In Adnan's case, it gave an almost oceanic feel to the collection, especially when paired with upturned trousers.  Overall, kerchiefs are most notably a convenient hairstyle for someone who hasn't had a blowdry and has a built in "cool" factor.

Stripes:

Aamna Aqeel slayed stripes in a big way.  Bold, white and black stripes were paired with even bolder bright sunny yellows, fuchsia pinks and peaches. While pinstripes were spotted all over the runways at Paris Fashion Week Spring 2015 (particularly Givenchy menswear) and celebrities Kim Kardashian, Dianna Argon, Solanges Knowles and Chloe Grace Moretz, the trend was the more subtle the better.  Here, Aqueel's collection exuded boldness.

Cuffs:

Speaking of Aqeel's collection, it was most noteworthy for its accessories. The designer created cohesive ensembles of white/black stripes with bold colour accents and matching cuffs on just the single wrists which carried complementary bags. The cuffs gave a chicness and individuality to the pieces and made one think how this look would have worked with more classical little black dresses and a more muted colour palette. Aqeel also added hints of tassles to enhance the playful spirit of the designs.

Tassels:

In fact, tassels were all over FPW16. Aamna Aqeel, Ayesha Farook Hashwani and Generation's collections, to just name a few.  While the tassels went very well with Aqeel's cuffs and other accessories, they were innovative and used creatively in Generation's collection, sometimes cross tied across the front of the body, other times noted at a high waist. In Hashwani's collection, however, which was formal, sexy, the tassels were a sexy accent.

Sequins:

One of Pakistan's leading textile brands, LALA Textiles introduced their glittery collection 'Sheen' at FPW day 1. The collection comprised a fusion of western and eastern cuts in 16 designs. Inspired by shimmer and all that glitters; 'SHEEN' embodied the use of the finest fabrics in hues of gold accompanied by signature stones embellishments and sequences of Zari embroidery interpreted across a range of silhouettes. 

Capes:

Ayesha Farook Hashwani effectively paired flowy, printed capes with short skirts and very feminine cuts.  They added drama while heightening the sex appeal and womanliness to the collection.

Ruffles:

Sonya Battla's avant garde collection featured dramatic ruffles, layering of fabric and intricate pleating. 

Umbrellas:

Zainab Chottani paired her denim ensembles with sun umbrellas. Despite the kerchiefs and shades, umbrellas were sported, clearly in preparation for a harsh Karachi summer.

Bold accessories:

What we like most about Wardha Saleem's collection presented at FPW was the intelligent use of bold accessories. 

Bags to brag:

Pakistan's leading leather brand Jafferjees celebrated 135 years in business by taking out several vintage looks. Showcasing their latest products at FPW, day 2, the collection featured clutches, handbags and travel bags that were crafted with sophisticated details. The collection offered mixed textures and patterns to delight the most demanding enthusiasts of fine leather.

Ethnicity never goes away:

Gul Ahmed brought ethnic colours, chunri prints, pom-pom to the catwalk. While this was not one of the more chic collections, it did brighten the ramp and remind everyone they were in Pakistan.

Waist ties:

Natasha Kamal's collection featured a loose, beach style tie at the waist of pants, almost reminiscent of a sarong.  It was more for effect than for tying the pant, and when paired with cropped tops, enhanced the feminine feel of her ensembles.

All white:

Deepak Perwani featured heavily on white in his collection, and both Zaheer Abbas and Sonya Battla created all white collections. In all three cases, the looks were perfect for Springtime and certainly our upcoming Summer. Deepak emphasized textures, layers and adding volume to otherwise streamlined cuts.  Zaheer's vision was a return to simplicity, inspired by Coco Chanel's famous words, "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."  His designs were elegance personified, but were loose and quite casual, reinforcing the return to casual chic. Battla's designs were less wearable and more statement pieces, showing off her mastery of the craft, her love of textures and her joy of creative expression. Fluffy white cotton ball style accents to shirt pieces and even hair, these ensembles underscored drama and avant garde choices.  She even invited Asad Ul Haq to walk the ramp with a pot that was literally smoking, no pun intended.

Spruce up your looks:

Makeup trends are there to keep our look modern and in line with fashion trends. At the FPW S/S'16 makeup trends ranged from soft, muted looks with pastel, feminine pinks (such as the Shamaeel Luxury collection) to bold, statement red lips (such as Zainab Chottani's showcase). Well defined eyebrows continue to be very important this season. Another beauty trend this spring is to look as if you aren't wearing any make-up. The key is clever skin care and a good primer. In fact, many collections such as Nida Azwer and Wardha Saleem had minimal make-up looks, focusing more on contouring rather than colour on the face. And yes girls, this season eyeliner is the focus. Winged, edgy, geometric - anything goes! Just punch up your eyeliner routine and make it the star of your makeup look. Other than a couple of collections with bold, red lipstick, most of the makeup looks were pastels and muted tones with smokey eyes.

Hair affair:

It's hard to guess how long hair trends will stick around for but there are some we know will be here to stay as soon as we see it catching on. One of the most recent hairstyle trends to burst on to the scene, that we also happen to love, is the half up top knot. The new version is sleek, styled higher than ever and made for cocktail parties and art gallery openings. But the thing we love most about this look is how versatile it is with all hair lengths and textures.

At the FPW S/S'16 the hair varied from shock factor bold white of the Sonya Battla artistic expression showcase to a funky tied back with kerchief look for Zainab Chottani to the very feminine long, elegant straight hair with soft make up look of Ayesha Farook Hashwani and Shamaeel collections.

Although a gentle cascade of hair was the style for Ayesha Farook Hashwani's collection, playful side or both side ponies were the name of the day for Gul Ahmed's and Shamaeel Ansari's showcases, and tied back for many brands including Wardha Saleem and Nida Azwer.  Lala Textiles had a whole range of hairstyles from updo to side long-length featured on Ayeza Khan to ponytails. Wardha also accessoried with chunky headsets on her models.

 

Credits

Powered by: TDAP

Show director: Deepak Perwani

Photography: Tapu Javeri

Choreography: Frieha Altaf

Styling: N-Pro (Nabila) and N-Gents

PR: Tehmina Khalid (Take II) 

Managed by: CKO Events

Back stage management:

Production 021