It was a star-studded day at the PFDC L’Oreal Bridal Week and the Nishat Hotel elevators were bursting at the brims by the end of it. One elevator would open to Fawad Khan and his entourage, while another would put you in the same space as Mahira Khan. Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir - combustive stars of the popular Yaqeen Ka Safar - needed protection from fans and could be found being swiftly chaperoned from one space to another. Urwa and Mawra Hocane came all dressed up for their show, surrounded by 10 bodyguards, and left immediately but left enough of a buzz behind them. Maya Ali made an appearance for Nomi Ansari and wow, one could see why ‘Teefa was in trouble!’ She looked beautiful. As for the grand finale, amidst other comets, were Ali Sethi and Zeb Bangash, who had composed a song exclusively for Fahad Hussayn.

The highest point of the day had to be the big reveal of Mahira Khan being selected as L’Oreal’s newest Brand Ambassador. Dressed in a strategically chosen white power suit, she whizzed out and made the more powerful speech ever. "Let nobody’s opinion define who you are because all the women out there, including me, are worth it," she said, playing with the brand’s tagline.

It was an eventful day and weaker collections did get overshadowed by the starlight, however, the strong and vibrant ones held their own. Here’s an overview of the day in fashion…

Nomi Ansari

Qubool Hai

 The prelude to Nomi Ansari’s show was a teaser featuring Sana Javed and Ali Rehman and it was the most endearing start to the evening. The collection was optimistic and culturally appropriate. Designers started bleaching out colour when they realized they had a market in the Middle East but it’s designers like Nomi Ansari who continue to celebrate the regional ethos of being Pakistani and that is something to celebrate.

Maya Ali came out with a beaming smile for Nomi Ansari.

Saira Shakira

Artemesia

Saira Shakira are distinctive because of the way they incorporate casual and dominant designs in their clothes: a Victorian collar, a Shakespearean cape, boyfriend collars etc. Their designs definitely have a thought process to them but that effort also needs to be applied to strengthening their signature because their collections have been lacking cohesion lately. It wasn’t a bad collection but it wasn’t a very memorable one either.

Iman Ali participated in the Saira Shakira showcase as a celebrity showstopper. We wish we’d see more of Iman on the screen than the catwalk.

Nickie Nina

ADEENA – Generation IV

Nickie Nina returned to their roots with this collection and it was refreshing to see the duo tap into their eastern sensibility rather than attempt confused hybrids. The burst of colour was a welcome change from the crystalline concoctions that had been dominating the runway in earlier days and I loved the reintroduction of chunri to wedding wear.

Sajal Aly and Ahad Raza Mir lent their stardom to Nickie Nina’s show.

Sadaf Fawad Khan Bridals

Elayna

 For a debut, this was a promising attempt. Named after Sadaf and Fawad’s daughter and meaning ‘shining light’ this was a delicate collection etched on a luminous palette. Prominent was the incorporation of negative space, allowing the base colours breathing space without lumbering them with embellishment overload. Having Fawad Khan as Brand Ambassador would be both a curse and blessing because as a designer Sadaf would, at the end of the day, want her clothes to speak for themselves. Fortunately, they did.

Fahad Hussayn

Hoshruba: Dara Shikoh Aur Sunehri Churail

Fahad Hussayn was at a disadvantage this evening as he was following Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan on the catwalk and that’s not an easy feat. It’s his love for drama, attention to detail and dark ideology that actually lifted the audience from it’s post-Khan bliss into a macabre and sinful place with Sunehri Churail. His first few models - an eastern edition of Macbeth’s three witches - were a jolt of reality, reality that is often more twisted than it appears. And kudos to Nabila’s team of makeup wizards who managed to execute Fahad’s vision to perfection, allowing it distortion without making it look ugly.

Fahad’s show was as star studded as it gets with Ali Sethi and Zeb Bangash performing and Amna Ilyas, Mekaal Zulfiqar and Amna Ilyas walking the catwalk.

Note: Early evening shows featured Tabya Khan, IVY Couture by Shazia and Sehr, Zuria Dor and Farah & Fatima.

-          All photography by Faisal Farooqui @ Dragonfly

-          GEO TV is official media partner of the PFDC L’Oreal Bridal Week.