Lahore- The tenth PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week officially commenced on 13th April 2017, marking the eighth consecutive year of the prêt a porter platform.
Day 1 featured a solo show by HSY in Hall A, a grouped show featuring Misha Lakhani and Saira*Shakira in Hall B, a grouped show featuring the Bank Alfalah Rising Talent Show, a capsule collection by Kokab Alvi, Zonia Anwaar and Generation by Khadija Rahman in Hall A and a solo show featuring Sania Studio by Sania Maskatiya in Hall B.
Each of these shows has been divided between two entirely separate show spaces and two independent ramps within the same venue in their respective time slots (no coinciding or simultaneous shows), a first in Pakistan.
Indeed, this comes as a deliberate move from the Council to grow fashion week into a more exclusive and premium platform allowing fashion houses rather more independent showcases within the fashion week diaspora and to therefore show to more selective and dedicated audiences.
HSY
First came the HSY solo show titled ‘Paranoia’, inspired by the digital reality of this generation and their engrossment in technology and social media. The collection was characterised by geometric patterns, monochromatic colours, stripes and modern cuts. Straight and flared pants dominated the ramp, along with jackets, a cowl cape and even a crop top with his own face on it. While the concept behind the collection was somewhat original and distinct, the collection could have been more impressive, especially by HSY’s own standards.
Next, there was a group show featuring Misha Lakhani and Saira*Shakira.
Misha Lakhani
Misha Lakhani’s designs are usually on point, but that was clearly not the case with her ‘Caravan’ collection. Yes, her designs were minimalistic and simple, but all that could have been executed in a much better way. Her cuts were a perplexed fusion of Eastern and Western clothing, such as off the shoulder tops coupled with shalwars. The prints, or lack thereof, were bland, and the colour palette was very dull, especially since these clothes are supposed to be Luxury/Pret.
Saira*Shakira
Saira*Shakira have been making waves with their unique, quirky designs, and their ‘Jiē’ Collection this time round was pretty impressive. Although they stuck with neutral tones, the outfits had the perfect pop of colour to prevent them from looking bland. Flares, ruffles and straight pants dominated their collection, making most of the designs pretty wearable despite being somewhat avante garde.
The Bank Alfalah Rising Talent
The Bank Alfalah Rising Talent segment of the show featured designs by Amna Sheikh, Asra Khalid, Shahroz Tariq and Zainab Hamid.
Amna Seikh
Amna Sheikh’s ‘Rivaj-e-Virasat’ collection fuses ‘tila’ and ‘gota’ with denim effortlessly, thus creating the perfect fusion between modern designs and traditional attire. Her collection was unique and refreshing, and she did phenomenal for a budding designer.
Asra Khalid
Asra khalid showcased her ‘Local Vandal’ collection, which was supposed to be inspired by examples of local vandalism, and her prints feature graffiti in them too. The cuts were largely casual, with a distinctive mix of floral prints and graffiti.
Shahroz Tariq
Shahroz Tariq went for a very feminine, pastel colour palette for his ‘Let’s celebrate!’ collection. The outfits were simple, but elegant and very wearable. The collection featured pants and pencil skirts paired with blouses in light, pastel hues.
Zainab Hamid
Zainab Hamid’s ‘Still I Rise’ collection was the star of the show, for me at least. Her use of a bold colour palette mixed with black and white, geometric prints and universally flattering cuts is worthy of praise. The straight pants, flared skirts, crop tops and cocktail dresses made for effortlessly chic ensembles.
Kokab Alvi’s
Kokab Alvi’s capsule collection titled ‘Explorer Meets Music’ featured men’s fashion with flattering cuts that would be easy to wear. The colour palette was safe, as were the silhouettes, but they looked marginally good nonetheless.
Zonia Anwar
Zonia Anwar ‘ZELLIJ’ collection featured geometric patterns and pops of colour mixed in with black and white. The cuts varied from minimalistic to more intricate designs, and some of them were actually pretty wearable
Generation by Khadija Rehman
Generation’s ‘Bring Basant Back’ collection definitely turned heads, all while encouraging cultural solidarity. The designs were flowy and minimalistic, with bright colours reminiscent of the kites that are very typical of basant and its festivities
Sania Maskatiya
For the finale, Sania Maskatiya’s ‘Sania Studio’ collection showcased western cuts with bright hues, floral prints, baggy pants, blouses and jackets. All the outfits looked elegant and effortless, and very wearable.
