FPW A/W’14 Day1 Part I

The Fashion Pakistan Week kicked off in full storm and I enjoyed every livestreamed minute of it (wish I was there). Kudos to Latitude and Faisal Kapadia for having one of the most seamless livestream. Though it did have a couple of glitches, but for most part I was a happy camper staying up for the fashion week

Uber Boho
With sightings of it on red carpet, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the opening show of Ather Hafeez for Sana Safinaz. However as soon as it began, my doubts were defintitely put to rest with a collection that was high on glam and embodied all qualities of a boho chic vibe running throughout it. The band walas playing Dum Maaro dum and seamlessly flowing into Get Lucky was the perfect accompaniment for the collection with its upbeat vibe and quirky accents.

The fablousness that sashayed onto the ramp via this collection comprised of some deft handling at layers, drapes and prints on silks. The collection that featured kitschy prints combined with those black and whites, in an array of colors, saw Ather Hafeez return to his element. What I loved about the collection was layers on layers on layers of prints but done soo right in terms of proportions and balance that nothing looks out of place. With a nod to referencing seventies,  calligraphy crop tops, breezy jackets, print peek-a-boo of bra lets,  printed pants (wide and tapered) all worked together bringing a collection that was right up my boho chic alley. What I also loved were the round shades that were a perfect tribute to the vintage with models channeling their inner Zeenat Aman (one of the ensemble even reminded me of her.. guess which one hint: its one of the top 5) on the ramp. Barring some pieces, yellow one on cybil, two opening pieces (both were too villagey styled and a bit too OTT), bling tank dress seemed odd in the whole collection though I loved it and the lime yellow top with pink pants and blue upper looked kinda bit jokerish, the collection had many brilliant moments. The splash of color on runway was the perfect way to start things off. My picks.. the last five pieces in pictures above.. Loved that calligraphy crop top styled to perfection, sheer pants and the whole boho vibe of the dress (perfect dum maro dum moment) and collection…What was there not to love

 

 

Dawned, but yet to Rise
Ishtiaq Afzal Khan is best remembered for the debacle of his last outing. His collection resided on solid colors inspired from dawn fared better than his previous offering but because we have seen so much of it already, his collection seemed a bit in need of an update. Starting off with a trio, he presented what seemed like three mini capsules on the runway from matt gold pistachio to oranges to midnight hue. The collection featured an array of dresses, saris with jackets (iraj made that work,sorry), fun take on patialas and basic seperates. While he did not experiment much, he came under the fire because it was too basic. That mini dress would have been a winner if not for bad stitching. The patialas though as much as I liked them and offered a break in the sequence of things, they felt a bit of misfit in a collection that was much more body flattering and streamlined lines. I also spotted a dior meet Zara Shahjahan skirt (from where u ask? similar vibe and print that she used).  An orange ensemble with a quilted jacket had a confused inner with part bra let, part lace going on.  The collection did present some interesting elements but for most part the three capsules sort of seemed disconnected from each other.

He also presented one menswear, one each for each set. The matt gold one was too vintage with a 50s vibe and the black one needed a better fit. Of the three the rusty orange quilted jacket fared a much better success. Also one of the fawn gold pieces from the trio, the peplum leather top was near flawless with the hot sheer low back and coupled with ripple quilted pants. And as I said earlier loved the patialas with layered tops esp those quilted kotis were fun spins.

 

 

Confused Chills
Always love a jacket with a dress and sneakers (Rubya Chaudhry pulled that off brilliantly), Sadly for Levis, that moment came a bit too soon. An example of how putting together pieces and styling is a necessity, Levis provided a view on how could it all go wrong and what not to do. While the concept of presenting a winterwear was on point, the selection of pieces that could have made up for a potential winning casual outing was let down. Ah where to begin, from Adnan Siddiqui’s 90’s laidback look oddly fitted(even he couldn’t save it)to the psychedelic purple jeggings to washed out pastels with jarring boots that made even Neha look stout to those camouflage pants looking way outta place in the whole collection. A whole lot went wrong at many points and while the same collection could have been presented way better, this was a bit of an missed oppurtunity.

Selecting the pieces to go on the runway from your regular lines makes sense, but what to showcase and putting together as ensembles does become a point of inference. You do know there are bloggers in Pakistan and could have collaborated with them… Collab ideas! is anyone listening.

*Images courtesy Tapu Javeri and his team