Mango
AFAAAAAAAA
With just 8 films this year, I personally felt it was too soon for any awards ceremonies regarding movies to take place. The film industry needs to regain its foothold firmly before any such award ceremonies regarding movies could take place . The awards, while ran for painstakingly long hours in this hot and humid weather (yes it was outside). While it is open for debate whether ARY film Awards should have taken place…or not, it gave our local celebrities to strut their stuff on red carpet. While many did come as if it was their phuppi ka walima, quite a few did made their mark on the red carpet.
Actress Model VJ Mahira Khan stunned in black and white Mango separates at the awards. While many may disagree but she pretty much hits the ball outta park with the ying yang ensemble. The crop top and tailored pants stood out for all the right reasons in a sea of OTT gowns. Minimally chic, she paired it up with white heels and a studded clutch and a watch to go. Leaving her signature mane like she does, the only pop of color came through the customary red lip color in just the right amount accenting the whole look.
Veteran designer Maheen Khan showed everyone how its done in playing it cool in the hot weather. With the midnite purple and gunmetal seperates, her look was understated chic with a relaxed vibe to it. I am in Love with her hair color and to say it went brilliantly with the whole look would not be a mistake. She styled the look with a single pendant, a metal cuff and a gun metal clutch.
Shehla Chatoor’s Samsara collection was bound to make an appearance on the red carpet. And as I said earlier in my review, it would definitely be snagged up, and it did. With a host of celebs opting for it, this particular piece was one of my picks from her collection and Sabeena Pasha shines, literally rocking the hell outta that dress. The gold chain details on the back were fun, and side swept hair and gold heels, and you don’t need anythin else gurl to steal that spotlight.
Winner of the best actress Jury award, Aamna Ilyas was in HSY from his venom collection. The red, another one of my favs, the model just makes it work going all out in the strapless ensemble. Playing up on the sheer trend, the layered part of the gown provided ample amount of that and and the pop of color via her ring was just the right hint needed. with her hair up in a chignon, this one was definitely in no doubt for the night.
Off all the people, I never expected Noor to make an appearance on the list, but she managed to do so. In a faiza saqlain, she was one of the few of the night to opt for a sari. What worked in her favour was the color, the flawless makeup job and an understated look that stood out for its simplicity in the of OTT bling ness of the night. The Manish Malhotra-esque Sari was an easy breezy pick for the weather and one that looked good.
THE MEN
From the male lot, Ali Xeeshan stood out with the three piece Ahmed Bham suit with an unbuttoned (would have died otherwise) white cotton shirt. The power blue suit has made a comeback and Xeeshan definitely seems to be having fun in his. Its cool, suave and not so serious at the same time.
Best Supporting Actor Winner and one of the hosts of the night, Humza Abbasi, cut a clean picture in a black ensemble (possibly by Omer farooq though i still have to get confirmations on that). Fuss free the simple black sherwani scored more points that any of the other OTT satin patches and attempts to twist classics. Don’t do it if you can’t do it right. He looked downright dapper and without needing to try too hard…are others taking notes!!
Go Mango!!
Ever since Mango has launched in Karachi, Pakistan, it has been attracting its bit of audience that swear by the brand. While the brand has not yet tapped into a mass market, like its abroad counterparts, one does need to realize that the brand is in its nascent stages and needs to develop that niche market before it can go mass. The competition is not kind either with many local high street brands within the same vicinity. However in its short period, Mango has managed to garner a good audience for itself which swears by the product.
However Mango definitely has that edge over others in terms of its product. As one has started to begin to feel the slight nip in the air, Mango has launched its winter collection that hit its store just at the right time. Winters is a perfect time to experiment with layers and mango gives you that effortless option to do so while being minimalist chic. The presentation that was held at the Dolmen Mall clifton was neat and free from any OTT drama. The clothes ranged from Boho chic dresses and tunics, which had a lot of dark florals and relaxed silhouette to masculine vibe (denim and leather jackets, printed jackets and pants) and evening wear. Some of the digitally printed pieces were quite fetching. I loved the fact that the brand was bang on with the trend and loved the inclusion of plaids for the winter. Furthermore a couple of pants with highlighted accent due to the use of two different material also caught my attention. While I was okay with the dresses, I was not too keen on the maxis that were shown during the presentation, as they seemed to lack a much more polished look that the brand set the bar at in other areas. The color palette was much more somber and dark, blues greys, earthy browns, black and whites (considering its winter) and were all set to make anyone to look fab in these ensembles in upcoming season. Like the usual mango outfits, these could be styled up or styled down as one would feel like.
While the store only houses womenswear, I am pretty sure if HE by Mango were to be opened in the same vicinity, I would have gone pretty much bankrupt by now, but it would be worth every dime *sigh*. The well attended event was hassle free and to top it all had not gone overboard with their styling and presentation. While from the presentation I liked a jumpsuit with a metal belt, a few floral dresses, an asymmetric top and a leather jacket, there were a few pieces in the catalogue too that I picked out but they had not made their way to the stores just yet. I am assuming that in due time (i.e. almost 4 months of winter) they will be there. Get it before its gone.
Musings of a fashion designer 