Generation stole the show and reinvented how to make Eastern wear look sexy.
fpwspecialREport
Generation elevates FPW’s final day with a spectacular collection.
Karachi: With attendees resigned to the inevitable delays that characterized Fashion Pakistan Week 2016, day three kicked off after 9 pm and ended at an inconvenient hour. The night featured a mix of ready to wear and luxury pret, with eight designer showcases lined up. Sonya Battla opened the day with an all-white collection, while Shamaeel Ansari closed the night with her signature, over the top aesthetic. It wasn’t a bad night for fashion but with the exception of Generation, there was nothing spectacular that really propelled it forward either.
Battla, known for her technical expertise and conceptually sound collections, drew inspiration from lost identity and the conflicting era we’re in. Her pieces, impeccably tailored and finished, the meticulous attention to detail was evident and the structure was some of the best we’ve seen coming down the runway this season. That said it was perhaps too conceptual to be showcased at a pret week. Had Battla transitioned her collection from couture to more wearable pieces after the first few outfits, it would have definitely translated better on the runway.
Shamaeel Ansari’s muse Attiya Khan, opened the show for her.
Generation has definitely upped their game in recent times but Khadija Rehman and her team blew everyone out of the water with A Dot That Went For A Walk. Easily the best showcase in all three days, Generation’s pret-a-aporter collection gave new lease to pedestrian cotton and a new identity to Eastern wear. Innovative, fashion forward and wearable, the collection made Eastern wear look sexy in a manner that we’ve never seen before. The styling was also some of the best we’ve seen in all three days; from bohemian beachy hair to the barefoot models with black thread laced around their toes, Generation conquered the runway and captured our hearts.
Following Generation was another high-street brand, Al-Karam and the textile giant failed to deliver. The collection wasn’t particularly offensive in terms of aesthetic but unless there’s something new a brand can offer in terms of digitals prints paired with western silhouettes, there’s no point in showcasing at fashion week and wasting not only their own resources but our time as well. It was also perhaps even more unfortunate for them that they were in line after Generation; it is impossible to follow up something that spectacular with a mediocre collection at best and the audience was visibly disinterested.
Batla’s all white collection was poignant but unfortunately too conceptual for pret week.
Natasha Kamal, who showcased last year in Lahore, followed her collection with a French Riviera inspired presentation for Karachi this year. It had an easy breezy vibe and was wearable but again, nothing new that pushed the envelope or presented western wear with a unique perspective. However, Kamal managed to cut her own feet off with her finale outfit which was a clear copy of a suit by designer Johanna Ortiz and was immediately recognized as such when Cybil Chowdhry walked down the runway wearing it. Kamal changed the pants from black to white and toned down the ruffles but the design was identical and wasn’t even cohesively in line with her pastel collection. We can only hope that if designers choose to be “inspired” by international couturiers, they should a) attempt to make the design their own by more than just changing the colour and b) at least execute the copy well.
Nida Azwer has been consistently under-whelming recently and her Kirigami collection fell well short of the mark. Not only was it a confused showcase that started out with western wear and then devolved into a bejeweled sari and a ball gown (can we please just let these die already?!), it was also plagued by the same issues as her bridal collection from last year. Giant pearls littered the runway as they fell from the models outfits and once again, sadly, there was no novelty factor that made the audience sit up and take notice.
Zainab Chottani’s collection was a mixed bag of some fun pieces combined with some very questionable aesthetics. The use of denim was an interesting addition; it isn’t a fabric that local designers play with regularly and is trending internationally at the moment but not all her pieces hit the nail on the head. Supermodel of yore, Iman Ali walked as Chottani’s showstopper and looked visibly uncomfortable in her crop top and was spotted pulling her cape close she made her way down the ramp.
Pairing black and white stripes with bright neon shades and fringed embellishment, Amna Aqeel’s latest collection has definitely upped the ante from her last showcase. Modern, well-finished and well accessorized, it was fun to watch coming down the runway but it didn’t have us at the edge of our seat trying to glimpse the next outfit that would be sent out.
Couturier Shamaeel Ansari presented a Japanese inspired collection that featured her opulent aesthetic and dramatic styling. Attiya Khan opening the show was a nice touch and the celebrity model walked with such panache that she made the new lot of girls look amateurish as they followed her effortless stint down the ramp.
When all is said and done, FPW 16 had some shining moments but overall failed to impress. The timings were a let-down; the crowd wasn’t as well turned out as can usually be expected from Karachi and after day one, the foreign buyers that the council had invited were nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately there was something quite lack luster about fashion week this time. With FPW 16 behind us, all we can say is better luck next time!
– Photography by Tapu Javeri
