Brand: Sobia Nazir www ½

Islamabad-based couturier Sobia Nazir has been designing for over a decade now and has carved a niche for her label in the relatively calm and non-competitive capital city. With little presence across other cities, the designer became more accessible and popular through her premium lawn collections that she has been collaborating on with different textile mills each spring/summer season since 2010. Inspired from nature and its habitat, the designer released a quintessentially floral lawn collection with Imperial Textiles this season amidst a host of other floral-patterned lawn collections. Was this one worth braving the heat for? Here’s what we think:

Design Innovation and Variety

This summer saw no dearth of floral prints hit the market – some served as a sad excuse for a print while others came across as so sweet and flowery that they could cause diabetes. Thankfully, Sobia Nazir’s lawn fell into neither category and was an interesting mix of flower patterns like those echoing cherry blossoms and geometric designs, giving one a broad spectrum of prints. The colour palette also ranged from lighter shades of orange and green to blacks and ink blues paired with solid neutrals for the trousers.

The collection comes with over 35 options with some prints in two colour combinations and each includes a set of embroidered add-ons that are not too heavy and gaudy. Interestingly, the few printed trouser options are so subtle in terms of the pattern that they almost appear to be plain solids. The only drawbacks of the collection are the few dressier options that come with heavily embroidered net dupattas or zari-embroidered shirts; their threadwork is spikey and uncomfortable on the skin. Also some of the embroidery options have been cut in a certain way that they limit you in designing the necklines for the stitched version.

Fabric

The quality of the fabric is at par with the myriad of good quality designer lawns available in the market, perhaps even better. It’s light, breezy and soft to touch and does not stick to one’s body in the scorching heat. The chiffon dupattas are 100% pure crinkle and fine in quality.

Price

The lawn is competitively priced at PKR 6,390 for all prints available in the collection, including those that are dressier in terms of design. And while it may seem pricey to those who may not be as familiar with Sobia Nazir’s name as they are with the more popular designer names attached to lawn, the quality and variety of the three-piece suits make them well worth the investment.

Desirability

The designer’s limited popularity outside Islamabad may make her collection a less desirable option for fashionistas in other cities but the very fact that the prints have a lower potential to become common make them attractive for those looking to stand out in the crowd. The prints are savvy and stylish enough to find a place in one’s wardrobe and the colour combinations have a very European appeal. They can make a good work wardrobe staple.

w Don’t buy it

ww Buy it at your own risk

www Buy it because you need more clothes

wwww Buy it because you love it

wwwww Must buy it, you’d be crazy not to!