Élan has developed a trend setter reputation, within the industry and without. Whether it’s their embellishment, colour palette or styling, when Élan puts a new collection out people sit up and take notice. The label has been conspicuously absent from fashion weeks this year, pret and bridal, and the runway was missing Khadijah Shah’s special brand of panache until the design house unveiled plans of hosting a solo show for their winter couture collection.
FASHIONFOCUS
Élan’s very first solo show is a glittering success.
Élan has developed a trend setter reputation, within the industry and without. Whether it’s their embellishment, colour palette or styling, when Élan puts a new collection out people sit up and take notice. The label has been conspicuously absent from fashion weeks this year, pret and bridal, and the runway was missing Khadijah Shah’s special brand of panache until the design house unveiled plans of hosting a solo show for their winter couture collection.
Celebrating a decade of the label ruling hearts and best dressed lists, Élan’s Indochine showcase saw Shah’s sprawling residence transformed into a dreamy, pristine white set with a central dias and a snaking runway that brought the clothes up close to the audience. The set itself looked like a blanc interpretation of Moscow’s iconic Red Square. While solo shows are becoming more and more common in the country with each season, Elan, as expected, kicked it up a notch and created an entire setting for their presentation, akin to what is de rigueur internationally.
The show kicked off with a glamorous red carpet that saw Lahore’s well heeled style savants turn up dressed to the nines, justifying the cocktails dress code. A performance by the world renowned Sachal Orchestra marked the commencement of festivities and the audience enjoyed live music in Lahore’s autumn breeze. The show commenced shortly after 9 p.m. ensuring that no one had to endure unnecessarily long delays, needless sponsor videos or jostle each other for seating space.
Maheen Taseer, the gorgeous mommy-to-be, radiates elegance on the ramp (left) while an exhausted yet elated Khadijah Shah poses for the shutterbugs with husband, Jehanzeb Amin.
Coming to the clothes themselves one has come to expect nothing short of excellence from Élan and they delivered. In a country obsessed with bridals and having just sat through an entire bridal week it’s easy to get the feeling that you’ve seen a similar set of clothes before but Shah’s indelible mark ensured that the collection came across new and fresh. There was also a visible update of Élan’s classic aesthetic and a break away from the pastels that characterise most Pakistani couture currently.
The collection featured a diverse palette and a play on textures with embellishment. Shah played within the confines of silver work but added bright pops with hues like ferozi, deep maroon, vibrant plum and bottle green. The collection also featured mass favourite soft-hued bridals that always work well commercially. If there was ever a doubt about the revival of velvet, the Indochine showcase put it to rest and cemented the plush fabric as the IT trend of the season.
Peppered among the usual gharara and shirt ensembles were cool pieces that spoke of a contemporary aesthetic in the form of Fayeza Ansari’s tapered pants and jacket combination with shimmering star busts embroidered on it. We also j’adored the dragonflies on Rehmat Ajmal’s skirt, another trademark motif of the design-house. Dusky bombshell Amna Ilyas walked the finale with Élan’s male brand ambassador, Adnan Malik, making for a dashing pair.
Another individualistic touch that Shah added was the inclusion of her real life muses walking in the show. We spotted Maryam Ahmed, Maheen Taseer, Natasha Monnoo and Fatima Gondal among a bevvy of models, adding a personalised appeal to the entire showcase. And each and every look was amplified by the exquisite range of jewellery, provided by Sherezad Rahimtoola, who exhibited in Lahore the very next day.
The show ended around 10 p.m. with the audience and show’s participants in high spirits and the attendees mingling about till the early hours of the morning, enjoying the weather, hors d’oeuvre and delightful cocktails that tasted like the last of summer. All in all it was a night of undiluted fashion with nothing to detract attention from the actual purpose of the event – couture. If this is what the future of fashion looks like in Pakistan, we’re excited.
—Photography by Faisal Farooqui @ Dragonfly
