The second day of FPW ’17 got off to a good start and it was overall a much better day for fashion. The red carpet however, was almost as lackluster as the day before, not really giving journalists and bloggers a chance to photograph anyone but themselves.
Karachi: The second day of FPW ’17 got off to a good start and it was overall a much better day for fashion. The red carpet however, was almost as lackluster as the day before, not really giving journalists and bloggers a chance to photograph anyone but themselves. Film and TV stars Feroze Khan and Alyy Khan gave the red carpet a momentary buzz but there should have been more action. But when the business of fashion is rolling out the way it’s supposed to, it more than makes up for lack of star power.
First up, Pandora by Sanam Chaudhri featured some powerful silhouettes that borrowed from the boys with its collars, bold shoulders and long coats mixed with feminine fluidity and embellishments. The collection opened with a lovely olive colour and moved on to darker blues, which made for very grand looking ensembles. The pieces had meticulous attention to detail and the structure was some of the best we’ve seen at fashion week so far. It was a refreshing break from all the wedding wear on show the day before and we’re certain that edgy, sartorial risk takers will be seen wearing this collection come festive season later this year.
Sanam Chaudhri
Wardha Saleem’s aptly titled Dholak show was what a fashion forward mehndi would look like. The showcase with dhol wala’s, thalis and other festive elements reminiscent of a mehndi made it easy to imagine the practicality of her constructions at the occasion she’d designed them for.
The designer’s greatest strength is her ability to stay true to her signature and with this collection she once again displayed her prowess at mixing colour with pretty embellishments. In the cholis, ghagras and angharkas were bird embroideries, hints of truck art and intricate work. The men wore bright sherwanis and patterned kurtas in orange and pink. The collection was definitely one of the high points of the night.
Pakistan doesn’t have many menswear designers so when a purely menswear designer shows it is almost always a pleasure to watch. Emraan Rajput’s suits had sharp tailoring and he demonstrated considerable skill in his detailing. Patterned ties, pocket squares and bow ties injected colour into the looks but some suits did veer towards the unimpressive because of the fabric used. In essence, menswear is often about understated modifications, fits and material by which standard he only got some numbers right.
The most noticeable thing about Sadaf Malaterre’s collection was the colour combinations she had used. Wispy dark maroons, bright reds and olive greens looked fantastic layered up in creative ways using tassles, frills and organza. It definitely wasn’t a collection for the wallflower but for women who want to stand out from a crowd. Although the slinky dresses could have been omitted from the collection it was overall, a great lineup. Personal favourites include the opening number worn by Mehreen Syed, the knotted layered dress worn by Saheefa and the spaghetti strap layered top.
Sadaf Malaterre
Hems collection featured much of the silver on silver aesthetic that we’ve seen too much of already. We do wish the new brand would come forth with a unique signature. Although the constructions were not bad, sadly there was no novelty factor that made the audience sit up and take notice.
Deepak Perwani closed the last day with a collection that ran the gamut from maroons, silvers to whites and golds. It was a safe collection but had its moments in the two white bridals that came out last and the heavily worked shawls on the men. Deepak’s aesthetic usually works for him but given his veteran designer status in the industry we do wish he would innovate for the ramp like he did with his Fix It collection last year.
– Photography by Faisal Farooqui @ Dragonfly
