Nida Azwer and Misha Lakhani emerge strong as veritable names in Bridal Couture.
The second day of the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week ’18 (PLBW18) moved from an earlier segment of retail friendly shows to an evening segment dedicated to six stand alone designers. Nida Azwer opened with a solo show; Misha Lakhani, Zainab Salman and Jeem showed in a grouped presentation and then Farah and Fatima were followed by The House of Kamiar Rokni, who finished the show on a high note.
The House of Kamiar Rokni
Years from now, when heirlooms are handed down from generation to generation and conversations are had about the lasting appeal of a Kamiar Rokni bridal, it will come down to this: the absolute joy he takes in fashion and the uplift he brings to all who participate in it with him. On day two, the best was definitely saved for the last with the designers’ fans and supporters sitting in the front row for his exciting return to the PFDC platform after two years. Kami’s known to take his time weaving the magic that he does so very well and it’s always worth the wait. Even though ‘The House of Kamiar Rokni’ now only consists of Kamiar Rokni heading design (with Rehan moving on to Afsaneh and Elan) one could see the atelier’s usual artistry and craft at work as Moonrise seamlessly flowed in. Aimed at the woman of today, who’s a traditionalist at heart, Kami innovated ever so subtly within silhouettes, adding a power shoulder to a choli or layering the sleeve of a kameez. There could be no better end to day two - everybody left smiling.
Nida Azwer
Nida Azwer’s Rani Bagh was a grand collection with flawlessly delicate and extensive hand embroideries and fabrics. Staying true to her signature, Nida played to her strengths with gota, kamdani, wasli and mirrorwork. She played around with silhouettes in the form of angharkas, saris with coats, lehngas in lighter fabrics like tissue and fine silks, which gave the clothes a luxurious but easy, breezy flair. The collection had a beautifully imagined palette replete with golds and blacks and with spurts of colour in the shades of maroons and dull oranges. One could also see the intricately worked shawls that she retails every winter. Ali Javeri jewellers designed the ‘Mughal Treasures’ jewellery and the shoes were by Soma.
Misha Lakhani
Misha Lakhani’s known for her free flowing silhouettes with laidback glamour and the aptly titled Ab-e-Rawan (Running Water) was no exception. Predominantly silks, organza and tissue came together to create voluminous crushed lehngas, angharkas, her signature kameez and jodhpurs with sheer dupattas. The designer always manages to incorporate different elements of work without it being too overwhelming and stands out with her easily identifiable signature. One does however hope for more innovation from her – a glimpse of which was seen in a lime green frilly lehnga which stood out for its experimental silhouette.
Jeem by Hamza Bokhari
One can easily mark this show to be the game changer that will allow Hamza Bokhari to establish himself in the bridal market. His heavily embellished bridal outfits didn’t quite catch the eye but it was evident that he does have a flair for edgy, experimental trousseau and separates, which we wish he’d done more of. Big motifs, layering of blouses upon longer shirts and flowy pants and such are his strength and the young designer should build on that.
Zainab Salman
Bazeecha-e-Ishq was not a bad collection, it just wasn’t a very memorable one. Judging it by its commercial viability, it’ll do extremely well. Judging it by fashion week standards, where a distinctive signature or experimentation with craft is criteria for judgement, it didn’t fair as well. It was a good idea to have Ali Noor and Iqra Aziz step out as celebrity show stoppers.
Farah and Fatima
Dastaan was another collection that teetered along the fine line between commercial viability vs a fashion forward line; it fell on the side that did it no favours at fashion week. A relatively newer brand showing for the third time at PLBW, it has the potential to push the envelope and carve out a signature but until then, this wasn’t a collection mature enough for the ramp.
Photography by Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly
