In Clifton, a fiesta of trendy dresses

Karachi
It was all razzle dazzle at the Ensemble Gallery in Clifton on Saturday with glamorous dresses by Lahore-based Farida Hasan on display there – an event that will continue on Sunday (today) as well.
It drew large and trendy crowds and they all evinced keen interest in the merchandise.
The exhibition, based on around 126 pieces, carried a vast array of designs to cater to as varied tastes.
There were the more sober ones to cater to mature tastes and bright, flashy ones with beautifully intricate embroidery and inlaid designs for the trendier clientele.
The compact Ensemble Gallery was packed with clients.
Khuban Omar Khan, Farida’s daughter, told The News that what really drove her mother was her love for creativity and weakness for floral designs. “She has a very keen eye for the aesthetic,” Khuban added.
She told The News that her mother had been in the business for over five years now. She said even though it was a purely Lahore-based enterprise, they had expanded their business to Dubai, the US, India and the UK.
Khuban said they specialised in prêt-a-porter and formalwear.
She said they had managed to garner a whole lot of orders at the exhibition.
Two of the clients, when interviewed, told The News that they were pleased with the merchandise.
Safa Qureshi said, “It’s just wonderful. It fits me like a glove. It suits my taste”.
Izzah Taimur said the stitching was perfect. “The designs are flawless and more than that, very reasonably priced,” she added.
Delving into the economics of the industry, Farida noted that though the dresses were expensive, it was just one side of the coin.
“You should also consider the fact that we provide so many people with jobs, with livelihood by employing them at our outlets. As our sales shoot up and we gather more profits, we have to increase the wages of our workers. So we are creating employment,” she explained.