LAHORE-Bridal Couture Week is all about being introduced to the hottest new trends in fashion, spotting the best in bridal wear and watching celebs turn showstoppers for their favourite designers. With the season brimming with bridal wear inspiration for both the bride-to-be and the bridesmaids, BCW has always been an inspiration for the fashion freaks.
Sadly, this year there were many collections that were ordinary and absolutely forgettable and some that ought not to have been allowed on the catwalk. Unfortunately, the new trends were few and far between on the first day.
Why didn’t the BCW have a closer look at the collection made by Reema Ahsan before incorporating her in the line-up? Reema’s designs and more importantly styling were incomprehensible.Her designs were all waste of time and fabric.
Rivalling the clothes this time were the celebrity showstoppers. One after the other, it seemed as if designers had enlisted the entire entertainment fraternity to besiege the fashion week. The council should understand the fact that celebrities don’t guarantee a fashion week’s success. Nor can debutante capsules keep a show going strong. But despite the efforts that have been made, what ruled at BCW was regular, the conventional design that was, best case scenario, advertise welldisposed even of a pessimistic standpoint, repulsive.
The fashion designers showcasing at BCW include a sprinkling of youthful names alongside a few veterans and every one of them are focused on representing collections that will sell well.
In light of this point, they, for the most part, don’t make a decent attempt to set new patterns. They’ll stir out loose, long trailing shirts that might be unsuitable yet enamour women who need to shroud their waistlines.
They’ll make chaotic variants of peplum hemlines since best ateliers presented those three odd years back and they’re proceeding to sell well. The dots, the cutwork, the sequins, and the overdone pastel shading ranges have all been seen umpteen occasions previously yet as long as the gathering of people still needs to get it, the fashioners will continue displaying them.
What’s more, there’s nothing incorrectly about this. It’s the same old thing, all things considered. But, from the viewpoint of a purist, it isn’t fashion.
BCW needs to take note — they have now established themselves as a strong business platform but with 16 editions completed, they need to make an effort towards quality control.
Nilofer Shahid
The show opened with the collection of Nilofer Shahid titled Badshah Begum, a tribute to the legendary Mughal Empress Nur Jahan. The collection was a perfect combination of royal heritage with today’s sartorial style of the jet-setting bride squad. This collection saw age-old craft like beading, appliqué, resham and gotta embroidery with detail work. Renowned actress Mawra Hocane scorched the ramp as showstopper for the designer.
Aisha Imran
Looking at the light within to illuminate the world around, designer Aisha Imran showcased ‘Daastan-e-Ishq’, a bewitching and bold collection of intricate embroideries, well-crafted silhouettes, and flowing fabric in soft feminine colours.
The collection utilizes the best of materials and fabric, ranging from pure silks to jamawar and tissue, carefully worked with stone, dabka, and nakshikaam. Mansha Pasha and SumbulIqbal added allure to Aisha Imran’s collection.
Emran Rajput
Continuing to push boundaries on modern Pakistani men’s wear, this time Emraan Rajput’s collection ‘Surkhab’ wasn’t impressive. The range of colours chosen by him for his collection could have been more impressive. Overall the collection wasn’t as ultimate and mind blowing as it was expected to be.
Ansab Jahangir
Ansab Jahangir’s collection ‘Dilara’ was a memorable one. The cuts and attention to detail was a delight to the eyes. The colour palette of the collection was divided into two vast spectrums. The bright vibrant hues such as crimson, tangerine and chartreuse green were the main highlights. The dynamic mother daughter-duo, Bushra Ansari and Meera Ansari, walked the ramp as a showstopper.
Faiza Saqlain
FaizaSaqlain’s Shehnai was simple according to the bridal collections of others. There was nothing much special in the collection that could grab the attention of the fashion enthusiasts.
The collection was enhanced by the use of lustrous silk and shimmery tissue fabric which are heavily encrusted with pearls, sequins, and stones. Actress Aiza Khan played muse to the designer and she looked no less than a bride in a red lehenga.
Sahar Atif
SaharAtif’s Mah-e-Nau collection was a ballad of majestic textiles, embroideries, and motifs, paying homage to a lifelong tradition of the subcontinent. The collection wasn’t up to the expectation. Fabric featured heavy traditional motifs and embellishments as hammering and gotta but apart from a few dresses none could gain the critics’ attention.
Reema Ahsan
Modern day royalty must be a delicate balance of high quality aesthetic and muted pageantry, making a clear and sophisticated style statement.
With intricately embroidered patterns on rich fabric and detailed beading, this collection of beautiful fusion embodies the modern-day bride. The stunning Hareem Farooq walked the ramp as a showstopper.
Tabassum Mughal
Tabassum Mughal’s collection ‘Romantic musings’ was a dreamy, romantic bridal wear collection with a contemporary twist. The collection uses a medley of rich sumptuous fabric including net, cotton net and pure atlas jamawar juxtaposed with airy lace and end-noted with voluminous tulle.
Gowns, wedding robes with overskirts, voluminously- hemmed dresses and peplum tops paired with lehngas for the contemporary capsule and farshi ghagra cholis and lehnga cholis end-noted with lengthy dupattas for the traditional bride were the main highlights.
The Aangan stars Sonya Hussyn and Ahsan Khan along with GoharRasheed and Kubra Khan added grandeur to Tabassum Mughal’s collection.
Arsalan Iqbal
There are a very few options when it comes to men’s fashion, but when Arsalan Iqbal does it, he does it right. In this collection, he designed marvellous pieces for Sherwani’s with harem pants, embroidered jackets to pinpoint perfection and cut to precision. Overall, his collection was a clear hit. The collection was structured to epitomize masculinity and grace. Fabrics used are soft silks, rich brocades, plush velvets, opulent jamawars and finest of gabardines.
The colour palette runs from the deepest of blues reminiscent of the ocean and a bevy to bright greens and reds. Shahzad Nawaz & Omar Shahzad walked the ramp for the designer.