LAHORE: Pakistan’s premier luxury designer Khadijah Shah of Élan celebrated the bridal season with yet another solo show called Champs de Patchouli, in Lahore. Inspired by the courts of the Mughal era and the Versailles with strokes of French influence, Champs de Patchouli introduced 10 distinctive designs featuring Élan’s signature and meticulous craftsmanship in unique colour palettes. The collection has a fresh take on classic cuts such as peshwas, angrakhas, lehngas and shararas. The fashion house paired these with printed kamiz with silver and gold 3D work. Embellishments consisted of pearls, gemstones, gota, naqshi, dabka and thread work with flora and fauna motifs on nets, organzas and tissue; the collection was intricate, feminine and modern all at the same time. Speaking about Élan’s second solo show and Champs de Patchouli, Khadijah Shah said, “This show has been a real labour of love for me; as with our first show, this one was also a manifestation of the Élan vision and experience. The love and appreciation this collection has received is truly humbling and it makes me immensely proud to have this fantastic team which consistently sets higher standards for themselves each time.” The evening was attended by celebrities, socialites and media personalities alike including Élan CEO Jehanzeb Amin, Mr and Mrs Mian Mansha, Sadaf and Fawad Khan, Mr and Mrs Salman Shah, Nida Bano, Jarar Shah, Aamna Taseer, Shahbaz and Maheen Taseer, Ammara Hikmat, Faraz Manan, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, Kamiar Rokni, Ali Xeeshan, Zara Shahjahan, Shazia Deen, and Iman Ali to name a few. The Champs de Patchouli bridal show was conceptualised and managed by Shazreh Khalid, choreographed by Rehan Bashir, photographed by Kamran Mehdi, Irfan Younas Photography, Beeworks and Shutteredworks and its video was produced by Abdullah Harris. N-Pro and N-Gents were the official beauty partners and Careem was the official transport partner. Osmanur Rehman and Shireen Rehman managed the public relations for the event. Established in 2006, the fashion powerhouse earned early success through its intricately detailed and luxurious evening and bridal wear. In addition to its couture, Élan also produces a coveted luxury prêt-a-porter line, which is highly anticipated every month for its exquisite aesthetics and design details. The brand is indispensable for those who will settle for nothing less than international standards of quality and stitching detail in their eastern wear. The design team labours over every detail of their creations, employing intricate hand stitching as well as other classic and modern techniques. Modern or traditional, heavily worked or lightly embellished, haute couture or ready to wear prêt; everything designed at Élan studios is timeless and beautiful, season after season. Published in Daily Times, October 21st 2017.