Daily Times

LAHORE: The much-awaited bridal extravaganza of the year, Pantene Hum Bridal Couture Week 2017 kick-started at Faletti’s Hotel, Lahore on Friday. It was a glamorous night as everyone from the fashion and media industry looked their best for the red carpet and came to lend their support to the emerging couture designers of our industry. Day 1 featured a total of eight designers who showcased their latest bridal collections with a special ‘Classic 15’ segment and a performance by Zoe Viccaji.

FAHAD HUSSAYN— Fahad Hussayn opened the bridal week 2017 with his collection Arth Novelty setting the standard for the rest of the fashion week. The collection featured lehnga cholis, gharara pants and peplum tops with golden silk thread embroideries and embellishments. The menswear featured simple sherwanis and kurtas along with straight pants sported with turbans. Special attention was given to the intricate detailing done on each ensemble. The colour palette was that of silver and hot pinks. The showstoppers Shaan Shahid and Mohib Mirza wore black sherwanis, Humaima Malick sported a pink draped gown with a golden belt and a heavily embellished open coat and Uzma Hassan who wore a traditional red and gold ensemble. The collection was a tribute to the Indian classic movie ‘Arth’ and his support for the Pakistani cinema as he collaborated with the team of the Pakistani remake of the movie.

MIFRAH — Mifrah’s collection featured a peach, gold and champagne colour palette with silver work. With traditional cuts and embellishments, Mifrah added a touch of sequins and pearls to each ensemble. The collection-featured lehngas with heavily embellished long shirts, bell-bottom pants and cold shoulder shirts.

HUMAYUN ALAMGIR — Humayun Alamgir’s collection Poshak was all about elaborate turbans and velvet to compliment the pieces from his collection. It featured embellished and heavily embroidered velvet sherwanis in shades of with a bold colour palette of royal blue, black and maroon. Showstopper Bilal Abbas Khan walked the ramp in a maroon velvet sherwani and Alyzeh Gabol in a black collared shirt and gold lehnga accessorised with a jhumka.

REEMA AHSAN — Reema’s collection Je Suis Belle featured metallic tones, reds, greens and champagne colours with fabrics like organza and velvets dominating the collection. From mermaid lehngas to gharara pants, dresses, long shirts and peplum tops, this collection had it all. Each silhouette was heavily embellished with detailed work. The simple velvet peplum top with a heavy worked lehnga stole the spotlight along with showstopper Mira Sethi’s maroon velvet lehnga and silver sleeveless shirt with beaded strings hanging from the shoulders.

AISHA IMRAN — the first show’s finale was by Aisha Imran who presented her collection, Jahan Ara. With a traditional colour palette of reds, golds and champagnes, this collection was inspired by the Mughal era. The detailed resham, zardozi, tilla and kora dabka work on each silhouette complimented each ensemble.

ZIGGI MENSWEAR — Ziggi Menswear collection ‘Faris’ was all about the heroic patriotism. From the military music to final walk and the medals and chains sported by the models, one could tell that the collection took a deep influence from the military. The use of velvets, jerseys and suede was rather disappointing with skin fitted long shirts, sherwani shirts and blazers paired with straight pants. Moreover, the blue, maroon and green colour palette was appealing, however, the outfits themselves didn’t really fit the ‘bridal week’ theme.

MNR DESIGN STUDIO — MNR Design Studio showcasing the collection Gulab Sandesh. His play with velvets is always appealing to the eyes. Keeping the recent trends in mind, each silhouette was designed in such a manner that did not overshadow the intricate traditional work. The men’s collection featured embroidered sherwanis with turbans in golds and blacks. Furthermore, Alyzeh Gabol’s beige sari, Sabeeka Imam’s heavily embellished mint-green trail-dress and show stopper Sajal Aly walked the ramp in a Pistachio shade lehnga and off-shoulder peplum shirt.

DEEPAK & FAHAD — Deepak & Fahad presented their collection ‘Shaahtaabi’. A colourful men’s collection that featured simple to heavily embroidered sherwanis in matte shades of blues, whites, reds, yellows, blacks and greens which was styled with a shawl. Similarly, the womenswear with the same colour scheme was all about embellished lehnga cholis, ghararas with straight shirts. Tassels were a trend that was seen dominating a lot of collections on Day 1.

CLASSIC 15 — Classic 15 concluded Day 1 as it showcased the latest wedding collection of 15 veteran designers. The designers included HSY, Elan, Farah Talib Aziz, Karma, Saniya Maskatiya, Amir Adnan, Nida Azwer, Rana Noman, Mahgul, The House of Kamiar Rokni, Mehdi, Nilofer Shahid, Shamsha Hashwani, Honey Waqar and Republic by Omar Farooq.

Published in Daily Times, December 10^th 2017.