Pantene Hum Bridal Couture Week 2021 opened on Friday with the likes of 10 designer showcases divided into two acts. Couture brands (and these are not big names we are talking about) with significant following displayed their collections over the night, that started on time and ended by 10pm. Here is our roundup of Day 1. SAIRA RIZWAN Saira Rizwan is a veteran with Bridal Couture Week. In fact, the first time we even heard of the designer was way back at one of BCWs, when she hadn’t exploded into the market and created a following for herself. She understands the concept behind the week, the fact that it’s televised and millions of prospective buyers are glued to their screens, adding the clothes they like to their mental carts. She understands that as much as subtlety and decency is important in a bridal outfit, there has to be a little drama added to detail because of the expanded market through television. Keeping that in mind, the Lahore-based designer opened the first day of the awaited bridal week with a collection had a diverse colour palette including soothing pastels and fierce bolds. The collection featured the brand’s signature tone-on-tone embroideries and beadwork, embellished formal dresses and gowns adorned with sequins, beads, gold and silver threads. Actress Sonya Hussyn showstopped for Saira Rizwan. DINERS Menswear brand Diners that caters to the likes of A-list celebrities like Adnan Siddiqui, showcased their collection which was based on a rich colour palette, using verses as embellishments to adorn classic eastern wear with a smattering of smart sherwanis, waistcoats and short jackets. The pieces were accessorised with shawls and turbans. The fabrics used in the collection were rich jamawar, raw silk and overall embroidered fabrics. HARIS SHAKEEL This designer label impressed us immensely that last they showcased. In fact, one of their dresses was so beautiful that we included it in our top three outfits of BCW feature. Haris Shakeel, like Saira Rizwan, also understands what caters to the market and what people would like to purchase. His collection Ghazal utilised techniques such as gota work and block print design. Actress Nimra Khan, who we personally think is so beautiful that she can carry any outfit, showtopped for the designer. UNIWORTH Uniworth is a man’s staple when it comes to dressing up in Pakistan. However, it was the first time that we were attending their showcase at a bridal week. Their collection Gentleman was a fusion of iconic classics with an array of ultimate elegance and unmatched sophistication. The collection featured a wide range of formal and ethnic statement pieces that are bound to boost the confidence of the wearer. I really like the concept of live signing at the time of a showcase during a fashion show and Uniworth did just that with Bilal Khan crooning on stage and actor Salim Sheikh showstopping for the brand. ALISHBA & NABEEL we personally really like the brand as they come up with sophisticated designs that we would want to add to our wardrobes in a time when flashy reds and maroon velvets get too much for the eyes. However, from this particular collection, there was nothing noteworthy that we would want to gawk at or add to our mental shopping cart for the season. Their collection titled Lavyana featured singer-turned-actor Junaid Khan and Mansha Pasha as showstoppers who are in Lahore promoting their upcoming film ‘Kahay Dil Jidhar.’ RICI MELION From what we know of Rici Melion, they’re all about bold colours and statement making pieces. However, nothing really stood out in their particular collection other than the beautiful red bridal actress Mawra Hocane wore as the brand’s showstopper. Noor Zafar Khan was the second showstopper for the brand. FAS DESIGN STUDIO FAS Design Studio is also now a regular at BCW, slowly reading the room and realising what works and what not. Their collection titled Manzil-e-Shauq was a good one featuring bridal lehnga choli, maxis, sherwanis and waistcoats with a vibrant colour palette of maroon, pomegranate, gold, peaches and lavender. Actress Minal Khan looked beautiful as their showstopper bringing the desi Elsa from ‘Frozen’ to life. ALMIRAH special shoutout to Almirah that clearly stole the show and held its own on a night where every designer put its best foot forward. Why we loved Almirah’s collection was because the kurtas, the Lucknowi pants, the straight shirts, shoes and the sherwanis were just what a groom or any man with good taste would wear attending a Pakistani wedding. The kurtas and the straight shirts with minimal design and embroidery in mehndi colours were the ones looking out for and made us add those in our mental shopping cart. Job very well done, Almirah. The brand is only going to progress from here. Almirah is a retail brand with a presence all over the commercial areas of the city and whenever one happens to shop from there, there’s something for everyone with the most affordable of prices also. We love the fabric, we love the accessories and we love the fragrances. Actor Bilal Abbas Khan showstopped for the brand, looking much dapper. It’s just how Maliha Rahman posted on social media that the actor is known to set trends; the particular kurta he wore will be a hot-setting piece for Almirah, not that it needed a celebrity like Bilal to help them anyway, but still. ABEERA USMAN The designer needs to put in a lot of hard work and effort to present to the audience and that too on such a prestigious platform like BCW, a collection that is cohesive, original, strikingly good and noteworthy. What came across were half-hearted works with haphazard cuts and designs, ill-fitted pants and run-of-the-mill shades. The hard-work should not just be put in making the showstopper dress stand out, which in their case, worked for the brand. ARSALAN IQBAL Arsalan is a regular at the fashion week and knows what works and what is sellable. He presented his new festive collection Tahayyur-e-Ishq featuring the brand’s signature embroidery techniques over extravagantly rich handwoven fabrics. There were voluminous skirts with peplum styled blouse or crop styled waistcoats, accentuated with lightweight dupattas and shawls, slim fitted sherwanis and dinner jackets paired with shalwar kamiz and shawls. There was something for everyone, the ones who like their wedding outfits heavily embroidered and embellished and the ones who like it plain and simple.