Fashion Pakistan Week Winter/Festive 2018 in a glimpse

It has been a couple days since Fashion Pakistan Week 2018 came to the end yet we are still not over it. As it was already said, FPW 2018 was Festive/Winter themed but what it proceeded with was simply the feast to our eyes. First of all, the designers lineup was extremely overwhelming, and the themes for collections by each designer added more power to it.

FPW Festive 2018: Day 1

Seven designers were lined up for day 1 which included the show opener Tena Durrani, followed by Huma Adnan, Lajwanti, Zainab Chottani, Aamna Aqeel, The Pink Tree Company while the day ended with HSY.

As the theme of the event suggests, it was all about setting festive trends for the upcoming season. Day 1 began with Tena Durrani’s collection Rara Avis. It seemed to be the most beautifully crafted collection of the day. The beautifully sparkling couture, colors creatively put together and the overall look of each design from the collection definitely gave the show an impeccable start.

Huma Adnan’s collection, Tales of Dehradun, was her tribute to her ancestral hometown where she might have never been but certainly has strong connection with. The collection was definitely able to showcase Huma Adnan’s craftsmanship and her presentation of the rich culture of the city.

Even though the show was themed festive, it was expected how everything was going to be by each designers. Bold colours, rich designs, and heavily ornamented attires as the theme suggested, but that was not it with Lajwanti. Lajwanti’s collection Rivaaj was very satisfying to eyes in terms of its soberness. Very soft earthy tones and beautifully crafted pastel blues and pinks  gave the collection a very soothing effect.

Zainab Chottani’s collection Khwab was as usual aesthetically pleasing. When it comes to the designs, it looked like Zainab Chottani is always up to what she already does as the crows likes it. This might be stopping her from exploring her more innovative ideas but she sure knows how to play safe. Overall, the collection featured some actually gorgeous ensembles which included beautiful pinks to bold blacks. The show had a little misfortune when Mehreen Syed stumbled on the ramp but the way she carried herself back was worth appreciating. And of course, she looked absolutely impeccable in the stunning black and silver attire.

Aamna Aqeels Dazzling Dames was something that can easily make a fashion statement. Something not too out there, beautiful yet chic at the same time showcased Aamna’s innovative aesthetics for the collection. However, the collection might not have gone well with the theme of the event as there wasn’t much festive about it. But overall, it was actually very pleasing to see something different. The limitation of colors might have played a part in it.

Next came The Pink Tree Company’s collection Gulabi Gang which was inspired by the Gulaabi Gang of India that rose to protest and fight violence against woman. The main theme of the collection was to represent pink as an empowering and celebratory color rather than being labelled just as a girly color.

The day was closed by HSY with their menswear collection which was inspired by nature’s Elements. HSY is one of the most liked designers in Pakistan when it comes to menswear, the collection however lacked festiveness. But again, the collection itself was an absolute perfection!

FPW Festive 2018: Day 2

Day 2 also had a lineup of seven designers. The collections presented on the second day looked more like a palette of gorgeous colors put together effortlessly and it seemed like the shows opened huge number of options for unique bridal attires.

The day started with Wardah Saleem’s collection called Chaand Bala. It was extremely satisfying to see how she brought together different colors and worked on them flawlessly. Wardah brought famous folk artist Mai Dhai to the show as well which was pretty uplifting.

Sara Rohale Asghar’s collection Fleur De Lis mainly consisted of different shades of nude with hues of soft pink. The collection looked very well crafted and balanced as the ornamentation on the attire was not too overwhelming, maintaining the sobriety of the outfits.

Deepak & Fahad’s collection Zartaab was found underwhelming by many as it consisted of usual, basic ensembles and nothing edgy was observed about any of the designs.

Maheen Karim’s collection Lueur De Luxe was a pleasurable surprise. Many found the collection to be too loud, I think the collection best fit the show and in the middle of richly embellished bridal ensembles and formal party wears, seeing something differently creative, winter-festive and chic was definitely satisfying.

Rano’s Heirloom presented a collection called Phool Bunro. And as the name suggests, the collection represented classic traditional ensembles where each and everything is looked deeply into to achieve perfection. Such traditional attires never cease to impress the viewers and people who have actually got an eye for amazing craftsmanship. The collection received positive feedback for the beautifully embellished attires that mainly consisted of gota work and classic embroidery.

Shahmeer Ansari’s Beyond Generations surely made an impact but it didn’t last long. When a new label is given a chance to be introduced on a huge platform, it is expected to do something that leaves a long-lasting impression and unfortunately the collection ceased to do so.

The day ended with Maheen Khan’s show. Maheen Khan’s Raw was something that kicked against the norms as it was an innovative take on the designs of her attires. Even though many people either found the collection too over there or not too edgy, many others admired the magnificence and luxury extricating through the ensembles.

FPW Festive 2018: Day 3

The event came to the end with Deepak Perwani’s solo show which also seemed more like a celebratory show for the completion of his 24 years in the fashion industry. His collection Madhaniyan was an extremely opulent, luxurious and magnificent touch to the event.

Deepak Perwani said:

“Madhaniyan is an amalgamation of a lot of my vintage and 2018 pieces, I hope that everyone who attended the show resonated with it and enjoyed the showcase.”

The show was an effortless representation of extravagance which wasn’t too overpowering but made everything look balanced and elegant. After all, Deepak Perwani is not just another designer, he is THE designer who never underestimates the power of vintage designs and has amazing professional ethics.