Bollywood tunes set mood at Pakistan Bridal Week

Lahore: Bollywood songs such as `Oh re piya`, `Raat ka nasha` and `Dhage tod lao` added a sensual feel to the Pakistan Fashion Design Council L`Oreal Paris Bridal Week ramp here even as lesser experimentation with silhouettes and cuts and more bling were the highlights of the first day of the extravaganza. The inaugural edition of Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) L`Oreal Paris Bridal Week that kickstarted late Sunday evening had a mix of two clothes designers, a jewellery designer, a fashion stylist and a makeup artist. Karachi-based stylist and image consultant Nabila opened the show with an interesting theme of "Gold to Bold". The idea was to show the shift in the clothes and makeup of brides over the years. While Nabila styled the models, Zaheer Abbas designed clothes for the show. A model first sashayed down the ramp in elegant, heavy bridal wear with sophisticated hairdo and makeup. But within a minute, she changed into contemporary bridal wear with a carefree hairdo, signifying the changing bride. The colour palette had hues of magenta; purple, beige and the use of jamawar dominated the clothes. The instrumental version of hit Bollywood number "Sasural genda phool" complemented the theme well. The following show was by designer Hassan Shehryar Yasin (HSY), who opened his show with an engrossing audio-visual that focused on the theme of power, money and polo. His collection, "Game of Kings", was inspired by Polo, a popular sport in Lahore. As one would expect, models walked on high-boots worn with leather pants and polo caps. However, the show turned out to be more pret than bridal, the theme of the four-day fashion event. For the women, Yasin draped saris and tunics over leather pants, boots and polo hats. But his experimentation failed completely. The heavily embroidered ghagras, saris, long anarkalis, saris and lehengas in the colours of black and beige had no definition and lacked focus. On the flipside, his menswear line was more sophisticated and chic. Fine detailing, leather piping and patches at the right places; smart over-sized bags and interesting waistcoats turned out to be a winner for the designer. But, definitely a no-no for a bridal wear. Known for creating regal and out-of-the-box pieces, jewellery designer Kiran matched up to the expectations of the audience. Her line, "Sceptres of Beauty", was inspired by a a woman`s need to conceal, protect and provoke. She showcased pieces like necklaces, earrings, pendants, rings and `maang tikas` using metals like gold, silver and stones - lapis, coral and malachite together with red and green sapphires. The last show of the day by designer Sonia Azhar was supposed to be a revival of ancient artwork. Unfortunately too much bling blinded the eyes. The show lacked focus considering that it was themed as "Enlightenment". A bid Buddha statue was placed on one side of the stage and big earthen pots on the other side. One expected a revival of handicrafts but as the models started trickling in, one could only see long kurtas teamed with palazzos, lehengas and saris in pink, purple, beige and maroon. The clothes lacked structure and too much crystals, sequins, zari and dabka work took away the beauty. The intricate hand embroidery did impress, but the collection on the whole, was definitely too overwhelming for the eyes. The only saving grace was the soulful Bollywood songs that kept the audience enthused. IANS