Day 2 – PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 (Review and Photos)
Visit these links for the other days: Day 1 (10th April 2014), Day 3 (11th April 2014) and Day 4 (12th April 2014)
[Lahore: 12th April 2014] The Pakistan Fashion Design Council in collaboration with Sunsilk presented the second day of the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014. Day-2 featured the continuation of the afternoon High Street Fashion Shows with BeechTree, Arooj Ahmed and Kayseria Pret and designer prét-a-porter shows by Shehla Chatoor, Teena by Hina Butt, Deepak Perwani, Muse and Élan later in the evening.
Photo Credits: Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly
High-Street Fashion Shows
The High Street Fashion segment on Day-2 of PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 was opened by BeechTree who made their runway debut with a collection titled ‘Bohemian Summer’. Inspired by the bohemian concept which combines leisure and luxury, with this collection BeechTree aimed to evoke a sense of calm, cool elegance which is a perfect complement to the blazing Pakistani summer. Using fabrics such as sheer light weight cottons, nets and soft organza, the collection featured loose kurtas and loose short tops with straight/cropped pants. For embellishments, the brand had used dori with adda, cut daana, cut work, block printing and aari work with beads and sitaras. The colour palette comprised of cool beiges, khakis and creams with a splash of colors used in under tees and pants. Key trends that were highlighted were loose knee length kurtas, straight capris/cropped embroidered pants, digital prints and embroideries.
Following BeechTree was designer Arooj Ahmed who presented a high street collection titled ‘Retro Military’. For this collection, Arooj was inspired from the burgeoning trend of androgyny, amalgamating the traditionally masculine military look with the feminine chic look of the retro era. Staying true to both retro and military styles, Arooj had used super stretch fabric with micro sand finishing for its subtle luster, sheen, hand feel and had also used chiffon, silks and stretch metallic to depict the feminine and chic look of retro era. The designer had also employed different surface making techniques such as digital printing, flock printing, high density rubber printing and foil printing along with various types of embroidery. The colour palette for the collection featured earthy tones including various tones of military green, beige and browns along with vibrant colors of retro era such as red, yellow, toxic green, blue and pink to accentuate the look of the collection and also made use of metallic colours to bring out the lively retro dynamic in the garments. The collection played with basic silhouettes by their cut lines to create more altered and inimitable ensembles.
The concluding High Street Fashion show of the day was showcased by premier designer textile house Kayseria who showcased a High Street pret-a-porter collection titled ‘Kat-Putli’. Inspired by Kutch Rabari Mirror Work, Kayseria Pret’s ensembles had been meticulously crafted by artisans hailing from Kutch. Based on bright and vibrant colours with a blend of indigos, reds, pinks and purples that aptly reflect the Spring season, the designs were inspired from the cultural sights, sounds and smells of Kutch, a land of snowy white marshy lands with hills on one side and the Arabian Ocean on the other. Key trends that were highlighted included the purity of Basant, the colours and the rhythm of folk patterns surrounding the embedded mirrors of Kutch as the brand’s muse for this year’s folk focus.
Designer Showcases
Act 1
Shehla Chatoor
PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014’s Prèt Show on Day-2 was opened by designer Shehla Chatoor who showcased ‘Samsara’, the circle of life, being presented as a circle of fashion where new trends are born and they fade away giving way to the birth of new trends. The collection represented the bold and confident Pakistani woman, as she re-invents herself and needs versatility in her wardrobe to dress for dinners, cocktails and red carpet events. Shehla’s new ‘Samsara’ collection ignited memories of mist covered mountains and mythical narratives long forgotten in the bustle of today. This collection was testament to the cycle of life through a journey that spans the length of the mighty Himalayan mountain range, from the steep climbs of Nepal, across the expanse of India and China to firmly rest in the majestically towering mountains of Pakistan. Working with her many artisans, Shehla had also incorporated metal accents onto traditional embroidery in order to update an age-old tradition. The Samsara Collection boasted streamlined and flattering cuts as well as glamorous savoir faire that have become synonymous with the Shehla brand. In addition, Shehla had chosen this year to reinvent the time honoured sari with an aim to transcribe a quintessentially eastern garb onto an edgy, unorthodox silhouette. These pre-draped saris were a playful fresh take on an age-old ensemble that could easily add drama to the red carpets of today. The collection was embellished with elegant and lavish motifs including calligraphy, paisleys, florals and bold linear graphics. Through this current collection, Shehla also aimed to further her precept of creating a complete look by extending her design portfolio to include meticulously crafted jewellery which complimented her clothing and an accessories line which features clothes, bags, shoes and jewellery in tow.
Teena by Hina Butt
After Shehla Chatoor, designer label Teena by Hina Butt showcased a collection titled ‘Rukn-e-Alam: Pillars of the World’ at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014. The collection was inspired by the heritage of the Sufi mystic city of Multan and its distinct blue and white pottery. The collection’s colour palette, patterns for embroidery, embellishment techniques, patchwork, cutwork and digital prints were also extracted from the hand painted pottery of the region. The collection channeled a modern and contemporary look in a variety of fabrics such as grip, chiffon, raw silk and organza coupled with silhouettes that vary from voluminous gowns to straighter cuts with a focus on shorter lengths to tapered pants for a sleeker look. The collection used Blue and White as the dominant colours for the entire collection.
Break
In the break between Act 1 and Act 2, premium chocolate brand Magnum commemorated the 20 years of fashion of their inimitable Brand Ambassador Deepak Perwani through a special documentary which was screened at the event. The documentary chartered Deepak Perwani’s two decade journey in fashion and his role as a Magnum’s premier Pleasure Seeker.
Act 2
Deepak Perwani
The first show of Act 2 was presented by acclaimed couturier Deepak Perwani, who made his PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 debut with ‘Tre’s Chic – Extension’, a Spring/Summer 2014 collection inspired by the chic trendy woman who loves to dress up. With a colour palette ranging from black, gold and burnished copper to accents in yellow, coral, red and green, the collection also included menswear pieces and was focused on easy, wearable and trendy fashion. For this collection, Deepak had infused fabric with digital print, studded-beaded embroidery, tie-dye along with stretch and crush fabrics.
MUSE
Following Deepak Perwani’s presentation was luxury prêt brand MUSE, who introduced a new range of luxe fabrics which had never been used before in Pakistan, exclusively sourced from top Italian and French houses for their Luxury Prêt a Porter collection titled ‘Foiled Wrapped Candy’. The collection was based in a range of delicate mousseline silks, metallic dusted tulle, and lurex infused silks, which are all extremely current on global runways, with a design aesthetic that sees the fashion house move from the delicate to the more modern. In terms of silhouettes, MUSE channelled the wrap dress, voluminous skirts and the cropped top with metallic and neon sequins from Paris, infused to create abstract floral motifs in hues of red, coral, silver, and navy.
Élan
Day-2’s finale was presented by premier luxury designer label Élan who showcased their Spring/Summer 2014 collection, ‘Art Struck Élan’ at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014. A merger of art and fashion, the collection drew inspiration from vintage art and fashion illustrations, in particular the work of celebrated illustrator Rene Grau. ‘Art Struck Élan’ featured a series of bespoke fabrics, adorned with panoramic art scenes, splashes of paint on vintage maps, sequined cheese bites, bullets, lipsticks, polka dots, graffiti, tincture bottles and comic text. Soft, feminine and old world silhouettes crafted from cascading silks and organza formed the base of the collection. Voluminous skirts, balloon hemlines, taffeta ruffles, midi skirts, flared palazzos, quirky blazers, peplum jackets, tanks tops, jumpsuits and dresses made it a complete collection with pieces that could be worn together or separately. Key collection trends were well-tailored ensembles with combinations of loose-cut silhouettes paired with cinch waisted tops infused in print and colour – art-wear for the summer.
