Fashion Pakistan Week Autumn/Winter 2014 (FPWAW 2014) opened last night with a buzz as Karachi’s fashion elite turned out in force for Fashion Pakistan Council’s flagship winter event.
The evening saw some great fashion as well as some not-so-great offerings. The best collections of the night were Ayesha Farook Hashwani and Ather Ali Hafeez for Sana Safinaz. Aamna Aqeel also showed some good pieces but the remaining collections had little to offer.
The evening opened with a trendy collection from Ather Ali Hafeez for Sana Safinaz. The vibrant sound of seventies anthem “Dum Maro Dum” immediately set the tone for the hippy vibe that Hafeez was referencing.t was a contemporary re-interpretation of the 70s era. The collection included pleated maxi dresses, palazzos, flares, breezy shirts and vibrant psychedelic prints.
The only criticism of Hafeez’s collection for Sana Safinaz was that it had a very summery vibe and was not really an Autumn Winter collection. It was a resort collection and yes, international design houses all show summery resort collections for winter, but they also show their winter collections.
The Levi’s show was a prime example of how bad styling can kill a ramp presentation. Winter clothing offers great styling opportunities, with layering, belting and accessorizing. Look at any Autumn/Winter campaign from Zara or H&M and you’ll see how high street brands can use styling to give a luxe feel to their collections – even casual wear and denim. Levi’s collection itself was reasonable, but failed to make any sort of impact because of the way it was presented.
Gul Ahmed’s collection was good!. The high street brand has been showing regularly at fashion weeks over the past few years and their ramp presentations are improving. This collection was meant to highlight the fabrics that the brand has in-store and consisted of a variety of dresses, jackets, waistcoats and trousers.
Ayesha Farook Hashwani was first to show after the break and her ‘Baroque’ collection was outstanding. Opulent and sophisticated, the collection combined rich embroidery with elegant cuts. The collection was unashamedly ornate, in keeping with the baroque theme.
Aamna Aqeel’s collection was one of her most solid in recent years. Her ‘Black on Fire’ collection consisted of monochrome evening wear with print and gold embroidery accents.
Zaheer Abbas’ finale went on to end the evening. Abbas’ presentation of evening wear included gowns, formal trousers, crop tops and jackets. Abbas showed some technique, particularly in his pleating, shirring and texturising of fabric.
The first day of FPWAW 2014 had mixed offerings, but many of the most eagerly anticipated collections are still to come. Here’s hoping we see some more great fashion over the next two days
