Fashion Pakistan Week had made a brilliant start with Shamaeel Ansari’s designs and on the third day, it ended on a glorious note thanks to another solo show, by Sana Safinaz.

However, a great beginning and ending still doesn’t excuse the mediocrity that was consistently seen in between. The third and final day did feature some good fashion but why does the best always have to be saved for the last? Why can’t fashion week overall feature good design rather than be dominated by indistinguishable, uninspiring clothes?

Keeping this in mind, one wonders if the way forward for FPW would be to break further away from the multi-designer format and string together a number of solo shows. This may mean fewer designers on the catwalk but it could mean better design. Solo shows helmed by bona fide designers – even a handful of them – may manage to drag the fashion week out from the generic waters that it seems to be sinking into.

Zoning in on the third day, some great design broke through onto the catwalk, hinting at the silver lining glinting resiliently within the dark, dreary, unimpressive cloud looming upon local fashion…

Tena Durrani

One has to give credit to Tena Durrani for creating beautiful wedding-wear that is bound to entrance a multitude of brides-to-be. Her clothes – drifting from quintessential red and golds to champagne and light blues – were extensively worked with heavy but tasteful embroideries. ‘The Platinum Series’ will indubitably be a wedding-wear hit.

Having said this, Tena needs to develop a stronger signature for herself. She has fast become a favourite in the wedding-wear market but her designs need to be decidedly her own. Perhaps the key is for her to think beyond mere commercial viability and dabble with experimentation, at least with some parts of her collection.

Nauman Arfeen

Nauman Arfeen’s ‘Carnation’ was quite hit and miss.

The sherwanis in off-whites and creams were well-tailored but then came the strangely belted coats and waistcoats. The womenswear came worked with pretty embellishments but offered nothing beyond market-friendly design.

What stood out in the collection was the peach and pink palette worked very well into menswear but there needed to be more oomph to the line.

Saira Shakira

Saira Shakira have always had a penchant for working embellishment onto contemporary cuts and with time, it is something that they're doing increasingly well.

The usual bridal embellishments were implemented into design in interesting ways: jeweled necklines, long tassels swaying from hems, slightly A-lined fully worked frock-like tunics, off-shoulders, one shoulders and long shirts belted at the waist.

Come winter, one is always bound to see a few saris paired with coats and while there is nothing new about this, Saira Shakira’s version came in a tasteful blend of mint green, blue and black.

It’s good to see Saira Shakira stay true to their modern signature. Far too many young brands latch onto a new aesthetic every season, never really developing an identity of their own. Perhaps finer embellishments could help up the ante for the designer duo’s wedding-wear but should they continue along present lines, they could become labels to watch out for.

Adnan Pardesy

Adnan Pardesy pushed wedding-wear right out of its pretty but mundane rut towards a bold autumnal palette of black, beige and navy blue, glinting here and there with gold.

As always, craftsmanship took centre stage with minute threadwork wound into patterns that were starkly different from the usual staid florals that tend to infuse wedding-wear. The collection also had a few designs following a lighter palette – perhaps in an effort to appease the more conventional client. But even these designs bore the Adnan Pardesy touch – single toned and embellished with myriad techniques.

The small smattering of menswear was well-cut and was similarly dominated by threadwork, staying far away from the brocades and glitter that have become commonplace in the male sherwani.

It was all very classy; subdued yet standout and quite what one expects from the designer.

Maheen Khan

Maheen Khan’s show reminded one of what fun fashion used to be; how it used to groove to an artistic beat and pushed the envelope. It was also a welcome break from wedding-wear galore which is really what the ‘Winter Festive’ theme tends to boil down to.

Slinky, fierce and absolutely tongue-in-cheek, the designer’s ‘The Lion and the Muse’ teased silks and satins into swanky gharara pants, shalwars, wraps and risque, well-cut off-shoulder tunics.

The sari-pant worn by Sadaf Kanwal was a classic example of Maheen’s particular brand of fusion; the red velvet suit worn by one of the foreign models testified to her timeless take on design.

The embroideries were minimal with the manipulation of fabric and cuts taking center stage – and nobody cuts quite like Maheen Khan.

Sana Safinaz

And then came FPW’s parting present; a solo show by Sana Safinaz, organised in a separate marquee a few paces away from the main show location and showcasing more than 50 outfits. From the catwalk, transformed into an enchanted forest, to the designs themselves, the show entranced, taking one back to Sana Safinaz’s solo outings of yore.

These were the designs that had once been the designer duo’s claim to fame at one time, the designs that we don’t see much of anymore. ‘Roses & Rue’ defined bridal-wear for the modern bride but while each design made a statement, it also maintained an exquisite feminine signature. Every bride, after all, wants to look beautiful and the best designers keep this in mind even while experimenting.

And so Sana Safinaz dealt out bejeweled embroideries but they made sense out of them; creating architectural borders and following themes, all on well-tailored designers with just the right fabric fall. The artistry within the line-up was nothing short of spectacular; drifting from romantically disarrayed tassels, to tulle trails, flouncy lehngas, pearl borders, faux fur borders, feathers embedded in between threadwork and impeccable structure.

The debut menswear line followed a suitable subtle palette but really faded out in comparison to the womenswear. These were clothes that the bride-to-be would want for her fairytale wedding, the trousseau that would make heads turn, the glamorous long dresses befitting a grand ceremony.

It was clearly an indication of how pros work – and in stark contrast to what one had predominantly witnessed at FPW over the past three days. We need more, so much more of the same.