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Updated 14 Oct, 2017

Imagine hearing about a chocolate party. How is that not awesome!

Magnum hosted its annual chocolate party in Lahore and I didn't think twice about flying out to catch the festivity. I mean, it was going to be grand, right? Remember at Karachi Eat where they pretty much had a lounge instead of a standard stall?

This was Magnum's third party and I remember hearing about some crazy incidents about the previous two events. From a man in a tub full of chocolate to Ali Xeeshan wearing a rooster on his head, there were some surreal moments.

Also read: 8 'surreal' moments from the Magnum Chocolate Party last night

The chocolate affair this time around took place at Avari Hotel and this is what I can recall:

1) I found a dress I could eat

The guest star at the Magnum party was artist Paul Joachim, who displayed his wonderful creations for all to see.

While the sculptures of eagles and crowns piqued our interest in his work, his masterpiece, the Faberge egg, convinced us that he's truly earned the title of 'chocolate genius'. He's our very own Willy Wonka!

But the real wonder of the event was this chocolate dress, created in collaboration between Joachim and our very own designer Ali Xeeshan.

The dress followed Magnum's signature brown and gold palette with the chocolate sculpted in a manner to resemble flowy fabric. And yes, everything is chocolate. The pearls, the intricate designs, the layers, all of it is chocolate.

2) Magnum made a bar just for us

While it could happen that one would feel lost or anonymous in a party billed as a grand chocolate affair, it was nice to see Magnum make the effort to make every attendee feel special.

Needless to say, we loved their personalised bars! For Images, the bar featured our logo and the cutest edible accessory, a smartphone with our Facebook page on it! I had to check twice to make sure it was edible... by eating it, of course. And thank goodness it was.

We love the personalised bars Magnum made for singer Jimmy Khan too!

3) Meesha Shafi was literally glowing during her performance

Singer Meesha Shafi was both muse and opening act for the evening. The star, dressed by House of Kamiar Rokni, gave a wonderful performance on Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' but it wasn't just her powerful vocals that wowed the audience.

Meesha's act consisted of her wearing a beautiful illuminated skirt that looked LED lit and gleamed and glowed with the tune. While it reminded us a lot of Claire Danes' 2016 Met Gala look, the lighting and the design definitely stood out and made for one of the most memorable moments of the night.

4) Hussain Rehar took chocolate swirls too seriously

The party also featured a brief fashion presentation, where Munib Nawaz, Hussain Rehar, Elan and House of Kamiar Rokni showed capsule collections that were meant to evoke luxury and decadence.

Munib Nawaz and Elan's collections
Munib Nawaz and Elan's collections

Munib Nawaz's collection featured very wearable menswear in a chocolate-y palette, while Elan brought ball gowns to the party!

Hussain Rehar went a little overboard with the coco swirls
Hussain Rehar went a little overboard with the coco swirls

Hussain Rehar, however, was quite literal in his interpretation of the chocolate theme and decided to base his capsule on chocolate swirls.

While I respect Rehar for pushing boundaries, this felt like a little too much. The swirls in the dresses looked almost foamy and the sheen and glitter was excessive.

5) The whole affair was rather toned down

I went in expecting to be shocked, stunned and in awe. The previous two Magnum parties were definitely over the top but it feels like the organisers of the party took previously received criticism to heart and decided to play it safe.

The show was short and there wasn't much to do before it started. I mean, how much Magnum can you eat? I love chocolate but if I go overboard with chocolate, I need something savoury to follow it up.

The event was pleasant but considering the Magnum party is known for pushing boundaries, this didn't really do it. The criticism was calling out all the extremes before but I feel like there were ways to address that rather than get rid of it altogether.

Comments

Zeeshan Ahmed Oct 11, 2017 10:48pm
Sad when the majority are struggling just to feed their families and have to read news of some chocolate dress party.
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PAK-OZ Oct 12, 2017 02:55am
what rubbish is this 10 people having party on expense of a corporation and it becomes news?
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khan Oct 12, 2017 03:31am
love Magnum Choclates
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Sarak Chaap Oct 12, 2017 04:48am
Are they in a race of Rothschild type parties?
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Pakistani Oct 12, 2017 08:40am
Shareholders money laid to waste by a marketing team chasing its good-for-nothing fantasies
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Amna Oct 12, 2017 11:39am
The theme for last year's chocolate party was Dali's surrealism so it Had to have surrealistic elements ! It did push boundaries ; but that's what art , in general, and surrealism, in particular, is all about, right?
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The learningone Oct 12, 2017 11:57am
Weird.. just weird.
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Another Pakistani Oct 12, 2017 02:41pm
@Pakistani Nailed it!
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Seher khan Oct 14, 2017 01:30am
The dress was never LED Lit skirt. The skirt was illuminated through projection. This is all over the news that it was done by 3D Illumination. This article definitely requires some home work :)
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Amer RAO Oct 14, 2017 07:24am
Most of the time, No electricity in Pakistan, and public wants ice cream ?
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