Fashion fave or fail? Here are 5 best and worst moments from bridal week
There's celebrities, there's dance numbers, there are even awards — call it a fashion week if you will, but Telenor Bridal Couture Week is more fanfare than fashion.
Created with its later TV broadcast in mind, the show has its share of highlights, and we bring to you some of its best and worst moments. Here goes...
Best moments:
1) HSY saving the day
All of Day One seemed to have been designed to have us thank the heavens for the existence of HSY, so his Summer Couture 2015 collection gets honorary mention of being the highlight of Day One.
Although the collection was not nearly as adventurous as his usual showcases, the collection was not a glut of over-embellishment on shades of red, but based on a palette that traversed the tones of nature.
Also, contrary to the plethora of similar silhouettes that was to follow, he also included overcoats in his collection, and that might become a thing... in the winter, that is.
We’re glad he celebrated his 21 years at BCW – we didn’t know it when we saw it, but his HSY’s Summer Couture 2015 was a sight for soon-to-be sore eyes!
PS: Also bringing memorable collections to the runway were Adnan Pardesy, Zainab Chotthani and Arsalan Iqbal, but HSY's showcase was crystallised into a moment in our minds due to the absolute lack of any other standout collections on Day One.
2) Finally... Shaniera on the runway
Given our penchant for 'national bhabis', especially when they’re from 'the foreign', it was only time until Shaniera Akram made her runway debut.
After their no-show at Telenor Fashion Pakistan Week (where they were rumoured to be one Deepak Perwani's showstoppers), Wasim and Shaniera’s appearance for Asifa & Nabeel was a welcome sight.
Wasim Akram may be a runway regular, but Shaniera gets props for gliding in her lehenga and putting the occasional stumbling showstoppers (who we'll leave unnamed) to shame. She did ditch her heels for comfort, but the point is that she shone alongside her hunky hubby, and gets our two thumbs-up for it.
3) Komal Rizvi showing off her toned body
Although Komal has been trying to make a comeback for a couple of years now and has given herself quite the makeover, she's never looked as fit as she did walking for Sarah Gandapur. Her weight has always fluctuated but clearly, she has shown she's back in the game!
Showing off her toned midriff in an ensemble that made her look like an unusual, hot mermaid, Rizvi performed her latest single, Tu Beh Gaya.
If she decides music is no longer her forte she could join brother Hasan Rizvi's fitness program as an instructor instead because whatever she's doing to shape up, it's working!
4) Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane walking the ramp together
It's no secret that the duo is dating. One look at Urwa's Instagram account and it's obvious the two are committed to one another.
So when the twosome walked the ramp clad in Zainab Chottani's amazing collection, we found ourselves clapping hard and rooting for them; it was like a declaration of their love!
Not only will these two have really good-looking babies, they also complement each other well, so much so that it almost distracted the audience from just how tight Farhan's outfit was on him! Could there possibly be wedding bells in the near future?
5) The Bin Roye plug-in
The Bin Roye cast in their bridal finery made its way down the runway. Hype-building, sure, but we can't blame HUM TV for capitalising on a captive audience that was in need of a good pick-me-up.
The crowd sure missed Mahira Khan on the runway (she was stuck in Chitral due to a landslide) but Armeena Khan did partly make up for her absence with her stunning turnouts in Sania Maskatiya and Elan.
This segment coincided with the pre-release of Bin Roye's music - we heard the likes of the Shiraz Uppal and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, but at one point, we forgot that we were listening to new music. We hope it's the lure of pretty clothes that distracted us, and it's not a reflection on the quality of the music.
Worst moments:
1) The unnecessary naach gana
We love our stars, and we're sure they can bust a move whenever the occasion calls for it. We're just not sure that TBCW was one.
Reams of paper have been spent condemning 'Bollywood performances' at local events, but no one listens. Sure, throw in some performances for relief, but why can't it be our very capable musicians in the spotlight?
It may be entertainment for TV audiences who will watch it weeks later, but for the fashion week attendees who had one eye on their watches (the event started way later than the slated time), it seemed like an unnecessary irritant.
But it sure did beat the shocking 'jharoo pocha' interval on Day Three, where a diligent team of janitors swept rosepetals off the runway — necessary to avoid slip-ups, perhaps, but they took too darn long!
2) When we OD-ed on pink
Sure, it's the favourite colour of many a girly girl, but even she'd want to switch things up a bit once in a while.
Ayesha Ibrahim's collection was an ode to cotton candy, if nothing else -- and nothing stood out in her saccharine collection due to the monotony of the palette. If she had some promising numbers in her collection, we couldn't spot them. Even her showstopper's accompanying band of boys were dressed in shades of pink, instead of a complementary accent colour.
3) When Tabassum Mughal forgot BCW happens in the summer
Mughal has come under the crossfire before for being a little too "inspired" by Balmain and this collection was another "inspired" collection. The florals and colour combinations screamed Dolce & Gabbana (which has also happened in the past!) but that's not the main problem here. Obviously, we've gotten used to Pakistani designers being a little lazy.
Read: Fashion scandal: Why target Nida Khurram when we all plagiarise?
The problem was that when she wasn't trying to be a desi D&G, her collection was geared towards the wrong season -- It was like she was designing clothes for winter brides! Although most pieces we see on the runway aren't practically wearable but are meant to be a series of accentuating pieces, there is no place for that much velvet/black on the ramp in June! Mughal also didn't get the memo that shorter hemlines have made a comeback.
Plus, what was up with the center piece Sarah Sarfaraz was wearing on her head? An incoherent collection, coupled with unnecessarily dramatic styling. Thumbs down!
4) Every time HSY cued the music
Initially, it was puzzling that the models didn't have their walk game on point. They've usually got that down but obviously, the background jams make a huge difference. The DJ clearly thought he/she was performing at a desert safari in Dubai; no wonder it got the models walking like camels! Maybe they tried too hard to make UAE based designer Amato Haute Couture feel at home.
The music did pick up during Zainab Chottani's show when Hira Tareen took the reins. We're all aware that this multi-talented ramp regular knows how to get the party started but for the most part, the music fell flat and didn't do the otherwise well-organised event any favours.
5) Sloppy showstoppers
It's a disservice to your showstopper when you deck them up in less than desirable clothes.
Siam perhaps had the worst sherwani of all...
... and Sahiba's ensemble wasn't doing her any favours.