LSA 2016 : Here's what Pakistani celebrities should and shouldn't wear tonight

We’ve always loved the Lux Style Awards (LSA) red carpet!

It’s where the country’s most celebrated stars gather, swathed in designer-wear and several layers of make-up. They pose for the cameras, pout for selfies and meet and greet each other, filling the air with a consistent tirade of ‘jaani’ and ‘sweety’. The ‘it’ girls and the up-and-comings, the designers and the models, the friends, the enemies, the frenemies … they all flit to the LSA’s star-studded realm.

Joining them are fans and assortment of seedy, leery men that have now become an unfortunate part of every mainstream event.

Nevertheless, the LSA’s are riveting affairs; the awards-ceremony always entertains, controversies inevitably follow the results and there’s a definite buzz about the red carpet. After all, these are our answer to the Oscars. It’s where we crane our necks to see who’s wearing what, who’s best dressed and who’s not.

Then again, red carpets really aren’t what they used to be. Case in point, the HUM Awards’ red carpet from a few months ago where the ‘designer-wear’ was nothing short of bawdy shaadi-wear, accessorized with shiny golden jewelry.

Will the LSA’s follow suit or up the ante? We’re hoping it’s the latter, given the range of designers working on the attendees’ wardrobes.

Nomi Ansari, for instance, is going to feature frequently on the red carpet, dressing Maya Ali, Sadaf Kanwal, Moomal Sheikh, Quratulain Baloch and the show’s producer Frieha Altaf. Nomi’s also designing the wardrobe for Mahira Khan’s finale performance as well as for Mohsin Abbas Haider and Shehryar Munawar who will be accompanying her on stage.

“I choose to work with actors who are serious about looking good on the red carpet,” says Nomi. “They need to come in time for the fittings and be willing to listen to advice."

"The clothes also need to complement the wearer’s personality," Nomi adds. "On-stage, the wardrobe is going to be larger than life and on the red carpet, the menswear is very funky while the women's wear is more subtle. We’re reinventing the way certain actors look. For example, Maya Ali is going to be looking very sophisticated, young and completely different from her earlier appearances.”

We’re hoping that this means that Maya will be shedding away the pretty, good girl image that has long been her signature.

Meanwhile, it’s no big surprise that designer Tena Durrani will be dressing Ayesha Omar. The petite actress is a perpetual red carpet favorite and she also opted to wear Tena Durrani at the LSA’s last year. The challenge, according to the designer, was to differentiate Ayesha’s look from that in 2015.

“There is so much to consider when creating the wardrobe for an event like the LSA’s,” says Tena. “Ayesha will be hosting and interviewing, so she has to be at ease in her dress. Also, the color she wears can’t clash with the background of the stage or the red carpet. Aside from the dress, I arrange the shoes, jewelry and clutch needed to complete the look.”

Speaking on her long-term equation with the actress, Tena elaborates, “Ayesha is extremely professional and carries clothes very well. It’s why I enjoy dressing her and have worked with her so often. She wore the gown at the LSA’s last year with such ease. Someone like myself would have just sat in her seat, fidgeting with the straps and getting conscious!” she laughs.

There are other actors who seem to be making a deliberate effort to dabble with new red carpet personas. Sohai Ali Abro is being dressed by Sonya Battla, Urwa Hocane will be wearing an ensemble by Fahad Hussayn while sister Mawra Hocane has stepped away from her long-time designer of choice Nomi Ansari and is instead, being dressed by HSY.

“Mawra is a star and she connects very well with the youth,” says HSY. “We’re aiming for simple, clean, elegant lines and the fabric for the gowns has been imported from Italy. The designs are very graphic. There are no screen or digital prints and there’s a lot of emphasis on glamour.” HSY will also be dressing model Rabia Butt.

‘LUX girl’ Mahira Khan is opting to wear an Indian designer and we’re hoping the look makes a bigger splash than her Manish Malhotra fashion faux-pas at the ARY Film Awards earlier this year. Actress Mehwish Hayat will be wearing a design by international couture house Amato.

As for the men, the host for the evening Ali Zafar, will be going through multiple wardrobe changes, flitting from Armani to Boggi Menswear to traditional Amir Adnan. And Fawad Khan, as always, opts for Republic Menswear by Omer Farooq.

It’s a long, glittery entourage of designer-wear and handling hair and make-up, Nabila’s adroit team of stylists can be counted on for their finesse. Let’s hope our celebs bring out the glamour in full force … without resorting to strange back-combed hairstyles, badly fitted clothes and macabre dark make-up. We remember those all too well. May our celebs shrug away their innate predilection for bad fashion and go high on style at the LSA’s!