5 thoughts I had after this year's Magnum Chocolate Party
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.
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's collection featured very wearable menswear in a chocolate-y palette, while Elan brought ball gowns to the party!
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.