Day 2 at PLBW was a very pretty flashback

Is it a good day for fashion when you see collections that are reminiscent of designs that you saw an odd month ago at another fashion week? Are these collections – extensions of their earlier predecessors – fashion week worthy or should they have stayed away from the catwalk, restricted to exhibits?

The second day of the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW) moved from an earlier contingent of retail friendly shows to an evening segment dedicated to four ateliers: Sana Safinaz, Misha Lakhani, Mahgul and Sania Maskatiya.

While the latter two presented new lineups, the former showed continuations of the collections that they had shown at Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW) last month. Safinaz Munir of Sana Safinaz pointed out, “As designers, we define a certain trend for the season and like the FPW collection, this lineup also presents our vision for the modern bride.”

Explore: Just 12 beautiful outfits from Sana Safinaz's grand FPW finale

To be fair, both collections were beautiful and Sana Safinaz particularly put forward new outfits. But a sense of déjà vu prevailed.

It could have been a stellar day had all the designer-wear been completely new. It could have been a day that pushed the bridal envelope forward with each and every line-up, a task that is easier said than done in a market obsessed with the generic and commercially viable.

Which brings us to the styling which was a touch above the first day’s pretty, pink looks. The models had stained red lips in Misha Lakhani’s showcase and for Sania Maskatiya’s very elaborate wedding-wear, the makeup became darker, more vibrant. Mehreen Syed’s messy low bun was reflective of how style trends for bridal fashion weeks don’t always have to be staid and pristine.

Fashion weeks, after all, shouldn’t just be about defining apparel trends. L’Oreal Paris, in its seventh year of playing key sponsor to PLBW, needs to realise this and shake up the market with avant-garde looks that walk the fine line between experimental and safe. Bridal weeks can get a bit tedious with their bling splurge-outs … the hair and makeup, at least, should be distinctive.

As for the fashion on the second day, the earlier segment brought in some star power with Mehwish Hayat walking the ramp for Sara Rohale Asghar and Hareem Farooq playing celebrity showstopper to Faiza Saqlain. The collections - Sara Rohale Asghar, Ahmad Sultan and Faiza Saqlain – toed commercial territory while Jeem by Hamza Bokhari offered innovations on traditional lines that were hit and miss.

Here’s the lowdown on the fashion that followed later in the evening…

Sana Safinaz

Sana Safinaz’s extension of their FPW ‘Roses and Rue’ came rechristened as ‘The Last of the Night’ and was doused in a riot of sequins, feathers, beads and tulle.

While the earlier FPW collection had offered heavy-duty options for the bride, the PLBW line brought forward elaborately worked trousseau and how it shimmered! There were tassels hanging down from hemlines, extensive mirror-work and trails that went on and on.

Watching the collection couldn’t be an enthralling experience – for one had already seen a semblance of it less than a month ago - but it was very well-conceived and will probably haul in orders galore for the brand.

It was unfortunate, though, that a constant trail of sequins and beads rained off the outfits as they traipsed down the catwalk. One does not expect such workmanship from a brand as experienced as Sana Safinaz.

Misha Lakhani

Misha Lakhani has a flair for creating effortlessly glamorous, minimal designs – the embroideries traverse antique techniques but are never overwhelming, the palette is sophisticated, the silhouettes have a laidback elegance.

She’s a designer that one looks forward to but she was prone to repetition this time. The designer’s FPW ‘Bagh-e-Bahar’ proceeded further at PLBW, with new tweaks to the underlying inspiration; ajars with baggy shirts, velvet ghararas paired with sheer dupattas and risque bustiers, shirts worked with delicate chikankari and gorgeous crushed lehngas. Interspersed in between the newer pieces were plenty of hits from last month. They were styled differently but were instantly recognisable for hers had been a memorable collection.

Amongst the new, the all-red designs particularly caught the eye. Misha doesn’t often try her hand at cardinal red but she did so extremely well, splattering tiny tassels on a dupatta and pairing a layered crushed lehnga with a long embroidered shirt.

Ideally, Misha should have stayed away from repeating apparel altogether. Within the current milieu of bridal designers, she stands out with her easily identifiable signature and fashion-forward vision. One wants to see more of it at a fashion week. Armeena Khan took center stage as celebrity showstopper.

Mahgul

A Mahgul bridal wear showcase tends to be immersed in artistry and craft and the designer’s PLBW ‘Darya’ line flowed seamlessly in a predominantly pastel, blue and white palette along with occasional spurts of vermilion and salmon pink.

The very embellished bridal outfits didn’t quite catch the eye with nothing particularly memorable to them.

Having said this, Mahgul has a flair for trousseau and separates; the printed sari, the long waistcoat, the draped pants, the jacket with pointy exaggerated shoulders and the dupattas etched with embroideries.

They were clothes for the discerning clientele rather than the wallflowers and it’s a market that the designer has now managed to tap into with every fashion week showcase. The hand-work was painstaking, as always, and reflected Mahgul’s versatility.

Sania Maskatiya

One could easily pinpoint this show to be the gamechanger that will allow Sania Maskatiya to come into her own in the competitive market for bridal wear.

Moving away from the trousseau wear and lightly coloured options that were earlier her forte, the designer dipped her toes into heavy-duty, regal bridal wear and proceeded to own it with an expertise gained over the years.

Inspired by Mughal decadence, the highlight within ‘Samarkand’ was the rich cutwork placed alongside hand embroideries. The finale outfit, worn by Mehreen Syed, featured a lehnga with a long trail that was entirely cut-worked and remarkable in its finesse. The play of textures was also interesting with silk shirts paired with velvet lehngas.

It was a collection where the focus was very evidently on craftsmanship, twinkling in carefully conceived placements, with an eye on business which is probably why Sania refrained from improvising with silhouettes. Her designs – the womenswear as well as the more understated menswear – followed classic lines but a bit of structure could have added spunk to the impressive labyrinthine craftsmanship on the clothes.

It wrapped up the second day of PLBW, a day that began with profusions of glitter, to an equally glittery end. Then again, all that glitters isn’t gold.

All photography by Faisal Farooqui and his team at Dragonfly