The best looks from HUM Showcase Day 1

Hum Showcase started off its second edition last night but you wouldn’t know that the event was only two years old. For even in this very fledgling stage, the show has managed to rustle up a dazzling, very intriguing designer lineup, taking its pick from the desi fashion crop.

Having done so, the event rolled out a classy, flat catwalk and took on board the best amongst the local models. Local talent was supplemented by foreign models, the result being that the catwalk was quite a delight to see.

One must also mention that the show also, taking a quip right off Star Trek, managed to go where no fashion event has gone before by bunching together the best of designers from both Karachi and Lahore together in a three-day event. Both cities’ designers have in the past put up the occasional show in the other city but never before have they been grouped together en masse like this. And I thought that it would never be possible.

The problem, though, with lineups that sound stellar is that they raise expectations. The labels are all well-known, having proven their mettle on the catwalk before and so, one expects them to deliver brilliant fashion statements. These ateliers are, in essence, in competition with their own past collections rather than with each other and it was this very comparison that lead to the hits and some very rare misses on the first day of Showcase.

Here’s the lowdown…

Zaheer Abbas's 'Rebirth'

Top pick: The long coats with romantic florals and tiny deer prancing about in minute embroideries and the pastel shirt and pant set paired with a very smart, strictly tailored coat

The clothes took us on a Victorian odyssey, well-constructed and well-thought-out. The frills, ruffles, multi-tiered skirts, bows, sashes, exaggerated flouncy sleeves and fitted jackets were utterly romantic while one can tell that the long coats are going to start making appearances on the red carpet very soon.

Given the collection’s anglicized leanings, there were some pieces that were there simply for catwalk impact. The short, short skirts, for instance, exemplified Zaheer’s flair for drapery and layering but we won’t be seeing too many people wearing those. The designer balanced things out with other very wearable statement pieces. Quintessential Zaheer Abbas and quite a classy opening to Showcase.

Adnan Pardesy's 'Pixel'

Top picks: The risque little dress worn by Hira Shah and the pixilated asymmetric shirt

This was Adnan Pardesy like never before, introducing a fresh take on ready-to-wear. That’s a good thing but not always. The designer’s always been brilliant in creating exquisitely embroidered wedding-wear but with his ‘Pixel’ he teased pixel art, surface textures and geometry into luxury wear.

There were pieces that were fun and the collection definitely had its head-turning moments. Having said this, sometimes the designs went a bit O-T-T. Fewer bordered hemlines and sleeker cuts could have helped the collection along.

But perhaps one is judging the collection against Adnan’s past lines that have mostly teetered towards embellished wedding-wear. The latter is certainly his forte and ‘Pixel’ was simply him stepping out of his comfort zone. That’s always a good thing.

Hussain Rehar's 'Fleurotica'

Top picks: All those long, long dresses, color-blocked and worked in crinkly silks and the fabulous floral explosions on print

Hussain Rehar brought out nonchalant long dresses and skirts reminiscent of spring and it was an utter breath of fresh air, swooping into luxury-wear’s embroidery-infested landscape with cheeky color blocks and floral prints.

The designer debuted on the catwalk just a few weeks ago at the PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, where he had put forward the belted suits that one tends to associate with him. Now, with this Showcase line, he exemplified that he is here to stay – and he plans to do so by sticking to his unique signature style rather than going down the hackneyed but lucrative embroidered pastel route. What a relief.

Deepak and Fahad's 'Beyond Borders'

Top picks: The jacket etched with a skyline where one spies the Taj Mahal amongst other tombs. For more daring men, the blazers popping with multi-colored florals.

One has to appreciate Deepak and Fahad’s courage to experiment. The young brand is increasingly standing out for its penchant for making menswear fun and the ability to take it down different routes that may churn out hits or dwell towards misses. This year, the designer duo took inspiration from mythical deities and ancient scriptures and brought out jackets scrawled with Sanskrit and prints with Hindu gods, Buddha and Guru Nanak, among others.

Some of the more religion-centric prints won’t work in the market while even the multi-colored print jigsaw is a bit too eccentric for menswear staid realms. What will work are the blazers and one just knows that they’re going to be frequenting the red carpets of movie premieres in the year ahead.

The Pink Tree Company's 'Colour Me Secular'

Top pick: The tie ‘n’ dye sari worn by model Shadab Khan

The Pink Tree Company advocated secularism by... seeking inspiration from six major religions: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Zoroastrian and Hinduism with a collection titled ‘Color Me Secular’.

Religious symbols stood out on the apparel as well as on the accessories which lead to some confusion: isn’t ‘secularism’ meant to denote a lack of overt religiosity or religious symbolism? With so many religious symbols on display, how was this a secularism-inspired collection?

Designer Mohsin Saeed says: “We have dedicated the collection to the principles on which Pakistan was first created, where Muslims were not to be considered superior and people had the freedom to practice their chosen religion without the fear of being judged.”

The saffron hues were pretty as was a white strappy slip of a dress worked with a golden hemline. There were other clothes that really didn’t make much impact: the blue shirt worn by Fayezah Ansari with a sword worked down the center and some silhouettes where the theology inspired accessories made more impact than the apparel.

The collection was, nevertheless, cohesive. One has seen The Pink Tree Company create much more beautiful designs in the past, though.

Mahgul's 'Flight of the Bulbul'

Top pick: The bright yellow pants, the sari worn by Mehreen Syed layered with a white knotted top and all the accessories

Mahgul, with its first catwalk tryst in Karachi, worked out a carefree elegance. These were modern, fuss-free silhouettes with occasional quirky twists added here and there. There was so much in the collection that was wearable, as is – white oversized shirts, textured printed pants and boxy tunics.

It was, however, not what one expects of Mahgul. The designer has so far dwelt primarily towards wedding-wear and is known for her very artistic embroideries. Even with her luxury-wear, the designer had hitherto indulged into tiny details and very thematic collections. The ‘Showcase’ collection, then, was perhaps indicative of the designer’s evolution towards more easy breezy lines? It was a good collection – but it wasn’t an ‘Oro’, that very memorable Mahgul collection from three years ago.

The one that got away

And then there was Fahad Hussayn who, according to Showcase’s Senior Fashion Advisor, Raheel Rao, missed his flight from Lahore to Karachi twice on the day of his show and ended up not being able to make it on time. “He asked us if he could get a slot for the second day but we refused,” says Raheel. “We can’t juggle things about like this.”

It’s a pity, though. Fahad can sometimes spin fantastic catwalk drama and his Showcase collection was titled ‘Vandalista’. The name itself hints of theatrics.

A word about the styling

And to wrap it up, we want to give a nod of approval to the catwalk styling. The models wore summer-friendly top buns and the makeup was seamless. Our favorite looks have to be from Hussain Rehar’s show: top knots with some strands left loose in front and funky, 60-ish sunglasses. Absolutely chic!