The biggest menswear voice on X likes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s style
Derek Guy, a prominent fashion writer, admired the premier for wearing suits better than his Western counterparts.
Friday, the opening day of the three-day Sunsilk HUM Bridal Couture Week (BCW) in Lahore, saw celebrated bridal couturier Fahad Hussayn bring the very soul of Lahore to amp up the ramp with a celebration of Basant fused with full-on shaadi bling featuring culturally and traditionally rich performances by Zain Zohaib and Wahab Shah.
The visual spectacle thus created with full-on colourfully attired traditional dancers and ‘guggu ghorray’ (mock horseback dancers) resulted in a riot and blaze of colour and celebration, a patent of Hussayn’s runway shows. However, the spotlight remained on the models attired in fine needlework wedding bling shararas that spoke volumes about intricate craftsmanship and the designer’s hallmark designs. Sabeena Farooq was the choice for showstopper in this segment.
Over the past few years, bridals and their related shows had taken the predictable path to becoming somewhat boring, leading some to observe that such shows needed an urgent shot in the arm in the form of seasoned stylists editing and tweaking the presentation of the collections and taking on board veterans who know how to put on a great show in order to save it from a fate worse than death itself. Fortunately, those at the helm of affairs were listening and ready to jump into action, and as a result, this time around, we saw much more filtered collections under show choreographer Rizwan Beyg’s watchful eye on the ramp shows.
Also among the visually appealing collections on Day 1 were designer brand Almirah which showcased avant-garde menswear with celebrated actor Ahmed Ali Akbar as the showstopper, designer Sameer Sain with model-actor Muneeb Butt, Fais Couture and singer Wali Hamid Ali Khan, veteran designer duo Asifa & Nabeel with superstar Resham, as well as actors Ali Raza and Kinza Hashmi who walked for Nizka by Nida Rehan, and Abeer for Hira Hania.
BCW’s strength has always been its celebrity quotient, given the culturally rich landscape of Lahore, and this time it certainly did not disappoint. The fashion remained stable and steadfast due to some of the country’s most celebrated and sought-after couturiers, labels and brands in the line-up, among them being Fahad Hussayn, HSY, Ali Xeeshan and Adnan Pardesy.
For the grand finale of BCW Day 1, HSY chose to show his take on the style patterns and culturally-rich grandeur of the Mughals with his collection titled ‘Haveli’, a celebration of pomp and splendour in which the models in the opening segment displayed resplendently crafted outfits accessorised with golden tiaras and headdresses in what one assumed to be ‘transformative teal’. Showstopper and TikTok star Jannat Mirza closed the segment with the designer by her side.
The hair and makeup of the models on all days is by Nabila’s and N-Gents.