[Lahore: 13th October 2013]: The pioneering Pakistan Fashion Design Council [PFDC] and L’Oréal Paris, the world’s leading beauty brand, presented the final day of the third consecutive PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 – a platform that endeavoured to define and present contemporary and traditional Pakistani Bridal fashion and make-up trends, fusing to create the ‘look’ for the bridal season 2013-2014! PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 highlighted the bridal collections of more than 17 designers that showcased the business of Pakistani bridal fashion, at Faletti’s Hotel, Lahore.
The final day of bridal week opened with early evening bridal showcases by Zara Shahjahan and SAAI by Sahar Atif followed by late evening shows with collections from Nomi Ansari, Asifa & Nabeel and Sana Safinaz with the evening’s finale presented by the coveted House of Kamiar Rokni. Make-up for Day-3 of PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 was done by the creative team at Maram & Aabroo, hair styling by TONI&GUY – Lahore with male models styled by Khawar Riaz.
Indeed the success of PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week has prompted private sector associates to engage the platform to launch new products, marketing campaigns and promotional activities. To that end, this year PFDC’s official bank, Bank Alfalah, were hosts to a custom-designed VIP lounge at PLBW. Leading global courier company FedEx – GSP Pakistan Gerry’s International were PLBW’s official logistics partner and also hosted a lounge at the event. In addition to this, FedEx – GSP Pakistan Gerry’s International collaborated with PLBW participating designer Ali Xeeshan for a one-off piece which was displayed at the FedEx lounge. Diet Pepsi was the official beverage partner for PLBW.
In celebration of its 26 years of publishing, Libas International Magazine Limited, premier lifestyle and fashion magazine that celebrates the achievements of the Asian Subcontinent, hosted the official black carpet at PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week. Indeed, Libas encompasses the richness and versatility of Pakistani heritage and highlights its relevance in today’s world. playing a pivotal role in promoting the enlightened side of Pakistan.
L’Oréal Paris also created an exclusive make-up look in collaboration with PFDC member designer label the House of Kamiar Rokni on Day-3 of PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week in association with the participating Bridal Week style teams of Maram & Aabroo and Toni&Guy – Lahore. In addition to this, L’Oréal Paris hosted a customised Beauty lounge at PLBW where they exhibited a special edition PLBW Bridal Make-Up Kit, which could be used to recreate favourite make-up looks from PLBW 2013, and an Essie Nail Bar where visitors experienced the brand’s acclaimed nail colour range firsthand. L’Oréal Paris also showcased their Revolutionary Revitalift LaserX3 product range at PLBW and hosted a unique laser-installation where Bridal Week patrons were invited to experience complimentary product sampling. In continuation of the trend set at the debut PLBW by the brand, L’Oréal Paris also published and shared their signature newsletters on Day-3 of the event.
Sehyr Saigol, Chairperson of the Executive Committee of PFDC has said, “We are proud to see the platform become the definitive source of trends, styles, looks and wedding fashion that mould and define the upcoming Pakistani Bridal season. This year’s list of participating designers was among the strongest the platform has ever featured and in collaboration with our leading make-up & styling teams, helped propel PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 to be among our most successful showcases yet”.
Musharaf Hai, Managing Director L’Oréal Pakistan said, “We were delighted to collaborate for the 3rd round with the Pakistan Fashion Design Council on PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013. This platform co-joins L’Oréal Paris’ 100 Years of global expertise in Beauty, with the fashion, styling and design expertise of the PFDC. It is the L’Oreal Beauty Lens, which enables our prestigious brands like L’Oreal Paris to always set trends and pioneer innovations in the realm of beauty. This year, besides unveiling L’Oréal Paris’ exclusive make-up looks in association with our fashion industry’s leading designers, we introduced some newness through showcasing L’Oréal Professionnel’s Trend Show (the future is here!) and launching our revolutionary New Revitalift LaserX3, an amazing innovation in the realm of anti-ageing”
The black carpet for PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week was sponsored by Libas International Magazine Limited, show production and choreography by HSY Events, Sara Shahid of Sublime by Sara is the official spokesperson for the PFDC, front stage management is being handled by Maheen Kardar Ali, backstage management by Maria Baig, logistics and operations by Bedazzled, digital support by B-Solutions, photography by Faisal Farooqui and team at Dragonfly, Hum TV/Style360 are the official media partners, CityFM89 as the official radio partners and all public relations by Lotus Client Management & Public Relations.
Early Evening Shows
Bridal Showcase: Zara Shahjahan
The final day of PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week was opened by Zara Shahjahan who made her PLBW debut with an exclusive women’s wear collection titled ‘True Love’. The collection took inspiration from the modern woman who remains close to her sub-continental ethnic roots. The outfits were designed on a variety of fabrics, including pure silks and nets that were embellished by sequins and crystals. The showcase commenced with outfits featuring prints before moving onto clothes that consist of gold infused with dark colours echoing femininity, elegance, and beauty.
Bridal Showcase: SAAI by Sahar Atif
The second show of the day featured SAAI by Sahar Atif, who marked the label’s second participation at the PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 platform with ‘Fasl-e-Nou’, a collection that revived the traditional aura of the bridal ensemble. Bringing together the classic Pakistani and traditional bridal styles, SAAI by Sahar Atif provided brides with classic timeless ensembles teamed with jewellery that makes every bride’s special event even more memorable.
The bridal ensembles were designed on luxe textiles such as chiffons, zardozi, brocades, embroidered fabrics and featured flowing classical shararas, traditional angrakhas and kurtas that brought the collection together. For ‘Fasl-e-Nou’, Sahar Atif had chosen to play with a deeper colour palette, with rustic gold being the basis of all embroideries, which was entwined in the collection’s fabrics as well. The collection also featured hues of red, orange and magenta pink which moved into deep purples and midnight blues.
Late Evening Shows
Bridal Showcase: Nomi Ansari
Nomi Ansari opened the evening bridal shows on the final day of PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 with a collection titled ‘Rang Mahal’. The collection drew inspiration from the post-partition era, the cultural heritage influence that has its shadows in our sense of dressing and style to this day, which serves a reminder of the lavish era the sub-continent has witnessed over the years. The collection featured timeless pieces which could be described as being majestic, ethereal and melancholic, carrying the glory of the past in its elaborate pure and pristine ensembles. ‘Rang Mahal’ was a perfect marriage of the old and contemporary, the known and the forgotten, a celebration of style meticulously crafted in hand woven fabrics and rare embroidery techniques packaged in a vibrant, colourful fashion. With hand woven and printed fabrics that are especially commissioned to local craftsmen, the collection followed the age-old techniques of weaving brocade, luxury silk and cotton weaves, with cuts that were a mix of old and new silhouettes such as contemporary cuts with skirts, lucknow cuts and churidars. The colour palette was signature Nomi Ansari and featured bright and muted hues, pastels and rich traditional bridal colours including acid greens, scarlets, ivories, corals and rani pink, which was predominantly used. Other tones relevant to traditional celebratory events such as ochres, saffron and canary amalgamating with shades of aqua, sapphire and turquoise were also incorporated into the bridal ensembles. ‘Rang Mahal’ also featured men’s wear in a mix of traditional and contemporary groom’s wear that was a fun mix of vests, achkans and kurtas in a diversity of dynamic colours that depart from the traditional colour palette. In addition to the fashion presentation, the showcase also featured a unique dance performance by Husnain Saleem, a lookalike of renowned Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Nomi Ansari also collaborated with PFDC’s official bank, Bank Alfalah for a unique design installation, fashioned out of credit cards, which was showcased on the ramp during the designer’s show.
Bridal Showcase: Asifa & Nabeel
The second late evening show of the concluding day was presented by designer duo Asifa & Nabeel. The designer’s collection for PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 was inspired from the Indian Maharajas and Maharanis of the sub-continent, whose innovative use of metal articles in war shields, artefacts, sculptures and jewellery was a testament to the creativity and artistic ability of the artisans of that era. The bridal collection was a modern interpretation of that traditional era and manifested the richness of the luxurious lifestyle of the sub-continent through complementary cuts, the use of dynamic colours that were royal and rich, fabrics that featured heavy traditional motifs and embellishments that were infused using techniques such as hammering and gotta.
Bridal Showcase: Sana Safinaz
Making their PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week debut, designer duo Sana Safinaz followed Asifa & Nabeel and showcased a collection of traditional ensembles, with a twist. The bridal wear was designed on fabrics including tissue, kumkabh, net, silk chiffon, swarovski crystal, kora and dapka. Utilising a grand palette of cream, black, gold and red, the collection was presented in the signature Sana Safinaz style.
Libas Style Awards
Libas International continued the Libas Style Awards on Day-3, celebrating the best dressed guests at the PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2013 black carpet. Sara Shahid of Sublime by Sara was the recipient of the Libas Style Award on the final day of Bridal Week.
Bridal Showcase: The House of Kamiar Rokni
The finale of the concluding day of the third PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week was staged by the design trio Kamiar Rokni, Tia Noon and Rehan Bashir of the coveted House of Kamiar Rokni. Titled ‘The Orientalist’ and as the name suggested, the collection was inspired by the glory and fascination that captivated the West when they first encountered the exotic East. As its core design ethos, ‘The Orientalist’ captured art, culture and imagination with each creation a celebration of the merging and blending of creative art and heritage from around the world. For the showcase, The House of Kamiar Rokni collaborated with renowned jeweller Reama Malik of GOLD who created exclusive jewellery for the collection. Each Orientalist creation drew inspiration from traditional, regional and global embellishments and silhouettes brought them together to form a bridal signature from The House of Kamiar Rokni. Cuts that varied in length, volume and diversity could be seen with fabrics that were sheer with diaphanous textures that complimented otherwise bold forms, silhouettes that integrated layering with variations in the sleeve and structured jackets, all of which worked together to reinvent the classic bride for the modern era. The collection celebrated fabrics created from regionally indigenous textiles and was based in a selection of hand-woven silks, organzas, jamavars, chiffons and nets, in an eclectic mix of vibrant colours. Complementing the collection was a range of bespoke jewellery pieces created by Reama Malik and her brand GOLD based in the traditional craft of ‘Polki” and “Meenakari” that included necklaces, jhoomars and tikkas. Exclusive make-up looks for the House of Kamiar Rokni’s showcase were created by L’Oréal Paris in collaboration with the participating Bridal Week style teams of Maram & Aabroo and Toni&Guy – Lahore.
