If Day One at the Pakistan L’Oreal Bridal Week (PLBW) made one sit up and take notice, Day Two did the exact opposite and made you wish you hadn’t gotten out of bed to be a part of it. Lahore-based designer Fahad Hussayn’s edgy yet regal presentation, however, saved the day and made the whole experience a bit palatable. However, Hussayn’s latest collection missed the grandeur that was created by Hassan Sheheryar Yasin’s animated choreography and Quratulain Balouch’s soulful vocals at the Bridal Couture Week earlier this year.
What we couldn’t …

Any Lahori will tell you that when visiting Lahore, a trip to Khussa Mehal is as crucial on your ‘to do’ list as is visiting the Badshahi Mosque and having a meal at Cucoo’s.
Sure the inner city is full of khussa makers and boasting over these shoes is conventionally Multan’s territory, but akin to any designer brand, the khussa from Khussa Mehal is distinctive and unique. It has been nearly 30 years since the store’s inception in Liberty market in the centre of the famed Dupatta Gali and it is …

For the local beauty industry, the most critical (and lucrative) aspect of their business are brides. Ask any make-up artist and she will tell you that this is where they make their money and even more crucially, this is what makes or breaks their salon’s image in the market. A new contender in the vast market of salons is Asmaa Mumtaz’s venture The Dresser. Whether it be fashion shoots or styling retail brands or catering to personal ‘pimpin’ packages of one-to-one sessions forcreating the perfect look for her clients, Mumtaz …

From the time of Mon Salwa till now, man has always been fascinated by food. The subcontinental emphasis on desi food justifies why we find a foodie streak in every Pakistani. National Foods, a brand known for its spices and food products, cashed in on this trait and added a cookbook to its long list of achievements.
Mohatta Palace was decked in bright red on the evening of November 22 to celebrate the launch of National Foods’ first cookbook, Rivayaton Ke Rang. The event paid homage to Pakistan’s culture and tradition …

Bollywood opened its arms for Pakistani pop icon Atif Aslam after he became an established brand courtesy of his song “Aadat”, whereas Shafqat Amanat Ali and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan already had the voice and the family name that made Bollywood trust their skills. However, the artist who has recently forayed into B-town has a totally different tale to tell and very original music to sell.
An advertising man by day and a musician by night, Shahvaar Ali Khan, a Lahore-based musician, is the one behind the background score of director …

“I have a dream”, said model-turned-entrepreneur Mehreen Syed, in much the same fervour as Martin Luther King did, at a press conference to announce the launch of the International Fashion Academy Pakistan (IFAP), where she is the CEO.
Many have tried their luck with the idea of establishing a fashion academy and assumed that a seasoned player like Frieha Altaf, whose agency Catwalk is the only consolidated platform for modelling in the country, would be the first to establish an institute formally. But true to its title as the fashion …

A show featuring a performance by Overload at Kuch Khaas Saturday night sold 450 tickets, according to Shayan Afzal Khan, CEO Kuch Khaas — a whopping number for the culture and arts centre, which usually entertains more intimate concert and performance gatherings.
This is Overload’s first Islamabad concert in two years, with first-time vocals from Farhad Humayun, burgeoning vocalist, drummer and frontman extraordinaire. “We want to be seen live. So many artists are great in the studio but are awful when they’re on stage. It’s a test for any performer,” explains …

Bagh-e-Jinnah in Frere Hall, where the 17th PTV Karachi Centre’s Awards ceremony was held, was lit up on the evening of November 12. While PTV is considered by many as the place where talent was nurtured and legends were born, the award ceremony was a disappointing affair as it was peppered with frustrating delays, mismanagement and the presence of just a handful of famous faces.
Disappointments
As one entered the venue, a little before 8:00 pm — the scheduled starting time was 8:30pm — the sound check was still going on …

For fashion designer Kamiar Rokni from The House of Kamiar Rokni, it was a ‘pleasant surprise’ to win admiration at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week held last month. For Rokni, “Fashion Weeks are places where either one gets great accolades or falls flat on their face. I must tell you it was a risky collection to pull off and I was pleasantly surprised when the crowd cheered for it and later talked about it.”
Back to the future
In Rokni’s opinion, the pret-a-porter Spring/Summer 2012 collection titled the ‘Modernist’ collection, “was something new; …

I’m overjoyed and giddy like a child on Christmas eve. As a Muslim, my year is punctuated with two religious festivals, or Eids. Eid-ul-Fitr ended the 30-day fasting in Ramadan two months ago, and Eid-ul-Adha – tomorrow – marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah with a sacrifice.
A sacrifice of meat is an emphasised ritual for the pilgrims, while Muslim families all over the world slaughter an animal to commemorate Prophet Abraham’s sacrifice, and distribute it to the poor nearby. This is the ultimate offering: giving your most …