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; …

Republic – Blaak Chrome
Republic is one male brand that isn’t afraid of going all out: cuts, colors and accessories, the collection had it all. Although Omar Farooq, the force behind Republic, isn’t a designer per se, the quality of his craftsmanship proves that sometimes a wild and ardent passion is enough to put you in the top league. As always, Republic delivered impeccably on the cut and tailoring with ‘Blaak Chrome’ but it missed the experimentation that he delved in with his previous collection. The …

As the much-anticipated and sensational awards show of the year, The Lux Style Awards (LSA), inches closer, the pace of celebrities heartbeat increases. Considered the ‘Pakistani Oscars’ by many, the LSA, despite a slumped economy, still manages to arouse the interest of people.
This year will see the 10th Annual LSA, The Express Tribune spoke to some celebrities and asked them some basic questions about previous award ceremonies.
Questions
Which year was your favourite Lux Style Awards and why?
Which designer lawn would you like to see win and why?
What is the …

With Eid just around the corner, fashion retail store Ensemble launched its exclusive collection featuring seven designers on Wednesday, August 24.
Nomi Ansari
With a collection of 16 dresses, four of Nomi Ansari’s latest designs featured full-sleeves of jamawaar with blue and shocking pink palettes of chiffon to make flowy shirts. This was Ansari’s formal line priced between Rs35,000 and Rs65,000.

With fashion designers launching their own line and with many textile mills bringing forth their lawn collections, there is no doubt that the fabric is becoming increasingly popular in Pakistan. This year saw lawn forge a new trend in Pakistan’s fashion scene. Having taken the form of a more sophisticated option of clothing laced with embroideries, chiffon dupattas and pattis, lawn is gradually changing the perceptions and choices of fashion-conscious women.
The shift in the use of lawn makes one wonder if the fabric will ever be used as bridal wear. …

Summer, associated more with free sauna baths due to temperatures above 40 degrees, has its own rules regarding how people should dress. A peek into the latest summer trends in Pakistan reveals that tradition and culture are here to stay, with a majority of designers sticking to the trend of churidaars.
Famous designer Syed Rizwanullah, popular for his controversial designs, feels summer fashion will not only see variations in shalwars but also some modifications in the churidaars.“There should be some drama in your pants, in your churidaar.”
However, accessory designer Mahin Hussain, …

Fashion retail in Pakistan has experienced exponential growth in the last two years. Fashion weeks have become the ‘it’ thing, resulting in several multi-brand stores cropping up in urban centers.
But that doesn’t deter the pioneer, Zahir Rahimtoola of Labels, who is back in Lahore with a different look and new swanky location — Vogue Towers on MM Alam Road, at the heart of the city’s main shopping district.
Labels first made headway in Lahore in 1998, tucked away in the confines of the Pearl Continental Hotel at a time when retail …

The third day of Islamabad Fashion Week saw much more creativity than the first two days. The event showcased three prêt shows by Shaiyanne Malik, Bareeze (Chinyere) and Iqra University, along with a couture collection by Kamiar Rokni. The decor was remarkable, with tastefully decorated candelabras on the sidelines.
Infused with various textiles and embellished with swarovski crystals, Kamiar’s couture was the glitz and glamor of the show. The artist’s work was fresh and used pagan symbols craftily laden with crystals.

Audience swayed to the music during Kamiar’s show, which was a …

Fashion shows, fashion weeks and more fashion weeks – that was the state of Pakistan’s fashion scene in 2010. There were so many fashion weeks this year that designers are eager for a break and many hope that 2011 is going to be more calm and peaceful. The prevailing economic downturn and security-related issues could not keep the country’s fashion fraternity from action as they opted to swim rather than sink in what are visibly hard times for Pakistan. We asked Pakistan’s top eight fashion designers the following questions to …

An amalgam of excitement, color, glitz and glamor, Day 3 at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week was opened by Karachi based designer Yousaf Bashir Qureshi (YBQ). The show started with actress and model Aminah Sheikh walking down the middle of the ramp wearing a white dress while YBQ painted on the dress in a synchronized manner. Once the dress was complete, she walked into the audience. YBQ’s womenswear Prêt-à-porter collection for Fashion Week, which was entitled “Dust to Ashes – Ashes to Dust – the eternal hour glass of existence” was …