Kicking off the evening was KARMA RED and true to their name, brought us a rich splash of red and burnt oranges. The worked shararas looked as dazzling as they did heavy, a reminder that heavy is the head that wears these dupattas! Male models walked in brightly coloured kurtas, bringing a touch of the festivity of a mehndi to the runway. Jewellery set a serious trend, as KARMA RED models rocked double studded earrings.

Republic by Omar Farooq introduced their sparkling bridal wear, opting for a colour palette of pastel blue, pink, silver and green. Each jora was more captivating than the last, with the silver jewellery catching the light and truly complementing the main colours. The women rocked halter top style and the showstopper was an off the shoulder pastel blue creation. For men, Republic stayed true to their signature style of a subtle sophisticated wardrobe of sherwanis and kurtas with waistcoats.

Élan closed the show, and how! Khadijah Shah only ever impresses, surpassing her own bar each time. The intricately embroidered lehngas, with fusion dupattas over lehnga cholis stood out, equally powerful and delicate. The long kurta kameez over a chiffon lehnga were new and the details, even as they quickly passed you by on the runway, cry out for further admiration. The men’s sherwanis were traditional and stunning, but there is no doubt the showstoppers in this case were the designer’s own young sons!

 

Next up was the Ali Xeeshan Theatre Studio and true to the name, every inch of the runway was covered with his signature theatrics in minutes! Models walked with beautiful headpieces, giving the illusion of flight. We loved the black organza jackets with gold patchwork and instantly noted the embroidered shirts with pockets on the sides – a new experiment with couture. The showstopper was a velvet maxi dress with an intensely worked shawl, very fitting for the upcoming winter weddings. Ali Xeeshan debuted a lot more than these amazing looks – he also walked the runway as a platinum blonde, hair and goatee, and as with all things, he just pulls it off!

 

Third up was the reliably marvellous Sania Maskatiya. Her collection was a mixture of velvets and flowy netting. Especially eye catching was the maroon kameez with gold thread work and gold netted sharara. A startling colour combination was light gold netted kameez and sweetly pink lehnga. The navy blue and gold threaded lehnga with the gold top must have caught everyone’s imagination – the young lady modelling it looked like twilight itself.

 

 

The Bank Alfalah Rising Talent Show comprised of Maheen Ghani Taseer, Zarmisha Dar, Faiza Saqlain and Hamza Bokhari, who each brought their own perspective and inspiration to create four very different vibes. If these four are an indication of the future, Pakistani fashion is only going up!