IPPA 2021 red carpet review: A few hits amidst the many misses!

A large group of Pakistani stars took a trip to Istanbul, Turkey to attend the International Pakistan Prestige Awards (IPPA) 2021 that took place on Sunday night. The star-studded red carpet featured celebs from film, drama, music and the fashion fraternity and the night was a much-needed respite for the entertainment circuit after nearly two years of Covid isolation.

Award shows are a great platform to celebrate and honour local talent, especially if they are happening abroad. It is always heartwarming to see Pakistani talent receiving international recognition in countries where our artists, drama and films are loved and appreciated. Award nights like IPPA provide a platform where our talent can interact with fans from all over the world and get more exposure.

However, it is disheartening to see that all this effort takes a nosedive when a) there is mismanagement (as there evidently was, but that’s another story) and b) our celebrities walk on the red carpet. Unfortunately, like most award nights, IPPA’s red carpet had no shortage of disastrous looks. Some of the most talented and beautiful stars of Pakistan put little to no effort on their red carpet looks. Or maybe they did and just got it wrong.

Badly fitted outfits, wrong colour choices, silhouettes that fell awkwardly…there was just one faux pas too many.

Narrowing it down was tough, but here are some looks that were saving grace…

 

Top looks of the night

 

 

Hania Aamir wore a pretty three-toned ensemble with a pink peplum top and red pencil skirt. Her tight hair bun, minimal makeup and jewellery complemented her personality. Simple and pretty.

 

 

Aiman Muneeb wore a lovely black Hussain Rehar sari and looked culturally appropriate, albeit much older than she is.

 

 

Mansha Pasha, who’s been making very smart red carpet choices lately, chose this uncommon shade of periwinkle blue in a dress that was a hybrid sari.

 

 

Sonya Hussyn wore a teal gown with sparkling geometric details and floor-length sleeves. It wasn’t Sonya’s best look but she passed since the yardstick was so low.

Note: Momal Sheikh was seen in a parrot green dress with crushed fabric and a brooch over the waist. It had dramatic wide sleeves with feather detailing. With sleek center-parted hair, she looked lovely. We couldn’t find a full length picture of her on the red carpet, though.

 

And then it went downhill

 

 

We’ve seen Iqra Aziz in beautiful ethnic wear, which she often aces. Why she opted for an ill-fitted western dress is anyone’s guess.

 

 

Amar Khan’s dress wasn’t at all bad but it didn’t compliment her at all.

 

 

Sarwat Gilani’s white gown had a floral applique over one shoulder, asymmetrical pleats on the bodice, a motif over the waistline, and ruffled detailing under the hemline. As with Amar’s dress, this didn’t look altogether bad but was hardly a statement either.

 

 

Humaima Mallick was lost in her gown; what is up with that flounce? She looked so good in casual wear throughout this trip.

 

 

It seemed that Zara Noor Abbas has dressed up for a school assembly but ended up at the wrong place. The shape and style of this suit was all wrong.

 

 

 

 

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The ultimate red carpet disaster was what model/influencer Fatima Hasan had to go through. She was supposed to host the red carpet but when she turned up in a strapless, she was told her dress is too revealing for TV. She struggled to find a shrug, which she then found but it obviously wrecked her experience. She says no one gave her a brief.

Secondly, and to be fair, it would be tough for anything to look good in front of that messy red carpet backdrop. So many logos make so much mess and how can anyone stand out in front of it. There’s a reason why red carpets are kept simple and minimalist; they’re supposed to let the clothes stand out.