PLBW Day 2: Misha Lakhani steers wedding wear towards restrained elegance

I love fashion and I recognize the efforts being made by the Pakistan Fashion Design Council to make PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week the most credible and strongest platform for wedding wear in Pakistan. However, it has to be said that delays and endless breaks in the schedule have also made it akin to a drama serial like Humsafar that you have to watch even though it has more ad breaks than actual airtime of content. If I counted (which I actually will today) then from the 4:00pm time mentioned on the card for the ‘Early Evening Shows’ to begin, one spent 8 hours at the venue for not more than 2 hours of fashion show. The shows were not longer than 20 minutes each. Six shows on Day 2. Do the maths.

So you can’t blame me for leaving when (yet) another forty minute break was announced after Misha Lakhani’s showcase. And since hers was the strongest collection of the day (I maintain that after seeing Sonia Azhar though Ali Xeeshan’s does sound like a fun show that I would have enjoyed for its energy and vibrance), I’ll work in reverse, starting with her.

Misha Lakhani’s was, by far, the strongest collection of Day 1, if not both Day 1 and 2. The balance this young designer manages to strike between embellishment and artistry is reflective of a very confident aesthetic, one that boasts of design integrity as opposed to the vulgarity of commercial success alone. Not that Lakhani isn’t successful. In a very short period of time she has managed to pick up a covetable and sizeable client list and I would imagine that women and young girls with good taste, sophistication and the appreciation for restrained elegance (as opposed to opulence) are the ones driven to her flagship store in Karachi.

On the very other side of the spectrum, Sadaf Malaterre was as vivid as Misha Lakhani was matte. She played with solid colours, punctuated by the most delicate shimmer. I would say this collection – smart and simple in its execution while being flirtatious in its play with colour –  is ideal for young girls who should not look overdone at weddings. Not a fan of the mute gold numbers, it’s the vibrant outfits in Malaterre’s small collection that  will be remembered and appreciated.

Fahad Hussayn presented some very interesting elements in the use of ecru cotton, prints and even his choice of motif in embellishment, which has become very distinctive. Hussayn does have the tendency to go into drama overdrive, which runs the risk of overshadowing the merit of his clothes but I do believe this is one genuinely talented designer whose fearless gambles with design will evolve and mature with time.