ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Fashion Week trails onto the second day of the designer extravaganza, picking up several notches. The day’s line-up, as it progresses:Bisma AhmedThe aspiring, young designer presents an ethnic-meets-funky collection. She experiments with earth tones like champagne in silken and chiffon textures adorned by traditional laces and braids, adding poise to the look by dazzling hairdos.An exquisitely designed dress, cut out of light blue tissue paper and studded with Swarovski crystals steals the show. The sparkling, delicate dress is a part of Bisma’s collection and speaks volumes about the creativity of this fearless designer.“I wanted a higher level of involvement with the brand and as this is a fashion show and we make tissue, we decided to merge the two concepts,” says Asad Mujeeb, who works at a leading soft tissue brand.LawrencepurThink casual cotton shirts and vintage-y travel bags. The male models pull if off well while females lack the oomph on the ramp. The texture is of fine quality.Gujranwala Institute of Fashion Institute (GIFT)Of modest beginnings into the industry, the GIFT team outdo themselves by introducing architecture-infused fabrics. Some outfits flaunt tribal essence with lanterns embedded into the attire. Some dresses have tiny disco balls to accentuate the modern look. The use of accessories stands out as a neat signature.The infused fabric and architectures are Dominatrix style. The use of wrought iron rods to support the skirts are a unique presentation as well as the Ninja turtle inspired hoodies. The makeup is top-of-the-line.Rehana SaigolRehana Saigol’s show draws in the crowds! Islamabad showed its finest at the show. With chatter buzzing through the crowds, the event feels like a fashion soiree. With the Chanel and the Alexander Mcqueen coming out, Islamabad’s fashionistas are dressed to kill.The Jashan collection played with traditional silhouette and embellishments with modern cuts saris and churidars.Men come out in achkans, kurtas, churidars and dhoti shalwar, lending a very interesting end to the evening.CritiqueAlia Zaida, a stunning supermodel from the 80s exclaims, “IFW had a rocky start but I’m really happy to see talent, especially a fresh crop of models. Each look was refreshing and different. Its exposing new trends to the public eye.”Saadia Khan, an MBBS student proclaims, “ The show was excellent and the dresses were really good. I particularly liked Lawrencepur.”Angie Marshall says, “I’m impressed by the organisation and the way things were done.”The Blue Chip Editor Zainab Omar seems optimistic, “I think anything positive coming out of Pakistan is amazing. I am happy to support Tariq Aminn. It’ll take a couple of years to establish ground.”Verve event managers Imtisal Zafar and Arsalan Khan are behind the ensemble of this glamorous event. The creative duo share their enthusiasm for the job, “We gave them three options: projecting live walk, still photos or videos to run in the backdrop. Everything has to be a part of the ensemble,” Arsalan comments.Imtisal echoes similar sentiment, “The execution is the most important part of putting the event together.”“We initially approached Tariq Amin and he loved the idea that someone local was presenting their talent in the city. He is in charge of all the concepts that we exectuted.” The duo has worked on the setup from the lighting to the sound to the ramp.Amina Gohar (Pomme), a New York-based choreographer has worked rigorously to perfect the catwalk.Source: The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2011.
