Intricate work, short hemline and diamantes were among trend-toppers at TBCW held earlier this year. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
The 11th edition of Telenor Bridal Couture Week (TBCW) is set to bride-azzle Lahore from December 11 to 13, just in time for the big fat Pakistani wedding season. Among those showing is bridal couture week regular Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, whose association with the platform both as a choreographer and a designer has stood the test of time. “I have directed every BCW show except for one as I was travelling,” HSY says with a glint of pride.
This time around, the master couturier plans on building upon the line he showcased at this year’s PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week (PLBW). “I think having a singular voice in couture is very important. When you start churning out differing ideas, the client starts getting confused,” he shares about his pattern, citing how he also accentuated and carried forward the line he had created for PFDC Swarovski Crystal Couturiers fashion show earlier this year.
PLBW 2015: Making a vow to wow the audience
With every fashion week comes a varied audience but that’s not why HSY has chosen to showcase the same collection at the upcoming event. “TBCW may have different viewership as compared to PLBW but I wouldn’t put out a different product [due to that]. It wouldn’t be fair to the audiences even though they might have an idea that I’d style things differently for the two platforms.”
TBCW may be known more for its crowd-pleasing entertainment than fashion but HSY says that shouldn’t invalidate the platform. “There are a lot of designers showing who people don’t find to have editorial value but to think they don’t have commercial value would be wrong,” he states. One of the reasons for this perception could be that TBCW is not backed by a fashion council but a private television channel, which would inherently prioritise producing entertaining content over fashion.
Misha Lakhani opens doors to Lahore
But HSY holds that entertainment and fashion are complementary forces deep-rooted in our culture. “There shouldn’t be disparity between them because we’re culturally inclined towards both in Pakistan,” he notes. “If you add a little bit of thumka to a collection, will that make the fashion less fashionable?” The designer feels the popular comparisons with the West don’t apply to the local fashion scene as they don’t follow the trail of cultural references we do.
Other than HSY, the designers showing at this bi-annual platform include Almirah, Asifa & Nabeel, Aisha Imran, Anees Malik, Damas, Erum Khan, Fahad Hussayn, Hamna Amir, Humayun Alamgir, Honey Waqar, and House of Arsalan Iqbal. Also showing at the event are, Lajwanti, Maria B, Mehdi, Nickie Nina, Nilofer Shahid, Rani Emaan, Sai by Sahar Atif, Sadia Mirza, Sara Asghar, Shazia Kiani, Saira Rizwan, Sobia Nazir, Teena by Hina Butt, Zainab Chottani, Zarmisha Dar and Ziggi Menswear.
Although TBCW has often been under the gun for being a money-driven venture riddled with a fair share of problems, many designers choose to be a part of it due to the media mileage and celebrity power it brings to them. This time, the event will feature Umair Jaswal, Imran Abbas, Armeena Rana Khan, Resham, Adnan Siddique, Muhammad Hafeez and Mira Sethi as showstoppers.
HSY with Nooray Bhatti at the lsa 2015 rehearsals
Comedian Danish Ali will host the red carpet on the second day of the event to present fashion with a hint of fun and frolic. With Nabila helming hair and make-up on all three days along with a trends show on day three, it would be interesting to see how her offerings differ from what Saba Ansari’s team had brought to the latest Fashion Pakistan Week.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2015.
Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ