A capital move for fashion

Posted by Bilal - -

Apart from being the powerhouse of the army, Rawalpindi is famous for little else. The city's affiliation with haute couture, in particular, is about as deep as a toddler's air-inflated water pool. Yet, it was exactly where four top models of the country, five fashion designers, including one from India, and the crème de la crème of Islamabad steered towards on Thursday.
The occasion was the launch of a designer boutique called Black in Jinnah Park, right next to the Army House. The boutique houses signature lines of five designers as well as a spa, all under one roof. The launch was organized Rezz Events, led by the friendly-ubiquitous face of Islamabad, Rezz Aly Shah.
Lailomah Khan owns the retail outlet and the label 'Black' is franchised by designer Soba Zuha. The designers include Kersi Dubash from India, Sobia Zuha, Sana Khan, Shan of Bin Chiragh, and Jewellery designers Naveed Zehra and Asif Idrees. Beautician Sobia Hanif inaugurated a spa inside the outlet.
From inside, the boutique is tiny, but offers much more than the city is accustomed to. Its interior is simple and pleasing to the eye, with black wooden walls, striking orange niches here and there for the display of items and a wooden floor.
Its size, though, was no deterrent for the invitees on Thursday. As more and more excited and smartly-dressed young girls and older women swarmed inside, evidently delighted at their entertainment-starved city being the focus of click-happy fashion photographers, the boutique got to the point of being overcrowded and stuffy, with the loud, mostly Punjabi music in the background doing little to help.

While the models Sunita Marshall, Rubab, Aleena Khan and Rachel, one by one struck various poses for their mock photo shoots, people crowded around them, while others casually walked around the store.
The Indian designer Kersi Dubash, wearing a long white Kurta with intricate chickenkari work, displayed his collection of kurtis and saris (priced at 40, 000 rupees), dominated by the elegant 'Gara' embroidery, along with a few suits of 'kundun'. Called a dying art by some, Gara embroidery originates from the Parsis and is famous for relying on Chinese motifs.
The handbags, steeply priced at 7000 rupees and including Gara embroidery too, were perhaps the most eye-catching items in the store, with ethnic metal beads for holding on to. Dubash even had a bridal collection, but it wasn't put out for display for some reason.

Sobia Zuha's collection included bridal, casual and formal lines. Women seemed to like her clothes; many were sold within the first hour.

"Very long shirts with short capri pants, double-layered shirts, high, embroidered collar bands, brocade jackets and dotted and striped summery designs are really 'in' these days," she said while talking to Instep.
Her collection included all that she mentioned.
"Islamabad and Karachi follow the same fashion trends. Even in Lahore, people are actually asking us what's in, which is a pleasant development," she said, adding, "In Lahore people mostly follow their own preferences. I noticed that girls are still wearing "Patiala shalwars" over there, even though they're totally out."

Sana Khan, 22, from Pakistan School of Fashion Design, is a new face on the fashion scene. She was wearing a stylish, high-collared, hand-embroidered knee-length jacket on a pair of jeans. Her collection, the main focus of the female teen crowd, included western-styled tops with shells and metallic embellishments, halter necks, pleats below the bodice, and peasant sleeves.
There was another local designer called Shan, a 22-year-old fashion student from Iqra Univeristy. His label "Bin Chiragh" included traditional chiffon banarsi and khadi suits, and embroidered kurtis.

A few famous faces like Laila Zuberi were present at the event. "I haven't seen anything like this in Islamabad or Rawalpindi," she said pleasantly.

Model Sunita Marshall also expressed to Instep that the launch had been a pleasant experience. This was the first time she had done a fashion show in Rawalpindi!
The much-awaited fashion show at the closing hours of the launch reception featured four bridal dresses by Sobia Zuha. Disappointingly, it was over before it even began, with the first stanza of the background song left hanging in the air. There wasn't much place to sit and most people had to stand at the sides, some blocking the view of those seated.

It remains to be seen if people from Islamabad will make an effort to drop by at Black or whether it will be end up pleasing a primarily Pindi crowd. Even then, the city desperately needed some colour and a bit of 'Black' will do it some good.

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