The
16th edition of the country’s biggest and most sought-after bridal
extravaganza, Pantene HUM Bridal Couture Week (PHBCW) rolled its red carpet
here in the Mughal City of Gardens on December 7, 2018. Organized under the
banner of Pakistan’s numero uno general entertainment network, HUM Network
Limited, the three-day show will present the latest and the best of Pakistani bridal
trends by leading and burgeoning fashion designers and retail brands. Over the
years, PHBCW has not only been presenting latest bridal collections and trends
by the established designers, it has also been encouraging emerging designers to
showcase their skills on a mega platform. This year, PHBCW will be debuting four
emerging bridal designers on the runway.
Show one of the
bridal extravaganza kicked off with a special Pantene Hair Show. Outfits for the segment were designed by Natasha
Kamal and styling was done by Mehek Saeed. Highlight of the segment was live
performance by Zoe Viccaji. The hair show was followed by a classic showcase by
Nilofer Shahid titled Badshah Begum,
a tribute to the legendary Mughal Empress Nur Jahan. Designer Aisha Imran was
next to present her collection Daastan-e-Ishq
on the runway. Her collection was reminiscent of the glory and grandeur of the
Mughal era. Inspired by the grandeur of the Mughal era and its opulence,
designer Emraan Rajput presented his collection Surkhab, followed by Reema Ahsan’s Dastaan. Show one was concluded by Tabassum Mughal with her
artistic collection Romantic Musings.
Show two of PHBCW started with the Classic
1.0 presented by Arsalan Iqbal, which was followed by Ansab Jahangir’s Dilara. Faiza Saqlain was next, presenting
her collection Shehnai on the runway.
Day one of the three-day fashion show concluded with Sahar Atif’s latest bridal
collection titled Mah-e-Nau, a poetic ballad of majestic textiles, embroideries
and motifs.
Day one of the
three-day bridal extravaganza had an amazing line-up of celebrities to showstop
for the designers; the stunning Mawra Hocane and QYT showstopped for Nilofer
Shahid whereas the gorgeous Mansha Pasha and Sumbul Iqbal added allure to Aisha
Imran’s collection. Bilal Abbas Khan walked for Emran Rajput and the stunning
Hareem Farooq showstopped for Reema Ahsan. The Aangan stars Sonya Hussyn and Ahsan Khan along with Gohar Rasheed
and Kubra Khan added grandeur to Tabassum Mughal’s collection whereas Shahzad
Nawaz and Omar Shahzad walked the ramp for Arsalan Iqbal. The dynamic mother-daughter
duo Bushra Ansari and Meera Ansari showstopped for Ansab Jahangir, and last but
not least, the stunning Aizza Khan added allure to Faiza Saqlain’s collection.
The audiences were also treated with a surprise visit by professionnal
international wrestlers including Tiny Iron from the UK, Yacine Osmani from
Algeria, Bernard Vandame from Belgium, Mila Smidt from France, KC Spinelli from
Canada, Pakistan’s only professional wrestler and current ROP World Champion
Baadshah Pehalwan Khan, Red Scorpion from Italy, Adam Benseba from Algeria
along with the organizer of the championship Mr Imran Shah. All these wrestlers
will be participating in the “Ring of Pakistan” wrestling championship
scheduled for December 9, 2018 in Lahore.
Show director for
PHBCW 2018 is Vaneeza Ahmed Ali. Hamna Amir is the official jewellery partner
while Hair and Makeup is done by the iconic Nabila. All public relations operations
and media liaison are carried out by the in-house PR team of HUM Network
Limited, along with show production and execution by the special projects and
events team at HUM Network Limited.
Sultana Siddiqui – President HUM Network Limited
Wonderful things are happening in Pakistan which need to be highlighted
here and abroad to let the world know that we do not lag behind in anything, specially
our culture and arts. Our fashion industry with its exquisite stitch work and
rich designs should be introduced globally. It has always been HUM Network’s
core objective to highlight the positive attributes of this great country. With
the participation of the fashion pioneers and so much immense young talent,
platforms like BCW are the future.
SPONSORS’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The 16th edition of the
country’s biggest bridal extravaganza is powered by Pantene. The show is
refreshed by AquaFina and savoury partner is Lays.
City FM 89 is the official radio partner whereas food partner is Broadway
Pizza.
DESIGNERS’ INSPIRATIONS
Nilofer
Shahid:Nilofer Shahid pays a rich and glowing tribute to the legendary Mughal
Empress Nur Jahan in her latest bridal collection Badshah Begum 2018. The collection is as powerful as the great Nur
Jahan herself and pays tribute to her sense of style and aesthetics. Inspired
by the trends she set in fashion and jewellery and her admiration for arts and
literature, especially the Kashmiri art, can be vividly seen in the collection.
Though Nur Jahan be in form a woman,
In the ranks of men she's a tiger-slayer"
In the ranks of men she's a tiger-slayer"
Aisha Imran: Aisha Imran’s PHBCW
collection, Daastan-e-Ishq reminisces
the glory and grandeur of the Mughal era. Dainty details, soft feminine colours
and the perfect blend of traditional craft and modern sensibility are the
hallmarks of the collection. Mesmeric colour palette with enchanting
hand-worked details and a seamless display of thread and needle work make the
collection a visual delight. The collection utilizes the best of materials and
fabrics, ranging from pure silks to jamawar and tissue, carefully worked with stone,
dabka and nakshikaam. Aisha Imran’s latest bridal collection visualizes the
opulence and grandeur of the Mughul era. Captured by masterful techniques,
flaunting sketched embroidery, modern silhouettes and neutralized by sublime
cuts – ‘Dastaan e Ishq’ by Aisha Imran is couture at its finest; radiant and
ensnaring!
Emraan
Rajput: Inspired by the grandeur of the Mughal era and its opulence as well as
refined taste in men’s clothing, Surkhabmuch
like the bird with the golden plume, represents that same era with its rich
palette of gold, green, cream and rust. With luxurious embroidery and a style
that is rooted in the culture of our embellishments, this collection brings a
touch of royalty with a style that may harken back to golden times but is
interwoven into today’s modern tapestry.
Reema
Ahsan:Dastaan is a collection of
everlasting pieces that can be passed onto generations. It symbolizes the
independence of today's bride while still remaining true to her traditions.
With intricately embroidered patterns on rich fabrics and detailed beading,
this collection of beautiful fusion embodies the modern-day bride.
Tabassum
Mughal: Innovative fashion designer and bridal couturier, Tabassum Mughal’s
artistic showcase Romantic Musings
for the 16th Edition of Pantene Hum Bridal Couture Week is Mughal’s fifth
bridal collection presented on this prestigious platform. ‘Romantic
Musings’ is bifurcated into two distinct lines; offering a contemporary capsule
for the modern bride and an indubitably classic rendering for the more
traditional newlywed; presenting young brides myriad options for their big day.
Buoyed by fine craftsmanship, the collection plays with nuanced contrasts, a
bohemian spirit and a deep-rooted Victoriana vibe, while tapping into the
innate individuality of every bride who believes in fairytale weddings. The
exquisitely intricate and richly enchanting collections are pure visions of
dream-like opulence and grandeur. The collection uses a medley of rich
sumptuous fabrics including net, cotton net and pure atlas jamawaar juxtaposed
with airy lace and end-noted with voluminous tulle. These are transposed onto
one-piece gowns, wedding robes with overskirts, voluminously- hemmed dresses
and peplum tops paired with lehngas for the contemporary capsule and farshighagra
cholis and lehnga cholis end-noted with lengthy dupattas for the traditional
bride. Playing with a variation of subtle and rich hues ‘Romantic
Musings’ opts for contrasting soft, dainty pink, peach, ivory, dove
grey and powder blue for the contemporary line, embellished with a mix of
opulent, handcrafted vintage floral motifs rendering a regal aura.
Conversely, the traditional capsule is imbued with rich hues including deep
maroon, blood red, royal blue, emerald green and burnt sienna, embroidered with
inspirational motifs from the royal courts of the Mughal epoch and choice
vintage ornamentation.
Arsalan Iqbal: Arsalan Iqbal’s PHBCW men’s bridal collection is a
first of its 3-part series titled Classics
1.0. The collection is an amalgamation of the brand's strength and recent
forays into the creation of innovative textiles combined with time honoured
embroidery techniques. The designer prides himself in using the best of yarns
and hand-weaving techniques. Designs are curated into timeless capsule of
sherwanis, jackets and kurtas, embroidered to pinpoint perfection and cut to
precision. The collection is structured to epitomize masculinity and grace.
Fabrics used are soft silks, rich brocades, plush velvets, opulent jamavars and
finest of gabardines. The palette runs from the deepest of blues reminiscent of
the ocean and a bevy to bright greens and reds. Embroidered with sandstone,
gold and burnt ochre providing a harmonious accompaniment to amber, maroon and
spring leaf green. All embellishments have been painstakingly hand done in the
most delicate form of zardozi, padded for a bas-relief effect.
Ansab
Jahangir: The collection Dilara refers
to a woman who delights the heart. She evokes emotions that reach deep within
one’s soul. The colour palette of this collection is divided into two vast
spectrums. The bright vibrant hues such as crimson, tangerine and chartreuse
green. The festive feels of the wedding season are complimented with
embroideries of elephants and shehnai that show our rich heritage and cultural
values. The pastels in the colour palette showcase the softer side of
love.
Faiza
Saqlain: Faiza Saqlain’sShehnai
aims to celebrate the radiance and glory of women in wedding celebrations. It
is an amalgamation of grace, exuberance and tradition. The feeling of elegance
and extravagance is enhanced by the use of lustrous silk and shimmery tissue
fabrics which are heavily encrusted with pearls, sequins and stones. These
delicately crafted numbers are filled with artfully arranged metallic threads
in alluring compositions with silhouettes which do not depart from the
collection's true essence of splendour and heritage.
SAHAR
ATIF: Sahar Atif’sMah-e-Nau
collection is a ballad of majestic textiles, embroideries and motifs, paying
homage to a lifelong tradition of the subcontinent. ’Mah-e Nau’ captures within
her flawless fairy tale femininity, tantalizing romance and a sweet disposition.
Sahar Atif signs off each silhouette in her bespoke couture, signature style.
Immerse yourself in ‘Mah-e- Nau’ as each ensemble narrates a love story from a
land far far away.