Highlights from First day of HUM Bridal Couture Week 2018

16th Pantene HUM Bridal Couture Week

The 16^th 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 16^th 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 Collection

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”

Aisha Imran Collection

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 Collection

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 Collection

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 Collection

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 Collection

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 Collection

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 Collection

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 Collection

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.