|
|
| |
instep
view
Lean, mean style machine
Tariq Amin makes a rocking comeback after a two year sabbatical,
in a show that also unearths the reclusive yet immensely talented
Yousuf Bashir Qureshi
By Aamna Haider Isani
|
| |
Fashion
is not always about looking pretty and beautiful. It's about having
an attitude and at the Castrol show, hosted at the Golf Club in Karachi,
attitude is what Tariq Amin brought back to the runway. It was attitude
with a capital A; attitude that in Pakistan has far too long been
replaced by the baubles that we happily refer to as bridals. A thumping
dose of attitude, sponsored by a lubricant was just the thing needed
to lubricate the senses back into what fashion used to be.
And yet it wasn't a fashion show at all; it was a mime performance
that incorporated the theme, launching Castrol in Pakistan. But everything
was put together so brilliantly that the evening, which began with
a dread of 'corporate boredom' quickly turned its heels into an 'industrial
chic' factory of style.
|
 |
| |
Far
past city civilization, down a dark and isolated entrance into the
Golf Club, a hall had been disguised as a car workshop…without
the grease smears that is. Tyres and oil drums had been suspended
from the ceiling as innovative cocktail tables and old car seats had
been given a good old makeover to seat the guests around the installation.
It was innovative, edgy and extremely exciting. The only things missing
on the runway were cat's eyes and road guides!
This show certainly was every man's dream come true - throw cars,
lubricants and hot models dressed in cat suits onto a runway - and
you'll get the picture. But before you let your imagination run wild,
let me ascertain that it was far from sleazy; in fact it would be
fair to call it artistic in a very futuristic way. Muscular men 'held
together' by metal and pipes mechanically descendent down the ramp
and robo-walked themselves up to the centre stage. Simultaneously,
four equally fluid models danced around and finally picked up oil
cans to mobilize their men. The finale saw Iraj burst out of the central
installation and if there's any one model who can do mime as well
as modeling, it's Iraj. The presentation was swift and it left the
impact of a speeding racing car. Thanks to the high performance lubrication
of Castrol, the climax of the show was spot on. Vrrrooom! |
| |
It certainly
was entertaining but what had one's interest up was having Tariq Amin
back in the driving seat. Though the event had been conceptualized
by Shakeel Jaffer (Resource Marketing Consultants), Tariq had the
art direction and styling of the show well in his control. He's always
been one for individuality as opposed to dressing models up with cookie
cutters and likewise, he had given each of the girls and boys (of
Oops Inc) a unique look. From wild and blazing hair dos to bold and
rocking body art, these 'machines' were dressed to kill.
Tariq has been out of the picture for quite some time - two years
to be exact - and it has to be said that he has been missed. Eccentric
to the core, it is stylists like him (and there aren't many like him
in Pakistan) who bring that certain oomph to fashion.
"This show is to tell people I'm back," he declared quite
happily backstage, "and now I will be doing a lot of work with
Tapu Javeri." Tapu, of course, provided the thumping music to
the show which went with the theme of the evening with tracks like
Prodigy's Firestarter that were chosen so well that they fit the show
like a glove.
|
 |
| |
Which brings us to the unveiling of Yousuf Bashir Qureshi, design
whiz who owns the Art Commune in Karachi and has been designing lines
for Barney's and Nordstrom for the past six years but hasn't designed
for the Pakistani market yet. "I wouldn't put my name to these
costumes as this isn't what I usually design," he clarified after
the show. "We just tried to put the costumes together to suit
the theme and all." Nevertheless, his creative genes did infiltrate
onto the trousers and cat-suits that had been jazzed up with mechanical
paraphernalia. This show did unveil the designer and one hopes that
he will decide to unearth his collections here as soon as possible
too. If what he designs has even a percentage of the attitude he carries
in his quintessential dhotis and bowler hats, it will be a delight
for every fashionista's eyes.
Overall, the evening was delightful. It may have been somewhat wasted
on the gathering that consisted of corporate types in their suits
(petroleum company execs) and quite a few transporters in their shallus
but one hopes that Tariq Amin and Yousuf Bashir Qureshi will return,
in element, to scintillate a more broadband audience. So here's to
a show that pushed the boundaries of entertainment, fashionably, futuristically,
The Fifth Element style!
Event Concept and Management : Shakeel Jaffer –
Resource Marketing Consultants
Show art direction and production: Tariq Amin
Music: Tapu Javeri
Mime choreography Oops Inc and Joshinder Chaggar
Costumes: Yousuf Basir and Meher Sheikh from YBQ Studios
Models/Dancers: Iraj, Annie, Ayesha Toor, Sanam, Sanam Agha, Tatmain.
Josh, Wasif, Nadeem, Danish & Nasir
Photos by Tapu Javeri
|
| |
|
