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instep
review
Fashion goes good will hunting
Five designers unravel the sari on the runway as Rehana Saigol steps
out as a major player in the evolving fashion scene
By Aamna
Haider Isani
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"We
didn't plan a show for buyers," Rehana Saigol spoke to Instep
after her debut show. "We planned it for friends. It was our
way of telling them that don't submit to the gloom and doom around
us. Life must go on. On a business point of view, we've never been
part of the media blitz that surrounds us today but we do understand
that it's the sizzle that sells the steak. Since we don't advertise,
it was important for us to have a show and we do intend to have one
every year." |
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This
year the cards read out an invitation to 'Jashn', Rehana Saigol's
debut fashion show in which she would be putting up her very first
bridal collection along with collections by Satya Paul, Shobhaa
De, Deepak Perwani and Chand Saigol, her husband, all of whom stock
at her sari shop. Most of us who received those invites were just
happy with the thought of a fashion show happening. Because amidst
national "gloom and doom" that had pushed fashion into
oblivion and fashion designers to foreign shows that often went
unnoticed, there was at least someone who was willing to take the
risk here in Karachi.
Rehana Saigol did all that and more. She hosted a show for all brands
stocking at her retail sari store, she did it without the financial
support of a sponsor and she pushed the envelope with the mission
statement that "life has to go on".
That certainly was the buzzword that evening at 76 Old Clifton -
a venue that has provided retail and runway space to a number of
fashion designers, making it an iconic landmark. One has frequented
the very classy soirees that Zeba and Shehrnaz Husain have hosted
to launch Ensemble and welcome Ritu Kumar's franchise, but it was
all about Rehana Saigol that evening.
Hailing
from the illustrious Saigol family, Rehana needs no introduction
- she is to high society what Rizwan Beyg is to fashion - as is
her husband Shakil Saigol who was also showing his 'Ming' collection
of embroidered saris and ensembles that evening. Saris have been
a dear passion to both of them; Rehana has been wearing them since
she was fifteen and her husband - an avid art collector as well
as artist - has been sourcing them for her. With this show they
had taken their passion a step further and together they had braved
the harsh winds of possible critique, spending what they termed
as a "small fortune" on putting together a fashion show.
"Oh, but I had a sponsor," said Chunni, as Rehana Saigol
is fondly known: "My husband!"
That camaraderie transcended to the quaint, heavily foliaged garden
of the location which had been trussed up for the fashion show;
quite like it had been done several times before. A tightly packed
lattice of seats bordered a media pit that contained the over eager
cameramen and through the garden rolled out a shiny white runway
with an equally pristine backdrop. The only distinctive difference
was that the backdrop was not disturbed by the presence of brand
endorsements. It was a self sponsored show and being a debut of
all sorts, it was quite an achievement.
This was the first time Chunni Saigol was hosting a fashion show;
an impulsive act that she later blamed on the carefree spontaneity
she shared with her husband.
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"Expect us to go
scuba diving or paragliding next year," she said, as if hosting
a fashion show at their age was equally adventurous. The fact that
the couple had not run after corporate credit was the biggest achievement.
They had doled out money for an event that was more of an extravagance
and less of an economic investment to them. But it most certainly
was an investment in good will.
However, for the one hour duration of the fashion show, it all boiled
down to the collections.
Chand and Chunni Saigol
The Saigols, who have come unto fashion with a love for saris and
jamavar shawls, thus recreated that old world charm instead of high
end fashion. Their palette borrowed heavily from their Indian roots
- the emphasis on colours like firozi, pink and turquoise was blatant
- and did seem a bit too loud for a palate used to the more sublime
shades of style.
Chunni's bridal collection - her very first - epitomized an era
of the extravagance, a Devdas meets Umrao Jaan kind of world where
women walk with kohl in their hooded eyes and shimmer in their clothes,
whilst carrying tiny bells on their dupattas to attract a man's
attention. Poetic at best, romantic at least. The saris had charm
while the lehngas, flowing out in grandeur had character as they
hugged the hips and swayed out flirtatiously. The silhouettes had
been adapted to contemporary tastes; body molding shararas replaced
the farshi gharara. In Chand's collection loose culottes or adaptations
of the Lukhnowi pajama replaced the more traditionally acceptable
churidaars.
Chand's collection was a lot less opulent and much more contemporary,
despite dancing to the same tune. Christened 'Ming' it hinted at
a Chinese influence which was noticeable in the motifs on the saris
and the multi-kali kurtas. The medallions and ancient dragons were
recurring themes. Both these collections did not push the envelope
for fashion - and could easily be described as OTT or over the top-
but the designers had fun with it. And it must be said that Chand
and Chunni are in the business for the love of the art, not a love
for cutting edge fashion.
Satya Paul and
Shobhaa De
Satya Paul is an Indian brand made famous for its saris and this
collection did justice to the hype that precedes it. Opening the
show in shades of black, white and red, the saris were beautiful
with very distinct bold prints and the faintest hint of shimmer.
They were a visual delight for ladies in the front row who could
be seen making mental notes to visit the store the following day
for some retail therapy. With the festive season up ahead and the
sari being one of the most timeless garments worldwide, its appeal
has no limits … or borders!
Shobhaa De's collection was a little limited though. Very different
from Satya Paul in its appeal, it came across as a collection designed
with Karva Chauth or Diwali in mind and therefore didn't translate
with as much fluency as Satya Paul's avant garde collection. That
said, it did justice to Shobhaa's love for Bollywood; she has been
editor Stardust and her novels do borrow their stories from the
'Husbands and Wives' of Tinseltown.
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Deepak
Perwani
Deepak Perwani's collection was impressive. Made for Malaysia
Fashion Week and plugged between a range of traditional collections,
it could have gone terribly wrong in terms of fitting in. But
it actually shone out on its own. Based on diamond sequined
motifs - making it very 'James Bond' - it was a collection of
different silhouettes, varying between the long flowing gowns,
saris, mini dresses, pouf skirts and bubble tops. The fabric
came together well and the drapes flowed even better.
Especially
eye catching was a black gown that Nadia Hussain wore; it flared
out to perfection. And it was similar to another Deepak Perwani
original that Naveen Naqvi was wearing that evening - she won
Best Dressed Celebrity for it and it's always heartening to
see fashion translate beyond the catwalk this well.
Another original item was the black hood that Sanam Saeed wore
above a short dress. Somewhat Nefertiti goes to Africa in essence,
it was an innovative accessory and can actually work very well
in countries like Pakistan where some women cover their heads.
After the show Deepak confirmed that the hoods would be available
at his store.
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One short fall that did
come to the limelight in the show was lack of good models. Nadia
Hussain, Iraj, Fayeza Ansari and Sanam Saeed held the fort for others,
some of whom could not walk easy in high heels and others could
simply not carry a sari. While Fayeza looked equally good in a sari
or a short dress, Deepak's short dress was lost on Rubab and Fauzia,
who couldn't carry it. If Pakistan's fashion scene is to progress,
then models must be taught to walk properly and that must come in
the form of proper training. In a world where fashion models are
expected in six inch stilettos, it is unacceptable that ours cannot
walk on a laminate runway without their saris coming undone, their
dupattas catching on a smoke machine or their heels catching on
the hems of their dress.
That said, despite the 'model malfunctioning', the fashion show
came together with a lot of warmth. Deepak Perwani, who calls Chunni
'Mama', also wore the cap of coordinator and choreographer. This
was Deepak's second attempt at coordination - the first was at Karachi
Fashion Week - and the role quite suits him. One wonders if he'll
take it a step further.
Barry, who is now becoming a regular at managing events at 76 Old
Clifton stepped in for what Chunni calls a 'nominal sum' and it
has to be said that Barry is rising fast as an event manager in
Karachi. And having almost forty events to his credit, this was
the first time he was actually called upon stage and given credit
to by Chunni.
The same good will went out to Fareshteh Aslam, who was handling
the PR of the event as well as Tariq Amin, who made the models glow
thanks to his magic wand and an abundant use of bronzer! Tapu Javeri
put the music together, which DJ Asif played and backstage, the
"chaos" as Chunni put it, was given some order thanks
to Raheen Mani and volunteers from the Asian School of Fashion Design.
Once again, the show came together magnificently by good will alone.
But while the evening was every bit about having fun but it did
have an underlying motive, one that took it beyond good will. Rehana
Saigol is a member of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council and Deepak
Perwani is one of the senior members of Fashion Pakistan, Karachi's
fashion council. The councils have been at loggerheads since inception
but it is members like Rehana who are acting as 'consensus candidates'.
Rehana stocks collections by Deepak Perwani at her sari shop and
she will most certainly welcome other designers from Fashion Pakistan
to the second outlet of the PFDC Boulevard, to soon open in Karachi
under her tutelage. The fashion show was a teaser to the bigger
role Rehana Saigol will be playing in Pakistan's fashion industry.
– Photos by Rizwan
ul Haq's team and Ozair Rao
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