STYLE

Click Here for Bridal Couture Coverage (Published by Economic Affairs Islamabad - June 2013)

Click Here for Tabassum Mughal Eid Exhibition Review - A Haute Ticket Item

Thank you Mr. ZK for the Invite

THE DEBUT OF NADIA KHAN's LAWN COLLECTION (Pehno Mazay Se) / CAFE FLO / 8 APRIL 2013/ KARACHI

There was no sign of celebrity life on the horizon. In a little under an hour, a red carpet session was expected to be underway by the cobble stone entrance. Cafe Flo was gearing up to host the exclusive showing of Nadia Khan’s signature lawn launched by Flitz.



But the debut of ‘Maza’ had to contend with mother-nature that day. Parts of Karachi had been inundated and there was a matching pool of water outside the venue. The brief spell of heavy rainfall had left behind Venetian roads and massive jams in its wake. Fortunately, Karachi is used to such sights and the show, delayed or otherwise, does go on.



Venice is Us

Nadia, the well known TV personality who went on to become part of the morning talk show phenomenon has come aboard the lawn band-wagon with the promo, 'Pehno Mazay Se' in tow. Her collection is said to reflect the vibrant tones of her personality, and has been priced from 3,990 Rs. to 4,490 Rs.



Nadia Khan & Akif Ilyas (R)

Inside, the staff proffered minty green drinks under the watchful gaze of Florence Villiers - the owner and Shamira Mahpara, the artist / Chef / hostess extraordinaire, who reportedly makes a mean cheesecake. The dining area had been cleared for the makeshift catwalk and waif thin models were being fed by the kindly café walas, indifferent to the ‘Do not feed the models’ commandment.



The lovely Shamira Mahpara of Cafe Flo

Flo is a quaint little French eatery tucked away inside a little alley. It has space for outdoor seating as well as a bright and airy dining area. Somehow it managed to fit in the fashionable flock and the equipment and the crew. By the time the designer everyone had been waiting for walked in it was nearing dusk.



Nadia Khan

The catwalk was suddenly flooded by models in Nadia Khan Couture, camera-men lugging heavy gear and a DJ with an uninspired selection of music.





The show which took forever to begin was over in no time. The models took a quick turn down the short runway; the designer took a bow and vanished to the back of the room to do more press or another round of photo-op or tea.



Among those sighted at the launch were Sabeen Rabbani, associated with the multi label prêt store Brands Just Pret, standing in for her sister Mehreen, who had styled the clothes.



Tehmina Khalid (L), Nadia Khan & Sabeen Rabbani (R)



(Plz help me tag this)

Also present were local celebrities and designers like Tabassum Mughal, whose wonderful brother Furrukh just had a photography exhibition a few days earlier in PC; Aijaz Aslam - the designer / model / actor who according to my sister, designs for real women and looks younger in person; Ahsan Khan – the actor, and Shanaz Ramzi - journalist / critic / GM Publications & PR at HUM Network Ltd. - Editor of Masala TV Food Mag and author of Food Prints.



A delectable addition has been made to the line-up of emerging designers seen beckoning from billboards or demanding to know if you wear their particular brand.



Adnan Khan (L) Nadia Khan & Akif Ilyas

Tehmina Khalid, fashion journalist and owner of a PR company - Take II Client Management/PR and Media Consultants, seen at another lawn promotional circuit was overheard saying that the Pakistani lawn industry stands apart from the rest of the world, its weaving is unique to the country and the fabric is not easy to recreate.

Instead of being cast as a trivial pursuit, it needs to be valued for its potential to boost the image of the textile industry. The tv show had also bemoaned the trend of sidelining local faces in favour of foreign names for the role of brand ambassadors. Nadia has bypassed such controversies by modeling for the billboard advertisement campaign. Though she would be the first one to admit that modeling is not her strong suit and the picture that made the cut was really an out-take.



Nadia also dwelled on the intricacies of the lawn business elsewhere; with more than a 100 people behind a single piece - the collection has been a year in the making.



Umtus Sana (Extreme R), Nadia (Centre)



The Nadia Khan lawn collection is in stores now. According to one source, it will also be available in UK, UAE, India and Bangladesh.

Disclaimer: All Images are subject to Copyright & the Blogger Emmad Butt of Emmad's Lounge does not have my permission to use them. He has been asked repeatedly to take them down to no avail.

Update: 22 Apr 2013. Google took down that post from Emmad's Lounge. Cyber-world laws work faster than those in the real world it seems. Bloggers, always cite sources when you 'borrow' someones work.