#LAWNGALORE: Nofil Lawn Spring/Summer 2014.

Shaista Lodhi Opening the show.

Shaista Lodhi is an epitome of happiness, hyper ball of energy and utmost glamour. Her presence on TV screens every morning is like a breath of fresh air. Not only is her way of conducting morning shows, captivating but it engages the audiences to the fullest. Shaista, has a immense fan following of women from all walks of life, who know they can understand and sympathize with her every morning. She’s a friend everyone can turn to, and effortlessly she’s also their ultimate style icon. Whatever, Shaista may choose to wear on morning shows reflects austere elegance and chicly feminine that is inevitably emulated by the rest. This is probably why; Shaista Lodhi is the first choice for the upcoming Nofil Lawn Spring/Summer ’14. Nofil Lawn. 

Nofil Siddiqui along with his brand manager Saad Abbasi and Mohammad Nasir Siddiqui opened the doors of Expo center on the evening of 4^th April 2014 welcoming media members and illustrious celebrities. The red carpet buzzed with excitement as film star Meera stepped on as the esteemed guest of Nofil Siddiqui, carrying her sybaritic aura along with her. While she was donned in an austere elegant outfit by Nofil looking absolutely breathtaking, Frieha Altaf was also present at the show, looking ever-green in a presidential blue embellished and embroidered dress from the collection.

First set of models.

The evening started off with a red carpet, followed by a fashion presentation by illustrious male and female model, as well as fresh faces of AIFD (Asian Institute of Fashion Design). Shaista Lodhi opened the show strutting the ramp, adorned in a floor length gown flattered into flares and belts, captivating the crowd by her presence. A band of male and female models followed her, all dressed in graphically patterned and vibrantly hued outfits which epitomized glamour.

Fayezah Asad Ansari gracing Nofil Lawn exhibition all the way from Lahore.

The female models were dressed in gowns made of chiffon and lawn embroidered cloth which fell loose in rumpled luxury. Some were adorned into billowing dramatic versioned dresses, sheer blouses and fluid jumpsuits paired with clean-cut embodied jackets and flimsy chiffon capes.

New trend alert!

The male models, on the other hand sported sorbet shades of kurtas paired with jeans, which may be the next upcoming trend that needs to be incorporated into style repertoire. The men, not only carried off regal hued, buttoned-up kurtas well, but they almost outshined the female models by their chicly masculine chest baring, buttoned down kurtas with embroidered boarders.

Nofil Siddiqui began his career in fashion after graduating as an engineer in advance manufacturing. Through his euphonious label Nofil Prêt & Couture, he practiced his sartorial creed in men’s prêt line, diversifying his brand overtime to bridal, couture dresses and now lawn.

Nofil aspires to keep his design philosophy simple in creating wardrobe for a woman who is bold and confident yet elegant and graceful. He endeavors at reaching the masses via his Spring/Summer 2014 lawn collection which depicts woman who is independent and rooted to her home-ground. This is why Nofil felt that Dr. Shaista Lodhi was the perfect choice to become the face of his lawn this season. Shaista, is not only influential but is also androgynously chic who’s style is widely emulated by the masses.

Designer Saim also skillfully used his sartorial detailing with all of Shaista Lodhi’s flowing goddess gowns which made her stand out. Shaista, being the muse for Nofil Siddiqui did a brilliant job at wooing the crowd off their feet by her energetic walk and beatific smile.

And if this was not all, music industry’s most eminent singer, Ali Khan swooned the crowd with his mesmerizing performances on “Jane Na Tou” and “Saathiya.” Khan too was wearing a suave ash grey Kurta with velvet black, monogrammed koti and loafers, all by Nofil  Siddiqui.

In all, the exhibition managed to exceed plenty of expectations. Nofil Siddiqui effortlessly marked his way into the audiences’ hearts that seemed blown-away by his presentation. The show not just portrayed his master craftsmanship, but also established his name into the Lawn-markets. It is now safe to say, that by judging the reaction of the crowd after the launch, Nofil Spring/Summer 2014 collection will be met with overwhelming response. The exhibition will remain open to public from 5^th till 6^th of April 2014 at Expo Center, displaying intricate embroidered shirts with flimsy chiffon dupattas and crisp lawn trousers in perfect blends of summery hues like sky blues, sorbet yellows, pistachio greens and bright neons.

The event was managed by Blades event management and the show was choreographed by Imran Qureshi . The PR of the event was handled by Catalyst PR and Marketing.

 

Picture credits: Catalyst PR. H.S Photography and A&M Concept Studio.

 

Fashion For Dummies: NYFW S/S ’14 Part 2.

The live stream crashes, standby-telecasts, and minor glitches continued. And so did New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer ’14.

Harvé Léger

The luxe leather made its dramatic comeback in Fall ’13 and seems like it’s here to stay. For the Spring/Summer ‘ 14, Max Azria for Harvé Léger incorporated fair share of leather into his designs. Although, I’m not too keen on excessive leather, this monochrome dress had quite its appeal on the runway. Its intricate zip and leather design seem to draw attention to the right curves and to the must-have list.

Monique Lhuillier

Metallics was one of the prominent themes followed by the majority of designers at Spring/Summer 2014. Monique Lhuillier being hot favorite among celebrities;  had A-listers from Emmy Rossum to Stacy Keibler and Jessica Lowndes, attend her show. As a famous bridal dress designer and couturier, the scarlet laced and sequined plums were fit for the upcoming Oscar. Howeverm, it was the metallic gold and silvers one that made it to the absolute lust-worthy list!

It was disappointing to see that a high-street brand like Lacosté left the audience high and dry. It seemed like the designers ached to play safe, and by all means, they did. The entire showcase exhibit shorts, tees and  high-school uniformed mini skirts which lacked innovation or a vibrant color regime. The only one that stood out, was the peek-a-boo short laced dress. One could be seen wearing this at the Wimbledon Open, in case of a last-minute wardrobe malfunction.

And adding to our US-open/Wimbledon wardrobe list would be fashion’s biggest: Alexander Wang, Joseph Altuzarra and Victoria Beckham. Where Alexander Wang used pastel colors to portray his tom-boy designs, Altuzarra’s monochrome cape wooed the crowd and gained massive cookie-points. Victoria Beckham’s ‘boy meets girl’ themed show however, remained within restricted hues – flashing this season pink-trend for only two pieces.

Apart from the A-list front row, supportive husband and daughter in tow, the only note-worthy thing about Victoria Beckham’s show was the bag. I can most definitely see this as the next-big-thing for fashionistas!

As a sheer comparison, Mara Hoffman’s runway showdown was everything an onlooker wanted: Charismatic, lively and absolutely enthralling. Ranging from floor-swiping gowns to the minis, her collection was the ‘ brightest and most bold’ collection as yet. She used chiffon cut-out dresses, tie and dye pieces and rainbow dashiki which made every single dress from her collection a lust-worthy one. I wish I had enough blog space to rant about them all, but till then, feast your eyes on four of her best pieces.

Boarding the hippie bandwagon, Katya Leonovich thankfully delivered something with a bit of class. For her Spring/Summer ‘ 14 collection, Katya managed to ‘spring’ together strips and pieces of raw fabric, digital printed silks in vibrant hues and materialize them into A-line skirts and wear-able evening dresses.  Three cheers to the notable effort made  by adding tinge of chic into hippie.

This is where all the boys need to start taking notes under: HOW NOT TO DRESS. EVER.

NYFW S/s ’14 was when “low-fi Southern-bred luxury” of Billy Reid just stopped working. In a 24 pieced collection, he gave us back-to-back fashion to remember. And NOT in a good way.  Some may feel his luxe menswear was rustic, I personally felt it was eyesoaring. A definite fashion no-no. Unless of course, you’re dressing up to repel the opposite sex, then by all means, please continue.

Nautica – an US clothing brand however, did the opposite and set the universe right. Their adrenaline pumping runway was everything men SHOULD and MUST dress like. From the killer abs to lust-worthy sunglasses, Nautica managed to define oomph and menswear in one go!

xx

More to follow FASHION FOR DUMMIES: NYFW S/S ’14 PT 3.