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Vinnie's new avtar
She's been walking the runway for almost 15 years, but never
could a fashion show have meant more to Vinnie than the one set
up for the launch of her spring/summer 2007 collection of V9 lawn
prints. She wasn't on the ramp that night, but her credibility
was. Here was Vinnie reinventing herself as fashion entrepreneur
and there was proof enough that she would be a hit at it…
By
Aamna Haider Isani
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night belonged to Vinnie like never before. There at the artistic
shed of the Karachi Commune, all fragments of the fashion and entertainment
industry were taken in and somehow wielded together as one. They had
all come to show support for the gorgeous woman who had always made
so many of their fashion shoots seem a bit more beautiful. Nomi Ansari,
Deepak Perwani, Umar Sayeed, Rizwan Beyg, HSY, Sonya Battla, Karma,
Shamoon, Shahzad Raza, Yusouf Qureshi, Amean J…the list was
endless and it extended to musicians like Zeeshan Parwez, Uns Mufti
and even Ali Azmat. Always on the trail to new designers, Zahir Rahimtoola
was obviously there to pick out any new potential and Amin Gulgee,
who had lent his jewelry to the show, followed accompanied by the
one and only Gulgee himself. |
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It
was a night that crackled with energy; where icy chilled cans of Red
Bull flowed freely instead of coffee and hor d'ouvres replaced the
lavish banquets that often accompany sponsored shows. The low-lit,
smoky air of the shed provided a groovy reception to people who had
navigated their ways through the confusing and run down gallis of
Old Queen's Road to make it to the newly created hub of fashion that
night. Vinnie had invited the world to witness her transition and
she had put her finances, credibility and future on line. A huge risk
to take, there was never a doubt that she could or would go wrong.
There never has been any doubt that is anyone could structure a business
out of the expertise they hold, it would be Vinnie. Where most models
in Pakistan tend to fizzle out with time, pursue parallel careers
on television or retire to get married and have babies, Vinnie is
the only professional after Frieha Altaf who has remained committed
to the cause of fashion. V9 is the first step. This year she got six
different designers to visualize what could be done with the fabric,
but next year, she confirmed she would be designing her own line.
It wouldn't be hard to imagine Vinnie taking a bow at Pakistan Fashion
Week at some point. |
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Her plans don't stop there. Stepping on this roller coaster ride that
Pakistani fashion is fast becoming, Vinnie has plans to branch out
even further. V9 will progress to Casa V Casa, she confided to Instep,
CVC being her line of bed linen. And with home accessories she plans
to stock big. Unable to stock her lawn collection last year as the
exhibitions were all sold out, Vinnie also confirms plans of opening
up her own outlet by next year.
With all these plans buzzing in the air, it was no surprise that her
debut show as designer was marked for success. Back to the show, with
people packed in the shed, the delay in starting the show provided
ample time for the industry insiders to catch up on latest gossips,
forecasts and chit chat. It was indeed a noisy bunch that was eventually
steered into the runway area.
With Vinnie as shepherd, there were no doubts that the show would
boast of fashion's top models and there they were: Iman, Iraj, Nadia,
Sunita, Tooba, Fayezah, Sanam, Misha, Gia, Rubab, Neha and the new
Nadia Ali. Maliha Naipaul has never really made it as a professional
model but her appearance just added to the air of camaraderie already
present. ZQ and Tanya were missed. Shahzad Raza out did himself this
time, as far as styling goes. With an individual look given to each
girl, there was a trendiness to the way they looked and of course
Shahzad managed to do that without compromising on them looking beautiful.
With HSY on the choreographer's seat, it was indeed a winning combination.
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| Sonya
Battla |
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| Simple,
when compared to the other collections, Sonya's take on V9 was actually
the most elegant interpretation of Vinnie's V9. There was no embellishment
to overpower the prints and she played with the silhouettes to create
spring/summer resort wear. Worn with wide hats and flip flops, Sonya's
collection was light, airy and very elegant. The white skirt Tooba
wore was a dreamy, floaty vision while Fayezah's blouse was bohemian
and funky. This collection established that no one has a strong hold
on western prêt like Sonya. |
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| Nomi
Ansari |
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| Known
for his eccentric relationship with colour, Nomi showed his mettle
with the cat-suit he designed using samples of all prints made available
to him. It was an interesting and unpredictable piece and though thoroughly
impractical in terms of Pakistan, he showed the world that he was
well capable of taking the western route to Pakistan Fashion Week.
Surprisingly, Nomi was also the first designer that night to bring
the shalwar onto the runway. He created the dhotis in full glory,
stamping his collection with a definite signature. Bravo! |
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| Karma |
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| When
it came to adaptations, Karma made sure that their signature wasn't
lost in translation. Their version of V9 was a mixed bag that covered
a bit of everything with finesse: the frocks, the delicately embroidered
tunics worn over trousers and the multitude of coloured ribbons that
reminisced Karma collections of last year. The clothes were structured
very gracefully and one could imagine being seen wearing one of the
embroidered shirts to a dholki or even mehndi. This was endorsement
of what Karma can do for fashion. We believe that is a lot! |
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| Deepak
Perwani |
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| Deepak's
collection was fun to watch and HSY's well tuned choreography made
sure the 'fun' stayed in 'funky'. Suddenly it began raining men and
as Martha Wash crooned in the background, a handsome assembly of male
models walked in wearing enjoyable versions of V9 for men. Devoid
of much fuss, the orange line presented kurtas, sherwanis, shalwars
and more and though one couldn't say whether they were all that practical
beyond the metrosexual members of the fashion industry, it sure was
enjoyable to watch. Deepak's few pieces designed for women, however,
were delightfully uncomplicated and wearable. |
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| HSY |
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| If
you've ever seen a proud peacock fan out its feathers, you'll understand
the pride and excitement HSY boasted in showing the full range of
his creativity that night. Hassan's collection referred to the sixties
and his levels of experimentation just showed how far this bright
spark would go with prêt and couture alike. There were cotton
coats and frocks; there was menswear as well as embellished tunics
for women. There was daywear and party wear and everything gelled
well because Hassan gave it all his signature twist while keeping
the fabric alive. |
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| Umar
Sayeed |
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| The
finale was monumental for one reason: it marked Umar Sayeed's debut
on the runway. As always with Umar, the embellishments were impeccable,
from those on the casual shirts to the more formal contemporary peshwases.
Umar has got a definite hold on the craft which is why he's always
been heralded as one of the great bridal designers of Pakistan. But
all that got lost when interpreted on the very informal character
of the fabric. The fully embellished sari blouses that he juxtaposed
with printed wraparound skirts and his westerns didn't work. However
the UB (Umar Sayeed and Batul Rizvi's collaborative prêt label)
influence rode in, presenting some very fine and wearable ethnic ensembles
including smartly tailored tunics worn over jeans. This may have been
a nervous start for the designer, but one awaits the day he shows
his couture in full glory on the ramp! |
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| --Photography:
Faisal Farooqui |
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