TBCW 2015 Roundup: The Good and The Ugly Part II

Now *sigh* on to the difficult part. Even though this ought not to be the case, being fashionably late and a bit of haphazardness especially on the last day is quite the norm at fashion weeks. Since I am not just a victim but also a perpetrator of the former sometimes, I wouldn't mention that here. And I think I speak for a LOT of people when I say the commercials being played endlessly really get on the nerves, as important as it might be. But this post is not about such troubles.

Here I am just going to mention the few things that stood out, and not in a good way.

Volunteers sitting in the first row while journalists and other media members present to cover the show seated at the back really appalled me. I love fashion weeks so I am always tempted to just sit back and enjoy the show. But I am also a journalist and a blogger, so my presence there makes more sense and puts more responsibility on me to cover the event properly. The perfectionist in me compels me to make my own notes there and then and not rely on the press kits given to us.

And it just breaks my heart that someone like me would be treated like this and I similarly feel for my other journalist and blogger friends too. It is quite demotivating. Moreover, the volunteers are there for assistance. These poor young girls don’t know anything about anything and seem more scared and confused than anyone else. They might have been instructed to fill the seats if the show starts, but they should be on the lookout and give the seat up as soon as they see a guest in need of one. This fashion week in particular, did not do much to help them as there were no labels on the seats, or rather vague ones like, ‘media’. I am confused as to how much they can be blamed alone.

As I saw, the second day, there were three volunteers sitting in the front row and calling their friends from the back to join them. They were also sitting in different rows at different points to hold the seats for some ‘important people’.

Non fashion fraternity invite list was something else that confused me to the extent! Sau baat ki ek baat, it is a fashion week, you need promotion and media, only media will give you that. Be smart with the invite list. I did not see a lot of people that should have been there and way too many families there to do something fun over the weekend. This just shows your priorities. The invite list can be about creating a good pr too, but again it is to be with the media and not your personal contacts.

Call me whatever you will, but the souvenirs are something I really look forward to, too. And I get extremely agitated if mine get stolen, of course. As unrealistic as I might be, I expect the crowd at such events to be classy but I am always left disappointed. Despite the fact that there were three volunteers at my row alone, my souvenirs got taken away by some lady in the 10-15 minutes that I was late. Makes me wonder what those girls are even standing there for. Upon asking one to get me a set since I will be writing about everything and explaining everything to her, she told me she'll get me one in a while. She then went right in the front to enjoy the show and very conveniently came back at the end of it to tell me she could not find anything. She probably did not know, I could see her not doing a thing!

What’s more is, upon expressing my concern to a lady of authority there, she out rightly just pointed out that this happens in every fashion show, is not surprising or new. ‘Loag tou chaltay chaltay utha ke le jatay hain. You come on time, you get stuff.’ I was already upset at what had happened and quite hurt by her attitude and the response I got from her. *sigh*

This one is for the ones who handled pr for the fashion show. I talked to the CEO of the company for not more than two minutes perhaps, and she was nothing but a sweetheart during that time. So this pains me when I say, the management had quite a few lackings on its part. I think she really needs to make a proper team soon because she clearly has a long way to go and lack of a proper team is what’s stopping her. Among other things, I did not get the pictures for the event on time even after mailing them. I have never gotten a reply from them, I have started doubting if it’s even their correct email address though it could very easily be just the reason I mentioned earlier. Even after I asked one of my friends to forward me the mail they sent to others, the links just contained four pictures per designer which is too less! Even the other pr team sent the pictures 4-5 days after the fashion week had ended. This is one reason I am so late at posting about the event.

I’d love to know what you think and what you agree/disagree with. Leave a comment below!

SSK

TBCW 2015 Roundup: The Good and The Ugly Part I

Let’s face it; it has been a little over a week since the Telenor Bridal Couture Week 2015 ended, which is more like a decade in the fashion world, and no one wants to hear, see and talk about it any more. So I’m just going to cut to the chase and make it short and simple.

I present to you, the best things about the fashion week and the complete turnoffs!

                                            
    

Top: HSY   Middle: Mansoor Akram   Above: Sana Abbas   Below: Zainab Chottani

  

  

The breathtaking collections are obviously the most important part of a fashion week, and rest assured have the power to make or break the event. Every fashion week witnesses some really good collection while some just fall short of expectations. But there are those few that become synonymous with the show they are showcased at. At the top my head, HSY, Mansoor Akram, Sana Abbas, Zainab Chottani are the few that were able to make a long lasting impression credit to their creative geniuses!

  

TBCW 15, like some previous ones, opened its arms, so to speak, as a creative platform to international designers. Amato Haute Couture from UAE really stood out with its fairytale elegant gowns, something the local fashion scene lacks. The absolutely gorgeous designs belonged nowhere else other than the red carpet and I sincerely hope that we get to see a few of our ladies donning the pieces promoting the many movies that are slated for release soon.

The general population gets really excited to see their favourite stars in a never-before kind of avatar walking the ramp, waving and flying kisses around. I believe its an important part of the entire glamour associated with such events and really provides the boost in energy, which sometimes becomes necessary as the crowd gets cranky sitting through the collections which are not always too enjoyable and waiting through innumerable breaks and ads from sponsors. The songs and dances are enjoyable either way.

Frankly, this one surprised me as well and I never thought I would notice something like this so much. But the perfect combination of presentation, pairing and designs caught my attention like a collection should of a spectator at a fashion show. Mohsin Naveed Ranjha, who himself seems to have some modelling potential, paired all my favourite models together (what a coincidence) who looked gorgeous in their beautiful wedding attires, tin suitcases and laaltain pouches. Take a look at the pictures and if you’re still not convinced, just know that Zurrain Imam and HSY stopped the show too. Need I say more?

  

Left: Ayesha Ibrahim   Right: Sadaf Kanwal   Bottom: Omer Shahzad

The fashion week also brought forward a few designers new to the bridal couture under the Telenor Karo Mumkin initiative. Ayesha Ibrahim’s collection was quite impressive and the work showcased by others was worthy of applause too. The selection process and its credibility remain in question though, since I don’t know anything about it, I won’t comment. The initiative is encouraging nevertheless. A male (Omer Shahzad) and female model (Sadaf Kanwal) were also picked to be awarded the style and excellence award. A little birdie told me they got a cell phone as gift! 

To be continued...

SSK