Maheen Karim on elegance, femininity and high street fashion

KARACHI: 

Maheen Karim entered the fashion world in 2006, but had decided she would become a fashion designer much earlier on. “Since I was 13, I wanted to design. From a relatively young age, I wanted to enter this field. So I opted for Saint Martins College of Art and Design and pursued a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing,” she said, in an interview that took place at her Clifton residence.

Karim said she was never interested in men’s wear. “For me, women’s wear has a lot to do with timeless elegance, something that you can call ‘mature fashion’. Women’s wear has to have a very sophisticated style.”

Her design philosophy, according to her, is largely defined by her idea of femininity. “I have never followed trends per se. I would rather choose an elegant woman over a trendy one,” said the designer. “She should sport a feminine and sophisticated look. I design in a way that makes women feel very feminine.”

Karim, who has a successful career to boast, had a story to tell when asked why Oscar-winning film-maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy preferred to wear an outfit designed by her at the Gucci Award for Women in Cinema at the 69th Venice International Film Festival last year. “We are childhood friends and went to Karachi Grammar School together. Since our school days, both of us were termed as ambitious,” recalled Karim. “It’s very kind of her to remember me and to take me along this path. I styled the outfit she wore at the Venice Film Festival, and also wore a tailcoat that I designed when she was receiving an award from the president of Pakistan,” added Karim adding that Obaid-Chinoy owns the largest collection of her outfits.

All set for launching her prêt collection in collaboration with Bonanza, Karim said, “I believe that runway clothes should be on the shelf, where they are available for everyone. Zahir Rahimtoola said he was sure his wife Sheherzad would love to wear my clothes too,” she said, referring to the CEO of Labels. The designer revealed that Shezray and Shehrnaz Husain of The House of Ensemble also encouraged her to step into the high street market and said they would love to wear her clothes from the runway. “With my deal with Bonanza, I am now offering designer wear for high street fashion. It’s just what Kate Moss did for Topshop or Karl Lagerfeld did for H&M!”

With a price tag of Rs3,000 and above, Karim said that she is launching her prêt wear for the common man.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2013.

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Welcome to Veena land: Kisses, publicity and world records

MUMBAI: Controversial actress Veena Malik got kissed 137 times in one minute by 41 males and broke actor Salman Khan’s world record of 108 kisses on Wednesday.

She admits it is for the sake of her upcoming film “The City That Never Sleeps”.

Forty one men, chosen through a contest, participated in the world record on Veena’s birthday. These men had come for auditions of Veena’s upcoming movie.

“I am a celebrity anyway and if you say that it is for publicity, ok, yeah, we need publicity for ‘The City That Never Sleeps’,” Veena said here Tuesday after breaking the earlier record set by Salman Khan of 108 kisses.

“We have to break 20 records for the film and this is one of the records,” she added.

In 2011, Salman had got 108 kisses in a minute on a TV reality show “Guinness World Record – Ab India Todega”.

“Long back we decided that I will break this record on my birthday and now we have to break 19 more records for ‘The City That Never Sleeps’,” Veena said.

“So if you call it publicity, then yes, it is for publicity. Films are for what? For publicity, right?”

When she was asked which Bollywood actor she wants to kiss on the screen, she said: “I would like to kiss the actor who does not like kissing on-screen and he is our ‘Dabangg’ Khan Salman Khan. I think that would be beautiful if we have a kiss on-screen.”

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Islamabad Fashion Week

Always being glamorous and glittering, Islamabad Fashion Week catches designers from in and out of Pakistan.

This time Islamabad Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2012 wil bang with more razzle-dazzle uniting the international fashion designers with that of Pakistanis. The ambiance of Islamabad Fashion Week is highly imganitive and the designer collections are more than a feast to grab.

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Posted in: Fashion,Islamabad Fashion Week

Karachi Council: FPW three opens doors today

KARACHI: 

It took them over two years, a truck load of paperwork and legalities and last minute date and venue changes to finally bring back Fashion Pakistan Week at full throttle.

From April 7 to 10, the council that prides itself for initiating the fashion week culture — popularly referred to as the Karachi Council — hopes to differentiate itself from other fashion events via “content”. The council has certainly managed a coup by getting Bunto Kazmi to open the week alongside other bigwigs like Sana Safinaz and Umar Sayeed plus an assortment of promising young designers like Sanam Chaudhri and Sanam Agha. But while one must wait for the week to unfold to see whether or not FP manages to match the expectations, here’s a sneak peek into what’s in store.

Bunto Kazmi

“Will people stop asking me about my collection,” requests a flustered Bunto Kazmi. “I’m a revivalist not a designer. I make couture, that is made-to-order. How can I design a collection?,” says Kazmi rhetorically. She’s done only four shows in her 30 years of work and despite the fashion explosion in recent times, there is a strong probability that you won’t see her grace the ramp again. “I have had to borrow pieces from my clients to do this show,” asserts Bunto. While she is renowned for her bridals, it is her romance with shawls, tapestries and wall panels that drives her these days. And to prove that she is more than a mere bridal and trousseau designer, she’s showing her interpretation of the Nauroze shawl that captures a Mughal coronation in its regal pomp and glory.

Shehla Chatoor

Till she had showcased at Fashion Pakistan Week two years ago, Shehla Chatoor was a name that fell into the pool of aunties churning beautiful bridals from their home. An array of sexy draped dresses and a showcase later, Chatoor catapulted into fashion fame as a designer with immense dexterity to straddle both the East and the West with equal panache. “I wanted to show both the eastern and the western sensibilities and demonstrate the balance that I have managed to achieve as a designer to do both,” spoke Chatoor of her collection which is aptly titled the ‘Spring Equinox’. While previously Chatoor had steered clear of prints and had opted for solids for her western, luxury pret lines, at FP3 she’s attempting to bring in elements of traditional prints with detailing such as fringes, chains, mukesh, sequins and exotic leather.

Shamaeel

There was hardly a collection as ubiquitous as Shamaeel’s miniature Mughal prints from FP2, which dominated the fashion scene two years ago. From weddings, soirees to even fashion events, there was no escaping that classic-jewelled neckline and Mughal prints that became Ansari’s hallmark.  “The Mughal art is so over now,” dismisses Ansari herself.  “I felt that I needed a departure from what I do without losing my hallmark as a designer. Hence, this time we are taking our signature theme of heritage and mixing it with edgy-cool to showcase a radical collection.” Ansari’s latest collection titled ‘Bouquet’ focuses on spring and is rather fresh in its colour palette and overall look.

Nomi Ansari

On the ramp, he’s known for his flamboyance and theatrics, but off the ramp, you can trust him with a vibrant bridal. But at FP3, Nomi Ansari intends to make a departure from both. “I’m not doing anything avant-garde. All the costumes from previous shows are just hanging in my office,” he says. “This time around, I’m making a very pret-savvy and economical line that can be dressed up or down,” reveals Ansari. The colour palette, however, is very Nomi: a bit of neons and super bright hues for spring.

Baani D

While the sister duo Aneeqa Cheema and Salma Lehsaan have been making funky fusion desi wear for a foreign market for a few years now, FP3 will be their debut show in Pakistan. Their brand, Baani D, focuses on moulding traditional prints such as ajrak according to the demands of a foreign clientele. For their first ramp collection, the duo is taking Fashion Pakistan’s concept of high street to heart and creating lots of separates that retain heritage cuts but are modern enough to be worn on the ramp as well as on the streets. “We’ve got all the provincial signatures together and mixed them for a world fusion,” says Cheema about their collection.

Other designers participating in Pakistan Fashion Week 3

Maheen Khan

Deepak Perwani

Sana Safinaz

Umar Sayeed

Nilofer Shahid

Gulabo

Tapu Javeri

Zaid Bashir (Kuki)

Monsoon

Ahmed Bham

Ayesha Hashwani

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2012.

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Posted in: Bride,Fashion,LIfeStyle