A mixed bag of designs & detailing

“There were good and bad designs.”

Singer Abhaya Subba Weise replied to one of the journalists’ queries after viewing the third day of TGIF Nepal Fashion Week. Well, I had a similar opinion on that third and last day of the event.[break] September 15 and 16 saw a ray of hope with better designs that one could actually talk about than the previous two days.

This year for Nepal Fashion Week, the event put together by the IEC School of Fashion and Art and TGIF, 113 designers rolled out their collections at Hotel Soaltee Crown Plaza from September 13 to 16. Dominated by IEC students, the opening day of the show kicked off with Shaadi Mahal, where designers exhibited a range of bridal wear.

However, unlike Abhaya, I was overpowered by the designs that were more of tinkering than serious thoughts. “Fashion is architecture. It is a matter of proportions,” said Coco Chanel once. And this is one of the fundamentals that all the designers should abide by.

After viewing all the designs, I felt that this was the crucial point that was missing in the designs. Designers focused more on detailing--most of them invested their energy on making regular silhouette different by hotchpotch works (those bows, artificial flowers) and extra appliqué rather than working on the overall architectural part. They should have carried both of the aspects simultaneously.

The first sequence—Shaadi Mahal—of the opening day was one of the noteworthy collections along with stylist Neelima Sharma’s sequences. Though it was not Sharma’s creations, she styled the apparels that she handpicked from Thailand and India—Vintage collection being the remarkable one. There were some smart gestures in the firs sequence. For instance: designers gave Nepali touch to bridal sarees with different Nepali jewelries such as gold hammered earrings often seen on women of different communities like Limbu and Gurung.

Second day, there were designs with potential. For instance: the sequence ‘Break Free’ had a soft khaki colored skirt with pink blouse and white Grecian dress with saree palloo like draping. Despite the use of a lot of printed fabrics, designers of the third sequence—Vivacious—were able to harmonize different prints. Another standout look of the evening was a pencil skirt with bolero to match in forest metallic green from the second sequence—Of Course! Office!. Androgynous collection could have used more original ideas; however, its styling was more remarkable.

A few denim designs set the mood right on the third day. Dyed patches on regular looking denim tunics added character to the fabric. One of the tube tunics had halter neckline made out of a dramatic bauble neckpiece and these two different elements clashed beautifully. Bhawana Dharel’s work on the same day had a couple of interesting necklines. Her maroon dress was well-crafted, the upper bodice with ruffles.

The effortless chic style that the show missed was executed by the first two sequences on Thursday—the last day of the event. Minimalistic designs were more appealing than the heavily embroidered creations. Slouchy tailored trouser, khaki colored shorts with pleated waistline and brown dress with vertical smoking can get the market.

Like the emcee of the show Bhumika Thapa said, designs by Bangladeshi designer Aneela Haque were a form of art and it was a travel journal of the designer. The blend of Chinese style with South Asian’s was apparent. Chinese sliding buttons and scriptures were in tune with South Asian silhouette. Flared cuffs and ethnic ornaments added flair to the Bangladeshi designers’ work.

Art inspires, influences and touches life in one or the other way. And clothes are an art form, and one could actually feel that in a handful of designs of Haque.

Crunch in men’s section was felt at the event. On the first and third days of the event, men’s suits could have used proper fitting to leave an impact on the viewers. A linen suit teamed up with a red tie was styled properly by B K Shrestha of Shrestha Tailoring for the third day but short hemline(d) suit pants on the models failed to impress.

Well, even though the number of designers could not match the number of good designs, there were appealing designs scattered in different sequences in the four-day fashion week. Next show should filter the designs and could invite Nepali designers like Nuzhat Qazi and Poonam Rai.