Yousuf Bashir Qureshi (YBQ) of the Commune Artists' Colony recently held a show marking the launch of his first collection in Pakistan (“reflecting the hardships of life”) and that of the YBQ Concept Store in Karachi. Prior to the show, there was a lot of speculations as to what he would actually pull off, as the word around was that it involved just two models.Arriving at the venue, I discovered that the main hallway remained shut for about an hour after the designated time, and once it was opened people were ushered in in two groups. Once inside, there was no ramp but only a black floor and a security belt marking the spot beyond which was a floor-to-ceiling screen set up on one wall.
As the lights dimmed, I discovered that the launch was actually a music/fashion video which featured actress/model Aaminah Sheikh and her husband, actor Mohib Mirza. The clothes, both men's and women's wear, were modeled by the duo. YBQ put his signature draping skills to use as the women's wear featured fully-pleated large shirts over chooridar pajamas, almost A-line dresses, straight loose dhoti-styled pajamas, among others. The focus of the video was to show the details of the outfits. The women's wear was completely in white whereas the menswear consisted of crisp dhotis, dhoti-styled pajamas, large pleated shalwars and colourful kurtas, one of which was a bright pink! Paying heed to the music in the video, the models could be seen walking, often moving in a mixture of kung-fu moves and kathak (“I did everything on the spot!” laughed Aaminah) with their moves accelerating and then slowing down according to the sounds.
The video also featured designer chappals and jewellery which consisted of solid metal circular karas, large stoned-crusted rings, etc. The styling was by Sadaf Malaterre, hair and make-up by Ayesha Motiwalla and music by Shallum Xavier.
