ISLAMABAD: Stand out instead of blending in and while you are at it, keep it simple. That’s the advice top designers are dispensing to Pakistani brides of 2018 as the wedding season gathers steams.
And unlike the infinite photos of heavy-duty bridalwear dominating social media space, experts are urging brides to swipe right for a minimalistic look for their big day.
“My aesthetic is generally minimal but I like making it slightly edgy by adding on to my look with fun accessories,” Mehek Saeed, the former style editor of Grazia Pakistan, said.
On a personal note, Saeed might draw from her own expertise and experience this year as she gets ready to tie the knot towards the end of the wedding season. “As a bride, I know that I want my outfit to be fuss-free and minimal but also glam,” Saeed, one of the most in-demand stylists from Lahore, said.
In preparation for her big day, she said that she opted to work with designers who were in tune with her requirements and delineated bridalwear in a different way. “I rarely wear anything directly off the rack or from the same brand head-to-toe. It’s important to get max wearability out of what I buy.”
Something which she encourages others brides to do too, especially since bridalwear usually comes with a very expensive price tag in Pakistan. Keeping this in mind, brides often reuse their wedding outfit on other occasions too, by either breaking down the pieces and pairing them with other items or using one statement piece from the overall ensemble to create a new look.
“The designer I’m working with understood this and is making something that I can wear again after my wedding,” Saeed said. Reasoning that it has more to do with minimalism rather than frugality, Saeed said this should be the “preferred way to dress”.
Another designer to join the bandwagon is Hira Ali, who boasts a design portfolio which sticks to her unique and personal style of dressing – something which she hopes to replicate in her own wedding outfit, too. “[We are] all about embracing minimalism. We have an experimental streak and love to apply it to every aspect of design. As a brand, we believe in breaking the mold and the same philosophy is going to be carried forward in my own bridal [dress],” she said.
Both Ali and Saeed had one word of advice for brides-to-be shopping for their “perfect look”. “Just let loose and don’t imagine looking the part”, encouraging them to instead “stand out from the crowd”.
Ali added that laying all expectations on the table was a good way to approach the construction of the outfit. “We like to ask our clients how they want to feel wearing the bridal dress, the look they imagine for themselves and then we turn their dream bridal into reality,” she added.
Saeed, on her part, added that it was important to connect with one’s designer to get the maximum mileage out of the outfit. “List out at least three things that are important for you and let the designer work with the rest. Do not be afraid to speak up or come up with something together that both of you are proud of.”
