Hajra Hayat isn’t out there to create a bang or hoopla. She isn’t one of those to stick out a feather, expose a leg or come up with crazy colour combinations just to attract attention and establish herself as a fashion ”visionary” simply because she’s also not a fortune teller - she is a designer who designs for the ‘now’.

Hajra Hayat is known to design outfits that are ”wearable” as her outfits are always aesthetically pragmatic. Despite several innovations, in a show this Lahore-based designer held in Karachi recently, it was evident that she hasn’t deviated much from her design philosophy.

Other than the fashion shows doing periodic rounds, the biggest newsmaker in the industry was the breakup between two design and/or retail houses.
Perhaps the one industry that has managed to withstand and survive the sociopolitical drama that the country went through in the past year is the fashion industry. The activity within the industry may have suffered a momentary setback due to the imposition of emergency in the country and after Benazir’s assassination, but it bounced right back on track soon after. The fashion shows that were held off were rescheduled and held in both cities - and continue to do so on a somewhat regular basis.

Ather-Shehzad is professionally a single entity shared by two men who have become the media and fashion industry’s most favoured - and most controversial - names. They are favoured by celebrities and models for their volte-face photographic and, more recently, make up techniques to transform the fair-to-middling into unforgettable faces. And controversial, for beating their rivals on a common turf. Ather and Shehzad could not have been better rewarded for gliding smoothly out of the ‘others’ shadows than winning the Lux Style Awards two years in a row.

Audiences were awestruck as sultry Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley walked the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) ramp for fashion designer Varun Bahl. “Varun is very talented, in fact the right word for him is ‘creator’. I have landed in Delhi from London this morning just for his show, to support him,” Celina said Saturday.

The show “Unpredictable - A Tribute by Bahl for Essenza Di Wills” was conceptualized to reflect the designers’ happy state of mind.

“My collection has loads of bright colours and is very young,” Bahl told IANS after the show.

When it comes to accessorizing that special outfit, the scarf is the one item you want to have in your wardrobe. The scarf is the perfect accessory as it can add pizzaz to any outfit from the perfect little black dress to a business suit or your favorite T-shirt and jeans outfit. The scarf can add a sensational look making even the plainest outfit into a fabulous fashion hit. You should try to have a variety of scarves such as the pashmina, cashmere, fleece, silk and the scarf belt, then you will be ready for any occasion.

It’s hardly getting as much attention as it should be at the fashion week, what with models, designers and the who’s who of India’s entertainment industry around. But Anita Ahuja’s store ‘Conserve’, with its colourful and trendy bags made out of recycled plastic, is surely making its presence felt.

Nestling close to the scores of stores of fashion gurus at the venue of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), which shows off their glitzy designer collection, ‘Conserve’ has bags, slippers and jewellery in a variety of colours and shapes lining up its shelves.

Bollywood elites don’t like mingling with her, others make fun of her, but the popularity of bold and ‘bindaas’ Rakhi Sawant is growing by leaps and bounds. Post Sony TV’s “Bigg Boss”, she managed to appear on Karan Johar’s swish chat show “Koffee with Karan” and now she is doing an item number in Rakesh Roshan’s “Krazy 4″. “Look at my good fortune, I’ve been signed by Rakesh Roshanji to do an item song in ‘Krazy 4′. I had tears in my eyes when Rakesh Roshanji called,” said Rakhi, who was seen in bit roles in “Chura Liya Hai Tumne” and “Mumbai Express”.

Bollywood star Amrita Arora looked wild as she walked the ramp, while twirling around several times much to the audience’s pleasure, at designer duo Shane and Falguni Peacock’s show at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) Sunday. Moving away from their usual embroidery-laden designs, the Peacocks this time experimented with more of gemmed and jewelled embellishments for their garments.

“Our collection is generally associated with heavy embroidered clothes. But this time we have tried to do something different by embellishing the clothes with a lot of gems, beads and jewels giving the collection a more funky and fun look.

Hrithik Roshan, the newly-appointed brand ambassador of Kolkata-based hosiery manufacturer Rupa & Co Ltd, Monday launched its new range of briefs and vests, called MacroMan M Series, and said that he can identity with the brand on a personal level.

“I am excited to be associated with this collection. I can identify with the brand on a personal level, as it is everything that I am. When it comes to selecting my innerwear brand, I am very choosy and would settle for nothing less than brands which are attractive, stylish yet comfortable,” said Hrithik at the launch function.

One of the world’s biggest fashion fairs will have a twist of something sweet and desi this year. The Germans have invited the big wigs of the Pakistani fashion industry to grace the event with their talent and skills. Big players such as Karma, Asifa, Nikki of Nikki and Nina, Naila H Maqbool, Ammar Belal, Maria B and others are expected to participate in the fair. Towards the end of July, Dusseldorf will serve as a platform for our leading designers to parade their creations to represent the true culture of Pakistan. It seems that the world is eager to see our hot couture and we think it’s quite amazing. So, all we can say is… Way to go people!