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Interview
Trendy and minimalistic
H
ina Butt, the everstylish designer f r o m Lahore is making waves in the fashion industr y. With her unique and youthful designs, she has gained success in a short period of time and seems destined towards greater heights. In this inter view with Lounge, she shares her notions about fashion and her future plans. 1, What inspired you to become a designer?
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I am not a designer myself; I have a well qualified design team with me. 2, How would you define your city’s fashion? Western cuts with ethnic elements. 3, How long has it been for you in the fashion industry? Almost one and a half year. 4, What fabrics do you particularly like to work on? Mostly our work is on
chiffons, nets and jamavars. 5, Previously, you were working on prêt wear. Very recently you ventured into semi-formal and formal collection, what led to that? I wanted to expand my business, plus there was an increasing demand from customers for formals. 6, What are the highlights of this collection? Two-tone shading and traditional embellishment has been used with modern
cuts in this collection. 7, How has the response been so far? It’s been great so far! 8, What is your personal style? Trendy and minimalistic 9, What are the days when you feel most creative? After a relaxing weekend, I feel most creative on Monday and Tuesday. 10, Who are your favorite designers? Elie Saab and Khadijah Shah
by Élan. 11, What is the best part about conceptualizing a design? That it’s unique to ever y designer. 12, What are your future plans? My immediate future plan is coming PFDC fashion week 2012 as we are participating in it. Long term plan includes introducing all fashion related accessories and items under one roof.
Hina Butt
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Accessories
What should one pair a silk kurta with? By Sakina Imani
With so many multiple options of what to pair a simple silk kurta with, women are constantly wondering what to wear and what not-to-wear. In this exclusive article for Lounge, top designers give us their suggestions on what options they recommend for the women of today.
these in blue with blue sequins on top, and then yellow embellished with yellow sequins, orange sequined pants and so on. These can be used as lowers with simple white kurtas or embellished kurtas and work especially well for evening wear. The extra bling adds an extra oomph to the outfit.”
Ayesha Khurram, the woman who made Marilyn Monroe famous in Pakistan “At my last fashion show for Showcase, ‘I paired kurtas with sequined pants which were a big hit.’ The sequined pants featured a single color and I especially chose bold colors for the pants so we did
Deepak Perwani “It mainly depends upon the affordability, designer’s vision and the kind of kurta. But I personally think colored tights in bold colors look very trendy with simple and elegant. Colored tights really add oomph to an outfit, and help take it to the next level.”
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Top designers hold forth on what to wear and what not to wear
Adil Sartaj “I believe that kurtas should be paired with sequined pants as it looks extremely trendy and stylish. As of now, I’m working on harem pants; they are loose, flowing and extremely comfortable.”
Saira Rizwan “I’m doing a lot of digital prints, so I think for now the mood is silk pants in bright, bold colors which can be paired with digitally printed shirts. Since the mood is very fashion forward at the moment, the right thing to do is to go for brightly colored pants which immediately uplifts the outfit and creates an impression.”
as tie and dyed tights for the more daring clients.”
Aisha Alam “My clothes are minimal, elegant and based on a pastel color palette. I personally believe in breaking color with the lowers you opt for so simple beige colored churidars or a plain crisp pair of palazzo pants in a white or brown look very chic.” Afsheen Mehboob “Since I mainly do semi formal and formal outfits, I am opting for a lot of embroidered and embellished trousers which compliment silk and brocade shirts very well. Since I am no longer doing floor length shirts, the trouser is becoming more essential than ever for the dress.”
Uzma Hai “I am not a big fan of the big, wide ankled palazzo type pants which to my mind are somewhat shapeless and not very flattering. I am a big fan of more body hugging and sleeker pants with a narrow silhouette. That’s what I am recommending to all my clients.” Madiha Ibrar “I am doing a lot of block printed tights! I am doing a lot of tights dyed in colors to compliment the outfits my clients are wearing as well
Nida Ali “I believe in vibrant colors and patterns. If the shirt is pink, spice it up with a yellow pair of tights with a bright pink band around the ankles or if you are wearing a blue shirt then wear a pair of black pants with light blue trimmings. Adding color in fun ways can be a great way to spice up an outfit.”
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Recipe
Jalapeno-Blue Cheese Burger
Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef 6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped 1 cup crumbled blue cheese 2 tablespoons finely minced onions 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons soy sauce 6 slices provolone cheese 6 hamburger buns, split 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup ketchup shredded lettuce (for topping) 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions: 1 In a bowl, combine beef, jalopeno peppers, blue cheese, onion, garlic, soysauce, and salt totaste. 2 Mix well, and form into 6 patties. 3 Grill patties on grill and cook 7 minutes on each sideor until done. 4 Place slice of cheese on top of each patty, cover grill, and grill until cheese melts. 5 Combine mayonnaise and ketchup, and spread on bottom of each bun. 6 Top with lettuce, and serve.
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Books
Of two popular Urdu magazines Both have a long but eventful history By Syed Afsar Sajid
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luminaries of the arts that have ceased to be, ghazal, nazm, short stories, autobiography, an interview, and book reviews etc. Quality of the creative stuff included in the journal seems to be the chief concern of its editorial board, headed by Siddiqa Begum whose commitment to literature and the allied arts is widely acknowledged. Articles on Anis Nagi, an innovative but outstanding literary artist; Professor Dr. Shahryar of the Aligarh Muslim University, a reputed poet and educationist; Syed Fakhruddin Balley, an eminent intellectual and literary critic, and Lutfullah Khan, a renowned archaeologist, researcher and aesthete are quite absorbing and informative, Adab-e-Latif too. The sections of verse The magazine enjoys the (ghazal and nazm) and unique distinction of being short stories carry the works edited by literary celebrities of a mix of junior and like Fikr Taunsvi, Kanhaiya Adab-e-Latif (September 2012) senior poets and fiction Lal Kapoor, Faiz Ahmad Chief Editor: Siddiqa Begum writers. A long extract Faiz, Mirza Adeeb, Ahmad Editor: Shahid Bokhari from Tariq Mahmud’s Nadeem Qasmi, Mumtaz Address: 39-Green Acres, Raiwind Road, Lahore autobiography (under Mufti, Arif Abdul Matin, Pages: 328; Price: Rs250/compilation) revives the Qateel Shifai, Intizar memories of a scary chapter Hussain, Kishwar Naheed, Mustansar Hussain Tarar from our national history The present issue of the – the ominous dismemberment of and Masood Ash’ar at different points of time. It celebrated the magazine contains some critical Pakistan following the emergence of 75 years of its uninterrupted essays, a travelogue (last portion), Bangladesh. reminiscences of some leading publication in February last year. Lastly, the magazine is expected dab-e-Latif and Urdu Digest are two popular U r d u magazines from Lahore with a long but eventful history. The first was founded by Ch. Barkat Ali (eminent father of its chief editor Siddiqa Begum and pioneer of the reputed publishing house Maktabai-Jadeed) in 1935 whereas the latter by Dr Ejaz Hasan Qureshi and Altaf Hasan Qureshi in 1960. The fact that these periodicals have managed to survive against heavy odds, for over three to two quarters of a century respectively, speaks fairly about their standard, credibility and popularity among the reading public.
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That these periodicals have managed to survive against heavy odds, for over three to two quarters of a century respectively, speaks fairly about their standard, credibility and popularity among the reading public and their possible solution provides us a food for thought. The cover story about the new Egyptian president Muhammad M u r s i Urdu Digest (Sept 2012) highlights Chief Editor: Altaf Hasan Qureshi the rapid Managing Editor: Tayyab Ejaz Qureshi but positive Address: G III, 325-Jauhar town, Lahore s o c i a l , Pages: 288; Price: Rs90/political and economic to interest the readers for its rich changes textual fibre and variety. in that country, wrought by the Revolution. Their socio-political Urdu Digest implications for the contemporary Laid on the pattern of its world scenario, especially the prestigious prototype, the world- Muslim countries, can hardly be famous American magazine ignored. Reader’s Digest (b.1922), Urdu The portentous letter of Lady Digest has gradually established its Maryam Jinnah (aka Ruttie), name and fame as a compendium Quaid-e-Azam’s esteemed second of information, knowledge and wife that she addressed him from entertainment in the Urdu world. France (where she was being treated Its handy size, engaging lay out, and for cancer) in October 1928, is diverse reading material constitute an innocent expression of her the baseline, as it were, of its unbounded love and reverence for popularity. him. In this backdrop, Syed Asim As usual its instant issue too Mahmud has made an apt appraisal contains a potpourri of material of the Quaid’s matrimonial life in on religion, politics, fiction, the context of his lofty pursuits and poetry, ethics, education, history, concluded that he sacrificed even biography, sports, health, humour his personal life on the altar of his and what not! A veteran political exalted mission – the realization of analyst that he is, Altaf Hasan the dream of Pakistan! Qureshi’s editorial essay focused on Saleem Ahmed (1927-83) – the problems besetting this country critic, writer and poet – was a
literary genius and ‘an institution unto himself’. Renowned critic Muhammad Hasan Askari was his venerable mentor. Saleem Ahmed would often call into question established literary notions and stir new literary controversies with superb self-confidence and stylistic felicity. His book titled Nai Nazm Aur Poora Admi is stated to have ‘caused tremors that jolted the entire literary world of the IndoPakistan subcontinent’. The instant issue includes a sizeable portion dedicated to the memory of the late writer. Articles on his person and art by Dr Tahir Masood, Siraj Munir, Shah Nawaz Faruqi (who thinks that Saleem Ahmed had transformed the genre of prose into an art akin to what he would term as the ‘choreography of language’), Sabir Waseem, Fateh Muhammad Malik and Sara Shagufta are quite revealing. Wasi Shah’s tribute to late Shahzad Ahmed revives the memory of another literary stalwart and prodigious intellectual of our times who made a deep impact on the contemporary literary scene with his accomplished ghazal and prose writings on poetics, philosophy, psychology, and science. He was serving as the director of Majlis-eTaraqqi-e-Adab, Lahore, at the time of his demise. The rhythmic continuity of the month-wise publication of the magazine together with the spicy variety of its contents is a clear indicator of the fact that it enjoys a large but responsive readership.
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Art
The Colourist By Nadeem Alam
Landscape painting in Pakistan has engrossed many modern and traditional aspects in the last two decades
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n the late nineteenth century, the impressionists tried to capture the effects of changing light through quick and rhythmic brush movement and dabs of fresh
paint. In this course, they explored the value and potential of RGB (Red, Green, Blue) light theory and took into account the caliber of a camera. Monet, Pissarro, Sisley and Seurat explored the
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shimmering effects of light through their dynamic palette. All this practice, added new meanings to the already established idiom of landscape painting. When Pakistan came into being,
painters like Ustad Allah Bakhsh, were among the founders of Pakistani art, especially the landscape painting. Later, when Khalid Iqbal properly practiced and taught the modus operandi of this style to the students, the first generation of academic landscape painting emerged in the shape of Zulqarnain Haider, Aslam Minhas, Ghulam Rasul and Khalid Iqbal himself. These pioneers caused the younger lot to be inclined towards this colourful genre, and they adopted it with diverse techniques. Some painters accepted the defused and faded
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palette of Khalid Iqbal, and some explored the stylization of Ghulam Rasul. However, even among the academic art students, few adopted the dynamism of Allah Bakhsh. Apart from these established influences, there were artists who went for nontraditional conceptual landscape; Zubeda Javed was the main exponent of that style. Munawar Mohiuddin is a painter of colours and light when we talk about his landscape painting. He always feels proud to be associated with the landscape school of Khalid Iqbal, which prevailed in the Fine Arts Department and infused many to adopt this genre at the highest possible skill level. Munawar Mohiuddun loves to paint nature, and his obsession is to capture light. This unsullied luminosity brightens every corner of the Punjab Planes daily; it adds more colors to its flora and more fragrance to its soil, simply to allure Landscape Painters. Munawar is a designer as far as his degree goes, but later he developed a strong love for painting and especially landscape painting. When he was studying in the Fine Arts department, he used to have a walk on the Mall to reach Al-Hamra Arts Council, where he often found a painter near Ferozsons who used to paint portraits of common people for some coins. That painter became a source of inspiration for Munawar, which forced him to become a painter ultimately. He, in the process of learning, came across with the impressionist school of painting, where changing light was the main object for a painter while everything else was described in dabs and drags of fresh colours. Munawar tries to capture the colours of his homeland in that technique where he finds himself enjoying playing with his palette and brush. In his early period of painting, Munawar was interested in figurative style and always preferred to paint figures as the main objects of his paintings with landscape to serve as backgrounds only. One day a critic told him, “In your paintings, the landscape is more appealing and absorbing rather than your figures.� Later, Munawar experimented and concentrated on the landscape painting only which, was appreciated and accepted by the viewers with open heart. Munawar has a strong inspiration of Khalid Iqbal as far as Pakistani landscape painting is concerned, while he observed painting style and technique of Eduard Monet as well. The Impressionistic approach is closer to his heart as the human sentiments and feelings could cause colours to express what a painter sees rather than what they are, in reality. That is a reason why Munawar uses vivacious and bright colours. He is a painter who paints nature and its colours to capture the effect it casts, not the form it creates!
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