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Ushering in the
New Year! By Sumeha Khalid 2013 is just around the corner. It’s time to celebrate and welcome the New Year. And it is also a time to look back and ruminate on the year that is just about to turn into oblivion, mulling over the good and the bad that happened to us. But for those of us who always tend to look to the future with optimism, it is also the kind of twilight zone to reflect on new resolves for the year that is about to dawn. Lounge has talked to some leading personalities from fashion and showbiz world to find out their views about the year that was! Here is how they responded. Happy 2013 to all our readers!
Afreen Shiraz Creative Director/Consultant Ellemint Pret, Ellemint Salon et Spa What’s your New Year resolve? A: Oh lots, really!! But for now I guess I would like to start my day early and hit the gym regularly. Besides plans are off the drawing for expansion of Ellemint Pret along with lots of other activities and events chalked out for the New Year. How and with whom do you plan to spend the New Year? A: We’re spending New Year with friends and my sister who is visiting from abroad. What’s your fondest New Year memory? A: Being with my hubby and close ones. What are your plans for 2013? A: Work wise I’m planning to expand Ellemint Pret in 2013 along with diversifying the brand. How do you look back at the year that was? A: Year 2012 was wonderful and consistent for me. Not only did my two businesses Ellemint Pret and Ellemint Salon et Spa did good business but we have by now become a dependable and sophisticated brand that delivers quality. And that is also something we are known for. We have a loyal client base, for both the salon and the outlet, who continue placing their trust in us. So in a nutshell, 2012 has been amazing and I look forward to an even better 2013! Besides work, I also managed to spend a lot of time traveling – something I love!
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Faakhir Singer/Composer
What’s your New Year resolve? A: I will try my best to only ‘preach what I practice’! How and with whom do you plan to spend the New Year? A: With my family and friends. What’s your fondest New Year memory? A: When I spent a large part of my New Year’s eve, trying to save an injured kitten (that I had spotted on my way to a party) at a vet clinic. What are your plans for 2013? A: I am not good at making long term plans – I know it’s lousy but that’s the way I am. I live for the day everyday as it were my last and try to take life simple and easy. To be honest, it’s really been so far so good till now. How do you look back at the year that was? A: 2012 was a satisfying year for me. I successfully revived my musical journey after a fairly long sabbatical. Shrugged off my laziness and rust and I’m really enjoying making music again.
Nazia Malik
Fashion Designer
What’s your New Year resolve? A: To enjoy every minute of the new year ahead… To work hard and party even harder! How and with whom do you plan to spend the New Year? A: I’d like to spend New Year’s eve with family and really close friends. What’s your fondest New Year memory? A: I think I had the best New Year’s eve celebration at the turn of the millennium. I was in London at the river bank and had never seen such a great show of fireworks. And I had my closest friends by my side... It was surreal!
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What are your plans for 2013? A: In 2013 I plan to get healthy – start a good exercise routine and wok super hard. I love what I do! How do you look back at the year that was? A: The past year had its highs and lows. That’s life and that’s what makes it special, all in all, a good year.
Sofia Naveed Lari CEO SNL Design Studio
What’s your New Year resolve? A: My New Year resolution will definitely be to plan things way in advance and leading a healthy and balanced lifestyle. How and with whom do you plan to spend the New Year? A: Definitely with my husband Naveed. This New Year’s eve also will be our fifth wedding anniversary. What’s your fondest New Year memory? A: I got married on the New Year’s eve! So for me every New Year’s eve will hold a very special meaning. It will be one of the fondest memories ever. What are your plans for 2013? A: I’m planning a lot of things for my brand SNL for 2013. Emphasis will be on participating in international exhibitions and fashion shows. How do you look back at the year that was? A: 2012 has been a great year for me. I achieved a lot in the year that was, by the grace of Allah. I have been doing great business and developed a loyal clientele both local and international from my SNL Design Studio and also from the various outlets where I stock. So with a successful year 2012 under my belt, I am now all set to take on year 2013. I foresee many successful years ahead of me with SNL becoming a household name – a brand to rely on for all your fashion needs!
Maheen Karim
Fashion Designer
What’s your New Year resolve? A: To enjoy every minute of the new year ahead… To work hard and party even harder! How and with whom do you plan to spend the New Year? A: I’d like to spend New Year’s eve with family and really close friends. What’s your fondest New Year memory? A: I think I had the best New Year’s eve celebration at the turn of the millennium. I was in London at the river bank and had never seen such a great show of fireworks. And I had my closest friends by my side... It was surreal!
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What are your plans for 2013? A: In 2013 I plan to get healthy – start a good exercise routine and wok super hard. I love what I do! How do you look back at the year that was? A: The past year had its highs and lows. That’s life and that’s what makes it special, all in all, a good year.
Frieha Altaf
CEO Catwalk Productions
What’s your New Year resolve? A: Well, it’s always easier said than done but I would like to dedicate more time to my family - a lot more family trips and outings; would like to spend some quality time with my loved ones. But that by no means is going to imply that I won’t be able to bring in new ideas and fun ways in my events. I am looking forward to Veet Celebration of Beauty which is going to be the biggest event of the year and the launch of my dream project, Frieha Altaf School of Style. I also resolve to stay curious. I have always believed that if you replace the fear of the unknown with curiosity you can go a long, long way and this resolve has helped me get where I am now because I have never been scared of new areas to explore, rather I thrive on such things. How and with whom do you plan to spend the New Year? A: I think New Year’s has a different meaning for everyone. For me, I will be celebrating the New Year’s Eve at Zong’s bash of the year. I am really looking forward to bringing in the New Year with my friends and party the night away at this event. New Year day of course will be spent at work but as I said previously in my resolve I will be spending the first evening of the new year with my family. What’s your fondest New Year memory? A: I have so many great memories of new year but last year’s China Mobile party was a super hit and one of my favourite New Year’s bash. Another fondest memory was the New Year’s night I spent with Saqib Malik and friends at the beach with a bonfire in 2005. What are your plans for 2013? A: More work, more events, more launches, more brands, more innovation, more fun and more love. I am always looking forward to new challenges in 2013 as I always believe that challenges are there to make you better and stronger. Life would certainly be easy but so much less fun. I am hopeful that the coming year will prove to be as eventful as the year that we are bidding farewell to. How do you look back at the year that was? A: 2012 was a happening year to say the least. We witnessed the loss of a lot of legends this year, renowned personalities like Ardesher Cowasjee, Whitney Houston, Yash Jee, Faizan Peerzada and so many more. But I would like to look back remembering all the stars who rose to stardom.
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Fashion 2013
What’s in store for us! With 2013 around the corner, Lounge talked to some List ‘A’ creative fashion designers to find out what is in store for us in year 2013 By Sumeha Khalid Fashion in 2012 saw a surge of styles and trends. While volume was a serious consideration for the fashionconscious, towards the second half of the year we saw it taper down and inch more towards the ankles. Hemlines became round and shirts ankle skimming. Detailing was an important aspect of designing with each designer interpreting fashion in his/her own perspective. Prints gave way to solids and we saw monotone shades rule the fashion scene like never before. Two-toned shirt was a hit as was printed pant and pallazzos. However, with 2013 around the corner fashion is set for innovation and experimentation. Lounge talked to some List ‘A’ creative fashion designers to find out what is in store for us in the year 2013.
Nida Azwer Q: Fashion in 2012… A: For formal wear I did a lot of angkhara’s, jackets and lovely izar’s this year. I also designed lots of classy farshi gharara’s with panel shirts. As add-ons I used lots of lace and lame. As for colours, blues and sea greens, with hints of saffron and ivory were predominantly used in Nida Azwer outfits. Q: Hits and misses of 2012… A: Very short shirts were not my favourite so we didn’t do any of those. For pret, we used a lot of signature gold screen prints. We introduced pulkhari, shadow work and kalami embroideries for craft revival in Pakistan. Q: Fashion forecast for 2013… A: 2013 will see slightly higher shirt lengths and slightly tapered silhouettes. Q: Cuts and colous that will rule in 2013… A: Spring/summer 2013 will see a lot of fresh vibrant colours.
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Sahar Atif (Saai) Q: Fashion in 2012… A: 2012 was a year that built up further on the long shirts and flowing silhouettes. It’s about time for a change and we look forward to 2013 giving us that breather of shortened hem lines and tapered shirts. Pret designers have stepped forward and done great deal of innovation in cut lines of wearable clothing adding a lot of variety to our everyday wear. Making us fashionable every day! Q: Hits and misses of 2012… A: Hits: Coloured and printed pants, and misses: Floor length maxis. Q: Fashion forecast for 2013… A: Hem lines have always been a pivotal part of trend forecasting. Finally 2013 will be giving us some relief from the floor length shirts which will be inching up to the knee. The excessive volume we have played with in 2012 will be taking a straighter shape which will be a breath of fresh air. Q: Cuts and colous that will rule in 2013… A: By simplifying the cut line, it by no way means we will not be making a statement. If not the cut, colour will be the tool to wear our statement on our sleeve. Anything bold, vibrant and cutting edge will work this season. To put it simply - all colours that pop! Oranges, reds, magentas, shocking pinks, electric blues and the list goes on. The power of print will now start to trickle into our formal wear as it continues to reign our summer lawn wardrobe.
Sofia Naveed of SNL Q: Fashion in 2012... A: 2012 was all about a very colourful palatte. I employed vibrant colors and colour blocking in my eastern as well as western ensembles. I accessorized my outfits with metal studs and chain belts. And of course, how can we not mention prints from head to toe? After colour blocking, that has been a great trend all this year, head-totoe prints were very much seen on the local runways. Also plain colour block tops with printed palazzo pants. Dress it up or down with a beautiful necklace and you became a trend setter. Jumpsuits and floral pants were a highlight of the year 2012. Q: Hits and misses of 2012… A: Plenty! Q: Fashion forecast for 2013… A: 2013 will be a psychedelic year again. We will see a lot of colour. Casual shirts will be tapered and knee length teamed with skinnys and tights. Flared printed pants with short tops will stay in fashion. Clothing needs to have a style, it needs to be bold and bright and the 2013 fashion trends will follow the same rule – only bigger and bolder because this gives clothes a personality. Q: Cuts and colous that will rule in 2013… A: Different patterns and cuts will be introduced in 2013. As for colours, oranges, blues, lemons, reds and olive greens will rule.
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Aasia Wasay Q: Fashion in 2012... A: Fashion in 2012 was a blend of ethnic and contemporary cuts envisaging our cultural heritage and traditions. Designers were profoundly inspired by our very own “truck art” which conspicuously became the style for the consumers both in A and B socio economic class. Colours such as water melon, pink, sulfur, yellow and tomato red were dominant on the fashion scene. Textures in brown, plum and rustic tones were equally popular amongst all ages and spoke volumes about today’s emancipated woman. Patchwork, rilli patterns, ajrak appliqués, animal based and traditional Mughalinspired embroideries were also some of the prologues of the year 2012. Flared flamboyant silhouettes, gown and cape styled shirts, kaftans had an over-whelming influence till the end of 2012 together with block screen and digital prints. Solid colors were once again seen but this time in more fun and youthful shades. Palazzo printed pants and Dhaka pants came back in fashion and soon got accepted by the fashionistas while chooridars remained a hit amongst the younger lot. 2012 was more about single colour base fabrics adorned with embroideries, beautiful patchworks, motifs and bejewelled embellishments. To sum it up, 2012 made today’s woman more freespirited and modish at all ends; where the aspiration was to look chic yet elegant in one’s own unique style. Q: Hits and misses of 2012…
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A: Less is more! 2012 was all about grace, elegance and comfort where the exceedingly heavy work was not preferred. Printed shirts became archaic and left a diminishing effect by the end of 2012 while straight shirts became a talk of town once again - with round daman and 12-inched chalks giving a modern tapered look and feel to the whole kurta. Flowy diaphanous fabrics such as malai linens, silk and shamoos rocked the fashion world at both high and low ends resulting in an increased demand of the said fabrics. Q: Fashion forecast for 2013… A: Trends change but fashions tend to repeat with a little bit of twist and turns in it. Rustic tones and animal prints on single textured shirts will take the lead in 2013 and flowy shirts with a lot of detailing on sleeves, neck and daman will sprout again. Boleros and short koti’s will make a dramatic comeback and in addition to it abstract metaphorical prints will be dazzling the fashion scene in 2013. Silhouette shirts in rich ornate fabric with polkas, rubies, emeralds and other stones will continue to charm the modern women. Patyala shalwars will be catching the attention of all those longing for ghaire wali shalwar. In 2013 brides would prefer lots of pastel, subdued pinks and purple and conventional red sand whereas the working women would yearn for comfort, style and grace in the outfit. Q: Cuts and colous that will rule in 2013… A: To stay in fashion it is but imperative to keep on reinventing and experimenting with the colour palette. Yellow continues to bring a sense of excitement and playfulness, this time the attention is on brighter shades. For the summer of 2013, the focus is on rich tomato-inspired reds and deep crimson pinks. Orange is still important but we are more interested in less-athletic and more sophisticated orange shades. Seafoam is currently proving to be a commercially profitable colour for the spring 2012 season and we are seeing it evolve into a lighter, more washed-out colour as it reaches the 2013 summer season. Salmon and peach shades are also going to take on a new bleached look. Other most wanted styles for 2013 include 70�s inspired fashion (sheer maxi shirts, bohemian tops, net crochet blouses, and uneven hem lines) polka dots, striped square cuts, colour-blocking and tons of bold prints and patterns.
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Books
A new tradition of poetry Muhabbat ki Kitab and Poetry of the Taliban, the subject of this review, are two indigenous but valued additions to publishing galore By Syed Afsar Sajid Muhabbat ki Kitab Ayub Khawar is a well known poet, TV producer, director and dramatist. The present book comprises his fourth verse collection. It is a versified story of an innocent, sinless young couple (Sumbal Afraaz and Zafar Ehtisham), who falls prey to an act of terrorism. The heterogeneous imagery of the poem is riveted on the cellular phone, the mirror, the sunrays, the wind, the evening, the moon, the sea and a host of inanimate objects bustling with, as it were, kinetic energy aimed to illustrate the inner turmoil of the unfortunate couple. The poet has grafted some of his published verse to the present book considering that it synchronizes with the dominant mood or
theme of the instant poem. The emblematic story of the poem starts from one Valentine Day and ends on the other. Shams-urRahman Farooqi eulogises the author for his creative fecundity focused on the kindred genres of poetry and drama in this book. Dr. Enver Sajjad regards it as a meaningful comment on the current political scenario drenched in the bloody bog of terrorism. M u st a n s a r Hussain Tarar
The poet has grafted some of his published verse to the present book considering that it synchronizes with the dominant mood or theme of the instant poem. The emblematic story of the poem starts from one Valentine Day and ends on the other 46 I December 30, 2012
thinks that Ayub Khawar has lent a new dimension to the fateful story of a romantic couple entrenched in
Muhabbat ki Kitab By Ayub Khawar Publisher: Ilqa Publications (Readings), Gulberg II, Lahore Pages: 177; Price: Rs.295/-
Some members and adherents to the Taliban movement are purported to have authored the poems (235) included in this book that pre-eminently bear ‘the universality of the poetic impulse’ a new tradition in Urdu poetry is yet another feather in Ayub Khawar’s studded cap as an outstanding literary artist following his earlier poetic collections viz., Tumhain Janay ki Jaldi Thi, Bahut Kuch Kho Gaya Hai, and Gul-e-Mausam-eKhizaN.
Poetry of the Taliban Translated by: Mirwais Rahmany and Abdul Hamid Stanikzai Edited & introduced by: Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn Publisher: Oxford University Press, Karachi Pages: 200; Price: Rs.695/a hostile environment raging with terrorism and class struggle. Amjad Islam Amjad views the book as a verse drama meant for the younger generation with a concurrent appeal to the elderly, wistfully dreaming of an unrealizable Utopia. Gulzar applauds the prosodic-cumsyntactical virtues of Khawar’s poetic art vis-à-vis its three major dimensions namely poetry, music and drama. The doleful progression of the plot of the story from euphoric romance to horrific realism and its ominous denouement terminating into the void of nothingness has been depicted by the author with a remarkable stylistic grace. To conclude, the book heralding
Poetry of the Taliban
S o m e members and adherents to the Taliban movement are purported to have authored the poems (235) included in this book that pre-eminently bear ‘the universality of the poetic impulse’. Its contents ‘draw upon Afghan tradition and the recent past as much as upon the long history of Pashto, Persian, and Urdu verse’. Some common themes of these poems are ‘unrequited love, vengeance, the thrill of battle, religion, and nationalism – even a yearning for non-violence’ – that might prompt the reader to peep into and study ‘the hearts and minds of these warriors’. The poems are divided into six sections that bear self-speaking titles like Before September 11 (poems composed before 9/11), Love and Pastoral (lyrical poems), Religious
(versified prayers and invocations), Discontent (poems expressing dissatisfaction about several topics), The Trench (war songs), and The Human Cost (poems about the suffering entailed by the conflict). Besides, the book carries a preface by Faisal Devji of the University of Oxford and an elaborate introduction by ‘Ghazi Portraits’ in addition to the glossary of names and terms and the bibliography. The poems are variegated in form – elegy, epistle, ghazal and landay – with a somewhat repetitive symbolism, the rose and the turban occurring frequently in their text. Personifications, as also abstractions, abound. At places the imagery is Gothic meant to promote the Taliban cause. In between there is a poignant juxtaposition of the heroic with ‘victim’ poems, as a reviewer has observed. ‘Not politics, but identity’ seems to be the reigning trait of these poems. As such they prompt the reader to rethink his assumptions about the Taliban and their cause without reverting to any political agenda besides projecting a thought process about Afghanistan, their homeland, ‘outside the usual tropes and patterns’. The ‘Introduction’ aptly sums up the commentary on the book thus: “The perspective that they (these poems) bring is a new one. It is one that allows the reader to appreciate those who comprise the Taliban as human beings (regardless of what actions they may have taken), and, as such, shed light on who these people actually are, and what they stand for as individuals.”
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