HUM Style Awards – a night of recognition and glamour

The Pakistani fashion industry is blooming. Take one look at some of the leading designers and events happening in the country and anyone will agree. Shehla Chatoor has broken new ground with her intricate cuts and remarkable fabric. And the Lahore-based Republic By Omar Farooq is becoming synonymous with bespoke. There has never been such a wide variety of fashion sensibilities in the country before and events such as Q-Mobile HUM Style Awards are a sharp turn to where the booming fashion industry is headed.Just before Q-Mobile HUM Style Awards goes on-air, Community gives an insider view of what went on the glitzy stage of celebrities.Even though the event featured talents exclusively from the Pakistani music industry, the spot-on choreography and sizzling performances made one wonder why Nida Butt had not taken the charge long before.Hosted by the new face of the Pakistani film industry, Ahmed Ali Akbar, the evening was a wonderful mesh of many elements. The script did fail at times, as some hosts went on impassive, mindless banter that wasn’t even remotely funny – at these times it seemed like the hosts had forgotten they were on stage and spoke as if they were having a mundane conversation somewhere. Other hosts of the evening, Adnan Malik, Aamina Sheikh and Ayesha Omar did do a good job; but it was Ahmed, the new boy in town, who left others far behind.It won’t be erroneous to say that the opening and closing acts are the primary tools to gauge the success of any event, and the Q-Mobile HUM Style Awards did not disappoint. The Zalima duo, Umair Jaswal and Meesha Shafi (who also took away the award for Most Stylish Female Performer), shook a leg with a perfect first-ever performance.It was a fantastic night of racy performances – some of them a lot of fun, like Saba Qamar’s rise to dance and those thumkas even after a wardrobe malfunction. The girl’s got confidence.Patently, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin’s performance obtruded on stage with a musical tribute, flashing back to the 90s with Nazia Hassan’s music. However, tribute and flashbacks are very old concepts now and have lost steam even in the West. It raises concern that limits are not being crossed, boundaries are not being broken and we are not thinking outside the box in terms of such tribute performances.And then, the truck art jacket by Rizwan Beig, the one Ali Zafar was wearing during his performance with Sohai Ali Abro, was the only on-spot thrill in that performance.The retail industry has really upped its game since 2010. It was that year when Pakistan truly welcomed ready-to-wear with open arms. Generation could have really taken the trophy for the category of Retail Brand of The Year – their stitching, cuts and fabric are all fantastic and their prices make them a coveted designer for every working woman. But the award went to Sapphire, the brand that really got the retail ball rolling. It wasn’t really the best choice for the winner this year. Lawn jorras (dresses) are the talk of town during the summers and lawn has come into its own over the last few years, bringing into limelight with it the importance of textile industry in Pakistan. Khadija Shah has expansion on her mind, and she owns what she does. No one puts the kind of effort she does into her fabric or campaigns; and the loyalists keep coming back for the quality, not caring about the stampedes at venues around Pakistan. In this lawn wars, Khadija Shah walked away with the trophy for Elan.Men’s fashion has seen a convivial and an off-centre take thanks to Munib Nawaz and Nauman Arfeen, while Amir Adnan is the go-to designer for everyday eastern wears. Yet there’s no denying the sharp tailoring that comes from Republic by Omar Farooq, which brought international cuts to the fore in Pakistan. He has done tremendously well for men’s wear and him walking away with the trophy yet again was not a surprise at all.Hannan Siddique has shown he’s an all-rounder with his prowess over hair and makeup and he took the trophy for Best Hair and Makeup home. But can newer entrants like Hannan beat out the beauty titans Toni & Guy and Nabila?The Fashion Photographer of the Year category had a mix of photographers who have perfected their own style. Shahbaz Shazi gets bigger and better every year and his claim to the trophy is inarguable. But Abdullah Haris has given us some great conceptual shoots with a boho feel and could also have been a winner. Well not this time. Never mind.The recognition award for styling was presented to Nabila, and the one for designing to Bunto Kazmi. The most stylish film actor male and female awards were bagged by Humayun Saeed and Mahira Khan, respectively. Mahira wore an off-shoulder Rizwan Baig Sarri, slaying it well and showing us why she’s the most graceful actress of our times.It was a double triumph for Faraz Mannan, who bagged the Best Bridal award again after Lux Style Awards.Amna Baber brings a sexy appeal to the ramp that only she can with her exotic features, full pout and piercing gaze. Standing tall by her side is the dead ringer for Jake Gyllenhall, Shehzad Noor – the two took home the best male and female model awards.Glitz and glamour was one of the centrepieces of HUM Style Awards, and the best stylish television actor went to one of the most dressed out star of the evening, Hamza Ali Abbasi. Syra Yusuf won the best stylish television female actor award.While the show lacked the presence of some major stars of the Pakistani entertainment industry –Fawad Khan, Sanam Baloch, Mehwish Hayat and Bushra Ansari to name a few – HUM has patently raised the bar for acknowledging the fashion and entertainment of Pakistani industry.