12th Lux Style Awards 2012 Nominees Reviewed: Music and Fashion
Finally, they're back! And I'm excited. THE biggest event of Pakistan's entertainment industry is here and the Nominees for the 12th Lux Style Awards, 2013 were announced today. Here they are and my opinion on them.
I am a music fanatic, it's pretty obvious. When someone asks me if I listen to Indian songs, I honestly reply NO, I only listen to Pakistani Music. Thus here I am, an honest Paki Music lover reviewing the 12th Lux Style Awards Music Nominees for you.
Best Album
What I think about them: Sajjad Ali might be the old one here and Ayesha's sound is very confused, but two very strong contenders are Usman Riaz and Sajid & Zeeshan. Both are uber talented and their music speaks volumes of their creativity. Usman Riaz might have played with Preston Reed and be a TED Fellow (which gives him obvious perks) but Sajid & Zeeshan are no less. One of them should win.
Song of the Year
What I think about them: Now if you're going for talent and musicality point of view, I believe Sajjad Ali and Overload are in the lead. Overload is Pakistan's version of The Pretty Reckless (trust me, good Taylor Momsen's attitude and you'll see what I mean, plus, i'm a pop culture fanatic) which happens to never hold back when it comes to experimentation, their single Ankahi really blew me away. Sajjad Ali's single is so him and beautiful; critics-loving stuff. Pi Jaon by Farhan Saeed is good but it is a very safe song that caters to mainstream, something of a pro and con.
Best Emerging Talent
What I think about it: This one is very hard to judge as everyone in this category is rightfully placed and very deserving. This new crop of talent is experimental with lyrics and their videos and are keeping up with the trend of using social media as their medium to reach out. All of them are popular with the youth. Considering how the jury for LSA's might be old people, I think the people at LSA's need to put this one to a vote. But my vote is a tough choice between Naseer & Shahab and Ahmed Siddiqui (or Siddiq). But I'm thinking the LSA's are gonna go for either Faris Shafi or Mooroo. Hard to judge.
Best Music Video Director
What I think About it: Tough one. Almost all the videos are really good. But I think Farhad Humayun has got this one covered. Though Hammad Khan is a talent to beat.
Best Female Model (Model of the Year - Female)
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="1903,1904,1905,1906,1907" orderby="rand"]
What I think about it: Amna Ilyas hands down. Her walk is "her walk", she does print brilliantly and she's got the perfect figure (and age too, I might add, unlike other models) to be on top. The rest are just...what to say...old and tried. Though one must agree that there aren't much models in Pakistan and our Fashion industry is in dire need to find fresh faces (with proper figures and attitudes), but for the time being, these will do (will they?) Plus, she's the prettiest of them all!
Best Male Model (Model of the Year - Male)
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="1908,1909,1910,1911,1912" orderby="rand"]
What I think About it: I personally like none of the Pakistani male models (too much following of international trends has done this to me). Overweight and fat and too much muscle. They're not some guys I would like to see at a Gucci show (nor would I find any like them). But they are what we have, and they are also what "Pakistani Guys" aspire to be. Anyways, coming back to the point, I like how Abbas Jafri stands out among them all. But Waleed is everyone's favorite model. If I were to go by saying whose got the attitude, looks and can carry the clothes very well to deserve the award, then I would go with either Abbas Jafri or Jahan-e-Khalid.
Best Fashion Photographer
What I think about it: Azeem Sani impresses me. He's good (but when you find out he's a graduate of Civil Engineering from UET, that impresses even more). We all are familiar with Guddu Shani's work (there's too many new kids on the block to take their place now though). Fayyaz Ahmed is ok. Nadir Firoz Khan is goood (and very popular)! Rizwanul Haq does the job well too. I personally have a feeling that it's gonna come down to Nadir Firoz Haq. He's just too good. The runner up for me is Azeem Sani. He's might not have big brands like lo'real to his name (like Nadir Firoz Haq) but he's got it.
I personally feel that it's not only about the photographer in Fashion Photography. Stylists too play an important part in making a fashion photo stand out and look good.
Best Hair and Make-Up Artist
What I think about it: In Pakistan, Bridal make-up is all the rage. So the creative part of fashion is left a little bit in the shadows. This competition is very very tough. But if had to go down to two of the strongest stylist(s) nominees then I would go for Juju Haider & Shammal Quraishi at Toni&Guy, Lahore and Maram Azmat and Abroo Hashmi. Raana Khan is pretty good, but she needs to let her wings spread free and soar a wild if she wants to do more than be good at bridals.
Achievement in Fashion Design – Luxury Prêt
What I think About it: All nominees are well deserved (though I do feel Sana Safinaz should be there in the list), so it's going to be tough one to choose from. In terms of talent, Sania Maskatiya has emerged as little bird that can fly through this hell of a fashion storm but she has much to prove. Shehla Chatoor is a winner for me here, though Khadija Shah isn't far behind.
Achievement in Fashion Design – Prêt
What I Think About it: Feeha Jamshed all the way. That girl knows how to rock Prêt like one should, and her young age plays a lot into it. If I were to choose who would be there to try and beat her (that might be a very hard battle to win) Sania Makatiya might be it. She might not win the Luxury Prêt category, but chances are she might win this one if Feeha doesn't.
Notice Sana Safinaz missing here too
Best Menswear Designer
What I think About it: There's a severe shortage of menswear designers in Pakistan so there's not much competition here. Republic by Omar Farooq is not only the critics' favorite, but it's actually the modern day man's favorite too. It's the best menswear available in the country right now so they HAVE to win. Ammar Belal needs to show more and be present here in Pakistan and work (he's off Studying at Parsons) I feel it's unfair to have nominated him. Ismail Farid is good and Amir Adnan is just lost. Ahmed Bham has a long way to go, but he's defintely on the right track.
Achievement in Fashion Design – Lawn
What I think About it: Sana Safinaz hands down. The hype and brilliance of their prints is unmatched, along with the price for quality. Khaadi might be another strong contender here. Since there were more than 100 designer lawn collections out this year, I think it's unfair to the other plethora of designers that came out with their lawns to have nominated the already big guns of fashion, since I can assure there are a lot better lawn collections out there than Orient's. Pareesa Lawn by Chen One, I feel, should be on this list.
Best Emerging Talent
What I think About it: Misha Lakhani is a good designer and a talented girl. Saima Azhar is cute and Sana Sarfaraz is the Lana Del Ray lookalike that's a very pretty face. But no one can beat the talent that guy Abdullah Haris has. He's, in my opinion, way better than a lot of well known and out there photographers in Pakistan and no one deserves this award more than him. Ok, maybe Sana can win too (she's a really good model), but if justice exists (even though we know how much politics plays into the LSA's) Abdullah should win.
MUSIC
- Please click on the song/album links to listen.
I am a music fanatic, it's pretty obvious. When someone asks me if I listen to Indian songs, I honestly reply NO, I only listen to Pakistani Music. Thus here I am, an honest Paki Music lover reviewing the 12th Lux Style Awards Music Nominees for you.
Best Album
- Chahar Balish by Sajjad Ali
- Circus in the Sky by Usman Riaz
- Khamoshi by Ayesha Omar
- Naubahar by Dynoman
- The Harvest by Sajid & Zeeshan
What I think about them: Sajjad Ali might be the old one here and Ayesha's sound is very confused, but two very strong contenders are Usman Riaz and Sajid & Zeeshan. Both are uber talented and their music speaks volumes of their creativity. Usman Riaz might have played with Preston Reed and be a TED Fellow (which gives him obvious perks) but Sajid & Zeeshan are no less. One of them should win.
Song of the Year
- Ankahi by Overload
- Jaag by Jarar Malik
- Kahani Purani by Mooroo
- Katna Nae by Sajjad Ali
- Pi Jaon by Farhan Saeed
What I think about them: Now if you're going for talent and musicality point of view, I believe Sajjad Ali and Overload are in the lead. Overload is Pakistan's version of The Pretty Reckless (trust me, good Taylor Momsen's attitude and you'll see what I mean, plus, i'm a pop culture fanatic) which happens to never hold back when it comes to experimentation, their single Ankahi really blew me away. Sajjad Ali's single is so him and beautiful; critics-loving stuff. Pi Jaon by Farhan Saeed is good but it is a very safe song that caters to mainstream, something of a pro and con.
Best Emerging Talent
What I think about it: This one is very hard to judge as everyone in this category is rightfully placed and very deserving. This new crop of talent is experimental with lyrics and their videos and are keeping up with the trend of using social media as their medium to reach out. All of them are popular with the youth. Considering how the jury for LSA's might be old people, I think the people at LSA's need to put this one to a vote. But my vote is a tough choice between Naseer & Shahab and Ahmed Siddiqui (or Siddiq). But I'm thinking the LSA's are gonna go for either Faris Shafi or Mooroo. Hard to judge.
Best Music Video Director
- Farhad Humayun for “Ankahi”
- Hammad Khan for “Ane de”
- Sohaib Akhtar for “Khamoshi”
- Taimoor Salahuddin for “Awam”
- Taimoor Salahuddin for “Kahani Purani”
What I think About it: Tough one. Almost all the videos are really good. But I think Farhad Humayun has got this one covered. Though Hammad Khan is a talent to beat.
FASHION
Best Female Model (Model of the Year - Female)
- Amna Ilyas
- Ayyan
- Cybil Chowdhry
- Mehreen Syed
- Rabia Butt
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="1903,1904,1905,1906,1907" orderby="rand"]
What I think about it: Amna Ilyas hands down. Her walk is "her walk", she does print brilliantly and she's got the perfect figure (and age too, I might add, unlike other models) to be on top. The rest are just...what to say...old and tried. Though one must agree that there aren't much models in Pakistan and our Fashion industry is in dire need to find fresh faces (with proper figures and attitudes), but for the time being, these will do (will they?) Plus, she's the prettiest of them all!
Best Male Model (Model of the Year - Male)
- Abbas Jafri
- Ather Amin
- Jahan-e-Khalid
- Shehzad Noor
- Waleed Khalid
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="1908,1909,1910,1911,1912" orderby="rand"]
What I think About it: I personally like none of the Pakistani male models (too much following of international trends has done this to me). Overweight and fat and too much muscle. They're not some guys I would like to see at a Gucci show (nor would I find any like them). But they are what we have, and they are also what "Pakistani Guys" aspire to be. Anyways, coming back to the point, I like how Abbas Jafri stands out among them all. But Waleed is everyone's favorite model. If I were to go by saying whose got the attitude, looks and can carry the clothes very well to deserve the award, then I would go with either Abbas Jafri or Jahan-e-Khalid.
Best Fashion Photographer
- Azeem Sani
- Fayyaz Ahmed
- Guddu Shani
- Nadir Firoz Khan
- Rizwanul Haq
What I think about it: Azeem Sani impresses me. He's good (but when you find out he's a graduate of Civil Engineering from UET, that impresses even more). We all are familiar with Guddu Shani's work (there's too many new kids on the block to take their place now though). Fayyaz Ahmed is ok. Nadir Firoz Khan is goood (and very popular)! Rizwanul Haq does the job well too. I personally have a feeling that it's gonna come down to Nadir Firoz Haq. He's just too good. The runner up for me is Azeem Sani. He's might not have big brands like lo'real to his name (like Nadir Firoz Haq) but he's got it.
I personally feel that it's not only about the photographer in Fashion Photography. Stylists too play an important part in making a fashion photo stand out and look good.
Best Hair and Make-Up Artist
- Creative Team at Nabila
- Creative Team at Tariq Amin
- Juju Haider & Shammal Quraishi at Toni&Guy, Lahore
- Maram Azmat & Abroo Hashmi
- Raana Khan
What I think about it: In Pakistan, Bridal make-up is all the rage. So the creative part of fashion is left a little bit in the shadows. This competition is very very tough. But if had to go down to two of the strongest stylist(s) nominees then I would go for Juju Haider & Shammal Quraishi at Toni&Guy, Lahore and Maram Azmat and Abroo Hashmi. Raana Khan is pretty good, but she needs to let her wings spread free and soar a wild if she wants to do more than be good at bridals.
Achievement in Fashion Design – Luxury Prêt
- Shehla Chatoor
- Iman Ahmed at Body Focus
- Khadija Shah at Élan
- Maheen Karim
- Sania Maskatiya
What I think About it: All nominees are well deserved (though I do feel Sana Safinaz should be there in the list), so it's going to be tough one to choose from. In terms of talent, Sania Maskatiya has emerged as little bird that can fly through this hell of a fashion storm but she has much to prove. Shehla Chatoor is a winner for me here, though Khadija Shah isn't far behind.
Achievement in Fashion Design – Prêt
- Feeha Jamshed
- Iman Ahmed at Body Focus
- Sanam Chaudhri
- Sania Maskatiya
- Wardha Saleem
What I Think About it: Feeha Jamshed all the way. That girl knows how to rock Prêt like one should, and her young age plays a lot into it. If I were to choose who would be there to try and beat her (that might be a very hard battle to win) Sania Makatiya might be it. She might not win the Luxury Prêt category, but chances are she might win this one if Feeha doesn't.
Notice Sana Safinaz missing here too
Best Menswear Designer
- Ahmed Bham
- Amir Adnan
- Ammar Belal
- Ismail Farid
- Republic by Omar Farooq
What I think About it: There's a severe shortage of menswear designers in Pakistan so there's not much competition here. Republic by Omar Farooq is not only the critics' favorite, but it's actually the modern day man's favorite too. It's the best menswear available in the country right now so they HAVE to win. Ammar Belal needs to show more and be present here in Pakistan and work (he's off Studying at Parsons) I feel it's unfair to have nominated him. Ismail Farid is good and Amir Adnan is just lost. Ahmed Bham has a long way to go, but he's defintely on the right track.
Achievement in Fashion Design – Lawn
- Khaadi by Khaadi
- Mahnoush by Arjumand Amin
- Orient by Deepak Perwani
- Sana Safinaz by Sana Hashwani & Safinaz Muneer
- So Kamal by Elan
What I think About it: Sana Safinaz hands down. The hype and brilliance of their prints is unmatched, along with the price for quality. Khaadi might be another strong contender here. Since there were more than 100 designer lawn collections out this year, I think it's unfair to the other plethora of designers that came out with their lawns to have nominated the already big guns of fashion, since I can assure there are a lot better lawn collections out there than Orient's. Pareesa Lawn by Chen One, I feel, should be on this list.
Best Emerging Talent
- Misha Lakhani (Women’s wear designer)
- Abdullah Haris (Photography)
- Natasha’s Salon (Hair & Make Up Artist)
- Saima Azhar (Modelling)
- Sana Sarfaraz (Modelling)
What I think About it: Misha Lakhani is a good designer and a talented girl. Saima Azhar is cute and Sana Sarfaraz is the Lana Del Ray lookalike that's a very pretty face. But no one can beat the talent that guy Abdullah Haris has. He's, in my opinion, way better than a lot of well known and out there photographers in Pakistan and no one deserves this award more than him. Ok, maybe Sana can win too (she's a really good model), but if justice exists (even though we know how much politics plays into the LSA's) Abdullah should win.