Many designers specialize in cut, but very few have Kamiar Rokni’s penchant for a “Perfect Finish” to a garment. Although just 27, the 5′8 pixie-like Lahorite is raising industry standards with the bold color combinations and perfect detailing of the creations arising from his and partner Maheen Kardar’s fashion house Karma. The multi-talented Libra designs, writes and is eager to create Pakistan’s first Lifestyle Store.

When did you decide to become a fashion designer?
I don’t know when. I think I’ve wanted to become one since I was 5 years old. I know I never wanted to do anything else.

Monsoon, which is though relieving, creates a lot of skin problems. There are high chances of your makeup getting absolutely ruined and washed out. With monsoon showers imperiling a wash down, it’s about time you gear up to face the menacing downpour and still look your best. Here are a few makeup tips.

Make up

Foundation: It is better not to use foundation during monsoon unless you want to get caught in a messy position. Instead use face powder.

Powder:Use powder only sparingly just so much that is necessary to remove the grease off your face and nose.

It’s been 25 years since the fashion industry was first introduced to the phenomenon known as Imran Qureshi. To mark this turning point, we decided to give a bit of a twist to the obligatory interview: we had Imran interviewed by his own choice of journalist. That might not be how most people know famous fashion designer Rizwan Beyg as, but he was in actuality the perfect choice. Not only has he been a much-admired columnist of an English weekly, but he also happens to be great friends with our anniversary boy, and that is how an otherwise straightforward interview turned into a friendly chitchat session.

He sits at the table with his soft brown eyes and floppy hair and I look carefully for gray but there is none. He claims to be 47 but the face and slight build belie his claim. 25 years later Imran Qureshi is still very much a force to contend with and as the founding father of choreography in Pakistan is very much a part of the who’s who in fashion.

1. What is on your mind?

Designs, clients, shops and now fabric.

2. If you had to make an apology, what would it be for and for whom?

Not applicable. My motto is, ‘Think twice before you speak’.

3. Where’s the best place to be?

Rome.

4. What scares you most?

Failure.

Khawar Riaz is known as a star-maker par excellence and has been instrumental in making several careers Zara Sheikh, Farooq Mannan, Ahmed Butt, Arooj, Imran Abbas, Amina Shafat, Danial… the list of stars made by this star makers is endless. Having the Midas touch must make him feel ten feet tall!

“I love unconventional faces - faces that most other people wouldn’t consider exceptional. I sometimes get fascinated by a particular face and imagine how I could go about transforming it. For instance, when Ahmed and Zara came to me, no one would have thought that they had it in them to become models, but I saw their potential right then and there. I immediately knew that they would become the king and queen of the industry. But I had to work on them. I had to give them time, patience, and the right kind of environment. And then they just blossomed and these seemingly ordinary individuals became head-burning beauties. Stars need to be made into stars; there’s always a creator behind them”.

In a place like showbiz where careers are quite short-lived to procure numero uno status is difficult, but what is even more difficult is to sustain it. There is this general impression that Ather Shahzad have managed to keep the fire going, while Khawar’s work, on the other hand, is fast losing its edge.

How would you defend your decline?

“I think I am very successful in my own way. I am still surviving. Success does not lie in people’s praise but in your body of work - what you deliver. If you are satisfied from within, I believe you have achieved it. And this inner satisfaction is far better than keeping others happy, you have to be true to yourself and do what feels right. If you go against your inner being just for some worldly attainment, you will never be happy in the long run. People who play diplomatic games lead very disturbed personal lives. But that’s not the case with me. Thank God!” says Khawar with sheer confidence.

The name “Maheen” is synonymous with impeccable cut, elegant design and a fresh look. In other words, the designs of Maheen Khan speak for themselves and so successfully no last name is required.

The friendly silver haired designer lights up at the thought of her work and enjoys quiet moments spent sitting with her karighars and watching a garment she designed come to life. Her clothes are renowned for their quality and finish. As the styles are chic and timeless, some of her clients are planning to open a Maheen seconds store. In the meanwhile, to the thrill of clients and fans, Maheen herself has reopened her Clifton flagship store after eight long years. In celebration of the exciting moment in her career, the designer talks with Fashion Collection about her love of her work and her love of life.

What makes a woman truly sexy? Is beauty lies in the eye of the beholder? Are voluptuous curves of sex sirens enough to get them in to the list of the county’s sexiest women? Does showing skin in movies of four dimensions transform many a woman in showbiz or modeling world into a goddess overnight? Check out Diva’s pick of five knee-weakening, lust-worthy, desirable divas of fashion & entertainment industry. You just might go crazy from the heat.

In terms of initiation, the eighties rules. Despite the garish technicolour, the empire sleeves, the culottes and the pantaloons, the decade had a regal bearing, one that crashed in with force and would leave its mark for years to come. With this tsunamic wave swept in the making of an industry in Pakistan and when the tide retreated, it left behind the ultimate diva: ATIYA KHAN. As a model Atiya allowed a free imaginative interaction with the clothes she wore. She was versatile, unorthodox and unpredictable, retiring at an unforgivably young age of 21 to explore more stimulating pastures. As an ad-film maker, Atiya was a disciple, learning on the job, allowing her creative prowess to unleash a freedom, which had been stifled in the world of modeling. But it wasn’t long before film-making too reached a point of saturation and she abandoned the career without a second thought, substituting it with the more challenging role of motherhood. Atiya’s recent comeback as a model, member of the fashion fraternity and as a research analyst on Sufism proves that time has lent her a diversity without diminishing her panache.

It’s been five long years since Umair Butt left home to try his fortune abroad and now he’s back with a bang (even if it is temporarily). Fashion designers have been rolling out the red carpet, and why not? After all, Umair Butt was the first male supermodel of the Pakistani fashion industry. Undoubtedly this model has a lot going for him: besides his devastating good looks, he has the sort of casual confidence that only maturity and experience can bring. But perhaps the greatest edge that he has over his would-be rivals is that he is a truly professional by Khawar’s standards. It cannot be denied that in his time, Umair made waves in the fashion world. And if he has returned it is only to garner more honors. So we have Umair Butt, who has eloquently expatiated on everything from Khawar to today’s male model heartthrob Abdullah and marriage.

Have you made a comeback only because you were unsuccessful in Canada and repent for having left the fashion industry?

Nabila has a gentle presence, hardly the intimidating façade you would expect a person with her fame and popularity to have. In a way, she is larger than the celebrities she deals with. Her credibility comes from almost 20 years of hard work. The architecture and interiors of her salons are testament to her philosophy: everything must be underplayed except elegance; styles and their lines must be subdued and restrained, the Zen disturbed only by a dramatic burst of anarchy.

Her passion for discipline borders on desperation to constantly take things higher. “I believe in raising the bar. I just can’t be satisfied in taking what’s given to me. I have to push the limits.”