Models walk the ramp in designer Rina Dhaka’s creations at Bridal Asia 2005. (AFP)

If Tuesday evening saw a m?lange of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi designs on the ramp at Bridal Asia 2005, the fashion flavour on Night II of the wedding extravaganza in Delhi was almost all Pakistani.

The second day of the three-day fashion showcasing at The Grand, preceding the annual wedding exhibition, unveiled collections by two Pakistani design stalwarts ? Nilofer Shahid, and Honey and Shazre Waqar.

The cross-border effort went a step further with Indian fashion biggie Rina Dhaka showcasing a special line crafted out of Pakistani fabrics.

“Wednesday’s show was really special for me because my persistent efforts at Indo-Pak ramp collaboration finally came through,” said Diivyaa Gurwaara, CEO, Bridal Asia.

The ambient theme was Imagination, which Nazneen Shafi of The Special Events of Dubai described as being “inspired by John Lennon’s Imagine”.

Tinselled butterflies, silver twigs and an overlay in blue adorned the tables laid under the starry sky, setting the mood for the magical evening. The show opened with Nilofer’s collection ? a “feminine interpretation” of Kahlil Gibran’s The Playground of Life. An exquisite mix of art, history, culture and couture defined the look. The line started with nudes and pale hues to represent “the purity of a newborn” and moved through the youthful aqua, blues, pinks and rusts to pristine white depicting once again the “purity of motherhood”.

“This time I have experimented by creating jewellery on the garments. I’ve also innovated a lot with new cuts in bridals ? a combination of western silhouettes and our traditional wedding gear. In keeping with my inspiration, the line bears old English and Persian influences,” explained Nilofer.

Next on the ramp was a Bollywood diva look by Mumbai-based young designer Surily Goel. Called Salaam Namaste, the line from the Surily label comprised glamorous cocktail wear saris, kurtas, skirts and stylised lehngas teamed with unique blouses. The pink, green, red, black, orange and blue bases were heavily embellished with pearls and sequins.

The metallic shimmer continued in the next line by Honey and Shazre Waqar. Showcasing for the first time at Bridal Asia, the duo from Pakistan unveiled its Maharani collection in bright colours adorned with Swarovski and jewels. The fairly traditional Pakistani wedding line boasted some innovation in the cuts of the lehngas and shararas as well as Indian influences in the form of tie-and-dye prints.

The real fun was saved for the closing sequence ? the first ever collection of Rina Dhaka for Bridal Asia. Theatre veterans Sita Raina and Lussin Dubey (sister of actress Lillete) added an element of drama to the proceedings as they play-acted to the song Yaar dildar tujhe kaisa chahiye?

“My collection is a preparation for the various stages of a bridal function. It starts off with a bride who was a non-bride. There’s something for all age groups ? right from the girlish image to older women,” revealed Rina. And here, too, there was a Pakistani hand ? the fabrics crafted by textile brand Gul Ahmed from beyond the border.

Starting off with white and ivory, the designer moved on to vibrant blues, yellows, oranges and reds. The body-fitted chic uppers were paired with skirts of various shapes and sizes, as well as saris.

The surface ornamentation was varied ? digital prints, beadwork, cutwork, zardosi and chikankari. “I have always been fascinated with fabrics of different regions ? be it Rajasthani, Benarasi, or chikankari from Lucknow. I’ve been working with Pakistani fabrics for quite sometime now and I think they have some great textiles and crafts to offer us,” rounded off Rina.