The enchantment and glitz of a perfect Saturday night, and with the true spirit of a star-studded affair, Hum Style Awards 2020 kickstarted the year with a bang. Held at Expo Center Karachi, the Hum Style Awards was indeed filled with glamour and graced by big names of the fashion and entertainment industry and turned out to be a compendious evening. The red-carpet ceremony began with a spark with megastars including Reema Khan, Tariq Amin, Zara Noor Abbas, and Mira Sethi among many, walking along and flashing their brightest smiles and deluxe attires. However, the zing started to fade after a few hours, turning into a drabber experience, and the diminutive size of the red carpet relative to previous years just added to the walk being shorter and people getting bored quickly.

The event turned out to be unusually timely, and before it was half past nine, the hall was filled and the show about to begin. The stage was remarkably gorgeous with the graphics setting a starry-night mood, mirroring the space with so many of the industry’s stars. Though the hall space was relatively cramped, making it appear congested at a few spots, especially when there was movement. And what better way to start the show, than with a splash of patriotism invigorating one’s spirits through our beautifully melodious national anthem.

The boost of patriotic sentiment was followed by a performance by a rap dup, Young Stunners, which turned out to be moderately successful in energizing people. It even managed to make the audience laugh at some spots, especially with the comical references to videos of celebrities that went viral on social media – the actor Ali Rehman Khan’s video leak where he is repeatedly seen saying to a restaurant’s staff, “Aap ko pata hai main kaun hun?” (“Do you know who I am?”)

Adnan Siddiqui, the host for the night, gave the show’s opening note, which was perhaps the only part of the hosting that can be termed enjoyable. The other hosts that followed, namely Aamina Sheikh and Usman Mukhtar, steered the event in a way which could have been made more entertaining if it were Adnan Siddiqui paired with Aamina for the show, as Mukhtar’s part sounded rather clumsy, with forced jokes in between. His Hum Smile Awards segment left a lot of the peers watching the show super perplexed, as his supposed impression of PTV’s host Tariq Aziz, was downright vague. The only thing that seemed spontaneously amusing about the hosting, was the use of political jokes here and there, which is rarely observed in Award ceremonies. From the comment on how Imran Khan is the only Prime Minister without his own business and hence, is bent on erasing all business from Pakistan, to the “boot polish” statement, the spritz of comedy was like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise mundane script.

The performances were energetic, and made the audience recall all the classic, vintage Pakistani music, while appreciating the present-day music that is part of our television and film industry. The second performance by Ahsan Khan and Sara Loren was riveting, though if the music is to be viewed separately than the dances, both the performers lacked the energy and the vibe of the tunes, despite being great at dancing usually.

The highlight of the event was the performance by Zara Noor Abbas, who appeared to be an embodiment of grace and art, rhythm and style, as she moved to the beat of the classical songs. Her performance was thoroughly refreshing and delightful, one which reminds you of not only the beauty of the art itself, but also the ability of a great artist keeping the viewers fascinated, throughout.

Dancing to the superhit tunes of the blockbuster film of last year, Superstar, the power-couple Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane brought life to the show, as they shook the stage with their dynamic moves. The flow of the choreography and the beat of the dance numbers kept the fun alive till the next performance, which was undoubtedly another key feature of Hum Style Awards. The said performance was a splendid concert by Abrar ul Haq, instantly making the audience fall in love and sway with the hit Punjabi beats. However, had the concert been live, it would have added more of a buzz in the environment.

The Award Categories included the Rising Star 2018-2019 won by two of the Nominees including Mush Kaleem, the Hair and Make-up Artist of the Year 2018-2019 secured by Qasim Liaqat, Fashion Photographer of the Year 2018-2019 bagged by Alee Hasan, Best Model Female 2018-2019 won by Zara Abid, Best Model Male 2018-2019 won by Aimal Khan, Designer of the Year Lawn 2018-2019 received by Zara Shahjahan, Most Stylish Performer 2018-2019 won by Asim Azhar, Timeless Beauty won by Reema Khan, Most Stylish Actor Television 2018-2019 won by Sonya Hussyn in the Female Category and Mikaal Zulfiqar in the Male Category, and Most Stylish Actor Film 2018-2019 won by Mahira Khan (Popular) and Kiran Malik (Jury) and Ahad Raza Mir in the Female and Male Category, respectively.

Surprisingly, despite Superstar being one of the highest grossing film of the previous year, Bilal Ashraf was not nominated for the Most Stylish Actor Film category. If there were two awards given in the Female category in the name of Jury and Popular Choice, there surely could have been made room for two awards being awarded in the Male category as well, deservingly giving one of the awards to Bilal Ashraf.

Other Categories included Most Stylish Sports Personality 2018-2019, won by Hajra Khan, Captain of Pakistan Women’s National Football team. This was a novel deviation from the usual practice of recognition being granted to cricketers alone, as well as the fact that a woman bagged the award.

Style Icon given to Aisha Omer, and other prestigious awards that were part of the ceremony were Best Model Male and Female, Designer of the Year Pret Wear, Bridal, Menswear, Demi-Couture, and Lawn, as well as Retail Label of the Year and Excellence in Interior Designing and Furniture Manufacturing.

The Ministry of Human Rights initiative “Truck Art for Awareness and Advocacy for the Rights of the Girl Child in Pakistan” mesmerizes stakeholders.

• “The biggest achievement of this intervention is that Truck owners, Truck drivers and Truck artists own this initiative” says Samar Minallah (Anthropologist/ Pioneer of the Truck Art for Awareness intervention in Pakistan
• “Ministry of Human Rights, Government of Pakistan stands tall for upholding all constitutionally enshrined rights of the girl child” Dr Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister for Human Rights

This year marked over 25 years of the International Day of the Girl Child. The Ministry of Human Rights, government of Pakistan, through the Huqooq-e-Pakistan Programme, in collaboration with the European Union held a launch event on 11^th October 2019 at Lok Virsa in the country’s capital, Islamabad.

20 Newly painted trucks transverse across Pakistan to ensure the right message reaches the right audiences. Trucks, moving billboards, here are becoming vehicles for spreading awareness regarding educating girls, and truck art is making its way to bridge communication gaps between key stakeholders involved in ensuring rights are given to the girl child

“Let’s pledge to give girls a better brighter future” said Mehwish Hayat, the appointed Goodwill Ambassador to the Rights of the Girl Child by the Ministry of Human Rights,  in her talk engaging with the participants of the launch event.

 “The brightly painted trucks through Pakistan’s indigenous truck art support us in creating awareness as well as amplifying a message to begin advocacy from within the grassroots of Pakistan from the remotest of areas” says Minallah.

She further added that Hayat Khan, a truck workshop owner, extended great cooperation in this regard and played a pivotal role in convincing other truck drivers to change the paintings on their rides.

The Launch evnt was attended by over 400 participants. A gathering with all relevant players present to commemorate the Day of the Girl Child. The event marks not only the beginning of a new era of the amplification of the rights of the girl child but also is a testiment to the fact that the Pakistani society is proud of its traditional art forms and the role community members like truck owner, drivers and artists are taken up for the cause.

Every time we check our social media, we get to know about a new trend that goes viral around the globe and to keep ourselves fashionably literate and aware, we have to go with that fashion parade no matter how absurd that trend is. But some fashions and patterns keep repeating and showing that they are here to stay forever and that too with different variations and intensities. 

We got our hands on these 5 fashion fads that everyone is going loco over.

Pantsuits

No matter what you bring in fashion every season, pantsuits will always have their dapper vibes on. Not just the formal events, these pantsuits have started trending on fashion shows, red carpets and casual events depending on how you carry your look. Wearing pantsuits does not take a lot of effort as only minimal accessories are needed along with a lavish pair of court shoes. Boom!!! you are good to ace. 

Animal Prints

Animal prints have a love-hate relationship when it comes to trending. Some days, you will hate the excess of these prints and some days you would love to keep adding these prints in your wardrobe. Lately, these prints are making their way into bags, shoes, jewelry and literally every wearable item. We love how people around the world are pairing animal printed pants, shoes, shirts, necklaces and bringing out the best looks on our newsfeed. 

Tonal nails 

Embrace a spectrum of shades this time when you got a manicure. While you go for this tonal nails trend, keep in mind to choose shades from the same color family. Whether muted tones or vibrant hues, do not go for pick and mix formula. We got this done and found it to be the chicest trend in nails for this season. 

Pastel Eye-Liner 

Black, brown or dark blue liner is so 2018. This also does not work for those who do not like to apply liner. Pastel eyeliners are the new in-thing in fashion town. Not Vivaciously hyper colors, but light and soothing colors are recommended for best results. The soft-toned hues are a wardrobe staple but feel daring and bold on the eye. If you are scared of taking a risk you can apply black liner first and can use an outline from any pastel palette or can just highlight the corners of your eyes. Whatever route you take, this one trend should be the must in your makeup list.

Thigh-High Boots

Either Pull them on over skinny jeans or leggings or style them with a mid-length skirt that is right above the top of the boots. To keep them look prominent, always go for a contrasting color; If your boots are a darker shade, go for a lighter tone outfit and vice verse. Ditch those Chelsia boots and go for thigh-high boots to flaunt this winter season.