September, 2010

By Zehra Ali and Neha Kamran

Bonnie Jean, America’s well-loved brand, is available at US department stores like Macy’s. Ladylike yet affordable, the brand has been worn by celebrities including young Sasha Obama at her father’s inaugural event.

Very recently Laaleen Khan, an entrepreneur with a diversified media background, decided to undertake the initiative of distributing this brand of apparel in Pakistan. Born in Lahore, she was university-educated in Massachusetts and is interested in bringing the best that the world has to offer to Pakistan

Bonnie Jeans offers girls’ clothing sizes from newborn up to 16 years.

Ink paid a visit to Bonnie Jean’s exhibition and got in touch with the woman in charge, who made it all happen.

How was the turnout for the exhibition?

Even though it was the tail end of Eid, we had a great turnout. Our target clientele was determined to make it to the exhibition. We had fashion-conscious mothers and their equally fashion-conscious young daughters, stylish professionals with their nieces and everyone who gets invited to friends’ baby showers in attendance.

How long will the exhibition last?

This occasion marked the launch of our brand, Bonnie Jean of NYC, at Kingson, Gulberg Main Boulevard, Lahore. In keeping with the demands of our Pakistani fan-base, our plans include stocking Bonnie Jean apparel at tasteful retail locations across the city as well as across the country. We held a test exhibition in Islamabad in early September, where we had a phenomenally positive response and our fans in Karachi are impatient for our arrival as well. Our fan-base grows daily and includes women from as far as Gilgit! India and the UAE are also next on our agenda.

What sort of clothes do you generally display?

Our current Fall/Winter 2010-11 Collection is in stock at our store in Kingson, as well as online, and includes an exciting array of party dresses, tea dresses, preppy daytime outfits, sweater-dresses and ladylike winter coat and dress sets. From November, our Holiday/Xmas Collection will be displayed and will include sumptuous fabrics and velvets in an array of wintery outfits including sparkly party dresses and classic hounds-tooth coat and dress sets.

Within what price ranges are these clothes available?

Generally, our prices range from Rs. 1,800 to Rs. 6,000+. Our aim is that they remain quite affordable, though of course it’s a challenge whenever the rupee weakens against the dollar.

Where will the store be opened?

* LAHORE: Retailing now @S.A. Accessories store, Kingson, Ground Floor, Gulberg Main Boulevard, (between Empire Center & Men’s Store) 0423-5788675

* KARACHI: Nov 12th & 13th Launch & Exhibition @Grandeur Gallery, 15-C, Zamzama Blvd 0213-5435744 & 5360774

* ISLAMABAD: Nov 5th & 6th Exhibition @L’Atelier, One Kohistan Rd near St. 2, F-8/3 051-2287055

* DUBAI: By appointment only- wajihatareen@gmail.com

* INQUIRIES: delishnyc.brands@gmail.com

* ONLINE CATALOG:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pakistan/Bonnie-Jean-Of-NYCs-Online-Catalog/105825609479368?ref=search

You can also find info & clients’ quotes from our facebook group page:

Search Bonnie + Jean + NYC (“Bonnie Jean of NYC: Affordable Couture for Little Ladies- Newborn to 16”)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110108092348184&v=wall

By Seemal Jamshed

In a very surprising move, renowned New York Times Pakistani documentary film maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an International Emmy Award in the Current Affairs category at the Frederick P. Rose Hall of Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York for her documentary “Pakistan – Children of the Taliban”. In the documentary she had revealed how the Pakistani Taliban are recruiting increasingly younger fighters from small madrassas in poor neighbourhoods to carry out deadly suicide attacks both inside and outside Pakistan.

The controversial video brought to the forefront some very touching issues and at times exposed some sensitive people to an extent that there are restrictions on the video preventing it to be screened in Pakistan due to the sheer threat it can pose to the people Sharmeen had interviewed during her documentary

The day before, her father died of cancer in the UK where he was undergoing chemotherapy. In Her message, on facebook, following her victory she dedicated her emmy to her father by saying “Tonight’s Emmy win is dedicated to you aba…”

We can only be supportive to her as a nation, mindful of the mixed emotions which she must be going through at this very emotional moment. Sharmeen, may this also inspire us all to go forth despite all the odd with the achievements you achieve one after another. Thank you for making Pakistan so proud.

By Zehra Ali

After seven weeks of sold out shows in Indian cinema, Ali Zafar’s Bollywood debut film is making its presence felt in the United States of America. This comedy hit of summer 2010 has amused the mainstream American audience as the opening film at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival in New York which started on 23rd of September, 2010.

The Friars Club is an institution since its founding in 1904, and its membership has included entertainment icons from the Marx Brothers, Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball to Billy Crystal and Jerry Seinfeld.

Another interesting happening at the club festival is its annual ‘roasts’ of iconic celebrities. This year Samuel Jackson will ‘roast’ Quentin Tarantino at the festival. In addition, a lifetime achievement award will be presented to Jerry Lewis.

The Friar’s club comedy annual film festival boasts the funniest films from Sundance and other festivals. The opening of this festival by an Indian comedy and that too with a Pakistani lead actor would be a rare event at Friar’s.

The press response at this occasion was incredible. The director Abhishek Sharma attended the event but Ali Zafar was not able to leave for the US due to his commitments for flood relief efforts in his country.

Compiled by Neha Kamran

We could all use a laugh these days, everyone will agree. Ink brings you something to make your day brighter!

• A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: “Just take it easy. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is a silence, and then a shot is heard. The guy’s voice comes back on the line. He says: “OK, now what?”
• What kind of murderer has moral fibre?” — “A cereal killer.”

• Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, and after finishing their dinner they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.

“Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” “I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes” exclaims Watson. “And what do you deduce from that?” Watson ponders for a minute. “Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?”

“Watson, you idiot!” he exclaims, “Somebody’s stolen our tent!”

• Texan: “Where are you from?”
  Harvard grad: “I come from a place where we do not end our sentences with prepositions.”
  Texan: “Okay – where are you from, jackass?”

• Three lawyers and three engineers were travelling by train to a conference. At the station, each lawyer bought a ticket whereas the engineers bought only one ticket between them.

“How are you going to travel on a single ticket?” asked a lawyer.

“Wait and watch,” answered one of the engineers.

They boarded the train, the lawyers took their seats, but the three engineers crammed into a toilet and closed the door behind them. Shortly after the train started, the ticket collector arrived. He knocked on the toilet door and asked, “Ticket please.” The door opened just a crack and a single arm emerged with a ticket in hand. The ticket collector took it and moved on. Seeing this, the lawyers decided to the same thing on the return trip. It was soon time to return- when they got to the station, they bought only one ticket. To their astonishment, the engineers didn’t buy any.

“How are you going to travel without a ticket?” asked one of the perplexed lawyers.

“Wait and watch,” answered an engineer.

In the train, the three engineers crammed into a toilet and the three lawyers into another one nearby. Soon after the train started, one of the engineers got out of the toilet and walked to one where the lawyers were hiding. He knocked on the door and said, “Ticket, please.”

• A boy says to mother, “I’ve decided to stop studying”.

“How come?” asked the mother.

“I heard that that someone was shot dead, because he knew too much”.

• Quentin was practising the violin in the living room, while his father was trying to read. The family dog was at present too, and, upon hearing the screeching sounds, began to howl. Johnny’s father listened to the dog and the violin for as long as he could. Then he jumped up, slammed his newspaper on the floor and yelled, “For God’s sake, can’t you play something the dog doesn’t know?”

• An eager young man enters the office of his prospective boss for an interview,

The boss says, “One thing our company is very particular about is cleanliness. I hope you wiped your shoes on the doormat while coming in?”

“Yes, sir,” the young man replies promptly.

Back comes the rejoinder, “One more thing we’re very particular about is honesty. There is no doormat outside!”

• A large notice in a shop window announces a big sale, with sweeping reductions, starting at 9 a.m. An enormous queue starts to form by 7-30 a.m. Just before the shop was due to open, an inconspicuous little man walks to the head of the queue. Angry women elbow and push him until he is right at the back of the line. Undaunted, the little man goes to the head of the queue once more. Again, he is shoved unceremoniously to the back, this time with a few smacks on the face and a couple of thumps from umbrellas wielded by angry women. The little man walks to one side of the queue and says, “If that’s your attitude, I won’t open the shop at all today.”

• A fifteen year old Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together again.
  The boy asked, “What is this Father?”
  The father, never having seen an elevator, responded, “Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I do not know what it is.”
  While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a portly old lady moved up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened, and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed, and the boy and his father watched the small numbers above the walls light up sequentially.
  They continued to watch until it reached the last number, and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.
  Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous twenty-year-old blond stepped out.
  The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son, “Go get your mother.”

• Q. What goes black white black white black white?
  Ans. A penguin rolling down a hill!
  Q. What’s black and white and laughing?
  Ans. The penguin who pushed him!

“SLACKISTAN” SECURES UK DISTRIBUTION&  RECEIVES WORLD PREMIERE

Mara Pictures has acquired the UK theatrical rights for Slackistan-a rare independent film from Pakistan. Slackistan is the debut feature film by Hammad Khan and produced by Menhaj Huda, the filmmaker of the highly acclaimed cult hit Kidulthood.

Inspired by the genre of small-town slacker films, Slackistan focuses on a group of privileged college graduates who procrastinate their lives away in the sleepy capital city of Islamabad. The characters struggle to face up to reality as the country outside their small world begins to fall apart. The film challenges the images and perceptions of Pakistani youth dominant in international media while also being a “personal love letter to Islamabad and to its young dreamers as they continue to search for their identity and future”, states Khan.

The production faced challenging circumstances not only due to the lack of an independent film production infrastructure within Pakistan, but was further impacted by ongoing suicide bombings which forced filming to take place under the radar. Slackistan features fresh undiscovered talent and an unique soundtrack including underground Pakistani rock and hip hop artists.
With regards to his support of the film, Huda says “”I am a big advocate of films and filmmakers breaking new ground and Slackistan is definitely the first of it’s kind. I am very excited to have helped Hammad, in whatever way I could, to get this film finished and released.”

The Raindance Film Festival is premiering Slackistan the Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly, London on October 7th, 2010 followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers.

“Slackistan” was one of the most well-made, interesting films I saw in Cannes.” Howard Feinstein, Filmmaker Magazine

“It points to a country that is rarely explored in modern cinema, TV and literatre.”
Guardian

“Cult” BBC Entertainment News

International Festival Screening Dates
South Asian International Film Festival, NYC, USA Premiere, Oct-Nov 2010 3rd i International South Asian Film Festival, San Francisco, November 2010The 41st International Film Festival of India, Goa, November 2010

Additional Dates and UK Theatrical Release Date TBA
www.slackistanthemovie.com www.marapictures.com

For further information please contact: Sanam Hasan, Marketing & Public Relations, +44 (0) 783 744 1248, sanam@marapictures.comRoopa Saini, Acquisitions & Sales, +44 (0) 795 177 5278, roopa@marapictures.com

By: Neha Kamran

With the intriguing strap-line, ‘If you think you know Pakistan, think again’, Slackistan garnered great acclaim at Cannes, and is now gearing up to take the entire world by storm. It premieres at the Raindance Film Festival in Picadilly, London this October, and we can almost hear the buzz of excitement. London based director, Hammad Ali Khan, must be pretty happy with all the praise heading in his direction right now- praise which includes a particularly glowing review by Howard Feinstein of Filmmaker Magazine, describing it among the ‘most well made, interesting films’ showcased at Cannes. The setting is the city of Islamabad, which is customarily attributed with intense stupor-inducing powers, in the country of Pakistan, which is seen by the world only through the jaundiced eye of the media. Get ready to have all your preconceived notions dashed, go watch Slackistan- coming soon to a theatre near you.

By: Neha Kamran

We finally understand the significance and unquestionable suitability of her name after Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to this year’s Video Music Awards. Yes, to your unarticulated question, it was an actual dress of meat- with matching meat shoes, clutch purse and a hat to…top it all off? Provide the relish? Garnish the dish? The possibilities are endless.
This time, perhaps, she’s gone a bit too far. It was fine while she was dressing up as a teapot and other politically correct objects, but her latest stunt has brought the disapproval of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and other activist groups down on her head. Well-known vegan, Ellen DeGeneres, sent Lady Gaga a veggie-bikini so that she could take such fashion risks without invoking controversy next time. Perhaps to assuage the seething masses, the Just Dance singer could dress up as an “I’m sorry” card- it’s really the only costume she hasn’t tried so far.

By Amara Javed
Edited By Zehra Ali

The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are the one of the biggest musical events of the year. But unlike other industry awards, this event is known for emphasizing more towards popularity as opposed to actual musical talent. As music seems to lose its edge year by year, the VMAs get crazier and crazier. Hey, something needs to distract us from the lack of real music talent in the world. This year was no different, from the continuing Kanye West- Taylor Swift feud to the zany Lady Gaga picking up 8 trophies, the VMAs provided a substantial amount of faux-music entertainment.

For me, however, it’s always about the fashion. The VMA red carpet is always interesting to watch, celebs are willing to step out of the box and the atmosphere is carefree and fun. This year most celebs seemed to shy away from color and risks in general. Like its award show predecessors, the VMA’s saw a showcase of metallics and nude palettes with some texture thrown in. The predominant trends on this white carpet were the colors black and white; almost all of the best dressed females at this event sported the two colors, some in combination. Read on to see who was fab and who looked like they were in need of a fashion intervention.

Let’s take a look at the black and white ladies first. Twilight starlet Ashley Greene wore a white strapless Giambattista Valli minidress with a black lace overlay on the bodice. The dress fits perfectly and she looks absolutely lovely. Her slightly smokey eyes and honey highlights look perfect. Black accessories toughen up the look, preventing it from looking too sweet. I do wish she would wipe that miserable look off her face, it was impossible to find a picture of her smiling.

Ashley’s co-star Kirsten Prout (I’ve never heard of her) also showed up wearing a white Tadashi Shoji minidress. I love the details on this dress – the pleating, the folds, the ruffles – they all make the otherwise monotone dress look fierce.

There’s been a lot of negative banter about Ciara’s couture Givenchy dress but I for one fell in love with it. I think her whole look is perfection, a strappy shoe but have worked better than the platform pump but she somehow is making it all work. I love everything – from the combination of textures to the ombre feather skirt. She is definitely working this.

Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara dons one of my favorite trends – sequins. She looks stunning wearing a sequined Dolce and Gabbana shift dress, quite similar to the dress worn by Angelina Jolie at the Salt premiere in L.A. But Sofia brings something Angelina did not, and that is oomph. She accomplishes this with movie-star waves and statement earrings. Hot.

Metallics and sparkle have been huge for seasons now. From Cannes to the Emmy’s we have seen celebs rocking this trend. Audrina Patridge is not one of my favorite fashion star but on this night she looked a lot better than most. She wears a sparkling silver Isaac Mizrahi mini dress with a Judith Leiber belt and lots of bling in the form of stacked bangles. My favorite part of this look? Those killer Balmain heels. Those are probably the most beautiful things to walk down the white carpet that night.

Florence Welch, Lo Bosworth and the adorable Selena Gomez all opted for metallic dresses. And all three of them disappointed. Florence Welch is wearing an absolutely beautiful Givenchy couture gown, but it seems to be drowning her. Long sleeves are not easy to work. Lo Bosworth continues her streak of making herself look 20 years older than her actual age – this girl never seems to get it right. Selena Gomez wears a Reem Acra gown which looks like it’s suited for Joan Jetson. The color and material is just too space age, not the best look for a 16 year old.

There were many looks which had me scratching my head, going ‘huh?’ Of course at the top of this list was Lady Gaga. There is no doubt that she aims to shock, but wearing hideous dresses made out of raw meat seem extreme even for her. I don’t buy into all this debate about her trying to make a statement with her choice of outfit, the only motive was to be talked about. And it worked.

Katy Perry’s Marchesa gown is a bit confusing. It looks like it belongs on a figure skater, at the same time I kind of love it. What ruins this look for me is the tacky hair, she looks like a 4 year old with cheap clip-ons. Tragic mistake.

Judging by the fashion, the VMAs seem to be slowly fizzling out. No memorable fashion moment came out of this night. I have a feeling it will all go downhill from here.