Photo by Prasantha Yahampath of Y-fashion Netherlands
Hi!! Fashion brings you exclusive coverage of REVEAL, the AOD graduate fashion show. Over 28 talented design students showcased their fashion collections which is beyond proof that Sri Lanka can be a great fashion destination. We also feature PR undoubtedly Colombo's numero uno destination for stylish mavens.
Style chameleon Annika Fernando the powerhouse behind PR showcases a specially curated seasonal collection of fashion
Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Photography: Christian Hutter
Location: Baillie Street Merchants
Hair and Make Up: Prabath, Jeni, Rasa & Teeny of Kess Salons
Styling: Laura Dempsey
From Left to Right,
Radhika Hernandez wearing Lois London dress and Deepa Gurnani earrings
Robert Hernandez wearing King & Lois shirt
Samaadhi Weerasinghe wearing Anuk dress with Misho earrings
Annika Fernando wearing Kûr top and Olivia Dar earrings, Papillon du thé necklaces
Niki Gomez and Stefano Funari in I Was a Sari
Sonali Dharmawardena wearing Sonali Dharmawardena and Olivia Dar earrings
Chevonne wearing AnukXMaus jumpsuit with Cher by Chevonne jewellery
Thilini wearing TSS96 dress and Papillon du thé earrings
Annika Fernando wearing
KT Brown dumbara top with Maus pants
Earrings by Olivia Dar
Necklaces by Papillon du thé & Eina Ahluwalia, Munu ring by Papillon du thé
Radhika Hernandez wearing Lois London dress and Olivia Dar earrings
Thilini Silva wearing TSS96 dress, with Papillon du thé earrings and a PR Banjara clutch
When it comes to fashion, as sure as night follows day, Annika Fernando is the queen of style. A certified style icon on the Colombo scene, Annika is the driving force behind uber cool fashion store PR. Following in the footsteps of her style guru father, Shanth Fernando, who started Paradise Road which sells stylish lifestyle products, Annika is proof that the apple does not fall far from the tree. Using her eye for design, (she did study Interior Design after all!) Annika moved into fashion as she spotted a niche in the market for high end designerwear with an ethnic identity. Think fabulous dresses in exquisite batik and handwoven jackets in an intricate dumbara weave coupled with Sri Lankan made jewellery and you would get our drift.
Annika’s own label MAUS contains silhouettes which represent a style ethos that is undeniably classic in style and timeless in appeal. At PR we see clean cuts with tailoring that is on point.
Since we published our first fashion feature on PR 14 years ago we have seen PR evolve to a high end store nuanced with chic sophistication and many other designers in store whose creations embody the PR ethos.
From Left to Right,
Annika Fernando wearing La Pard blazer and Papillon du thé earrings
Sonali Dharmawardena wearing Sonali Dharmawardena dress and Olivia Dar earrings, Samaadhi Weerasinghe wearing ANUK top and Papillon du thé earrings
The designers featured
Samaadhi Weerasinghe launched her label Anuk at PR just 3 years ago. This local label is a hot local favourite featuring elegant silk silhouettes. Samaadhi wears two beautiful outfits in this shoot, a deep red long dress with belt detail and a wrap blouse in ivory belted at the waist. Just a teaser to an amazing new collection.
The elegant and statuesque Chevonne of label Cher by Chevonne is often seen dressed in her favourite muted neutrals and here she is photographed in a new collaboration AnukXMaus in festive red, to show off her layered delicate jewellery. Chevonne wears the new Compass collection with classic trio earrings which are a 3-in-1 style along with signature PR favourite, Orbit Ring.
AnukXMaus is a new collaboration between 2 design labels retailing at PR, Anuk and Maus, where Maus silhouettes across collections have been recreated and designed in signature Anuk silk with typical details in colours from both label’s festive palettes.
Radhika Hernandez needs no introduction. Her label Lois London has been a firm favourite in occasion wear in Sri Lanka for many years. We see Radhika wearing two new styles from her latest festive collection along with accessories by Olivia Dar and Deepa Gurnani.
Radhika and her husband Robert Hernandez recently moved from New York back to Sri Lanka and in October, launched their new label, King & Lois in store. Featuring resortwear for ladies and gents, Rob wears a new shirt and pants from the latest collection accessorized with his own signature hat.
From Left to Right,
Robert Hernandez wearing King & Lois shirt
Radhika Hernandez wearing Lois London dress with Deepa Gurnani earrings
Sonali Dharmawardena wears a dramatic new silhouette in stunning silk, reminding us that every single piece in her collection remains a one-off, hand made, batik and original. She is accessorized in signature birds by Olivia Dar,
Young designer, Thilini Silva wears a stunning statement piece from her capsule end-of-year collection paired with new PR Banjara one-off clutches hand-made of vintage fabric, accessorized with earrings from Papillon du thé, its latest Totem collection for the season.
I Was a Sari is a label based in Mumbai, spear headed by Italian Stefano Funari and his Sri Lankan wife Niki Gomez. Their label is now sponsored by Gucci as CSR.
I Was a Sari has won numerous awards this year which has helped increase the brands popularity. Their newest collections are inspired by the Gucci led design story created for Lakme Fashion Week.
From Left to Right
Chevonne de Soysa wearing AnukXMaus jumpsuit and Cher by Chevonne jewellery
Sonali Dharmawardena wearing Sonali Dharmawardena dress and Olivia Dar earrings
Annika represents the designers not present wearing new season Kûr by Kasuni Rathnasuriya, KT Brown signature dumbara with Maus pants and a La Pard and accessorized with Papillon du thé.
Kûr by Kasuni Rathnasuriya has grown so much in the years since launching at PR. Her choice of natural fabrics and contemporary detailing in Beeralu pays homage to a social artisanal Sri Lankan craft. Her aesthetic is pretty but when styled by Kasuni herself, she converts it to an androgynous comfort which makes these pieces so versatile travelling from day to night with ease.
KT Brown needs no introduction. The design team led by Kanchana and Anoona have been designers paving the way for many years. Her cuts are inimitable and sought after and her distinctive use of craft dumbara is original.
La Pard by Dinushi Pamanuwa is a young collection and her style of batik is distinctive in it’s organic forms. Her blazers are a favourite and work so well with camisoles, t-shirts or shirts depending on the look.
From Left to Right,
Niki Gomez & Stefano Funari wearing I Was a Sari
Maus, the store’s staple brand works so well when paired with the other local and Indian designers at PR.
Papillon du thé is a jewellery label designed by art gallerist, Saskia Fernando. The label has evolved over the years and moved to a space of creating smaller capsules of unique pieces with a strong design story. Pieces featured in the shoot are from the Munu
(Sri Lankan mask story), Akuru (Sinhala alphabet) and Totem collections.
Olivia Dar is a Parisienne living in Delhi married to an Indian. Olivia creates beaded jewellery and accessories along with vintage restored dresses, jackets and more.
Deepa Gurnani is another costume jewellery designer creating beaded and stone jewellery and has moved from a label based in India to New York. PR carries a selection in shades of metallic which offer a sparkly option of accessorizing.
With its combination of design colour style and cut PR continues to be a cut above the rest for all style mavens.
