Campaign
Nocturne

A Lahore couture house where tradition, culture, and contemporary design come together under the direction of Kamiar Rokni.

Kamiar Rokni monogram
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-film-1600.mp4
NocturneNocturne: a figure beneath an embellished veil, dark foliage behind.
III.

Nocturne

In the hush between night and dawn, beauty refuses to drown.

She walks in beauty, like the night · Of cloudless climes and starry skies · And all that’s best of dark and bright · Meet in her aspect and her eyes · Thus mellowed to that tender light which Heaven to gaudy day denies

The House of Kamiar Rokni presents Nocturne, a collection born between darkness and light.
Drawing on women from poetry and myth, we revisit familiar stories and imagine what might have happened were their heroines allowed to write their own endings.

In Nocturne, Ophelia rises from the water. The forsaken woman undrowns herself and returns ascendant. Silk and brocade become carriers of her transformation, discarding the idea of frailty as her condemnation. Each ensemble in the collection carries something of the old tale within it, while breaking the mould of the contemptuous male gaze.

Nocturne is romance reclaimed from tragedy, rich, strange and alive with possibility. Ophelia is the hero.

Chapter I

She walks in beauty, like the night

nocturne
10
Large
Look
Nocturne 01 — Ophelia in the grass
Nocturne 01 — Ophelia in the grass

In the hush between night and dawn, beauty refuses to drown.

manderley
10
Medium
Look
Manderley 01
Manderley 01

primal
10
Medium
Still life
Primal 02 — Peacock under the nets
Primal 02 — Peacock under the nets

Confident and elemental, Primal rejects nostalgia in favour of pure presence.

soft-era
10
Large
Look
Soft Era 36 — Five on the carpet
Soft Era 36 — Five on the carpet

return
10
Large
Look
Return 19
Return 19

Movement is another way of staying.

nocturne
15
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-reel-1.mp4
Nocturne — reel 1, the mint green
Nocturne — reel 1, the mint green

nocturne
20
Large
Look
Nocturne 03 — Emerald train
Nocturne 03 — Emerald train

She wears the night as if it were her own invention.

manderley
20
Large
Look
Manderley 03
Manderley 03

primal
20
Small
Look
Primal 04 — Embroidered collar
Primal 04 — Embroidered collar

Each silhouette breaks and rebuilds itself in motion.

soft-era
20
Medium
Look
Soft Era 43 — Portrait on the damask
Soft Era 43 — Portrait on the damask

return
20
Medium
Look
Return 26
Return 26

What trails behind us still belongs to us.

nocturne
25
Large
Look
Nocturne — the emerald train in the garden
Nocturne — the emerald train in the garden

return
25
Medium
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/return-reel-3.mp4
Return, reel 3
Return, reel 3

manderley
30
Large
Still life
Manderley 05
Manderley 05

nocturne
30
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-reel-4.mp4
Nocturne — reel 4, the emerald
Nocturne — reel 4, the emerald

primal
30
Medium
Look
Primal 06 — Embroidered bodice
Primal 06 — Embroidered bodice

Each piece moves as though alive.

soft-era
30
Medium
Look
Soft Era 58 — The yellow look, close
Soft Era 58 — The yellow look, close

return
30
Medium
Look
Return 33
Return 33

Protection can also be beauty.

primal
35
Large
Look
Primal 07 — The tulle ring
Primal 07 — The tulle ring

Sequins become sparks…

soft-era
35
Medium
Look
https://media.seated.pk/reel-6-final.mp4
Soft Era — reel 6, the yellow look
Soft Era — reel 6, the yellow look

nocturne
40
Small
Look
Nocturne 03 — Emerald, detail
Nocturne 03 — Emerald, detail

Nocturne in thread and jewel — a song stitched for twilight.

manderley
40
Medium
Look
Manderley 07
Manderley 07

primal
40
Large
Look
Primal 08 — Black tulle, sleeves flared
Primal 08 — Black tulle, sleeves flared

Silhouettes become smoke…

soft-era
40
Medium
Look
Soft Era 24 — Two at the curtain
Soft Era 24 — Two at the curtain

return
40
Medium
Look
Return 29
Return 29

Stillness is presence.

nocturne
45
Large
Look
Nocturne — a portrait through the beaded veil
Nocturne — a portrait through the beaded veil

return
45
Medium
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/return-reel-2.mp4
Return, reel 2
Return, reel 2

nocturne
50
Medium
Look
Nocturne 04 — Chartreuse in mist
Nocturne 04 — Chartreuse in mist

She moves through the dark like a lantern — fragile and yet unyielding.

manderley
50
Small
Still life
Manderley 08
Manderley 08

primal
50
Large
Look
Primal 09 — Orange tulle in motion
Primal 09 — Orange tulle in motion

…Elegance emerges through eruption.

soft-era
50
Large
Look
Soft Era 11 — The carved chair
Soft Era 11 — The carved chair

return
50
Medium
Look
Return 08
Return 08

What survives is what moves through us.

nocturne
55
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-reel-5.mp4
Nocturne — reel 5, the chartreuse
Nocturne — reel 5, the chartreuse

manderley
60
Medium
Look
Manderley 09
Manderley 09

nocturne
60
Large
Look
Nocturne — reclining in the mist
Nocturne — reclining in the mist

primal
60
Large
Look
Primal 10 — Crouched in black and gold
Primal 10 — Crouched in black and gold

soft-era
60
Large
Look
Soft Era 28 — Four on the sofa
Soft Era 28 — Four on the sofa

return
60
Large
Look
Return 07
Return 07

Time moves. Memory stays.

manderley
65
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/manderley-reel-orange-2.mp4
Manderley — reel, the orange dress
Manderley — reel, the orange dress

nocturne
70
Medium
Look
Nocturne 05 — Magenta sari in the dark
Nocturne 05 — Magenta sari in the dark

Shadows yield to radiance.

primal
70
Medium
Still life
Primal 11 — Peacock in flight
Primal 11 — Peacock in flight

Untamed — defined by nothing but herself.

soft-era
70
Medium
Look
Soft Era 03 — Ivory at the curtain
Soft Era 03 — Ivory at the curtain

return
70
Large
Look
Return 15
Return 15

Rest is a form of return.

nocturne
75
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-reel-6.mp4
Nocturne — reel 6, the magenta
Nocturne — reel 6, the magenta

nocturne
80
Small
Look
Nocturne 06 — Green skirt in motion
Nocturne 06 — Green skirt in motion

Every jewel, every thread, a rebellion against erasure.

primal
80
Large
Look
Primal 12 — A turn in black and gold
Primal 12 — A turn in black and gold

soft-era
80
Medium
Look
Soft Era 85 — The lilac look
Soft Era 85 — The lilac look

soft-era
85
Medium
Look
https://media.seated.pk/reel-5-final.mp4
Soft Era — reel 5, under the chandelier
Soft Era — reel 5, under the chandelier

nocturne
90
Large
Look
Nocturne 06 — Crimson with fan
Nocturne 06 — Crimson with fan

She walks ashore in crimson, carrying her own name like a crown.

primal
90
Large
Look
Primal 13 — Orange against the red
Primal 13 — Orange against the red

soft-era
90
Small
Look
Soft Era 45 — A hand at the collar
Soft Era 45 — A hand at the collar

nocturne
95
Large
Look
Nocturne — crimson, the chair and the silver swan
Nocturne — crimson, the chair and the silver swan

primal
100
Medium
Look
Primal 14 — The leap
Primal 14 — The leap

primal
110
Large
Look
Primal 15 — Kneeling in the red
Primal 15 — Kneeling in the red

The instinct itself is Primal.

primal
120
Large
Look
Primal 16 — Orange tulle at the shoulders
Primal 16 — Orange tulle at the shoulders

Fire remembers its form.

Shakespeare dreamt of drowning. We dream of rebirth.

nocturne
100
Medium
Reference
Nocturne 02 — Dovedale by Moonlight
Nocturne 02 — Dovedale by Moonlight

Shakespeare dreamt of drowning. We dream of rebirth.

Fig 1.

Wright of Derby painted the Derbyshire dale under a full moon: the river lit from above, the valley held in shadow. Nocturne borrows its palette of silvered greens and its refusal to fear the dark.

Joseph Wright of Derby, Dovedale by Moonlight, c. 1784.
manderley
100
Medium
Reference
Manderley 13
Manderley 13

Fig 1.

Caspar David Friedrich, Ruins of Eldena, about 1825.
nocturne
110
Medium
Reference
Nocturne 05 — Great Peacock Moth
Nocturne 05 — Great Peacock Moth

A sea-change into something rich and strange.

Fig 2.

Van Gogh found the giant peacock moth in the asylum garden at Saint-Rémy and painted it before it could fly. A night creature, patterned and luminous: the collection’s emblem of transformation.

Vincent van Gogh, Great Peacock Moth, 1889. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
manderley
110
Medium
Reference
Manderley 04
Manderley 04

Fig 2.

A note, typewritten, on album paper.
nocturne
120
Medium
Reference
Nocturne 21 — Regina Cordium
Nocturne 21 — Regina Cordium

She is a dawning.

Fig 3.

Rossetti's queen of hearts, painted in 1860: a woman framed by gilded hearts, meeting the viewer's eye with a pansy held like a verdict. Nocturne's women carry the same unhurried gaze.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Regina Cordium, 1860. Johannesburg Art Gallery.
manderley
120
Medium
Reference
Manderley 06
Manderley 06

Fig 3.

A pencil drawing, annotated in French.
nocturne
130
Medium
Still life
Nocturne 07 — Silver swan
Nocturne 07 — Silver swan

The rest is silence.

primal
150
Medium
Reference
Primal 05 — A dancer, hand-tinted
Primal 05 — A dancer, hand-tinted

A woman becomes her own element.

Fig 1.

return
150
Small
Look
Return 14
Return 14

What is held becomes sacred.

Fig. 1

primal
160
Medium
Reference
Primal 17 — A dancer and the black cloth
Primal 17 — A dancer and the black cloth

In Primal, movement is the message.

Fig 2.

return
160
Medium
Look
Return 20
Return 20

Fig. 2

primal
170
Medium
Reference
Primal 23 — The serpentine dance
Primal 23 — The serpentine dance

What begins in instinct is Truth.

Fig 3.

return
170
Medium
Look
Return 22
Return 22

Every entrance was once an exit.

Fig. 3

primal
180
Medium
Reference
Primal 29 — Guernica, detail
Primal 29 — Guernica, detail

Even chaos can be contained.

Fig 4.

Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937 (detail). Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid.
return
180
Medium
Look
Return 17
Return 17

What is hidden is not gone.

Fig. 4

primal
190
Medium
Still life
Primal 19 — The chair
Primal 19 — The chair

The origin is never gentle.

Chapter II

And all that’s best of dark and bright

nocturne
200
Large
Reference
Nocturne 12 — Ophelia, Millais
Nocturne 12 — Ophelia, Millais

The river once claimed her, now it mirrors her power.

Fig 5.

Sir John Everett Millais, Ophelia, 1851–52. Tate, London.
manderley
200
Small
Look
Manderley 14
Manderley 14

primal
200
Large
Look
Primal 18 — Seated in black tulle
Primal 18 — Seated in black tulle

Even stillness is motion held in breath.

soft-era
200
Large
Look
Soft Era 66 — Joie de Vivre
Soft Era 66 — Joie de Vivre

Joie de Vivre

return
200
Large
Look
Return 10
Return 10

We are both subject and witness.

soft-era
205
Medium
Look
https://media.seated.pk/reel-8-final.mp4
Soft Era — reel 8, by the chandelier
Soft Era — reel 8, by the chandelier

nocturne
210
Large
Look
Nocturne 08 — Yellow in motion
Nocturne 08 — Yellow in motion

She answers with fire.

manderley
210
Medium
Look
Manderley 15
Manderley 15

primal
210
Medium
Look
Primal 20 — One boot on the chair
Primal 20 — One boot on the chair

The Primal feminine is a force of nature.

soft-era
210
Medium
Look
Soft Era 76 — The Summer Bridal
Soft Era 76 — The Summer Bridal

The Summer Bridal

return
210
Medium
Look
Return 36
Return 36

Listen.

nocturne
215
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-reel-3.mp4
Nocturne — reel 3, the yellow
Nocturne — reel 3, the yellow

nocturne
220
Small
Still life
Nocturne 14 — White hibiscus
Nocturne 14 — White hibiscus

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever.

manderley
220
Large
Look
Manderley 16
Manderley 16

primal
220
Large
Look
Primal 22 — Standing in the red
Primal 22 — Standing in the red

Primal is what the body remembers when the mind forgets.

soft-era
220
Medium
Look
Soft Era 06 — The Darling Buds of May
Soft Era 06 — The Darling Buds of May

The Darling Buds of May

return
220
Medium
Look
Return 18
Return 18

Objects remember who touched them.

return
225
Medium
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/return-vignette-3.mp4
Return, vignette 3
Return, vignette 3

nocturne
230
Medium
Look
Nocturne 09 — Rose with fan
Nocturne 09 — Rose with fan

A rose re-born: its petals carved in shining mukesh.

manderley
230
Large
Look
Manderley 18
Manderley 18

soft-era
230
Large
Look
Soft Era 96 — The Rococo
Soft Era 96 — The Rococo

The Rococo

return
230
Large
Look
Return 34
Return 34

A face is a history.

manderley
235
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/manderley-reel-roof.mp4
Manderley — reel, the roof
Manderley — reel, the roof

nocturne
240
Medium
Look
Nocturne 16 — Blue dupatta, detail
Nocturne 16 — Blue dupatta, detail

Some flowers bloom in thread, eternal.

manderley
240
Medium
Look
Manderley 20
Manderley 20

primal
240
Medium
Look
Primal 25 — Astride the chair
Primal 25 — Astride the chair

The flame doesn’t ask for permission to exist.

soft-era
240
Medium
Look
Soft Era 04 — The Showgirl
Soft Era 04 — The Showgirl

The Showgirl

return
240
Medium
Look
Return 39
Return 39

Some things are said twice to be believed.

nocturne
250
Medium
Look
Nocturne 10 — Coral kurta
Nocturne 10 — Coral kurta

Light bends differently when worn with intention.

manderley
250
Medium
Still life
Manderley 21
Manderley 21

primal
250
Medium
Look
Primal 26 — Head bowed
Primal 26 — Head bowed

Primal is another word for contained power.

soft-era
250
Medium
Look
Soft Era 16 — The Flourishing Garden
Soft Era 16 — The Flourishing Garden

The Flourishing Garden

return
250
Small
Look
Return 04
Return 04

What we love most, we do not leave behind.

return
255
Medium
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/return-vignette-4.mp4
Return, vignette 4
Return, vignette 4

nocturne
260
Medium
Reference
Nocturne 18 — Ophelia, Waterhouse
Nocturne 18 — Ophelia, Waterhouse

A garment that remembers what the moon has seen.

Fig 6.

John William Waterhouse, Ophelia, 1894. Private collection.
manderley
260
Large
Look
Manderley 22
Manderley 22

primal
260
Large
Look
Primal 27 — Standing, boots
Primal 27 — Standing, boots

This is the intelligence of the body.

soft-era
260
Medium
Look
Soft Era 80 — The Inception
Soft Era 80 — The Inception

The Inception

nocturne
270
Small
Look
Nocturne 11 — Blush kurta
Nocturne 11 — Blush kurta

Every silhouette an echo. Every echo, a new beginning.

manderley
270
Small
Still life
Manderley 23
Manderley 23

primal
270
Medium
Look
Primal 28 — Face in shadow
Primal 28 — Face in shadow

Primal is not powered by borrowed light.

soft-era
270
Large
Look
Soft Era 17 — The Hope Set
Soft Era 17 — The Hope Set

The Hope Set

nocturne
275
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-reel-2.mp4
Nocturne — reel 2, the blush
Nocturne — reel 2, the blush

nocturne
280
Large
Look
Nocturne 12 — Champagne lehenga
Nocturne 12 — Champagne lehenga

Not a maiden lost, but a woman found — luminous against the night’s dark tide.

manderley
280
Large
Look
Manderley 25
Manderley 25

soft-era
280
Medium
Look
Soft Era 77 — The Lilac Wine Set
Soft Era 77 — The Lilac Wine Set

The Lilac Wine Set

nocturne
285
Large
Look
https://media.seated.pk/hokr-campaign/nocturne-reel-7.mp4
Nocturne — reel 7, the champagne
Nocturne — reel 7, the champagne

manderley
290
Large
Look
Manderley 26
Manderley 26

nocturne
290
Large
Look
Nocturne — champagne, reclining
Nocturne — champagne, reclining

soft-era
290
Large
Look
Soft Era 00 — The Versailles Ki Rani Set
Soft Era 00 — The Versailles Ki Rani Set

The Versailles Ki Rani Set

manderley
300
Large
Look
Manderley 28
Manderley 28

Nocturne

Here stands Ophelia, her voice returned.

Know your power. Rewrite your ending.

House of Kamiar Rokni
01 — 12