From Pretty Fashion Forward, Nov 16, Aysha Mattar

 From Pretty Fashion Forward

http://prettyfashionforward.blogspot.com/2010/11/beiruts-fashion-daze.html 

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Beirut's Fashion Daze

I've been wanting to blog about this for a while now so I must apologize for posting this up sooooo late (I seem to be apologizing A LOT lately huh?!).  

On my last trip to Beirut, I attended one of the coolest events EVER!  It was basically stepping into an artistic interpretation of the city through the eyes of young up and coming fashion designers, photographers, film producers, and graffiti artists.  They transformed random items from daily life into artistic pieces (road signs finally looked less bossy & offensive).  Some of my favorite features from the show were the swings bolted into the concrete that you could swing on while sipping on your yummy Beirut-esque cocktail (yes, everything had to be somehow connected to the city), the 1920's cinema section with its rich red velvet love seats showing a few short films, and of course the 'Fashion About the City' section, as I like to call it, which was made up of these GORGEOUS installations where couture dresses meshed into Beirut street style to perfectly tell the story of the style and fashion of one of my favorite  cities in the world.

I loved this exhibition, I really hope to someday create something this unique about our cities because it seriously was an experience that I can't stop blabbing about! To think that this whole creative event was Raya Tueny's final project for university!  How cool is that?!?! Only in Lebanon people, only in Lebanon!

 

 I tried to get a shot to show just how cool this event looked! Pure eye candy! (far left in white sneakers is my fashion soul mate Krikor)

 Hass Idriss' beautiful scaly wedding gown was the first piece you see when you walked into the Fashion About the City section.  It was stunning!

N-Dawg delving into the Krikor experience

 Krikor & Tarek's section... Need I say more?!

 I told you they looked funky!

 Old school Lebanese fashion meets its 21st century interpretations

 The swings!!!

 The art bar!

 Aishti's section in the exhibition stood out as an art force of its own!

 A street sign turned into a table (I lourved this idea!)

 The cinema

Spotlight # 7: Contemporary Elegance with Sandra Mansour

Lebanese at heart, Swiss-born Sandra Mansour was brought up between Geneva and Beirut. After studying Business Management at Webster University in Geneva, Sandra Mansour enrolls at the Beaux Arts, where she can finally concentrate on her passion: drawing and painting. “ Until then I felt something was missing. I finally found it upon touching material. I printed on fabric the way others paint. I also experimented other disciplines such as fashion design, photography, jewelry-making and architecture”, explains the young designer.

With this experience gained, she returns to Lebanon and finds an internship with Elie Saab. Alternating administrative jobs with sales and press relations in the morning, she joins the Haute couture and prêt-à-porter workshops in the afternoon. There, she works along side embroiderers, pattern-designers and the research studio. “It was a real revelation for me. I could finally mix drawing and creating, give life to the matter. I played around with it by mixing jersey, muslin, satin, silk, sequins and lace. I found my very own alphabet.” To make her desires real and to learn how to compose a collection - from mastering use of computers to handling production - Sandra Mansour moves to Paris, where, a year later, she gets her Masters in Fashion Design at the Instituto Marangoni.

Back in Lebanon, where she sets up her workshop, Sandra Mansour’s inspiration is at its best: Mediterranean joie de vivre, exuberant colors, the feminine touches of her native land. By using simple codes to reveal a youthful elegance, Sandra Mansour shows off a plunging open back, underlines the silhouette with a tailored cut, plays on transparencies to attract gazes, awakens seductive powers with a thin shoulder strap.

 Mastering technique and stylistic effects with great ease and skill, Sandra reconciles the desires of a woman who likes to create her own style by wearing a stone-washed jersey-cotton top – that Sandra dies herself – and a structured organza skirt. Seducing in its simplicity, she plays around with a jersey-jumpsuit, becomes a Lolita in a Prussian blue skirt, combines pink satin with strong grosgrain pieces, where pleats and cuts form a real structural volume. In the evening, she slips into a cleverly sequined dress: hand embroidered on couture tulle, silk Razmir sleeves soften its effect.

A contemporary elegance set off by its simplicity.

We are Fashion Daze !

We are all working to bring you a great Fashion Daze weekend ! Thank you to all collaborators !

Spotlight #6 : Dream with Makin Jan Ma

Makin Jan Ma writes stories and scripts and he makes clothes for his characters. He makes films for his stories while the characters wear their clothes in the films. 

Making film or actually dreaming to make a film is like a journey on its own. The process of creating creates a lot of space to create. Dream gathers people who share. It is an ongoing project and let’s be open-minded and see.

Spotlight #2 : Modern day fantasy with Krikor Jabotian

Krikor Jabotian studied fashion design at the french fashion institution ESMOD in Beirut.

In June 2007, at the age of 21, Krikor graduated and was immediately brought onto Elie Saab's creative design team, where he worked for what was a very successful period of time.

Krikor then set about developing his own very individual talent and was invited to participate in the Dubai Fashion Week on the 22nd of March 2008 for the "Splash Emerging Talent" competition. Krikor successfully emerged as one of the three top young Middle Eastern designers of the year , going on to present his first inaugural collection.

On the 16th of August 2008, Krikor presented his first ready-to-wear collection "Les Fleurs Bleues" at Faraya Mzaar, along with three other emerging Lebanese designers. In collaboration with Maison Rabih Kayrouz and Solidaire, the collection was hosted at  STARCH boutique, located in Beirut's central district, in Saifi Village, as a space to promote young an upcoming exceptional talent. 

This very successful experience for Krikor culminated in his decision to open his own dedicated Atelier on August 1st 2009. Located in the heart of Ashrafieh on Abdul Wahad Al Inglizi street it serves today as his creative base and has been home to two very successful collections since its inception.

The Krikor Jabotian nouvelle couture brand presents itself in its exceptional use of form and fabric.  Creative interpretation is at the heart of Krikors ambition to meld the very essence of femininity with modern day fantasy. 

  

Spotlight #1 : Elegant Drama with GINA DREWES

… GINA DREWES is both – couture and progressive prêt-à-porter and she defines both through exclusivity – in material as well as aesthetic terms.

  

There is a true sensuality and elegance in her designs and a real love of the female form. GINA DREWES collections are elegant drama, always with a good dose of humor, cheek and emotion.  How better to describe the sensitive feminine romantic, yet still unexpected, collections.

After GINA DREWES launched her own label, she very soon became an institution in the Viennese fashion circus. For her, fashion is a dynamic process. For that reason she often works together with other designers, artists and media. It is very important for her to get different views on fashion to find her own interpretation.

In essence, it is the contradiction of feminine lightness and stubborn rebel spirit that creates the interesting tension in GINA DREWES designs.