Achraf Amiri: Illustrator of the Underbelly

In the Bio section of his blog, Achraf Amiri states "I am the hidden son of the Addams family." Looking at his haunting illustrations, one gets the feeling that he's right. The Belgian artist does not shy away from controversial themes and his not so subtle artistic critique of pop culture, fashion and other aspects of society are refreshing. 

The 22 year old up and coming artist studied graphic design at Saint-Lukas University in Brussels. His illustrations however show a more unique and creative character. Amiri says he draws mostly from fashion but also from Art Nouveau, and old Flemish paintings. I absolutely love the dark humor behind his illustrations. 

Following are a few favorites from his blog which can be viewed here: 

Diwali Delights from Louis Vuitton!

Happy Diwali everyone! Follow in Louis Vuitton's footsteps and celebrate the Festival of Lights in style this season. This year, the luxury brand created a magical re-editing of 40 pieces from its Spring/Summer 2010 and Fall/Winter 2010 collections using fabric from authentic vintage saris sourced from all over India. Louis Vuitton even went a step further by decorating its store windows with Diwali inspired decorations in collaboration with famous artist Rajeev Sethi. This unlikely pair showcases how traditional India can blend seamlessly with modern fashion rules. 

The pieces from the Luis Vuitton Diwali collection are sure to wow guests at any Diwali celebration! Boisterously colored silk wonders are featured alongside more muted pieces creating a great range of color and style choices. And how better to promote these beautiful creations than by having Bollywood's own starlet, Priyanka Chopra, donning a piece from the collection on the cover of Vogue India's November issue! I say buy the magazine AND a piece from the collection while you're at it.

Think about the bank later:

Song of the Day: Stromae-Je Cours

Stromae ALWAYS does it for me!

Bidoun Celebrates the New York Art Book Fair!

Join Bidoun Magazine tonight as it celebrates the New York Art Book Fair! There will be music by Azizaman and Tim Dewitt.

Bidoun is a quarterly magazine that is dedicated to filling the gap of art and culture from the Middle East and its diaspora. For more information, visit their website: http://www.bidoun.org/

So come out tonight and support both art and the Middle East!

Thursday November 4, 9-12 Midnight
The Jane Hotel
113 Jane Street
New York
RSVP REQUIRED rsvp@bidoun.org

Sarah's Bag: Keeping Women and the Middle East Empowered

While in Beirut I had the greatest pleasure of hearing Lebanese born Sarah Beydoun (pictured above) speak about her burgeoning company, Sarah's Bag. I thought the concept of the company was genius and the designs speak for themselves. Sarah's story begins at the Universite Saint Joseph where she wrote her thesis on female prostitution and women prisoners in Lebanon. Thus the idea of forming a company that would liberate encumbered women and fill her passion for fashion took form in her eponymous label, Sarah's Bag. This venture started as a rehabilitation program for women prisoners and struggling women in general whom Beydoun thought would benefit from learning a craft that would better their economic situation while teaching them valuable skills. The idea became more than a reality, but a huge success. Since Sarah started the business, it has grown exponentially and Sarah's Bag now participates in exhibitions all over the Arab world while still keeping shop in a beautiful building in Beirut's happening and cosmopolitan neighborhood of Gemmayze.

Once again we see an Arab designer that has not forgotten her roots but has mended them for today's discriminating consumer. Her bags give a reminder of old Lebanon and the Middle East while targeting a younger demographic that looks more to the West for their fashion choices. Icons such as the timeless Egyptian singer Umm Kalthoum and Lebanese superstar Sabah find their way onto beautifully made clutches and handbags while old-time bellydancers sashay along other bags. My favorites are definitely the Arabic calligraphy handbags that give just the right touch of the Orient and the Beirut street art clutches that represent Beirut's young beating heart perfectly with graffitti that looks exactly like the ones that mark the streets of Beirut.

To find out how you can snag your own bag visit her website: Sarah's Bag

One of the Arab world's most famous singers, Umm Kalthoum, makes an appearance on this clutch

Sarah Beydoun with the Lebanese Superstar Sabah and the bags dedicated to her

Manish Arora, the Indian Versace?

On a recent trip to India, I frequently ran into a designer name that I was not aware of up until then, Manish Arora. His name was in just about every Indian fashion magazine I happened to pick up, from Vogue India to Masala Magazine. I quickly came to realize that Manish Arora symbolizes to India what Versace symbolizes to Italy, a homegrown fashion icon whose designs reach out to an international audience. I decided to see for myself just how great this designer was and I was blown out of the water by what I found. He is one of the most playful and versatile designers to come out of the Indian subcontinent and his use of color placates even the most color hungry rainbow monger. His color choice definitely comes from his Indian upbringing as this country does not shy away from bright beautiful colors that manifest themselves in rich textiles, festival and house decorations, and even food. His designs are also a very interesting mix of Indian and Western and he incorporates them into his work subtly and effortlessly. Arora is at home with both the mostly Indian cast of Lakme Fashion Week in India as well as the cutthroat international catwalks of London and Paris Fashion Week.

For his Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear collection, Arora delved into the whimsical with brightly colored wigs, bold and colorful patterns, and science fiction-like geometric designs. The Indian inspiration came in the form of peacock feather patterns on dresses and skirts, the almost blinding use of colors, and harem pants that have taken the fashion world by storm these days. Arora kept with the socks in heels trend that has recently been a hit in fashion circles and his heels are a sci-fi aficionado's dream. As a matter of fact, the whole collection screams 2100 instead of 2010. But Arora brings everything back to reality with 1920's inspired flapper dresses, one with a silver beaded top and peacock feather patterned bottom, a perfect mix of East and West. If you haven't already heard of Manish Arora, check him out: www.manisharora.ws/
Here are my favorites from the collection:

Amato by Furne One A/W 2010: These Deer Have Headlights of Their Own

Although I wasn't much of a fan of the antlers (I thought it took away from the beauty of the collection) The AMATO Collection by Furne One blew me out of the water and was one of my favorite collections from Dubai Fashion Week. The attention to detail was impeccable and the design aesthetic was so unique. Each piece was coherent due to the Victorian-esque hips worked into each look which gave a womanly hourglass shape to the models. The colors were muted but accented with eye-catching designs and an array of playful textiles. 

When interviewed by Nia B. of Dubai's It Girl Furne One said, "I was inspired by the movie Merlin, which is a story about King Author. My favorite characters in the movie were the Night in armor and Vivian, The day of the Water. During the Dark Ages, the clothes were very heavy and masculine. I decided to soften the collection by balancing the masculinity with fabrics, such as toile and organza, and I used a lot of pale soft shades to represent Fall/Winter. The caging process you see on my gowns is not difficult to construct. At the end of the day, it is all about getting the proportions right." This playful idea turned into a whimsical yet sophisticated collection. Bravo Furne One!

DAS Collection 2010: Black Never Looked So Good

So I took a bit too long of a hiatus from the blogging world and didn't update on Dubai Fashion Week (mainly because it was a bit disappointing this year). But I'm back and ready to wow with a design label that never lets me down. DAS Collection's show for this Dubai Fashion Week was great and went along with their original theme of haute couture, modern abayas. This time around, they added nice accents such as big gold bows, black florals, and as always, amazing drapery. An Emirati women would feel like a million dollars going to an event in one of these, and most of the pieces are easily translatable across cultures. 

Enjoy: