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:

Dubai Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2010

Dubai Fashion Week is upon us! From April 3-7, the designers of the Arab world will come together to wow the runways of Dubai at the Godolphin Ballroom in Jumeira Emirates Tower. Designers to look out for are DAS Collection, Ekta Singh, Salma Khan and a host of others. Stay tuned for updates here!

That is SOOOO UNFAIR!

Just picked up my copy of this month's issue of UNFAIR magazine and it is PURE GOLD! The editorials were to die for, the fashion was insane and I'm finally seeing an amazing representation of Middle Eastern fashion and fashion icons. The cover features an amazing bolero top from Qasimi whose work also is featured in a great spread inside the magazine. Please go out and get this magazine. If you're interested in the rapidly growing Middle Eastern fashion scene THIS IS FOR YOU!

Emirati Designer Naz Cannon Hits the Menswear Mark

The Emirates have yet another designer to be proud of. UAE native Naz Cannon is new to the design game but his eye for fashion is well seasoned. In his menswear collection, he focuses on tops that are trendy and modern, using great fabrics and innovative draping. It's so hard to find a lot of creativity in menswear but Cannon's designs make up for that lack. Check out his website here.
These are my favorites: