After a recent Beymen trip for another post, I came across the colorful Sonia by Sonia Rykiel collection full of bright stripe delights. The fabulousness of the collection had to be shared with you! My obvious styling tip: Be unique this winter and wear brights!
Beymen Cairo at Four Seasons Nile Plaza
Want to let your creative juices roll for the New Year? Always been interested in designing a tee? Well, now is your chance. You could be the next ‘it’ thing with The Pink Powder Room’s first contest. The brand best known for its comfortable loungewear, in high quality cotton, is starting the new year promoting a positive outlook with the Feel Good T-Shirt Design Contest. I am excited and will definitely be submitting a design. I hope you will too!
Below is all the information you need.
Design your own feel good t-shirt. We love fonts, text, illustrations, simple or loud the message simply FEEL GOOD! The winner will see their design printed on a limited edition t-shirt to be sold exclusively at The Pink Powder Room. Winner will also receive a 1000 le voucher to spend at The Pink Powder Room.
HERE IS HOW IT WORKS:
1. Submit your design to info@thepinkpowderroom.com
We will upload your design on to our page within 24hrs
2. Ask your friends & family to LIKE your design
3. The design with the most LIKES wins!
COMPETITION DEADLINE: 5th Feb 2012
May the best design win!
Will you buy Egyptian products on December 16th, 2011? Eshtiry Masry is a great initiative, started by Amr Adib, taking over Egyptian corporations and small enterprises alike. #Eshterimasry, #buyegyptian, and #madeinegypt are just some of the hashtags covering the topic. Many local brands are offering 10% discounts, online stores offering free shipping and much more.
Today, you’ll be getting my advice on some of the best Egyptian products, obviously fashion related, to buy on December 16, helping you choose some great investment pieces that are fashionable, without Egyptian flags on them!
Bishette Bags, the unique one of a kind renewed vintage bags, will be having an open day with a 10% discount in Zamalek, address 8 Kamel Mohamed St. Zamalek 13th floor. With each bag having a wonderful story behind it, you are sure to be making a fashion statement.
Style-Treasure, the online store, is offering 10% Egyptian brands with free shipping within Egypt on Friday! We suggest this statement scarf by Amina K., a perfect addition to your fall wardrobe.
Amuse will have 10% discounts on Amina K. accessories, Aya Home textiles, Rimal and more. Our top picks at Amuse have to be the Viv Nuniz bag and the statement jewelry by Dina Said!
Sahara, a new store in Zamalek’s Brazil St, is also joining the initiative. We love their camel cape, totally on trend for this fall while also being a wardrobe staple.
Azza Fahmy Jewelry is donating 10% of sales to the Better Life Association for Comprehensive Development. One of our top picks is from the latest Pharaonic Collection. The gold and silver scarab cuff is unique and is a cool ode, in the form of fashion, to Egyptian history.
SHOP AWAY ON DEC.16th! Support our local fashion brands for a fashion frenzy filled friday!
Spotted these last couple of weeks, two Arab actresses wearing two local designers, Dina Ayesh and Dina Said, in none other than red-hot red carpet dresses. Which do you like best?
First, Hend Sabry attended the premier of her movie “Asma’a” at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in a Dina Ayesh one-shouldered sequin belted short to long chiffon red number. The choice of shoes, bag and hair are not my favorite but the dress worked well on the Tunisian beauty.
Dorra Zarrouk killed it, in every sense, in a Nana’s Closet SS12 runway finale dress at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival premier of “Black Gold”. The floor-length red dress fit her well accentuating her beautiful figure. The pleating, ruffles, and tiered chiffon strips show the detailed eye of Ms. Said’s work. Dorra’s hair, makeup and jewelry were flawless but I would have opted for a more subtle clutch.
This past summer, I was lucky enough to meet one of my favorite jet-setting fashion bloggers, Kristin Knox aka The Clothes Whisperer, in Cairo. The New York born London based fashion ‘writer with a camera’ was visiting Egypt and I was on a mission to get the chance to meet her. Thanks to Twitter we were able to get in touch and bond over shisha at the Kempinski. Obviously, the fashion talk kicked off quickly covering our favorite brands, the blogosphere, the fashion industry, how Egypt inspires us, and Kristin’s latest book Cultures to Catwalk. That was when I found out I’d be featured in the marvelous book of how world histories and cultures influence fashion.
Within a couple of hours of bonding I knew made a friend that I would always make it a point to keep in touch with. Luckily, the next time I was in London was the Cultures to Catwalk book launch party at Liberty London. The event was just the perfect treat to my LFW trip and I was super excited to get to share this amazing moment with Kristin, her family, and her friends.
Since the summer meet up we had decided to have an interview exchange on our blogs. After the busy months of summer and the fashion week month, we have finally been able to take it live! Below is my interview with the fabulous fashionista with the cuttest pom ever. Kristin, we MUST do the shoots you have in mind!
CLICK HERE to read my interview on Kristin’s blog.
FashionThreads: What are 3 things you want FashionThreads fans to know about you, Kristin Knox, the Clothes Whisperer?
KK: My first trip to Egypt was hugely important for me personally and I felt I grew leaps and bounds in a matter of 72 hours. 2) Butters is a Pomeranian, NOT a long haired chihuahua. 3) I'm not a blogger, I'm a writer with a camera.
FashionThreads: Has your trip to Egypt influenced your style? If so, how?
KK: It's weird, it's almost like it confirmed the pre-existing style rather than spawning new influences. I've always been all about bohemian luxe, or Bedouin chic, and in Egypt I really just had a chance to unleash that to its full potential (camel and all). While I was visiting, I tried to rock a sort of hybrid of what reminds me of a kind of turn-of-the-century inspired archaeologist chic/safari-look for visiting museums etc and then flowing sheer layers and loads of nomad jewellery as well. Being mixed race, I love playing with the clash of East and West in my wardrobe. Strange enough, my signature accessory is a pendant of an ankh from Erin Wasson. My-Wardrobe lent it to me as part of a package for London Fashion Week a year and a half ago, but when the time came to give the goodies back, I couldn't part with the pendant. I've worn it every day since and was obviously struck by this when I visited Egypt.
FashionThreads: You are often spotted wearing a Key of Life necklace. What is the story behind it?
KK: hahaha I just started that story in question 2, but I will elaborate…I just started wearing it during that LFW, and suddenly realised it went with EVERYTHING and felt naked leaving the house without it. I'm the sort of person that likes jewellery to be sentimental, to have a meaning, and I'm always looking for that one ring/bracelet/necklace that you wear everyday and keep on your person always, ever since I was a little girl, this has been my tendency. I guess the Key of Life just resonated with me, maybe even on a subconscious level, and has been sort of my talisman ever since. I also wear an Evil Eye, the symbol for Om, a mystic snake and a sideways crucifix most days. I'm a spiritual person and I like to incorporate that into my accessories. In fashion, especially, there's a lot of negative energy around, people aren't what they seem and can be very superficial, I guess I felt the need for some stylish protection!
FashionThreads: After having written your upcoming book "Cultures to Catwalk: How World Cultures Influence Fashion", what was your favorite discovery on the history of fashion in Egypt? Which international designer collection, inspired by Egypt, was your favorite?
KK: I loved that the "sheath" dresses worn in the Old Kingdom in ancient times, essentially lengths of linen wrapped in different ways around the female body, was the first ever “wrap” dress! According to my research, these wraparound dresses became more and more elaborate over time and could we worn wrapped, draped, tucked, knotted in complex and elegant ways. This element of styling variety introduced a wider range of expressive dress to the Egyptian people, de facto, driving a cultural awareness of fashion. Where would DVF be without the Pharohs?
In terms of Egyptian-inspired, John Galliano for Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2004 was my favorite: spectacular golden headdresses, sphinx masks, crocodile tunics…Cleopatra herself would pass out from the lavish fabulousness of it all!
FashionThreads: You told me, when roaming around Cairo, you saw a million locations you believe would be great photo shoot locations. If you got that opportunity for a Fall 2011 editorial, what story would you like to tell and which international designers would you style it with?
KK: Well I wasn’t there that long, so specific place names may elude me. I guess it was more the vibe of the setting as well as the variety. I’d love to do a dramatic evening-wear shoot along the banks of the Nile, flowing Matthew Williamson tunics and bright jewel-toned flowing Gucci gowns, it would be amazing. Obviously, shooting in front of the pyramids would be phenomenal, but I think better suited for a Spring/Summer story—couture Galliano and Givenchy methinks (swoon). But a story focused on python shot in the funerary complex of Chephren (calling in Chloe and Missoni, primarily) would be fab, sort of woman-as-cobra. Lastly, also I think it would be amazing to shoot a Victoriana story in the Coptic Quarter, pulling the really ethereal looks from Sarah Burton’s latest McQueen collection, like bringing the angels to life amidst the winding alleyways, tiny churches and chapels, would be so gorgeous.
FashionThreads: Who are your favorite Egyptian upcoming designers?
KK: Marie Bishara, and, thanks to you, Nana's Closet!
FashionThreads: If you could give Egyptian up & coming designers one piece of advice, what would it be?
KK: Stay true to your heritage, for international designers, rather than looking to emulate the traditional couturiers of Paris or the commercial designers of New York, the word you’re looking for is “synergy,” the harmonious blend between Egyptian heritage and global sartorial standards. Incorporate local materials, craftworks and other special nuances unique to Egypt, or even a particular region of the country, into your work, this is how local fashion industries build up their own identities rather than being seen to “copy” the big four Western capitals.
Thanks Kristin for these awesome responses. Hope to see you soon!
The layering expert, dubbed by me, Amina K. is back this fall with a collection that is definitely one of my favorites. Showing a mature structured sophistication, the collection of mainly outerwear, is spectacular. Taking the traditional abaya as an inspiration and transforming it into modern silhouetted jackets, vests, and capes is just what we need this fall. The outerwear patchwork of fabrics comprise of wool scarf material used by Egyptian farmers ‘Falaheen’, brown suede, other printed or colored cottons. Pair the outerwear with chiffon colorblocked blouses, paisley and plaid shirts and you get the boho vibe that has become synomymous with Amina K., but more refined.
I definitely am a huge fan of the new mature Amina K. Are you?
The collection can be found at Beymen Nile Plaza and at the designer's boutique in 24 Thawra St., 7th Floor, Dokki
Model: Tamara Emad
Photographer: Photo Boutique