Exquisite Ezra

UAE based talent has reached new heights. Ezra, a Filipino designer with a knack for exuberant expressions of fashion flair has certainly raised the bar for the quality of fashion coming out of the region. His show earlier this week themed "in the beginning" was reminiscent of the garden of Eden with snake like couture slithering down the runway, dresses befitting a temptress with Swarovski crystals dripping off well tailored seams.

This breath of fresh air was much needed for the local fashion scene after the mediocre quality of couture witnessed at the Dubai Fashion Week.

Good job Ezra! your next mission...if you choose to accept it... my wedding dress!

Viktor & Rolf RTW Fall 2010

Viktor & Rolf RTW Fall 2010

How surprisingly refreshing! Who would have thought that a show so devoid of colour could ellicit such an inspired reaction from me? I appreciate black clothing and ocassionally I'll wear it, but colour dictates the contents of my wardrobe so to watch a show that had no colour and LOVE it, is something to be noted!

I couldn't have asked for a richer treat as I went about my daily morning routine which consists of cardio exercise whilst watching fashion TV. The combination of fashion meets art meets showmanship was truly a spectacle to behold, particularly having attended a number of shows within Dubai that purely lacked the creativity that was exemplified in V&R's RTW Fall masterpiece.

Granted I'm slightly biased towards the duo due to their intoxicatingly sweet "flower bomb" fragrance, packaged in a grenade shaped bottle, however, they proved themselves despite my leanings.

What impressed me mostabout the runway show was the style of exhibition of their artform. The collection itself was also far from dull. They gave us a glimpse of the craft of designing. They were part of the show both in the back and foreground, lending a touch of reality to the usual hum-drum of waif coat hangers strutting their gangly legs down an endless runway. I was particularly drawn to the industrial feel of the show where you felt like you were part of the process. Watching the designers undress and dress the models brought an element of authenticity to the show because the designer's hands were physically on the clothing structuring each look especially for the audience as they watched.

Very well done! I almost burst into applause at the end of the show - good thing i didn't because a fall from the elliptical machine would have been a little less than graceful. Definitely looking forward to their next collection!

Dubai Fashion Week A/W 2010

The 7th installment of the Dubai Fashion week found me attending the Iconic show which was very well attended. The recently opened megastore sits in old Dubai in Deira City cnetre and offers every type of Fashion with over 200 brands spanning from the affordable high street fashion to more niche, cult brands and the premium brands that get Dubai shoppers excited.

I enjoyed the show and will be interested in what the in-store experience is like. In the next few months, I'll be trawling through the myriad of fashion outlets in Dubai to experience the brand offering.I want to see what's out there, for whom and how is it offered to them.

The TIA by Soraya and Ajay show was good to see because of the strong local influence. The colours were vibrant, almost to the point of shocking. The Sari's were less traditional and were probably designed for opulent occasions of which Dubai does not have a shortage of!

This show was less well attended which was a surprise, perhaps because it was late at night (close to 11pm) on a Saturday. Maybe it was because they didn't have goodie bags!

Although its been running for 7 years now, the Fashion week here still has a long way to go. There is no real buzz generated around it which is something worth exploring since the city is so label and fashion crazed. Its almost as though this event is only targeted at people in the fashion industry. I personally didn't come across any sort of messaging around it.

There are some positive aspects about the fashion week in Dubai, the main one being that it is totally supportive of local talent. If they were to bring in the more established brands from Europe, it would not allow for these local brands to flourish as we would witness the flea market effect of everyone flocking to the European brand shows and ignoring the local brands.

I look forward to the next Dubai Fashion Week!

Dubai Fashion Week

Louis Vuitton Flea Market

I've been visiting the Dubai Mall very frequently since the day they flung their doors open due to my apartment's close proximity to it, I find myself in the mall for the smallest of needs, like buying stamps to my bi-weekly visits to the supermarket, shopping fixes or funnily enough, even Scuba diving (I recommend the Shark encounter for the brave).

So in short, I've seen the mall transform into a bustling shopping venue which is a far cry from the early days when barely a quarter of the stores were open for Business. My favourite section of the mall is the Fashion Avenue where you will find an atrium with Armani Caffe as the centrepiece majestically surrounded by an impressive collection of the finest designers, namely Hermes, Dior, Chanel, Versace,Dolce & Gabanna to mention a few.

In my search for a comfortable pair of "every day shoes" I had visited Bloomingdales - a must do for any discerning lover of fashion! The search was fruitless but strangely fulfilling in a way, as every one of my visits to the store tends to be, mainly because I get a sense of how the local community and tourists respond to brand messaging and merchandising.

From Bloomie's I made a beeline to the Fashion Avenue only to find that the Chanel store was closed. Despite the windows being boarded up and a sign on the door notifying customers that the store was closed for renovation, 3 Emirati ladies, obviously determined to buy some Chanel that day, still pushed the door open to find that no, it wasn't an April fool's joke, the store was actually empty. It will be interesting to see why and how they have changed the store - strategy strategy strategy!

Next stop...Louis Vuitton!In earlier days, all you had to do was so much as glance in the direction of the store and the doorman will be welcoming you in...NOT SO on this day. Apparently there were too many customers in the store, so they were controlling the flow of traffic. Now this news didn't settle well with a couple who arrived at the door just before I did, because apparently this had happened to them the day before as well. Luckily I didn't have to wait long but once inside I really felt my heart sink!

Where is the exclusivity? Where is the ambiance? Where is that that sense of uniqueness that one seeks when they shell out thousands for a genuine designer product. The LV store, in all honesty had transformed into a flea market - I had to block my ears for fear of hearing people haggling for discounts. The hushed tones and elegance of the store gave way to raised voices and harrowed sales attendants unable to keep up with the demands of each customer....

Disappointing. The brand image is slightly tarnished in my head, although a saving grace came in the form of the new print ads that were produced by Ogilvy featuring Annie Liebowitz and Mikhail Baryshnikov, shying away from the overexposed flashy celebrity endorsements to a subtly styled ode to the heritage of the brand.
http://www.louisvuittonjourneys.com/annie

Perhaps its the thirst for Heritage that the Dubai shoppers are after in a place so full of newness! Perhaps!

Trip to the tailor

My trip to the tailor was planned to the finest detail, knowing that the fabric stores close at 1:30 and open again between 4:30 and 5:00 (nobody has been able to explain to me what they do during that time since all stores now have air conditioning so its not too hot to work!), I made sure to arrive as the stores were opening. This would ensure that I would have a relaxed shopping experience without worrying about lethargic sales people and crowds of people disturbing my long anticipated experience.

1st of all, finding the right fabric was an insurmountable challenge. They were either too this or too that, not enough this and not enough that. I was quite shocked at the lack of availability of what I had in mind. Having said this, I finally settled on a beautiful Italian made fabric, and instantly I began to feel the buzz...the adrenaline of the potential of seeing my vision through started pumping through my veins...oh the joy! But not so fast...the fabric wasn't long enough, so the gentleman serving me casually told me that he can have the full length delivered to my tailor that evening. One thing that has to be said about Dubai is that you can have anything delivered anywhere, and most of time for no additional charge!

Although this practice is commonplace, the sceptic in me refused to settle down so I attempted to put her at ease by asking as many questions as I could think of about the process and the level of guarantee.

I parted with my hard earned money, took all the contact details, perhaps the only thing I didn't get from him was a swab of his DNA! So I happily make tracks to the tailor with my design in hand - a combination of a Tory Burch and a Vivienne Westwood dress I saw on Net-a-porter. Halfway through my conversation with the tailor, giving him specific details about the fit that I wanted, I get the dreaded call! They have run out of stock at the warehouse and it will take an indefinite amount of time to ship the fabric to Dubai.

Horror of horrors! My second choice had to suffice so now its down to the fit! Wednesday is the reveal day....till then I anticipate my Bespoke experience with bated breath!