Basil Soda

Basil Soda is a Lebanese designer, not a refreshing soft drink.  He studied architecture and hat making back in his native Beirut, where he eventually opened a boutique.  At some point he worked under legendary Elie Saab.

Right now Basil Soda is  trying to make it big in the USA by dressing C-list celebrity crowd - Paula Abdul, Carrie Underwood and some british girls i've never heard of.

Check out his very prettyly detailed clothes below:

Pix via www.basilsoda.com

iloveeclair First Evah Give-Awaaaaaay!

I am extremely excited to announce My First Evah Give-Awaaaaay!

These cute, limited edition clutch AND 100% silk scarf come courtesy of Dubai's generous premier designer, the one and only Mrs. Aiisha Ramadan.

To win:  

You must be iloveeclair's follower to enter (follow by clicking "Follow" in the right-hand side bar here >>>>>>>

You must like  I Love Eclair page on FB.

Leave me a comment on this thread and let me know you've liked my FB page.

That's it! Sooo easy.

One entry per person and US residents may participate too!  I love my US fans!

I will choose one lucky reader from the comments in this thread by random computer drawing on March 26.   The winner then will be contacted via email and give-away will be send to her/him.

If you don't contact me, the winner will be re-drawn 3 days later.

Good luck!

Pix via blog.aiisha.com

Ezra Santos

First things first - I think Ezra Santos is gorgeous. 

I think he should've been in Black Swan, not Nathalie Portman.  Look at how graceful, poised and ballerina-like he is on this picture!

Secondly, I think Lady GaGa should give him a call ASAP.  Dude is talented like that. 

Check out the shoulders on most of the dresses - you can play American football in them.

Besides doing all sorts of crazy dresses with shoulders, trains, crystals, bells, whistles and the whole nine yards of tulle and organza, Ezra Santos also dabbles in menswear.

Here's some twinkle toe models working it in his chitons ? or harem pants with hoodies? 

Perfect club wear, don't you think?  Why don't you go buy one of these for your boy-toy and take him clubbing wearing this gorgeous ensemble.  See what'll happen and report back to me. 
A small social experiment if you will.

Ezra Santos is Manila-born designer who is based in Dubai. 

Empress Farah Pahlavi

Marie Antoinette, Imelda Marcos, Leila Trabelsi - the list goes on and on.  Many a beautiful women have a knack of contributing to a long deserved demise of their mighty men. 

Usually their excesses, coupled with their unattainable beauty and arrogance get on the hungry and piss-poor population's last nerve and said population revolts.

Whatever is happening in the Middle East now - Tunis, Yemen, Egypt, Libya - is nothing new.  Almost 30 years ago impoverished people of Iran ousted their hated last king and his gorgeous wife, Empress Farah Pahlavi in a powerful revolution.

Farah Pahlavi was a beauty.  She recieved european education, had an amazing taste and even more astonishing appetite for luxury.  YSL did her dresses, Andy Warhol did her portraits and Jackie O was her friend.

People of Iran, however, were not amused.

 

Unfortunately, whatever her faults were, Farah Pahlavi paid for them tenfold. 

Countries that initially welcomed exiled imperial couple later asked them to leave, her husband passed away shortly from cancer and her 31 year old daughter died after battling anorexia/depression/bulimia.

At the beginning of this year her youngest son committed suicide.

On this sad note I leave you to marvel at this jewel of Persia and count your own blessings...

Sara's Bag

Here is the story behind the brand that will, hopefully, inspire and encourage everyone who tries to make it not only in fashion, but in the world generally.

Here is the story that will, somewhat, negate bitter bewilderment certain self-absorbed and entitled designers - Galliano among them - project onto the fashion crowd.

Here is the story that i love:

Sara's Bag is a creation of a Lebanese woman, whose childhood and coming of age were marred by long 15year lebanese war.  The woman, nevertheless, longed to create something beautiful and useful. 

Since she was always interested in underprivileged female population of her country (at school she did a thesis on lebanese female prisoners and prostitutes), she decided to create an economic opportunities for this unfortunate females.

And that's how her brand, Sara's Bag was born.  Here's an excerpt from her website, http://www.sarahsbag.com/ :


Sarah decided to set up her company as part of a rehabilitation program, whereby women at risk from economic deprivation or the stigma of having served time in prison would learn valuable skills in return for a reliable income and a stable source of pride, dignity, and empowerment. In the process, these women would be helping to revamp the centuries’ old traditions of artisans and textile makers in the Middle East for the purpose of invigorating contemporary fashion. The arrangement turned out to be successful, innovative, and highly efficient.


Check her bags out and if you can, go and buy one.  Or two.

Zuhair Murad

Zuhair Murad is a very big name in the Middle East - he's a Lebanese designer who dresses not only the regional celebrities but also has quite a following in the Hollywood.

If you ever find yourself in need of a dress that is inspired both by ancient columns and Ottoman candelabra - his words, not mine  - do yourself a favour and go buy Zuhair Murad dress.

Lots of  shimmer, lots of volume, lots of drama.

Mr. Murad first open his boutique in 1995 in his native Beirut; he has showroom in Milan, stores in Paris, and of course Dubai (Dubai Mall, across Jimmy Choo's boutique).

Everyone who's anyone in Hollywood has been photographed in his OTT gowns - from Miley to JLo, but what impresses me most is that he managed to get Wanda Sykes to wear him once as well.

Wanda doesn't even wear dresses!

Here she is (on the right) with her wife Alex: