Palestyle.com

Today while browsing through GRAZIA Middle East (mind-numbing experience, if you ask me) i noticed an advertorial for Palestyle.com

Palestyle.com is Jordan-based clothing and accessories company whose designs reflect and borrow heavily from Arabic and especially Palestinian heritage - embroidery, calligraphy, etc. They employ Palestinian refugees in camps throughout Jordan and Lebanon and 5% goes of sales goes to the workers, that's on top of the wages.

Take a look at these pictures and discover for yourself beauty of Palestinian handcraft, striking red-on-black embroidery, whimsy of Arabic calligraphy - all that is foreign to the western eye, but oh, so wonderful!

P.S. I don't care much for their clutches - I believe Dareen Hakim dit it first and did it better.  Just sayin'...

All pics via www.palestyle.com

Queen Fawzia of Iran

To the manor born (1921), bred and married, Princess Fawzia is a daughter of last King of Egypt and first ex-wife of last Emperor/Shah of Persia.
Remember, the one that was also married to Empress Farah Pahlavi?

The marriage was suppose to be an aliance of two super-powers at their heyday, but was not long and produced only one daughter.

Princess Fawzia didn't always look so breathtaking. Yes, sure she was cute and all before, but frankly nothing special to look at:

It's only after her marriage to Shah she seemed to lost some weight, plucked her eyebrows, hired a new make-up pro and changed her hair-do.

She turned into an Empress.

Cecil Beaton who photographed her for Vogue named her "Asian Venus". She became a celebrity in her own right, her stunning face was captured for a slew of western fashion mags and the best couturiers of the time clamored for the privilege to dress her.

Photo by Cecil Beacon

Photo by Cecil Beacon

However, the marriage only lasted 7 years - rumor had it that her sister-in-law was detrimental in it's ruin. Apparently, Shah's twin sister (who was also quite gorgeous) didn't like his new bride from the beginning.

Queen Fawzia and her sister-in-law

After the divorce Queen, who became a Princess again, married for the second time to some kinda doctor and had 2 children with him.  She is still alive and well and lives in Switzerland.
I think she was iconically, classically, queenly beautiful woman.  Don't you agree?

This woman is NOT a real Egyptian Queen, but she played one in the movies.

Lakme Fashion Week Winter 2011

I see a lot of posts on IFB on New York Fashion Week and there's even complete guide to blogging on it.

However, it looks like not many western fashionista are aware about huge event that happens in India 4 times a year - Lakme Fashion Week.

There's no denying that India with it's rich heritage has tons to offer in terms of fashion - embroidery, thread work, textile with most delicious color palettes, embellishments and patterns.

Here are some pix from LFW Winter Festive that just happened last week in August. 

I separated them into 3 categories: Traditional, which to me is most eye-catching, Fusion and Modern (the one i liked the least)

Traditional:

Fusion:

Modern:

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Spanish Edition: Flamenco

So, here's my last post on Spanish vacation:

FLAMENCO!!!!

I loved flamenco!  My husband was so very kind to take me watch flamenco in almost every city we visited.  And every city had a different flamenco style.

Flamenco dancers and the band in Madrid were bursting at the seams with anger, passion, jealosy and all kinds of dark emotions.  Their bodies, limbs, faces and voices were insanely moody, fierce and not to be messed with.  It was raw and electrifying!

Flamenco gypsies in Granada were fun and cheesy.  All the dances told you some kind of soap-opera story:  here's the couple dating against thier parents' wishes, here's Mama Gypsy tells you how hot she used to be and here's the grand finale -the wedding. 

I like the gypsies for the way they were - so very un-apologetically Gypsy.

And finally, great acoustic flamenco performance in Sevilla. 

It was extremely gracefull, powerfull and very flirty performance!  She smiled, she batted lashes, she swirled - she created a whirl-wind with her crazy skirts!

And on this note we should say Hasta Luego Espana! Eres Hermosa!