Doing the Tourist Thing in Istanbul

The day we decided to go sightseeing within Istanbul, Turkey I was dreading the thought of standing in long queues for hours in the heat. But luckily for us, every visit to Istanbul's main tourist attractions went smoothly, the longest we have stayed in a queue was a maximum of 10 minutes. It was Friday so we decided to first visit Topkapi Palace, followed by Hagia Sophia, and left The Blue Mosque at the end as it closes during Friday prayer.

I used an audio guide and I remember it mentioning that Topkapi Palace was first constructed in 1450's by Sultan Mehmet II when he conquered Istanbul. It was the Sultan's main Palace. The best part was the jewelry and caftans areas, unfortunately photography was prohibited inside those rooms. However I managed to take a couple of photos of the caftans like the one shown above. I have also shared a photo of one of the caftans on my instagram (@confashions). Over 500 years old! Can you imagine? Amazing.

Check out the beautiful design and the stones used for the floor at Topkapi Palace as shown in the photo above. Would love to have something similar for our garden.

Our next visit was Hagia Sophia. Our guide informed us that it served as a church until the city was conquered by the Ottomans and converted the church into a mosque. I was really amazed by the details of its amazing dome (shown above), I can't believe it's over 1,400 years old! The mosaics used by the Byzantine truly survived the test of time.

Our final visit before heading to the Grand Bazaar was the Blue Mosque, officially called the Sultan Ahmet Mosque by locals. It was named the Blue Mosque because of the beautiful blue tiles decorating its interior, on a side note, I'm quite impressed by myself for remembering all this info considering I have a memory of a goldenfish! Oh and check out the ceiling shown below, beautiful details!

Miu Miu Pays Tribute to the Middle East

Everyone who knows me, knows that I have a soft spot for bag charms. They're fun, cute, and add a dose of irresistible character to your plain handbag. So when I got the news about Miu Miu paying tribute to the Middle Eastern culture by presenting an exclusive playful yet multifunctional accessories in luxurious precious skin, I got excited intrigued. The round-shaped charms has the Arabic alphabet, each piece presenting a letter design with metallic hues and vibrant colors. They're cute, nothing groundbreaking. I'm not sure if these bags charms would step up my bag charms game, but I guess it depends on their price tag and how "exclusively" exclusive they are. Maybe they'll grow on me? I don't know... What do you think? The charms should be available exclusively in Miu Miu Boutiques throughout our region.

Marie Claire Kuwait

Did you know that Marie Claire, an international women's magazine, has been launched in Kuwait and their second issue is already in newsstands? Winner of the Best Women's Magazine and Magazine of the Year award for 2005, the magazine reportedly has over 14 million readers worldwide with 26 editions in 13 languages across the world. Marie Clair - Kuwait is in Arabic of course. The magazine offers an editorial mix of journalism with glamour, fashion and beauty coverage, and feature stories of lifestyle and serious women related issues. All by an Arabic editorial team. Have you read it? If yes, what do you think of it?

Amazing Alia

Several months ago I posted about Alia Designs , a Kuwaiti talented designer of traditional clothes and dresses. Back then, I liked one of the items featured on her website. This time I'm going ga-ga over her latest Ramadan collection of Kaftans and darraa'at! Especially the one shown here on the first picture. Looks very young, comfortable, and oh-so-perfect for after futoor! For inquiries please visit the website or call (+965) 642-7400.

Confashions From Kuwait

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