I was invited to a sneak peek of Hala Turkey's exhibition among my fellow bloggers yesterday late afternoon. The official launch took place few hours after the sneak peek. And since I was completely captivated by the magic of Istanbul during my last visit a few months ago (previous posts here, here, and here), I made sure to squeeze in some time in my schedule for this one. I was warmly greeted by one of the organizers Ms. Anwar Al Mudhaf who explained to me that 60% of the exhibition's participants flew in from Turkey to showcase their latest designs, the rest of the participants are local businesses who either have Turkish partners or sell items imported or designed in Turkey such as Boutique Black Pearl, November, Pieces by Farah, Brown Booteek, and Salmadeel to name a few. Scroll down for highlights of the exhibition.
Hala Turkey exhibition is held at 360 Mall (Um Kalthoum Hall). Tomorrow Wednesday 27th November is the last day. The exhibition's opening hours are from 10am to 10pm.
Oops! I forgot the name of this booth, but it's the only booth was selling a huge selection of pearl necklaces. Call me an oldie but I'm a fan of pearl necklaces, so I had a hard time picking one.
Hands down, Boutique Black Pearl had the best selection of Jewelry on display at the exhibition. Thank god they're based in Kuwait! Being a sucker for jewelry, this is a place I'll be needing to go back to again and again. They were showcasing designs by a Turkish brand called Kısmet by Milka. If you're following on instagram, you have probably seen the gorgeous snake ring I'm lusting over. The photos above and below give you a taste of what to expect.
The above necklaces are not part of Boutique Black Pearl's booth but I thought I'd feature them in this post since I know a lot of people like still like them.
One booth was selling Pashtoosh and Pashmina shawls. You can follow them on instagram here. Or if you want to order you can call them at (+965) 6689-3527.
This booth is by SIM boutique. They sell all sorts of jewelry you usually find at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. They're based in Kuwait so you can call them throughout the year if you wish to order or buy something. For further inquiries, please send an e-mail to info@simforme.com or call (+965) 6006-2584.
This booth is dedicated to pillow cases, table cloths, and vintage jackets with golden embroidery. The pillow cases are selling on average of KD 15 more or less. The vintage jackets however can set you back around KD 250.
More jewelry from a booth which I completely forgot its name... sorry guys, need some Omega 3 to refresh my memory!
This pearl and gold necklace is priced at KD 350
This booth, Begumsalihoglu, had a big selection of evening gowns, cocktail dresses, and formal attire. Not all of the gowns were my cup of tea except for two which looked really nice. I wasn't allowed to take a close up photos of the gowns alone (well except for the ones on the mannequins), but if you look closely at the black dress shown on the far right of the above photo, you'll get a glimpse of the pretty baroque prints on the lower part of the dress and it has a chiffon capelet attached to it, very Dolce & Gabbana A/W2012 with a hint of Alessandra Rich.
Mehry Mu's booth was one of the booths that I've been eager to see and meet the lovely designer because she has e-mailed me a week before the exhibition to introduce the brand to me. I was fond of the way the designer mixed vibrant ikat fabrics with colored python skin. My favorite designs were the Rez bag, an easy and light-to-carry shopping bag and the Sultan clutch, shown below, adorned with eastern design elements.
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