Confashions From Kuwait

I just came to know by e-mail that TheOutnet.com's next designer collaboration will be with Temperley London . The British luxury brand has partnered with  TheOutnet.com  to create an exclusive, limited-edition collection of 21 pieces, set to arrive at  TheOutnet.com  on Tuesday, October 7th, 2014. Drawing on the design signature that has made Alice Temperley, the label’s Founder and Creative Director, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary fashion,  TheOutnet.com ' s exclusive collection captures the essence of the brand while simultaneously showcasing its new focus on daywear. The label’s beautiful, feminine aesthetic shines through in a range of elegant lace pieces, while tailored jumpsuits and suiting provide a sense of daytime chic, showcasing the confident, wearable attitude that underpins this exclusive range.  Make sure to mark your calendars for this one, I'm loving the pleated cardigan shown here. 

So what does a  Palmer//Harding hard-core fan do when she gets an SMS from BLAQ Concept about its new arrivals?!! Drop everything and run to  Palmer//Harding  before it sells out!!!   Palmer//Harding must get an award for the most innovative and simply the most beautiful button-down white shirts. They have this unique way of transforming a classic wardrobe staple into an uber-chic most-wanted item. I couldn't settle for one piece, I bought one for now, but I'm planning for another visit this week to get another top, which I think would be a true-investment (the usual excuse). You can easily pair  Palmer//Harding' s tops with leather trousers and stilettos for a hint of rock chic, or dress it up a notch with either their textured and fringed pencil skirt or dressy cropped tuxedo pants.  The store's selection included also skirts, and one party dress for those who love to look marvelous in monochrome. Check out their hard-to-find selection now be...

You know that feeling when you keep postponing buying something you really like in hopes of getting it at a better price during sale, because it has been sitting there for months, and just a day before the sale it magically disappears?? Yup… that's what happened to me when I first saw Proenza Schouler's  PS Courier leather backpack at Harvey Nichols Kuwait months ago. What a bummer! It was sold for more than half the original price and I missed this golden opportunity. Oh well… must find an alternative. 

I'm ecstatic that the classic pointy toe stiletto pump are making a comeback, thanks to Christian Louboutin and Gianvito Rossi . To me they're the ultimate shoes to have. Yes they're super uncomfortable, but only a pair of pointy pumps would make me look like a lost 5 kilos! I know what you're thinking, the pointy pumps never really go out of style, true but to me it felt like they have been lingering in the background for quite sometime.  I spotted these classy multi-neutral colored pumps at  Christian Louboutin   boutique in Salhiya the other day and I loved how feminine yet young they looks. Not the granny type of pumps. Still contemplating whether to get them or not, I haven't bought a pair of  Christian Louboutin   heels for quite sometime, for the exaction of they summer fringed sandals, I haven't found a style that I really liked. So let's see what the new season has for us….

The only time I get motivated the most to work out is when I buy a new pair of sneakers. So these Nike's will be my new motivation to hit the gym. Spotted them at Harvey Nichols Kuwait . My motivation level these days require a new pair of sneakers every week. 

A few weeks ago Net-a-Porter surprised me with one of the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts, Fashion Week Survival Kit. They have even customized the cover of the box with my initials! Ain't that sweet?! The many reasons why I love  Net-a-Porter ! Siiiiiigh. The kit included empty bottles to fill in with your beauty products, Paris and New York City Guides, name tags for suitcases, notebook for sketching and taking notes, mints, sewing kit, and other knick-knacks. Thank you   Net-a-Porter   for making my day! xoxo

Kuwait is a small market, so it's no surprise to find at least 3 of your relatives or friends owning that same IKEA or West Elm item. Does it bother me? Not really, because a) everyone is styling or displaying it differently, and b) mass production means better deals for us, the hard working class. As I mentioned in my previous posts, we have just recently moved, which means some home improvements and revamping were required. So a visit to  West Elm  was on top of my "To-do" list. There's more than meets the eye at  West Elm . It has a sleek design that's appealing, the display is very creative, and the kitchenware and outdoor accessories are just simple yet very pretty. It's definitely the higher end of  IKEA . Here are some of the items I lusted after…. My favorite has to be this puff chair shown in the photo below, it feels like its inspired by vintage Moroccan wedding blankets. Love it! 

Online portal  Business of Fashion , an essential daily read for fashion creatives, executives and entrepreneurs all over the world, revealed it's yearly  BoF 500  list, a professional index of the people shaping the global fashion industry, based on hundreds of nominations received from members of last year’s  BoF 500 , data analysis and research to unearth names from all corners of the globe. Of course there were some regular names that made the list last and this year like Anna Wintour, Tommy Ton, and  Dirk Standen (Style.com's editor-in-chief), but as a Middle eastern, I was interested to find out who made the cut from our region, starting with my hometown Kuwait: Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman, Alshaya Group Noor Al Sabah, Fashion Director, AlOthman & Tabiat Fashion Co.  and co-founder of ecru Najla Maatouk, founder of Al Ostoura UAE: Khalid Al Tayer, CEO of Al Tayer group which owns Harvey Nichols Dubai and Luxury bra...

I love spotting pieces with middle eastern feel at modern furniture stores. The other day I was browsing The One in the Avenues and noticed a set of pillows covered in traditional patterns used in Palestinian embroidery. My friend, of palestinian origins, once told me that these patterns symbolize good health, hope, prosperity and protection, among other attributes of positive beliefs. Can you just imagine placing these pillows on retro-inspired plain arm chairs and couches? Beautiful. 

I spotted these eye-catching embellishment in the form of jeweled flowers on two different denim pants the other day, the first was by Pinko at Harvey Nichols Kuwait, and the second by good ol' Zara . Then days later, I spotted Stella McCartney' s version of the embellished denim here , which kind of looked like a copy of  Tu Es Mon Tresor 's.  I instantly remembered when I first wore my Tu Es Mon Tresor Pearl Embellished Boyfriend Jean, I bought them from Browns Fashion in Dec 2013. There were, still are, my ultimate casual-luxe look. Sometimes I wonder how would a small brand or an emerging designer feel when they see their original designs and creativity being copied by big brands. There's nothing much they can do, too exhausting and time/money consuming to take things to the courts. Besides, in the design and creative filed, be it fashion or art, copyrights barely exist, which is good and bad. Good? So that it won't constrict or limit creativity. ...

Call me insane but I find these Fendi monster furry heels so cute! They kind of remind me of my favorite characters in Sesame street. I wouldn't go for the style shown in the above photo, but I would definitly go for the pumps below with the yellowish fur details (hearts hearts), of course, they just had to sell out in my size and I couldn't find them online either. What a bummer!! The search is still on though so any leading tips are appreciated. Thanks!

I'm one of those people who gets sucked into almost (i repeat almost) anything with Arabic calligraphy, done or designed with classiness and good taste that is. So when I got introduced to Som'or , a Saudi based bracelets brand, I was instantly intrigued.  The design binds your choice of Arabic initials in a love knot, a symbol of friendship in many cultures. Choose from sterling silver plated in three colours of 18K gold. I've added my new noon ن Arabic alphabet bracelet to my selection of arm party. It makes such a great gift idea and it's only KD55. Find  Som'or  in Kuwait exclusively at @walkinclosetq8 .

Excuse the toilet #ootd, that was where I found the best light setting to take my photo for this post. I bought this dress last week and I couldn't wait to wear it to a wedding I was invited to! I got it from AlOthman Boutique , still a few pieces left if you're interested.  The sleeveless bonded crepe dress is by the queen of color-blocking Roksanda Ilincic . It features an asymmetric silhouette with a ruffle peplum and a vertically striped drape overlay. The runway version also featured a stunning golden thick belt, which hasn't arrived to AlOthman yet. I paired it with my DVF round box surrealist clutch, and my faithful go-to platform heels for weddings and parties by Nicholas Kirkwood .  I found a similar version of the dress online here , minus the overlay. 

Najeeba Hayat is ready to shake things up and claim the spotlight with her brand new footwear brand  Liudmila .  According to AlOthman's blog , which will be stocking  Liudmila  Summer 2015 naturally, the brand  Liudmila is focused on creating desire and fantasy while respecting a woman’s mobility. All of its heel designs are lower-heeled styles and fall under the 100mm range with the majority of the collection using a 50mm heel. Najeeba's debut collection is inspired by cartoon heroines like Cinderella (check out the black silk flats in the photo below), a Minnie Mouse pump, and mermaid-green exotics.  What really impressed me about the designer is that she actually studied shoes design for a year, so that's no monkey business, and also the fact that she had her shoes manufactured in the same factory as Louboutin and Manolo. I've heard from a lot of fashion insiders that it's very difficult to find the right place to produce someone...

I get asked a lot about which bag to buy this season, or more precisely about the "it" bag of the season. I stopped believing in "it" bags a while ago (I feel like as if a small weight has been lifted off my shoulders!!). Last month as I started de-cluttering my closets in preparation for our move, it hit me hard how gullible I was the past I don't know how many years, in searching and hunting for the "it" bag of the season. I had a closet dedicated for handbags, some I wore maybe twice or three times max!! I started questioning my shopping habits and the desire to be defined by a status bag. I'm not saying that I'll never buy a handbag again, but I don't want to be influenced by the fashion media and get me all worked up about a bag and fight over it..... on the waiting list! It's not worth it. So I decided that If I see a bag that I like, I'll buy it. Not because it was mentioned on the pages of Vogue magazine or some celeb wo...