It's already been a Dubai Fashion Week for the ages and we're not even halfway through. While the week began with spirals and lacework and day two featured the first designer from Australia, day three featured some much-loved familiar names - Etoile La Boutique, Blssd and Dima Ayad - and an exciting newcomer in Tara Babylon.
All the shows had one thing in common: a desire to speak to fashion's deep roots in the region. It made for a rich, heritage-filled night.
Etoile La Boutique
Opening the evening was Etoile La Boutique, a treasure trove of elegant occasion wear, that was founded 20 years ago by Ingie Chalhoub. As one of the earliest pioneers of high-end fashion in the region under her umbrella company Etoile Group, Chalhoub was the first to bring big names such as Chanel, Valentino, Etro, Aquazzura, Ralph Lauren and Tod's to our shores.
For this showing, however, it was a glimpse into the delights held in the boutique. Presented in three vignettes, it told a tale of twilight to midnight in heady decadence, such as a giant bow-fronted dress in marigold taffeta, or a high-collared coat in leopard print.
Blssd
Another well-known name showing was Blssd, a home-grown talent that seems to get less recognition than it deserves. For autumn/winter, designer Lama Riachi raised her own standards, finding a whole new gear to deliver a collection of tailored looks so polished, so razor sharp, it felt like it had just arrived from New York.
Diving into masculine tailoring, a touch of sportiness and the odd flourish of femininity, together it told a tale of powerful womanhood. An all-white salvo arrived as an oversized faux leather flying jacket worn with a drop waist pleated tennis skirt and a black mesh top. It was teamed with a crisp, pleated midi pleated skirt open to one thigh.
This was followed by a long fitted dress, cut from office grey wool, finished with shoulder pads and two skinny belts around the ribs; an oversized men's suit had an asymmetric hem to the blazer; a lightweight, floor-grazing, masculine overcoat was worn over knitted skirt and bandeau top. Shoe gaiters arrived as knee-high sheaths, or covered in laser-cut moons of faux leather, that also smothered a slouchy, oversized bag squashed nonchalantly under an arm.
Tara Babylon
The wonderfully named brand Tara Babylon mixes the designer's own British and Iraqi heritage. Raised in the UK, the designer recently returned to her country of birth - Iraq - for a trip that inspired this collection, Princess of Thieves.
The patterned fabrics that made up almost every look depicted the palms and greenery that were inspired both by the fabled hanging gardens of Babylon and the palm trees and oil from modern-day Iraq. Made in heavy woven brocade or fine, barely there mesh, the looks included fluted baby doll dresses, floor-length great coats and bodycon dresses with ruffles at the wrist and hem that all felt breezily feminine.
This girly approachability was mixed however with assorted head and face coverings. Wide-brimmed hats kept the face in shadow, while masks had cut-out eyes and mouths not unlike a balaclava. Hair was swept across to blur a model's features, while hoods zipped closed at the face. Erie and thought-provoking, it was a powerful debut at Dubai Fashion Week.
