Simply the best
Akeel's stylish thobes and Kanzi's fairytale gowns marked the second day of fashion week
If the first day of the Dubai Fashion Week spring-summer 2010 was blingtastic, the second day relied on sophistication and subtlety to push it forward. Leading the fashion fray was the Saudi designer Hatem Al Akeel. He was consummate in paying homage to simplicity and made the thobes appear as the most masculine garment to sport.
The much-anticipated unveiling of Christian Louboutin's men's shoes stepped up the glamour quotient. But it was disappointing to see only two pairs of Louboutin for males make it to the runway.
Designer-duo of the label Kanzi (the Arabic word for treasure) — Shaikha Amal Al Maktoum and Raghda Taryam — gave great shape and form to reams and reams of black billowing silk. The collection titled Fairytales ended on a happy note. A model waltzing onto the runway in a white glittering gown with a bouffant skirt made for a perfect Cinderella. The fantastical land also gave way to some racy clothes.
The automobile giant Lamborghini put the DFW on the fast track with tan boots, cargo pants and edgy leather jackets.
Hatem Al Akeel
- Hits: His junior line plus the column robes and frocks.
- Misses: Left us craving for more men's Christian Louboutin shoes.
Hatem Al Akeel's clean column silhouettes for both men and women matched steps with Christian Louboutin's glitzy shoes. Though most of the men in sleek robes with exposed zippers came barefoot, two of his models were seen sporting the French shoemaker's limited snakeskin shoes and a flashy silver-gold lace-ups. Though it left many craving for more, Al Akeel has a perfect explanation for it.
"We wanted to take baby steps towards introducing shoes with thobes.
"Normally thobes are worn with traditional shoes and we didn't want to overwhelm everybody with too many shoes with the thobes," says Al Akeel.
Though he may have refrained from playing with soles, his designs were far more experimental. Imagine a thobe worn over a body-hugging T-shirt or pin-striped robe over a double-breasted suit and you are half way into his creative space. His women's collection was an ode to keeping things simple. Column dresses in pastel shades cinched at the waist was another popular choice. But the show stealers were the couple of kids who came traipsing in with their mini thobes. The tiny thobe with the Mickey Mouse motifs evoked a thunderous round of applause.
Kanzi by Shaikha Amal Al Maktoum and Raghda Taryam
- Hits: The mystical billowing abayas with feathers, frills and tassels.
- Misses: Crystals — the ubiquitous extension of DFW — wove their way into some of the abayas.
The designers behind Kanzi were intent on transporting Dubai's posh crowd to a fantastical land. As gusts of smoke filled the runway, models in free flowing yet immensely flattering abayas trooped in.
Modern elements such as the ruffles, feathers, tassles and floral appliqués were woven into the traditional garment with great ease.
Calling abayas a liberating garment, the designers said the possibilities were endless when it came to creating them. However, their custom-made fairytale gown with an exploding bouffant skirt garnered maximum crowd support.
Emerging talent
This segment which featured collections from seven designers was a mixed bag and tempts us to believe that too many cooks spoil the cloth. Many let their imagination run riot. Elaborate headgear and feather-lined which would many any animal-activist squirm in their seats dominated the runway. Out of them, designer duo Simone Khambatta and Roma Narsinghani whipped up an impressive string of short cocktail dresses.
Did you know?
At least four to six yard of black silk were used on an average to make the abaya pieces.
