FASHIONALYSED: July 2014

I've decided to start a Fashion Favourites series of posts, where I showcase my highlights/favourite fashion picks from each celebrity chosen, showing their fashion evolution throughout the years, and to help kick start this, I thought who better than Najwa Karam? Literally no one.
Many would agree that Najwa Karam is not only known and loved for her music but also her sense in fashion. She's one of the very few who have been elegant and stylish throughout the majority of her career, and that is something that no one can deny, making it especially difficult for myself to narrow it down to as fewer dresses as possible.

Having said that, I was unable to find almost any of the dresses worn in her earlier career, mostly due to poor image quality and lack of (full size) pictures (e.g. Carthage Festival 2000, Timgad Festival 2009, Chicago 2011, West Bekaa 2013...etc etc), so unfortunately, the dresses I've featured are mainly focused on more recent years.
There were also some that I wanted to include just for the sake of the hairstyle or the shoes or makeup or jewellery, but I resisted and ended up with the following:

**Order in year, not personal preference**

Carthage Festival (2008)
Zuhair Murad
Autumn/Winter 08/09 Haute Couture

Najwa Karam wore this dress at the Carthage Festival in 2008; one of the many dresses I haven't been able to get over. In general, my excitement levels always rise when it comes to a festival, as I have yet to see her disappoint, and this is definitely a top favourite of mine.
I think it's always important for singers to wear something that stands out, whether it's in colour or amount of sparkle, and especially when it comes to festivals.
And as per usual, the diva graced the stage wearing this Zuhair Murad creation from his Autumn/Winter 08/09 Haute Couture collection, which featured a light olive coloured bandage-like wrap around the bodice of the dress which came into a little overlay on the side, then draped off at the front and back, leaving a soft trail, making all the difference in the dress.The rest was a body of intricate silver embellishments with a hint of midnight blue gems over a lighter olive canvas.

Kelmat Fasel (2008)

Bassam Nehme

Regardless of its simplicity, this dress makes me think of Christmas equally as much as a Santa Claus costume - probably because it was a Christmas special, but I can't possibly be the only person who watches the episode every year before Christmas, right?

Mawazine Festival (2009)

5 years later, and I am still trying to find a single flaw in this dress and the whole concert!

If I was given the choice to go back in time and attend any festival (front row), it would without a shadow of a doubt be either this one or Carthage 2008 or 2000 or Jarash 2013... okay, this is proving difficult!

Byblos International Festival (2010)

This dress came with such a legendary moment that I couldn't possibly not include it. She wore this dress in 2010 at Byblos Festival, where they honoured (the now deceased) Wadih El Safi, along with another gown, which was beyond beautiful.
The dress featured metallic crystal detailing with a nude undergarment and a metallic gold waist, and personally, I would have preferred the dress without the metallic waist, but this metallic waist became the other reason why I felt the desperate need to add this dress to the list; this woman duetted with Wadih El Safi and absolutely sang the life out of the singer's "Yabni" with a waist cinched that tight - it had me breathless!

BOW DOWN

"Bel Rouh Bel Dam" Music Video (2010)
Zuhair Murad
Spring/Summer 2010 Couture

A wedding dress like no other. First of all, it's mostly grey; a colour that is rarely seen as a wedding dress and I completely love that they hadn't chosen the typical white dress but instead something that is more unique. There's so much depth to this gown that it looks like an artistic masterpiece in itself! It features a mountain of grey tulle under a different type of fabric that has a crumpled-like feel to it. At the cinch of the waist, there's a plain grey belt with a silver/grey chain.
The whole music video is nothing less than perfect, and all of the looks were spot on, ~~and not to mention the huge bowl of tabouli!~~

"Lashhad Hobbak" Music Video (2010)
Zuhair Murad

The Lady in Red
Another music video brings even more beautiful dresses and looks. This was one of the dresses that were featured, and a definite favourite of mine, it has a little bit of the typical chandelier look to it, through the studded red detailing and the mermaid style. This dress became a way for some of the audience to distinguish the video clip. The whole video has so much beauty it, from start to finish, (and I most definitely do not skip the long intro) especially through its spider-webbed characteristics and let us not forget the beaded fulle spider-web bodysuit, which too became a way for people to distinguish the video.

It also gave me some Mawazine 2009 tease.

Sydney, Australia (2010)
Zuhair Murad
Fall 10/11 Haute Couture

Zuhair Murad worked wonders with this dress, and it looks even better from the back!
So beautifully crafted
Perfect would be an understatement

Casino Atlantic City - USA & Canada Tour 2011
Zuhair Murad

All hail, Queen of the Stage.
No dress screams "Queen" as much as this one - whether it's your style or not.
However being quite similar to the Byblos Festival 2010 dress, in terms of the metallic waist and the overall sublime statement that it made, this gown served even more goodness with the shoulder and arm piece element that it featured, which became an extension that linked to the dress at the bottom.

Rest House (2011)
Tony Yaacoub

A dress with a turtle neck is almost impossible for me to have any fondness towards, but this is just on a whole other level, and what is so attractive about it is that it does not link up with the front part of the dress - something that is not typically seen. That, the flattering colour, and the sequined vertical lines on the bodice that disintegrated at the hips made such a beautifully crafted statement, however being border-line "too much".

New Year's (2012)
Zuhair Murad

The colour gold is a necessity to all occasions, and most importantly New Year's Eve. This dress was served with just the right amount of festive goodness.

I don't think I'll ever find~~/accept~~ a flaw in this dress.

Concert in Algeria (2012)

Zuhair Murad

Fall 2011 Couture

Something I especially adore about Najwa Karam's dresses is that they aren't always copied from the runway and pasted onto her, but rather they are made custom to her preferences, and Najwa Karam and Zuhair Murad are known to work in harmony with each other, and this harmony is always evident in the outcome.

This particular dress was from Murad's Fall 2011 Haute Couture collection; which had featured a one shouldered long sleeve and a higher thigh split, had been recreated with shorter thigh split and a shorter ruffled/(bejeweled?) shoulder. The changes that had been made to the dress added a whole other sense and made it even more attractive than it was.

As for the dress in general, the deep green colour and the imprints made this dress so captivating and almost alluring. The belt made it easily distinguishable and added a larger sense of chicness and class.

Cannes Film Festival (2012)
Zuhair Murad

For the Cannes Film Festival, Najwa Karam represented L'Oreal Paris and the Middle Eastern woman, wearing this custom-made nude Zuhair Murad gown with white floral embroidery from neck to train. The dress was tailored to fit her effortlessly, hugging every curve as it draped off into a mermaid style dress, carrying with it the "Best Dressed" status.

Arab Idol (2012)

Zuhair Murad

The dress is very significant to me, as it was when my love for Najwa Karam's music and persona extended to the love of her style, fashion and uninterrupted stage presence, making her my ultimate style inspiration and fashion icon. There was nothing that I didn't adore about it, everything from the clash of the yellow and the blue to the bejeweled shoulder and the extention of fabric on the opposite side. Easily a favourite. ~~So y'all can blame that dress for this blog!~~

And yes, I did screenshot the image, so you can just imagine the desperation I felt to add this gown in particular. You have to watch it in high definition to really appreciate the gown.

Jarash Festival (2013)

Zuhair Murad

(top half Spring/Summer 2013 Couture, rest is custom)

Some more festival goodness with a bucket full of 'fierce'
Definite favourite.

Jarash Festival 2014
Zuhair Murad Spring/Summer (2014)

Even more festival goodness, and this time with mesmerising sprinkles of purple, yellow, gold and silver.
Ahh!

Thanks a huge amount to everyone who sent me their suggestions!

These are just a few of my personal favourites, as there were an infinite amount of other dresses that I wished to add.

Thank you for reading, share and comment your thoughts and if you have any celebrity requests for the next Fashion Favourites

Fall 2014 Paris Fashion Week is finally here!

Below, I have picked out my personal favourite front row and runway looks

feel free to share with me your thoughts and your favourite looks from the Fall '14 collections!

- Order in date of events not favourites

1. Atelier Versace

Dress or trousers? Why not both!

Jennifer Lopez was spotted wearing this hybrid of a 'tress' front row of the first of the Haute Couture shows in Paris for Fashion Week.

The singer stunned in this white strapless hybrid gown; the skirt-half of the dress is made out of white silky fabric, which attracts more attention to the trouser part, which had been embellished with intricate white sequins, making it the main feature of this new creation.

I love the striking white colour as I feel like it makes her complexion appear even more beautiful and the two gold straps on the hip add so much to this hybrid gown and I am all about gold and white!

The gold straps featured ultimately acted as the signature pieces for the collection.

The only thing that I wasn't so keen on was the pocket on the dress side, but I couldn't even care less right now since I have been so blown away by this look.

I felt like the collection was simple, yet made a huge statement; through the bold colour palette and the styles.

Favourites from the collection:

2. Giambattista Valli

So this whole thing has me doubting my spelling abilities, but other than that, I am head over heals in love with this little number worn by Alexia Niedzielski. This beautifully crafted dress appears to have been covered by soft shades of blue pastel coloured embellishments; that differ in size and in shape, along with hints of purple and orange crystal-like embellishments, that give this dress the perfect spring hues. It almost reminds me of one of Zuhair Murad's designs from his Spring 14 Couture collection ~~(or am I just reaching?)~~

The black tulle on the top and bottom further compliments this dress, making it the perfect length. It is definitely something that I could see myself wearing (if I could, that is), because as much as I love floor-grazing, train back gowns, my 5 foot and a half self has a hard time pulling them off, so I tend to settle for the shorter option.

The following was the only one that caught my attention in a positive light in this collection; it looks like it's come straight out of a fairy tale, all the way from the floral bodice to the puffed out, ball gown-like skirt and the white tulle. Perfect.

3. Ulyana Sergeenko's electrifying Fall 2014 collection began with a bang and a hint of geometry, as she looked back at Russia's revolutionary period through the setting and the looks - as much as was possible, as I did not see that link when it came to the silk and lace lingerie dresses and the full bustier gowns.
The two looks below were definitely my favourites from the whole collection; the perfectly crafted coat featuring delicate sequin embroideries on the collar and on the end of the sleeves, with the fur at the bottom and the black leather leotard with white and grey embellished detailing just make this whole collection for me.

4. Elie Saab
Stars are bound to look good if they're wearing anything designed by Elie Saab, and spotted front row, was Lebanese singer Elissa, who traveled to Paris to show her support for the designer. She came out wearing this elegant white mini dress from Saab's Spring/Summer 2014 Ready-to-Wear collection that featured lace over a white under garment and 3/4 lace sleeves; without a shadow of a doubt a favourite of mine, minus the pockets!

Another look that I loved was Chinese actress, Helen Yao's, who wore this baby pink coloured knee-length dress with long sleeves from the designer's Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2014 collection. The dress featured intricate pink embellishments all throughout and there's no denying that Elie Saab can make any woman look graceful.

Every season, I eagerly wait for the Elie Saab collection to hit the runway, and I have not been disappointed to date, making it difficult to choose a favourite, as he continues to make dresses fit for royalty through his distinctive designs, which seem to be typical of the him, yet he still manages to impress. All the way from the enchanting gradients and colour palette to the heavenly crafted intricate embroideries and embellishments with the cabochons, sequins and pearls to the fox fur add-ons.
Elie Saab simply cannot go wrong!

5. Zuhair Murad
Fashion inspired by architecture? Recipe for perfection.
As per usual, I had the hardest time choosing a favourite out of a Zuhair Murad collection and I now almost feel like I should have made a separate post for this collection, alone. My expectations are always high when it comes to this designer, and he never fails to impress.
The designs are guaranteed to provide any woman wearing it with a tremendously feminine look through the styles and the colours, and that I feel is the main focus and the epitome of his designs in general. The pleat twists over the hip and the abstract webbed effect in crystal embellishment contributed a huge amount to the beauty of this collection, along with the monochrome opening looks and the majority of the colours included, except for the pink - it was a little too pink for my liking, quite an eyesore.

I feel like whatever comment I make regarding this collection will not do it enough justice as it very much speaks for itself and it speaks volumes, and the more I look at them the more I love them , so I'm just going to leave it at that...