Geometric Crush

Tags

Candamill, Candamill Truss Tote, Fashion, Fashion week, geometric design, New York, New York Fashion Week, Truss tote

It is always a pleasure for me to discover new brands that make luxurious and unique creations, and nothing is more fun than sharing it on my blog! After all, that’s what Cloud of Lace is originally all about! & today, I am head over heels for this beautiful geometric Truss Tote by Candamill, NY.

Browsing the web and our Instagram for beautiful fashion moments during New York’s and London’s Fashion Weeks, I gladly stumbled upon this amazing brand, which turned out to be a collaboration of everything I love too! Painting, photography, and made-to-order minimalist yet unique clothing and accessories. Here’s one of my favorite pieces of art, the Truss tote:

{Courtesy of Candamill}

Spacious enough, Candamill beautifully crafted this tote in NYC using Italian suede leather. Its elegant geometrical design makes it this season’s must-have!

What do you think?

The Crucifix Bag

Tags

American University of Beirut, AUB, Cloud of Lace, Leather, The Crucifix Bag, The Crucifix Tour, thecrucifixtour, Vlieger Vandam

I can confidently say that my passion for lace is only combated by that of leather. Those two now dominate my closet, with pleasure. Having an edgy style all throughout my teenage-hood have only began to soften during my early college years. My -excess- use of Converse shoes, denim, and statement t-shirts suddenly were replaced by my passion to everything soft and feminine. Somehow, high school was not the medium I blossomed in as a gothic, and college worked its magic on the girl in me.

Even until now, leather is still a weakness I can’t -& don’t want to- get over. However, it now encompasses a rather classier approach like this outfit here. My passion for unique leather jackets that are stacked in my closet by the dozen, is now directed towards leather accessories and other goods: shoes and arm-candy! That is why I totally fell for this brand the moment I spotted their ultimately creative designs!

Just when I thought that they can’t get anymore creative after being so popular for their Gun-detailed accessories, Vlieger & Vandam have now launched their Crucifix collection, which features the most finely finished leather goods, with a large statement Cross on. Formidable!

When they selected Cloud of Lace among 8 amazing contemporary bloggers from around the world to feature this piece of art of theirs via The Crucifix Tour, we were extremely thrilled, & started working on the themes to feature it. This is only our first… Why more than one? Because we can!

I assembled this beautiful crucifix bag with my very own Cloud of Lace dress. Those two resemble the two major sides of me. Leather and lace. Edgy and astute. Dark and light. And the setting was no other than the enchanting campus of the American University of Beirut, where everything I am now was intensified.

Dress | Cloud of Lace

Bag | Vlieger Vandam

Shoes | Christian Louboutin

Watch | Roberto Cavalli

Shades | Porsche Design

Cats | Available for adoption by AUB‘s Cat Society!

Houndstooth Love

Tags

Beirut, Cloud of Lace, Dior, HariTHanD, Iris, Lebanon, Orchid flower, Zara

Taking into consideration my infatuation with houndstooth, in my opinion, this is by far the prettiest blazer ever. It is inspired by the petals of the Iris, a rare & unique kind of Orchids (my favorite flower) that’s characterized by two identical petals.

Being the most prevalent color in my closet, choosing a total black look to boost this blazer was pretty easy. The gold Dior brooch & earrings perfectly fell into place here. This combination was instantly on my mind when I spotted them at Sophie’s Closet!

I always am on the lookout for unique designs, and we’re lucky to have plenty of them here in Lebanon. That is what we aspire to show here on the blog… So stay tuned for upcoming designers talking through Cloud of Lace.

Iris Blazer | HariTHanD

Top | BCBG

Pants | Zara

Bag | Dalida’s Design

Flower Brooch & Earrings | Dior from Sophie’s Closet

Shades | Porsche Design

Pigalle | Christian Louboutin

Peach Beirut

Tags

Beirut, Cassandre Bag, christian louboutin, Christian Louboutin Pigalle, Cloud of Lace, Lace, Maje, Peach, Pigalle, Roberto Cavalli watch, SL bag, SL Cassandre, slouchy pants

When it comes to my wardrobe, there are just too many black pieces in my closet. Somehow in the past few years, I used to mercilessly stack those items, as I always would go for black when I compared different colors of the same design. I now made it a point -both while shopping and while creating my own pieces- to use some brights, plenty of pastels, in addition to adding my very own signature, the lace details. This is how today’s outfit, Peach Beirut, was assembled.

A peach colored slouchy pants with my Cloud of Lace top were just perfect for a stroll around my favorite part of the city. Even the colors of the buildings around conspired to make us easily take simple, yet beautiful, shots to better showcase the outfit.

 

Top | Cloud of Lace

Pants | Maje

Cassandre Bag | Saint Laurent

Pigalle | Christian Louboutin

Watch | Roberto Cavalli

 

 

 

 

Who Gives a Vogue?

Tags

Beirut, Converse, givenchy, givenchy necklace, HariTHanD, organza, porsche, porsche design, red, red shoes, saint laurent, saint laurent bag, saint laurent cassandre, Shoes, silk organza, Skirt, tshirt, Vogue, ysl

Statement t-shirts are a well-documented obsession of mine during my early teenage-hood years, where I would pair them with a denim and a Converse. Later on in life, during college years specifically, my girly genes resurfaced, and I would suddenly would never pass a day without sporting a skirt. So today’s outfit was an eccentric blend of those two extremely different styles in a Who Gives a Vogue kinda way!

Wanting to add a twist to our next outfit post, we created this t-shirt at a local printing-house here in Beirut, with the famous “You Got More Issues Than Vogue” on it, that was illustrated by a friend of mine. We then combined this edgy top with a very fancy powder pink, and highly feminine silk organza skirt.

Top | Custome-made

Skirt | HariTHanD

Shoes & Bag | Saint Laurent

Necklace | Givenchy

Sunnies | Porsche Design

Shades of Burgundy

Tags

Beirut, burgundy, christian louboutin, Dior, Dior earrings, HariTHanD, Maje, Maje leather top, porsche design, Roberto Cavalli, Saifi Village, Zara pants

This afternoon’s weather was perfect for a stroll around in Beirut. The stroll, however, was not that easy; It would be an understatement to say it was hot and humid, but the color palette of the buildings around constituted the perfect background for the shades of burgundy I’m wearing.

We enjoyed our time taking shots around the beautiful tiles streets of Saifi Village. This area is lined with lots of amazing high-end boutiques that feature Lebanese designers, art galleries, and side-walk cafe’s that I can’t wait to feature for you all to see in my next blog posts.

I loved the combination of the Maje leather top with the burgundy Zara pants. This was a bold, sharp look that was softened by the Louboutin shoes, whereas HariTHanD’s Orchis bag, and Dior’s gold flower earrings took care of adding the right level of femininity to it.

Leather Top | Maje

Pants | Zara

The Orchis Bag | HariTHanD

Lady Peep Shoes | Christian Louboutin

Gold Flower Earrings | Dior

Watch | Roberto Cavalli

Shades | Porsche Design

Crepe Waves

Tags

blazer, Clothing, Cloud of Lace, crepe, Dalida's Design, Dress, HariTHanD, Maxi dress, Pinterest, porsche design sunglasses, Sophies Closet

Fact: I love maxi dresses & skirts. You can easily notice this from my Wear I Like board on Pinterest. Simple maxi dresses, of all kinds, add just the right feminine touch to a female’s silhouette. That’s why it wasn’t hard for me to design a simple range of maxi dresses, which I can’t wait to show you soon!

My passion for blazers is also very prevalent in my everyday style. Just as much as I wear maxi’s on a daily basis in summer, the blazer is also a must whether at the office or on an evening outing. Thus, the outfit was nicely complemented by this sharply styled royal blue blazer.

Early morning sunshine, fresh breeze and coffee in hand were just perfect to successfully conduct our photo-shoot.

Dress | Cloud of Lace

Laelia Blazer | HariTHanD

Bag | Dalida’s Design

Dior Earrings | Sophies’ Closet

Shoes | Bruni

Shades | Porsche Design

 

The Trial…

Tags

Angel Cake, Beirut, Brasserie de Metropole, Burberry, Burberry shoes, chocolate cake souffle, Dior, Dior Brooch, HariTHanD, Outfit Post, Saturday, Sophies Closet

A day off, a beautiful weather, delicious food and a good company were the perfect combination for a much needed laid-back outing in Beirut this Saturday. This very simple outing constituted our very first outfit post, The Trial.

Our aim was to test the location where we’ll be shooting for a future project. The place was remarkable: Quiet, simple and yet sophisticated. It combined a rich atmosphere, with contemporary and historical elements that constitute Beirut. Just what we were looking for.

Even though it was relatively hot in Beirut, however, the cool breeze in the shade was quiet enough for me to feel it was necessary to wear a blazer. It has always -unintentionally- been my signature; blazer in summertime.

My very favorite piece is by HariTHanD, which was adorned by a set of vintage Dior earrings and brooch I recently acquired from Sophies Closet. I totally fell for these the instant I spotted them.

The food was just beyond memorable. Beirut’s one & only Brasserie Metropole served us mouthwatering delights. The highlights were their deserts! Just heavenly! We had the most perfect Angel Cake and Chocolate Cake Souffle that one can ever taste anywhere else. Pure perfection.

Blazer   HariTHanD

Denim   Zara

Shoes   Burberry

Brooch & Earrings   Dior {found at Sophies Closet}

Shades   Porsche Design

ESMOD’s Class of 2013

Tags

Beirut, Catwalk, ESMOD, ESMOD 2013, ESMOD Beirut, ESMOD Class of 2013, Fashion, Fashion Design, fashion designers, Graduation, Middle East, Sursock Palace, the fashion industry

 

Offering one of the most prestigious Fashion Design programs in the Middle East, ESMOD has given birth to multiple names that have gone international. That’s why it was extremely exciting to go watch the graduation of the Class of 2013, and closely examine what an emergent design identity would produce.

The setting was simple. It consisted of the catwalk and its lighting. Nevertheless, the background itself was the statement; An architectural masterpiece, the luxurious Sursock Palace, which is a historical monument symbolizing an ancient luxury and prestige of Beirut.

A lucky few of those graduating fashion designers that were exhibiting their final projects have had the chance to successfully produce their own lines prior to graduation. However, one can tell that many of those emerging talents were really extra-ordinary, considering that this was their first scrabble in the never-ending sea of creativity vs repetition, consumerism vs luxury -and never to forget fierce competition- that is the Fashion Industry. But after all, both time and hard work will tell us who’s here to stay.

Here are only a few snapshots from the hundreds I took at the event, and as usual, I’d love to read your comments and thoughts 🙂

 

Beirut Designers’ Week

Tags

Beirut, Beirut Designers' Week, Cloud of Lace, Fashion, Lebanese designers, Lebanese Fashion, Lebanon, Zaitunay Bay

As you can see from the About page, it is a complete delight for Cloud of Lace to feature Lebanese designers, events, and beautiful locales. This goes back to a personal passion in acquiring unique pieces and showcasing new places that are not yet mass-produced or over-crowded, and the people behind them. That’s why Beirut Designers’ Week was much anticipated, and we couldn’t wait to go to Zaitunay Bay, a trendy location of its own, to check it out!

The placement of the stands was smartly executed. One can enjoy browsing through a wide array of luxury creations, from clothing and accessories, to table wear and hand-made rugs, while strolling across the deck or even eating at one of the chic restaurants and cafes lined across the bay. We enjoyed chatting with some of our favorite designers as well as new ones, discussing their future plans and the concepts behind their collections.

“Lebanon bustles with incredible design talent, and many of them have already penetrated international markets.” Says Sandra Ghattas, Managing Director at Gata Events to U Magazine, adding: “With the launching of Beirut Designers’ Week, we truly hope to provide a serious boost to local designers by giving them access to a comprehensive exhibition platform that allows them to showcase their latest creations and meet thousands of potential buyers.”

Hoping to see more of the same initiative here in Lebanon, with more publicity and a little more time than just four days however, since the creations of most of those aspiring talents are worthy of expeditions that are up to international standards.