Joud Boutique

Tags

Beirut, Cancer, Children, Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon, Joud, Joud boutique, st jude, st jude's research hospital

For over 10 years now, the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) -affiliated with St. Jude‘s Research Hospital- has been a pioneer in treating children with Cancer without any return. This could not have been possible without the continuous funding and support of the many generous donors, who are helping giving hope to hundreds of children and families affected by this merciless disease. For this purpose, the CCCL has established a specialty boutique, called Joud.

This small boutique, located at the center’s terrace, offers a range of gift ideas: gadgets, home accessories, soaps, fashion accessories, and baby-shower souvenirs, among many others, where all proceeds go to the treatment of CCCL kids. They also are planning to sell online here, with world-wide delivery!

Here’s a glimpse from the Joud boutique during their opening ceremony.

– All photos are a Courtesy of CCCL.

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

Sun-setting at St Elmo’s Seaside Brasserie

Tags

Beirut, Brasserie, Food, Lebanon, St Elmo's, St Elmo's Seaside Brasserie, Sunset at St Elmo's, TripAdvisor, Zaitunay Bay

After visiting The Brasserie when it first opened a couple of years ago, I was totally hooked up! After all, one thing to say about the folks behind this place: they are definitely filled with positive energy! There’s always something to keep you coming back. From their most unique version of Bloody Mary, the Bloody Mess, to their food, music, atmosphere, service and even the rose-water syrup during Ramadan! Sun-setting at St Elmo’s Brasserie easily became a tradition of ours.

It is noteworthy that after I once reviewed St Elmo’s on TripAdvisor here, I was invited to one of their vibrant Champagne Sunday Brunches, celebrating the launching of their new menu. They are definitely one of the very few locales here in Lebanon that know how to make use of the digital media to optimize their reach.

This time, however, we were visiting local designers’ boutiques that were spread around Beirut’s central district, when we decided to go grab a delicious bite while enjoying the fresh air and a relaxing view on the Mediterranean. So we headed to Zaitunay Bay.

The menu includes a selection of uniquely executed items. My friend went for the Park Avenue Chicken Club, while I – ever craving hot and spicy flavors – took what the waitress recommended, and had the El Gringo Burger. The food was sensational. Both presentation and flavor wise.

Even if you’re not out for food, you can always pass by and enjoy a drink and/or a desert at their terrace, or lazily lounge indoors in the cold winter days. Any time of the year, St Elmo’s is always almost full. It is mostly loved by the trendiest crowd, the tourists and families alike!

We will let the pictures speak for themselves… Leave us a comment on how much you’d like to visit St Elmo’s, if you haven’t yet.

{This image is a courtesy of St Elmo’s}

Photos are a courtesy of Cloud of Lace, unless otherwise indicated.

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

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.

 

Beirut’s Jewelry Design Week

Tags

Artheum, Beirut, Beirut JDW, Beirut Jewelry Design Week, Jewelry, Jewelry Design, Jewelry Design Week, Jewelry Designer, Lebanon

Jewelry Design Week was set to celebrate Beirut’s unique position in the
world of jewelry design, showcasing emerging and established artists and craftsmen, that were selected for their individuality and innovation.

Organized by Artheum creative space, Beirut Jewelry Design Week took place from March 8th till the 16th. However, it aspires at being an annual event that will offer to the public the opportunity to explore the current and evolving vitality of contemporary jewelry design in Lebanon, and shed light on its growth and development.

Since the fair places great importance on supporting new design talents, I’m hoping it would be another destination for independent jewelry designers in Lebanon and the region to voice-out their talents, and for the public to discover those behind the beautiful creations exhibited.

{Designed by Alda C}

{Purrl by Rania Kassem}

{Designed by Randa Khalil Raad}

{Designed by Tylda Ghosn}

{Orlaloi by Nayla Saab}

{Designed by Naji Mouzannar}

Photos are a courtesy of Artheum.