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.

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.

Beirut Art Beat

Tags

art, Beirut, Beirut art beat, decor, Dubai, Fashion, Lebanese art, Lebanese designers, Lebanon, painting, photography

On March 18th, Dubai will be hosting another fab event, Beirut Art Beat! The three-days exhibition will feature pioneering Lebanese designers from different fields: Jewelry, clothing, decor, photography, and painting.

Beirut Art Beat will be open to the public, so mark your calendars you people of Dubai and neighboring cities! Other than getting to view and purchase marvelous pieces of Lebanese art, there will be opportunities to take part in a variety of exciting activities, like lectures and talks being held by the designers themselves. An arts and crafts workshop will also be held on Thursday 21st, which welcomes the whole family to participate!

Check out Beirut Art Beat‘s Facebook page for the list of participating Lebanese Designers, and event’s schedule.

What’s Held Within

Tags

Beirut, bijoux accaoui, diamond, geode agate, gold, italy, japan, Jewelry, Lebanon, north canada, pearl, pendant

I couldn’t help but fall in love with this unique piece by Bijoux Accaoui, one of the leading Jewelry houses in Lebanon. Just marveling at how beautifully this agate was carved, and at what’s held within its rough interior… A sparkling golden ball, glittering boldly, side by side with the softest, most feminine pink shade a pearl can ever hold…

“It is interesting to know that this piece, or its parts, come from 4 different places of our planet: The geode agathe from North Canada, the pearl from Japan, the diamond blasted sphere from Italy, and the assembly, hook , and design proudly from Beirut,” Antoine Accaoui.

… Just feast your eyes!

What do you think of this precious pendant?

A 2012 Sunset from Lebanon

Tags

2012, 2013, Lebanon, New Year, sunset

As the sun sets on another wonderful year, make sure you stay tuned for more exciting posts of projects coming in 2013! Wishing everyone a peaceful, happy, creative and tasty New Year 🙂

– Photo of the sunset from Beit el-Deen, Mount Lebanon. Courtesy of Adasat Studios.

Christmas In Lebanon

Tags

Christmas, Lebanon

In an attempt to convey to all of you my readers around the globe how Christmas in Lebanon looks like, here are a few photographs…

Zahle City Center. (Photo courtesy of Sanbouli)

Christmas in Dhour Choueir. (Unkown photo source)

Christmas in Byblos. (Photo source unknown)

Ehden’s Tree featured the word ‘Peace’ in multiple languages. (photo source unknown)

 

American University of Beirut – My University! (photo courtesy of Ahmad El Itani, AUB’s Office of Communications)

Let me know how you found them 🙂

Christmas in Beirut: ABC Achrafieh

Tags

Achrafieh, Beirut, Christmas, christmas charades, Christmas in Beirut, christmas shows, Holidays, Lebanon

Every year, this grand mall located in a suburb of Beirut, Achrafieh, makes fascinating dreams of enchanted Holidays come true! By creating state-of-the art decorations, circus shows, diverse charades, chorales with their costumes. Everything is perfected down to every detail. It’s the place where every year, everybody comes to see their unique giant Christmas tree, and the daily family entertainment shows… It’s Christmas in ABC Achrafieh, Beirut.

I’ve tried to select the pictures that would convey to you how magical the decoration, the music and the shows were… It was a lovely day, with the most spectacular Christmas shows in the whole region! Enjoy…

Beautiful little ballerinas…

Extreme joy to the music, the dancing and the beautiful effects

Musicals and charades were circulating all around us!

Notice how creative their costumes are…

& a circus!

Modern dance also had a successful share.

I would love to see how Christmas is like where you live 🙂 Send me links, photos or videos…

Xoxo,

Hiba

Christmas in Beirut: Zaitunay Bay

Tags

Beirut, Christmas, Holidays, Lebanon, Shopping, Zaitunay Bay

It is common knowledge now that the Lebanese are famous for inventing a reason to party even when there’s none! So how about when it’s Christmas in Beirut?! Enchanting Decorations were starting to appear around Lebanon since mid November… People couldn’t just wait to celebrate! Most families had their Christmas trees set over a month ago, and some will still have them around till the end of January! All shops started displaying their latest trends of Christmas ornaments and gifts.

My stop today is about the Christmas exhibition that took place in trendiest spot in Beirut, Zaitunay Bay. It was named ‘Christmas at Zaitunay Bay,’ with daily charades, chanting chorals, musicians, crafts, plays and face paint for kids, and a lot more! Lebanese designers, painters, local shops, chefs from five-star hotels and pastry gourmet owners were also exhibiting their best, in specially built wooden cabins to combat December’s stormy weather.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves…

The beautiful wooden cabins built especially for the exhibition

Their expressions 🙂

How pretty is she? 🙂

Christmas is by far is the happiest season of the year, almost everywhere around the globe… It is a time where joy is automatically transcended between each other, young & old… & even between people and things!

I would love to know… What are your special moments, items and traditions during this holy season?

Happy Holidays!

xoxo,

Hiba

— All photos are courtesy of Zaitunay Bay.