Only a newbie in Riyadh would say that the women of Saudi Arabia aren't fashionable. Maybe their conclusion is derived from the everyday scenario of women heavily clad in black abayas with some even with their whole faces hidden, in the streets of the city. But little do they know that Saudi women are one of the most luxurious fashionistas of the planet and most of the well-off ones have a closet (heck, maybe even a whole mansion) filled with designer clothes, shoes and bags.
Having said that, it's still one of the most-kept secrets of the girls of Riyadh. And that would probably be the reason why the prominence of world-class fashion shows (such as New York and/or London Fashion Week) have never gone mainstream here. Sure enough, we have the cultural restrictions to very well prohibit such events in the Kingdom BUT the fashion industry in the local and even regional sphere is taking "baby steps."
Enter Riyadh Fashion Days (RFD).
Make no mistake that the fashion industry of Saudi Arabia exists and that there are major players in the scene that are only perhaps concealed by a veil and an abaya. As they are pursuing to establish a name for themselves in the country and the region, the bi-annual event of Riyadh Fashion Days (which was initiated only during the first quarter of this year) is aiming to become the platform for designers from Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries to make it to the big leagues: I-N-T-E-R-N-A-T-I-O-N-A-L baby!
Of course, that only starts when they can get buyers to feature their collections in the local malls/boutiques and have them become household names. With the help of the organizers from the fashion house, Maison Bo-M, this can certainly become a reality in the near future.
The Pink Tarha was invited to attend this special event and we're more than happy to give you a glimpse of what I, in particular was able to witness during the first day:
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| Upon entering the Maison Bo-M Gallery, which they have transformed into a catwalk. |
This year's second installment of RFD12 was an improvement from the first (which only featured stalls for each designer). In the photo above, you can see that they have built the catwalk around the racks where the clothes worn by the models can be seen and bought right after the show.
The opening day was inaugurated by HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud and featured two designers: Qumar14 and Anfal Design. Other designer items were ready for purchase in the Maison Bo-M Gallery.
I will apologize for the quality of the photos as we speak as I was not able to bring a profesisonal camera with me during the event:
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| Designs from Qumar14. |
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| More dresses from Qumar14. |
Qumar14 is a design house from Kuwait who featured several textured pieces, primarily presenting kaftans with a modern twist. Embroidery was evident in several of her designs along with some fair embellishments.
At this point, I could no longer decipher whether there were two separate designers who presented next, since the English translation of the Arabic announcement was quite inaudible at that time, so I am just going to describe the rest of the collections, hoping someone can clarify later on to whom these collections belong to. (I'm pretty sure one of them is from Dubai).
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| Soft pieces in fall colors. |
These line of dresses spoke of femininity and fluidity. The strokes of the hem were nice and the details of the lace were well-thought of.
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| Overcoats? Lush. |
I sure hope these are faux fur (left-most photo), but it looks like a very warm way of spending Winter in the streets. That is, if you are willing to catwalk your way around Riyadh. :) The one in the middle is definitely made of velvet fabric and the one on the right is one of the lavish abayas.
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| Lavish Abayas |
The one here in the middle is my favorite. I think the idea of different-colored sleeves in a pastel shade for an abaya is so chic. :)
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| Hania Luxury Abayas, from 2,500SR up. |
A trend in high-end abayas these days are those with magnanimous ornamentations of spikes, chains and faux feathers. I definitely WANT ONE!
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| Bags by Abir Achkar and Turbans from 1,000SR up. |
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| Good night! |
Overall, RFD12 was a valiant effort for the fashion scene here in Riyadh. It served as an avenue for up and coming designers to let their works be known and just simply state that, hey y'all, Riyadh is hot (haute) for fashion!
Cheers!
-Eyecandy
