It’s an absolute shame, but, being too busy, I neglected for a long time my Arabic.
Yet, while surfing the net, I recently found a good excuse to brush it up, a fashion magazine called Pashion.
Aimed at Arab women, written both in Arabic and English and distributed in over 20,000 copies in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emigrates, Pashion focuses on fashion and on issues related to it from an international perspective including in its roughly 200 pages runway reports, image led features on trends, luxury products reviews, interviews and shopping guides.
The focus in the cover photo shoot of the latest issue (Autumn 2009) is on haute couture. Styled by Mohieb Dahabieh and taking inspiration from women as different as the Marchesa Casati, Cleopatra and Sicilian widows, the shoot features designs by Chanel, Stéphane Rolland, Jean Paul Gaultier, Paco Rabanne and Elie Saab.
One of the highlights of the Autumn 09 issue is a glamorous photo shoot inspired by the 40s in Paris and Hollywood glamour and exclusively produced by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin (you can see a brief video on its making on Pashion’s channel on YouTube) that features draped dresses, fur wraps and golden lame gowns.
Yet there are also further articles that may be of interest to fashionistas and that you may not be able to find on more mainstream fashion publications, such as a piece on Lebanese designer Rabih Kayrouz - the second Arab designer after Elie Saab to be showing in the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar - and a short piece on Franck Sorbier’s tenth anniversary and presentation of his A/W 09 couture pieces, among which there is also an amazing design made out of 945 fabrics.
The world of jewellery is explored in features about Van Cleef & Arpels' "Birds of Paradise" collection, Arab jewellery designer Dima Al Rashid's cocktail rings and Marc Newson’s diamond and sapphire jewellery inspired by fractal geometry and mathematics designed for Boucheron.
Beauty tips and reviews for this issue focus on eye make-up products and brunettes, but I guess one of the most interesting parts of the magazine is the profile focusing on a young designer from the Arab world.
In this issue the spotlight is on Egyptian Amina Khalil, who recently launched her own line combining Egyptian and Western inspirations.
There's something that I found rather refreshing in the magazine and that's the section dedicated to menswear trends. Not many women's mags include features on men's trends and such inclusion offers a wider perspective on the world of fashion.
The magazine also includes quite a few restaurant reviews and dining tips and an extensively detailed " Where to buy" list, so if you ever happen to be on a shopping spree in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon or Qatar, you may as well throw away your tourist guide and use this section of the magazine for your shopping tour.
Pashion will be attending the Who's Next Premiere Classe event in Dubai, a trade fair that starts tomorrow and that features 250 womenswear, urbanwear and accessory brands (there will also be an exhibition of 6 pairs of shoes created by French brands Arche, Parallele, Repetto, Heschung, Robert Clergerie and Paraboot during the fair).
Pashion is currently giving away luxury prizes and sneak previews of the magazine to celebrate its attendance at Who's Next Premiere Classe. You can get further info about it on Pashion's Facebook page or follow the mag's latest updates on its Twitter page.
Looks like brushing up my Arabic will be easier than I ever thought.
All images in this post are taken from Pashion Magazine, Autumn 09 issue.
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