Irada Ramadanova, model and socialite

This week I had magical plans to write OOTD blog posts, and to go to a cool little boutique in Abu Dhabi, but low and behold I'm still sick/ sicker and sicker. On top of that my hubby is working a million hrs this week so I'm trying to be a good wifey and make healthy dinner, keep the house clean, and be here for him whenever he needs me. 

So. This weeks post is about Irada Ramadoanova because I've been on Instagram a lot lately and she has really inspired my fashion sense. 

Irada Ramadanova a model and socialite is a gorgeous facionista who inspires my fashion sense. She dresses in luxurious, high end, fashion but also knows how to kick it in sneakers and a ballerina bun. She is originally from Almaty, Khazakhstan but currently lives in Moscow. As a model and an up and coming fashion icon she is constantly traveling, and attending launch parties. She has recently been to Dubai, Baku, Cannes, London, and many other places. 

The 6 essential under/basic garments!

The 6 essential under/basic garments every woman needs for every day life, the weekends, and going out. 

There are a few essentials every woman needs to be comfortable, and at ease when out with friends, at work, or whatever it may be she is doing. Needless to say there are certain occasions when one must go and buy a weird scooped bra, t-back bra, or pushup/backless/nude/body sculpting thing-a-ma-bob. 

1) Nude Convertible Bra

No questions asked, all ladies must own a skin toned convertible bra. It is best if the straps are able to be moved from side to side along the edges of the bra so that they can be adjusted to wide or narrow set tops. Choosing undergarments that are the same colour or similar colour to your skin is best because it tends to show the least under garments even when light hits you at different angles. If you wear a white undergarment it may not show in your bathroom lighting, but with the flash of a camera its bright colour will show through far too many outfits. 

2) Spanx or nude shorts similar to Spanx

Spanx...

In my opinion high waisted ones with bum push up, and some nice lace edging are the best. Not only do they help control the tummy, thighs, and bum jiggle but they aren't as un-sexying as most because of the small lace detail. 

3) Black Nylons

Plain black nylons are a staple in my wardrobe. In Canada I would wear them under shorts, dressed, and skirts all fall and spring. In the UAE i wore them a few times during the winter when going to hotels for dinner. They instantly make an outfit more classy, and also help control problem areas. For me they disguise my veins as I'm so pale they show through my skin. I own a few different options including thick wool, dex 10, dex 5, and a sheerer pair with a black line up the back. 

4) Bike Shorts

Sakkas Bike Short Cotton/Poly

Cotton shorts, especially high waisted ones, are perfect for under a dress in the summer. The cotton is breathable, and especially useful when you don't want a dress or skirt clinging to your legs or bottom, but don't need the control top help. I find high waisted shorts to be best because you don't have to pull them up throughout the day. 

5) Tank tops

Iconic- 40Dirhams/ $13 CAD

Tank tops are an affordable essential that are needed under see-through blouses, dresses, t-shirts and loose knit sweaters. They are also useful when you want to wear a top that is the right length when standing normally but has a tendency to ride up when you sit or bend over. I tend to look for longer tanks so that I can tuck them into my pants and not have to worry about midriff showing throughout the day. 

My wardrobe consists of a variey of tank tops, including a large veritey of colours (white, black, wine, mint, purple, pink, beige, blue, forest, etc!), and a variety of cuts including spaghetti strap, ribbed cotton razor back, and spandex blend knit with 1.5" straps and a scoop neck. 

6) Bandeaus

H&m

Bandeaus are the perfect item for when a little extra cleavage coverage is needed but a tank is not mixing and matching properly. They don't slide down easily (when fit properly), and are affordable so it is easy for someone to own a verity of colours. I find I wear them the most under maxi dresses, when I need to cover a little cleavage, but can't have spaghetti straps showing. They are also great when you don't want the tank rolling up at the waist, or have extra seams showing. 

7) Undies!

No matter how much I've tried to narrow this down, there is no way to. Every woman needs a crazy variety of undies! Every lady needs: seamless & sewn, stringy & booty short, black/nude/colourful, patterned & plain, cotton & polly blend!  There will always be an occasion throughout the year when I go "AHHHH what undies go with this!" Wether is it a matter of colour, shape, or seams, each and every woman needs to have a lot of options because the last thing we want is to draw attention to what is going on under our clothing when out and about. 

The ValleyDez - Sunset Mall Jumeirah

This past weekend while at the Prime Dubai event at Sunset Mall I stopped by The ValleyDez for the first time. Its a funky store unlike most cookie cutter mall stores. It is host ollections such as Le Facette (Bretagne, France), Meli Melo, Manish Aroroa (India), Kzeniya London , and Khoon Hooi (Malaysia), Spijkers en Spijkers, Sage and Amber Jewelry, The Ahlis (UAE)   . The funky decor matched the collections. I loved the mask wearing mannequins and the ball gowns hanging from chairs hung backwards off the wall. I wish the outside of the store had the same entrancing feel as its mostly light pink, and lacks the zaz the interior hosts. 

Their website describes themselves as "ValleyDez is Dubai’s premier multi-brand store that has reinvented the concept of high-end fashion retail. We offer a unique approach that combines modernity, originality and upmost quality, and house some of the most coveted international and local designers.

Launched in 2009, ValleyDez has 2 distinct locations in the UAE (and another to be launched shortly), and each store offers the brand’s signature personalized service and distinctive fashion scoured from around the globe."

My favourite items in the store were all clutches and purses. Each brand's designs were geometric and bold. I especially liked the Nasha Bag collection. 

I also loved this Meli Melo by Melissa de Bono camera backpack/ bag. The straps are removable so one can connect as a purse shoulder strap or can wear them as a backpack. Its perfect for city sight seeing when you don't want to lug around a large padded, ugly, grey bag. 

I fully intend to go back to the store again, especially when they get their new collection in! Its an amazing place to get pieces you can't find anywhere else. 

Pompom Couture Dubai- at Prime Dubai @ Sunset Mall Jumeirah

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Prime Dubai's fashion market as Sunset Mall. I was really impressed by the quirky attitude of the stores in the mall but was mostly let down by the market stalls. I think some were still arriving and setting up when I was there, even though it started at 3 and I was there are 3:30. The first table had jewelry and the lady said it was from all over the world, she even had a piece from Canada! I asked who designed/ made it and she said she couldn't tell me, and that she just buys and resells pieces. I was really offended by how someone could sell a piece without making a buyer aware of the designer so I left quickly. 

Other than a few stalls not of my taste there was a table with unique clutches and a booth with youthful, and vibrant womenswear. 

The funky rtw/abaya line is named Pompom Couture. The Emirati designer was so easy to talk to and genuine. She said they just started the line, but I can tell it will easily become a hit. The pieces have a classic silhouette but use colourful patterns and have unique embellishments. 

This was the most classic looking tank, while the others had chilly pepper, mask, and bow designs. So fresh and different compared to the dull designs at the mall. 

I tried on the cheetah print abaya in turquoise and violet. The two tones suited my pale skin while the simple cut with velvet binding down the centre elongated me (I was also in 6" heels, LOL), making me looking slimmer. 

For more information don't hesitate to e-mail Pompom Couture at THIS email or you can visit them on facebook

The recipe for a perfect luxury bag

It seems to me that luxury goods companies figured out what sells during a recessions and have started to build their stores around that. Their runways look the same (with a tad less, whimsy, and a tad more classic pieces) as before the recession, but their stores are carrying more and more bags, and less garments. Before the recession Chanel, and LV (to name only two of many) were known for their bags, but recently other stores such as Hermes, Givenchy, and Prada have made their staple goods consistently more popular. They determined the recipe for a highly popular selling item and ironically their expensive "elite" bags look very similar.

The recipe for a perfect sell:
-Two handles

-One detachable shoulder strap

- Structured "boxy" look

- Medium sized (will easily fit wallet, makeup, cellphone, and Ipad)

- Small, indiscriminate logo between handles

-A branded tassle/toggle/large zipper pull/ tag/ lock

- Line with leather if you want to price it even higher

- Remake this bag every season in a few new colours and textures. If your funky like Givenchy put a bambi or polka dots on the bag. 

- Price for the elite.

Bright maxi and blazer

 

Yesterday I paired a bright maxi dress from Oxygene with a cropped white, one button blazer (an old piece of my wardrobe that I have NO recollection of where its from). The dress and  blazer lengthens my legs and makes me look leaner. I had my Aldo 6" wedges underneath as the dress is very long.

I kept the makeup simple because my hair was a little crazy from being done the day before. A natural look can be best with a bright, highly patterened dress.

Paisley and curls

 

Last weekend I paired a blue and white paisley button down from Koton (? I think...), with a Holt Renfrew belt, Guess jeans, and Aldo wedges.

 

I played off the black leather on my shoes and used thick black cat eyeliner, and then played off the curly paisley pattern and had the salon in Abu Dhabi do Myriam Fares style curls. I love these curls on me, they made me feel so sassy! Washing/ brushing my hair afterwards was another story though...

 

The necklace is from Aldo. I love the quartz style glass coming out of the fake bullet casing. 

My Wedding!!!

Where to start with my wedding story!!!! Of course it was a crazy day, but all things considered I was very calm (which is especially surprising if you know me at all...). I hadn't seen my hubby very much that entire week because both our families were in town. I just wanted to spend the day with him and was so excited to have him beside me ALL evening long!

I had a tailor make my dress and veil. I had a few too many fights with him over exact details even though I gave him sketches and technicals... I guess that's what you get for going to design school. In the end it was almost exactly what I wanted. I did the crystal work myself and loved the little details. 

I'd like to say I was a really relaxed bride. One of the only things I was persistent about was my bouquet. I'm SO happy I splurged and got big and small orchids.  It added this extra element to my outfit and made me look like a million dollars. 

The jewelry was borrow from my amazing mother-in-law. Its a gold Damas set. The dangling necklace suited the neckline of my dress so well. 

My hubby was in charge of his own outfit. We looked at so many tuxedos and it took a bit of convincing for my to get him to try a British fit rather than an Italian fit. His large shoulders skewed the Italian fit jackets, but they filled in a British fit tux beautifully. I couldn't, and still can't, believe how handsome he looked. The jacket and pants are from Hugo Boss, his shoes Balmain, his belt and tie from Sacoor, and the shirt.... an Italian tux shop in Festival City Mall in Dubai.

We obviously had a Palestinian zaffa. It was incredible to see so many people that we love dancing, singing, clapping, and (some) crying for us. I'll never forget how fast my heart started pounding. 

The ring exchange.  

One of our "stunts" for our first dance.  

 I'm not the average bride...

 The dance with my daddy. 

My husband's parents on the left, myself and dad in the middle, and my husband with my little sister on the right. <3