I always say yes to under water themed photo shoots. With Zahrat Al Khaleej and one of my favorite models Dima, it was a very successful photo shoot and I instantly fell in love with the results.
Thank you Zahrat Al Khaleej.
Zahrat Al Khaleej featuring Aiisha Ramadan design
Zahrat Al Khaleej featuring Aiisha Ramadan design
Zahrat Al Khaleej featuring Aiisha Ramadan design
All above items are available at Studio8, Jumeirah, Dubai.
Those who know me, know that I’m not a fan of big weddings. For me, the perfect wedding is that where I have around me those I love dearly and love me back. The perfect wedding is not about the loud music and sweating from dancing. Its about sharing a beautiful moment with your sober husband in a sober crowd and having good food that won’t be thrown away. But that’s just me.
The title of her email was: Thanks Aiisha, it was all about the dress!!
When I saw the pictures, I understood. I was overwhelmed..
When she first called asking for a custom-made wedding dress, I couldn’t help but be inspired by her passion. Her story on how she met her husband, now, captured me. I began telling it to everybody around me. She didn’t want any crystals or beading. All she wanted was to be herself in her most beautiful status – like the princess of her day - and she did well.
Rima in the Old Beirut
As she swayed in her white dress with pink insertions, she waited leaning over a wall in the middle of old Beirut, saying goodbye to years away from her soulmate.. welcoming a new life where she holds his hand every step of the way.
Rima’s message to the world:
So you are born and then as soon as you can walk and talk, you start dreaming about the white dress. Long story very short, I met Aiisha and explained to her what I wanted as a wedding dress. Stitch by Stitch, with all the uncertainties and worries I had that maybe something would go wrong, the most beautiful dress was then delivered to me, right on time.
Hand freighted to Lebanon, I proudly wondered in the streets of the Beirut down town where whispers, camera flashes and clapping surrounded me. I even had small girls in school uniforms wanting to take a picture with me. It was just perfect; better than I imagined.
What’s more important, I’ve never seen the look in my husband’s eyes the moment I walked out of my houses’s gate to marry him.
Thank you Aiisha. Thank you thank you!
Rima Wehbe
Together.. Forever
Mabrouk Rima.. you made me proud
Photos used by permission from Rima Wehbe
Photo shoot (Victoria Casal, Manolo Blahnik, Aiisha Ramadan)
So among few other styles I got, specifically 1 crazy green ruffled Toubid pair, came home with me a pair of the most famous Hangisi blue jeweled Manolos that Mr. Big used to propose to Carrie in Sex and the City and I made sure that the legend himself signs on their sole.
Manolo Blahnik Hangisi
Manolo Blahnik autographing on Aiisha's Hangisi
A pair of Toubid MB to kill for!
Recently, I looked into my shoe closet and thought to myself “I’d really like to see some colorful pair where my eyes would almost hurt!”. So I hit Bloomingdales and found some elegant ones by different brands. Plain elegant wasn’t quite what I was looking for.
The moment I stepped into the Manolo Blahnik boutique in Dubai Mall, I was captivated by one specific pair from the latest season.. The photos won’t give it justice and no words can express the powerful combination of the Blue, Fuchsia and Orange on my tanned legs with a hot red pedicure.
Manolo Blahnik Petasap
Then my heart started pounding a little more as I walked by the Golden/Black pair that Victoria Casal and I wore during our photo shoot with Manolo Blahnik. They’re called Innamor and they had to be mine. The only way to describe this pair is “Mysterious”. They’re elegant, sexy and they seem to be in love.. constantly.
The girls in the Innamors
Manolo Blahnik Innamor
Its worth mentioning that at Manolo Blahnik Dubai Mall, you only get 1 piece of each size. I mean seriously! This is why I make sure that my feet sized 36/ 36.5 get their pairs picked even before they land in Dubai.
Some of the below collection will be showcased in the latest movie Sex and the City and will be launched in Manolo Blahnik Dubai Mall in July.
Manolo Blahnik Denzi
Manolo Blahnik Lezza
Manolo Blahnik Delaya
Manolo Blahnik Amacha
All will be launched and much more soon at the Manolo Blahnik boutique in Dubai Mall..
Manolo Blahnik Boutique Dubai Mall
Like I mentioned before, Evian initiated a Live Younger campaign in Dubai following their most watched Ad video (Over 22 million viewers till this post date) on You Tube (Evian Roller Babies)
Evian asked Dubai’s top designers to recreate the Evian Live Younger T-Shirt, and it was showcased at the Dubai Fashion Week that recently took place and auctioned the T-Shirts for the benefit of Dubai Cares, whose project for 2010 is to secure clean drinking water for children in schools globally.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to the show where my T-shirt was the show’s opener but I heard that mine was the favorite of many as it incorporated the Aiisha’s favorite elements, sexy romance, ruffles and powder tones. Other designers did some really cool job as well.
Evian Live Young Campaign
Auction was held at the trendy Carbon 12 Gallery in Al-Quoz
Aiisha's Evian Live Young T-Shirt on DFW 2010 Catwalk
Aiisha Evian T-Shirt @ the auction
These are some of the Viva Beauty Awards coverage in Dubai. The winner of the biggest award, the VIVA Reader’s Ultimate Beauty product was of course for Olay Regenerist, which was collected by Monica Shina – wearing Aiisha Ramadan 
Bottom Left: Simone Heng - Monica Shina - Aiisha Ramadan
Monica Shina from P&G rocking the awards and Aiisha's dress
The other day I was at the Viva Beauty Awards and even though non of the awards directly relates to me, but I felt the heart beats of the competitors so loud that they could explode from excitement or disappointment. Luckily for my team P&G, they ended up with the below awards:
The last award, as per the host, was voted for by thousands of readers. It is the award of the year.. and my favorite part was seeing Monica Shina walking back and forth to collect her awards wearing an Aiisha dress from the Love Affair collection. Strangers and friends kept approaching her telling her how great she looked. That I think, is the best part of my job.
Monica Shina from P&G wearing Aiisha Ramadan
I’m a busy woman. Very busy that I don’t have all day to groom myself, not even everyday. So I chose laser for the most obvious areas in my body and finally after few years, it started to work out. However, for the less exposed parts of my body, that was a nightmare as waxing for me is as painful as it looks in the 40 year-old virgin movie played by Steve Carell!
This is when I discovered that Braun Silk-épil Xpressive Wet & Dry is my time and pain savior as it works in water as well as above. Just like exercising, anything in water becomes less painful and more effortless. In this case, your bath time can be your epilation time with this rechargeable device.
To get the true feeling, a bunch of press ladies and myself were invited to the Atlantis Hotel Dolphin Bay were we experienced touching, dancing and swimming with the dolphins. Nothing could ever beat that experience.
Dolpin kissing Aiisha
I’ve been to great events, met with amazing people, been here and there but I promise you, nothing beats the incredible feeling of swimming with a dolphin that is smart, beautiful, extremely soft and incredibly loving.
Aiisha with Dolphin
Thank you Braun for such an amazing experience!
Yesterday was the last day at the DFW for the season. I haven’t been part of the DFW for a couple of years as it was time for change; however, my T-Shirt design was the opener at the Evian Fashion show where 15 designers participated in benefit for Dubai Cares Charity Foundation. I will post a separate thread for that with photos.
This year, the DFW happens to go under fire as the fashionistas have had enough. If you go back in my blog, you’ll find 2 posts (about a year old) addressing the issues that should be taken into consideration when trying to elevate the standards of the DFW: http://tiny.cc/pd3uj and http://tiny.cc/z4mb5
This is when I remembered the good times, the golden ones, when my first mega collaboration was with Nokia where the show was strong because of the theme and the designs, Nokia’s presence, PR and continuing efforts in taking the show around the Middle East (Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Pakistan).
Prism Geometric Mini Dress
My entire collection was inspired by the Nokia Prism 7900 handset. It was one of Nokia’s first fashion attempts in the region and it was carried out with me during the Dubai Fashion Week in 2007. As mentioned before, the collection then toured the Gulf and Middle East and it was a great success. Later the same year, I was invited to be the pioneer designer of the Super Nova collection at the La Destination Design de Nokia -- Marrakech. That too was a beautiful experience.
In terms of the designs, they were inspired by the Prism’s geometric shapes, elegance, black basic colors and from the 42 built in colors that reflect on the phone’s keypad, I chose purple, blue, silver and rainbow.
Watch highlights from the fashion show below:
Going back to the DFW, I’ve said enough.. a year ago and much more to the press all along. Now, I sit and watch hoping for progress. Until then, my collaborations will keep going on and my private fashion shows will stay.. private.
Sunday, the 4th April, was the first live interaction on my blog and it happened to be with Chris Hassall, the Global External Relations Officer of Procter & Gamble. It was basically a comment/ question from his side and an answer from my side discussing blogs, its importance and its relevance to the Arab world.
On that night, I met with the team of P&G and of course with Chris. I enjoyed every minute of it and I specifically appreciated the ideas Chris and I exchanged. These ideas will soon be reflected on my blog. It’s always amazing to see things from a male’s perspective..
Chris Hassall, Aiisha Ramadan and Yassin Attas
P&G is actually a very active organization when it comes to charity and volunteering. One of their main products (PUR Water Filteration) is one that cleans any contaminated water and makes it drinkable. During the Haiti disaster for example, they gave away what was enough for much more than 300,000 people to drink for 90 days. To know more about PUR, visit http://tiny.cc/kg3s4, and Pur Water.
Having said that, from a fashion perspective, the brand “Aiisha” has few charity projects already in process and to be revealed very soon. Once of which is already in the very latest Emirates Women magazine under the topic of Fashion with a Heart.
- posted on 25/08/2010 23:17:55
disgusting manners.. That's why there're bins!! - posted on 12/08/2010 23:07:03