For the greatest hand parties, check out @talasmurad’s instagram feed! You’ll obsessed with all the ring candy and black diamonds. The Tala M collection will add some edgy glamour to all your outfits! Every picture on her instagram account that pops up on my feed is an absolute treat. <3
I sat down with the super cool Yasmine Al Naif to discuss the launch of her new line, “Juniors be Junior”. We talked about her plans for 2014, the launch of her new website, and why London is her favourite city.
Stay Junior Kids.
What inspired you to start your own collection of snap backs and bominner jackets?
Well, what inspired me to start the brand Juniors Be Junior was a love I have for simple urban fashion accessories. Then realising that there is a lack of online platforms for people, ultimately males, to buy funky/edgy, affordable staple items. So with these two thoughts in mind, it just made sense to create them myself. The first two products I’ve started with are snap backs and Bominner Jackets which will be followed by a range of hoodies, socks, boxers and… you’ll have to go to the website to find out.
What does Juniors be Junior stand for as a brand and what was behind the name?
The brand really is all in the name. Juniors Be Junior is hip, playful and aims at keeping everyone looking lively and .. obviously Junior. All of the JBJ pieces will energise your look and keep you looking up to date. All the time.
How would you describe your own personal style?
Always comfortable – A bit of boho chic – Edgy? How would YOU describe my style Striped and Spotted? You’re the fashionista.
We saw a sneak peek of your JBJ photo shoot and everything looks fantastic! What are your plans for the brand in 2014?
In 2014, the website will be launched, new products will be introduced and some crazy collaborations will be taking place. You should definitely join us on set for the next shoot because the last one was really fun!
Where are your designs sold?
At the moment you can contact me directly for orders/purchases: yasmeen@juniorsbejuniors.com. You can see all products on the Facebook page ‘Juniors Be Junior’. The website will be launched by the end of February 2014 with global shipping. Boutiques in Dubai/London so far will be stocking the products, and i’ll be announcing where next month.
What are you listening to these days?
Golden Silvers, The Purple Bottle, Steak Knives, Lorde, Mr SoMo.
What is your favourite city and why?
London. I love winter and in London its winter 90% of the time. I always find something new to do, somewhere interesting to eat, a new beautiful street that i’ve never seen before… and you meet people from every corner of the globe. Its also where I consider home.
A Gyld Member & Founder of Chamber Gyld, Zeena AlAhmad was born on July 17, 1987 in Amman- Jordan. Her artisan talent was pursued through her studies in Studio Arts & Interior Design in Canada & the United Kingdom.
With a paintbrush in hand and from within the confines of a four walled studio emerged a line of exquisitely designed and passionately produced items that act as a ‘Gyld’ to every home. After launching her first furniture collection in 2012, Zeena has adhered her admiration & passion for art & design and ventured into creating a new concept of exhibition space; Chamber Gyld. The bespoke design house encompasses a number of different talents from the region and all around the world. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and talk to Zeena about this new venture and what she has in store for 2014.
You are known as the founder of Chamber Gyld, your furniture design line. I’m a huge fan. What inspired you to open the Chamber Gyld Design House and incorporate fashion and jewelry by other local and regional designers?
“Amman’s first bespoke design house, Chamber Gyld’s concept is to create a hub for talented designers to display & promote their distinguished statement pieces. The aim is to highlight the power of collaboration & showcase the original talents, who produce exquisite work with excellent quality & finish. We bring Fresh, Avante-Garde & Aesthetic designs to your home & wardrobe from the world’s trendiest spots. Chamber Gyld Design House offers an eclectic mix of hand-made items, at which many are exclusively made for our Chamber! We aim to use our spacious high-ceiled window display, as an opportunity to bring out the unconventional vision in every designer. Keeping true to the Design House that Chamber Gyld is, the window display will be an ever-changing attraction for people to look forward to each season. Chamber Gyld is not just a concept boutique; it is more of a dynamic space that seeks social interaction via events, competitions, pop-up shop concepts & social media collaborations.”
What are the local and regional brands we can find at the design house?
“Anknownymous, Basma Furniture, Zeena Chamber Gyld, Dina Gildeh AlMasara, Aennis Eunis, Raya Bisharat, Jad Ghandour, Nour Taher, Mohammad Tamimi, Chic Gyld, Vanina, Laith Qattan , Ola Medanat, Badr Adduja, Haya Awad, and more designers and artists are joining Chamber Gyld’s Design House.”
You have also designed your own line of handbags, or “Chic Gylds” to be precise, what inspired you to branch out into fashion and accessories?
“My passion towards art & design allows me to branch out of just my specialty in painting & furniture. I wouldn’t call myself a Handbag designer, because my Chic Gylds are funky, artistic & unique. The patterns & beading are especially handmade for this collection making each piece a statement accessory.”
Where do you draw your influences from when it comes to the design process?
“From my everyday surroundings, travels & patterns present everywhere; from nature to fashion.”
What’s in the pipeline for the Chamber Gyld brand in 2014?
“We’re looking forward to adding many more designers & artists to the Chamber Gyld team. We have a full schedule of trunk Shows, pop-up shop concepts & many more events. We’ll be having exciting window display competitions and hopefully in the near future an expansion to Chamber Gyld – Tea Room.”
How would you describe your own personal style?
“I consider my style to be classic/contemporary.”
How do you spend your free time when you’re not sketching or designing?
“Brainstorming Brainstorming & more brainstorming! Seriously- Design has become part of me!”
What is your favourite city and why?
“London & Beirut are by far my two favourite cities for their history, culture & art.”
Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated with charm bracelets. So I’m loving the take on this more mature gold-tone brass charm necklace by Dolce and Gabbana. The pendants include four leaf clovers, horseshoes and holy saints; this necklace brought a whole new meaning to lucky charms!
Today I’m wearing these super cool striped Topshop pants with my Warehouse top and Sandro jacket. My shoes are Gianvito Rossi and my bag is the Vivienne by Louis Vuitton. I’ve grown so found of the name Vivienne since I bought this bag. Maybe for the same reasons I like the names Celine, Zara and Chloe. Who knows. My sunglasses are Cutler and Gross. I Love Cutler and Gross because I can go in and change my mirrored lenses any time to any colour I want! I get compliments about them all the time. You can stop by Opticos Shami in Amman because they stock the collection. If not, then you can go online and check out their website!
I’ve spent this entire week getting dolled up in Nadine Shami fine jewelry and it’s been an absolute treat. I know that boyfriends and husbands have a difficult time picking out valentines day gifts for their significant others so I’m here to save the day! The reason why I think jewelry is the way to go; is because it lasts forever. We won’t be impressed with the new iPhone, even if it DID have our names engraved on the back. And that box of chocolates you thought was adorable will be the cause of your misery next week when we’ve put on 3 kgs after scoffing down the whole thing. Mmmm… Actually, chocolate is always a nice additon. Scratch that! We love chocolate- no matter how many pounds we pile on. We want a Nadine Shami jewelry piece and a box of heart shaped chocolates. Nadine even has a gorgeous pair of rose stud earrings if you want roses that will actually last forever this valentines day!
I’m so sorry I’ve been completely MIA for the past month, but I’ve been working on a secret project I can’t wait to tell you all about. In the meantime, I’m in Paris for fashion week and today’s skies are blue blue blue. I’m joining the brunch bunch at Derrière for a bite to eat this gorgeous Sunday morning. Looking forward to an incredibly busy and productive week!
Love from Paris,
Hannah x
A group of talented young people put together the Jordanian rendition of the “Happy” video by Pharrell Williams! I think it’s pretty awesome. The “happy” crazy that took the world by storm was the perfect way to ring in 2014.
Who said Jordanian’s couldn’t be happy? #ByeByeكشرة
We’re looking forward to a summer filled with citrus hues and brights on whites- and no one has paved the way for you quite like Fendi has.
“Orange you excited about the great bright summer of 2014?”
Check out this two-toned metallic skater dress from Topshop! I think it would really cute with this pair of strappy cobalt blue sandals by Alexander Wang. High street statement buys are the best kind of buys!
Nothing says easy breezy like a pair of espadrilles. I love this Silver mesh Stella Mccartney pair because they can air out and the metallic tone matches practically any beach kaftan or bikini. I hope you’re all having a wonderful Friday afternoon! X
I’m obsessed with Whitney Eve’s Dream Weaver collection! The print is bright and bold, like the great summer that will be two thousand and fourteen’s. My favourite piece? The cropped boyfriend shirt!
The collection is available at The Rail, Amman (06-5856082)
I was feeling very “little house on the prairie” this afternoon. I think yellow suits almost every skin tone, (except for yellow skin tones maybe). I bought this Marc Jacobs dress back in 2006, and I still manage to get some wear out of it every year. My shoes are Manolo blahnik.
“The yellow glistens. It glistens with various yellows, citrons, oranges and greens.. Flowering over the skin” – Wallace Stevens
Sophia Webster
Proenza Schouler
Acne
I’m obsessing over the Sophia Wesbter lace up perspex boots with silver toe caps! I always stop myself from buying stuff like that. Don’t get me wrong- I’m just worried I’ll never be able to take them off.
If you know me at all, you know I can’t handle a mess. I’ll admit to getting flustered and untidy sometimes, but its organized chaos and tends not too last more than a few hours. I’m the type of person who can’t go to sleep if my suitcase is unpacked or a drawer in the dresser is left open. So you can imagine the little piece of heaven this Marni oxblood leather bag is to me. It has 5 internal compartments AND an front pocket too!
I’ve already begun compartmentalizing:
1st compartment: Cash, credit cards, and coin pouch.
2nd Compartment: Lipstick, hand cream and comb.
3rd Compartment: Panadol, chewing gum, and the occasional Mentos.
4th Compartment: Sunglasses.
5th Compartment: iPhone, earphones, and Samsung Galaxy Camera.
Front pocket: Pen. (A pen always comes in handy)
The bag also comes with a detachable strap so you can change up your carrying style.
Heaven? I think so.
The holy month of Ramadan is time of self-reflection for many of us. Muslims all around the world fast from sunrise to sunset to help us train our self-restraint and feel with the needy. It is a month dedicated to charity and kindness unto others. I feel that although for most of the year I don’t think about it twice, Ramadan is a month in which I dress a little conservatively- out of respect to others. Most of the Middle East has dealt with quite an early summer, with heat waves reaching as high as 39 degrees in Amman. To those of you living in the Gulf, this might seem normal. However for us living in Jordan, it’s sometimes intolerable. We’re not used to weather like this you see, our bodies do not adapt well to this type of heat. But nonetheless, we’re grateful for the sunny weather because our winters have been blistering cold and icy over the past couple of years.
So in this scorching heat, what do you wear? I’ve opted for blouses over lightweight jeans. Today I wore a maxi dress under a little denim jacket with cropped sleeves. I feel that a white blazer is a Ramadan essential in this heat because it’s casual and it’ll keep you cool enough at the office, and you can also dress it up with heels for a chic iftar outfit. I especially like this Zara one below.
Zara
Kaftans and abayas are also an option, especially if they’re made out of lightweight silk. They’ll keep you cool and you’ll look like you’re dressing for the occasion, which is always a good thing. Invest in a good quality Kaftan because it will come in handy for a friend’s henna night or Katb Ktab celebration.
Oscar De La Renta
PROENZA SCHOULER
Minaudière silver-tone box clutch
Was £1,954.11 Now £1,367.87
ALAÏA
Lace-up cutout suede pumps
Was £1,038.20 Now £519.10
VICTORIA BECKHAM
The Victoria matte-leather tote
Was £2,745.81 Now £1,647.49
NARCISO RODRIGUEZ
Gloss-paneled wool and silk-blend jacket
Was £1,966.20 Now £786.48
PROENZA SCHOULER
Embellished leather sandals
Was £534.09 Now £267.05
THEYSKENS’ THEORY
Leather biker jacket
Was £1,332.06 Now £799.24
Mono earrings are all the rage at the moment and a key trend for this fall. Angelina Jolie and Rihanna have been seen pulling this edgy look off. It’s a refreshing change to the earcuff! Wear your hair to one side and pair your mono earring with a simple stud for a sexy asymmetrical look!
