The Challoub Staff Sale October 28-29, 2011. World Trade Center, Dubai

I don't think the best things in life are free, but on sale. I and friends  left the 1500 AED seminar that was given free and went instead to the biannual Challoub Staff Sale at World Trade on October 28 because after all where can we use that latest technology in dentistry a.k.a it's not fun to talk about teeth.lol

I almost died from this sale last June when people eagerly wanted to rush inside that one more push would be a stampede in the making. Luckily I did not.hehe. The sale features brands like Fendi,Valentino, Galliano, Ralph Lauren, Tod's, Hogan, etc. at 80-90% off. Cosmetics and personal effects are also huge here. Here are some few tips going to this kind of sales.

1. Leave your children at home
2. Bring a lot of cash
3. Don't panic buy
4. Be patient
5. Be patient

I did not have any plans to buy anything here because I was saving it for the Saks Fifth Ave. outlet which was a good decision. I just went there with my friends to blog about the event. This was third time going to this sale and I tell you it was always a chaos and if you are  claustrophobic and impatient this is not the place for you. Stocks sold are really old but if just browse slowly and never mind what the rest of the people are doing you can actually find treasures here

Some booths

These were some of the gems I found.

I did not expect I would see a Karl Lagerfeld shirt there. This shirt is just amazing

Christian Lacroix

I can't remember the bags

Shoes by John Galliano

Valentino

I think he is confused.lol

So I moved to the other booths and found these.

  These are by Marc Jacobs

 This dress is amazing

 and this skirt

I love the pieces from Celine. I really wanted to buy this shirt. This is so cool.

and if I were a woman i would buy these jackets

this porcelain set is just expensive.

the World Trade Center.

So the only thing I bought was a Prada L'infusion D'Homme Perfume for only 80 dirhams. Love the scent and it smells a bit like my Margiela (untitled).:)

Maison Martin Margiela (untitled) Perfume

First, I will say goodbye to my Margiela x Cutler and Gross sunglasses. I sold it to buy this.haha.

When I started my Margiela addiction about 5 years back,  I had this idea that when the house would release a perfume they will name it

1. Blank  or
2. Unnamed

turned out, they named it (untitled), which is close to my guesses.hehe. I love that the house named it such. It still speaks of what the brand is all about--anonimity. Eversince it was released first quarter last year, I kept on calling the Maison Martin Margiela Dubai store if it arrived instore, well, until nobody answers the phone anymore. Little did I know the boutique closed down some time May-June 2010., This, like all Margiela items, is very very hard to find. Points of sale is concentrated in Europe, and with the exception of the United States, you can not find this elsewhere. Thank God a friend recently travelled to Germany and found one for me, but it wasn't easy she said. It is readily available at colette.fr if I was willing to pay  the 74 Euros shipping costs. and Saks.com won't deliver this in the UAE or perhaps the world.

So this blog isn't a critique of this perfume, but a much personal observation.I 'am not a huge fan of perfumes so that I can compare it to any; or can fully understand the notes ,that ,describing each ingredient used would be useless.

Let's start with the box. I know in your mind it looks like a tester's box. A white matte box with nothing but the label's signature 0-23 markings, the name and contents in a typewriter font.  Number 3 is encircled as perfumes are considered Line 3.

The bottle is wrapped in a white linen bag

The bottle. According to the house, the inspiration was old apothecary bottles. It is very simple,very clean and it is very nice to see the green liquid inside. I always love the house's take on old things. They always  add a twist to it making it modern and appealing.

This is the idea that i like most about the bottle. It appeared as if it was dipped in a white paint. Very clever, isn't it? Who knew that idea would be so cool

Now I've read a lot of reviews about this perfume but  nobody noticed or mentioned this detail. I was surprised when I saw this because I did understand the thought and the value of it. The house's tags in clothes are stitched with 4 threads so that it is easier for the user to remove or cut it.(Yes, that was the purpose of the 4 stitches that somehow became the brand's "logo"). That idea was significantly applied here.that, you have to cut the thread so that you can use the perfume. It appeared plain, nonsense and useless but was so well thought and executed.

Also, the thread around  the neck? I think the house must have thought of  tiny perfume spills after spraying. The cotton threads will absorb it keeping the bottle neat or will not stain anything if this were carried in your bag.

and for more information on its contents, click here.

In an era where a celebrity's face in perfume ads is much more important than the product itself, what separates this perfume from the rest and what makes it a stand out are the ideas and the design process behind it that are still parallel to the values and codes of the house. It can not contest to Natalie Portman's pretty face for Dior, but  like what  Maison Martin Margiela is all about, let the product speak for itself.

and oh, it smells really GOOD.


It's time to give my rose its scent.

 Anyway, thank you Tonet for shaking up Germany just to find a bottle for me, but where is my piece of the Berlin Wall? hahaha

Saks Fifth Ave.-Dubai Fall 2011 Show

I have no idea what was I doing here because:
1. I'm not a Dubai socialite and never will be
2. I'm not a huge Saks customer(only God knows what was that thing I bought from the store)

...but if there were some things I learned in life, these would be
1. It's nice to have a blog, even how nonsense it is
2. It pays to be chatty on a Facebook page

These were my tickets to the show.

I received an email from Yasmeen(Saks' Senior Marketing Manager) inviting me to attend  but this time as guest and not a dresser like last season. And why not? I thought it's about time to see people in good clothes again other than children's teeth at work.lol. The invite came with a plus one so I had my friend Amir(fellow contestant to the Saks Styling Competition last February) to come along with me.The show was held in Asateer Tent, The Palm beside Atlantis on October 6. It was a night filled with the blinding glitters of Dolce & Gabbana.

Problem No. 1. What should I wear?
Events like these could only mean one thing-- everyone will be all dressed up like celebrities. But I'm not so why try to be one? Instead, I just used whatever it is in my closet that would speak of my personal style, hence, the Belgians(some). I know it doesn't come with a "Like" button, but I like it. Now, where is my burial? hahaha.

white shirt:         Alexander McQueen(eww, I wore this last time too,lol)
white shirt:          Ann Demeulemeester
pants:     Zara
sandals:     Kris Van Assche
rose necklace:   Maison Martin Margiela( yeah, it is and not something stolen from the lobby,hahaha)
"bag":  the accessory box of the necklace that came with it

Funny stories about the rose. People in the metro(yes, I was wearing this in the metro) do not want to sit beside me. 2 ladies changed their seats. Maybe they were thinking I was crazy and would start pulling their hair off and turn it into a necklace.lol. No, I have Ann Demeulemeester to do that. I was also asking these 2 guys in the reception if I can go inside before everyone else comes in to cover  the place in its empty state but their eyes were glued to the rose. I'm not Mr. Crazy Mc Cray.haha

So anyway, I was there an hour early to take snapshots of the set.  Those 2 guys told me to talk to the lady who is in charge of the guest in media and she gave me this ID that says blogger. I was laughing inside me, not that it was not true, but there was this feeling that "Oh, having a blog matters". That, suddenly my blog is getting me an early access to the show.Surreal.hehe. Next time(if there is), I'd say I'm from Vogue.lol.

here are some few pictures of the place. sorry for the bad photos. my Samsung camera plus low lighting = photography in its worst case.

The reception

I asked Yasmeen if I could go backstage and have a look at the clothes. She said yes but did not spend a lot of time there, although I would have loved to take a much closer look to the clothes they'll be using. The dressing rooms were very dark and people were looking at me like I killed somebody or something and I even heard one male model said   "There is one guy inside taking pictures of the clothes". LOL. Right then and there I  rushed out.
this was the make-up "room".

Basically everything you see with sequins are by Dolce & Gabbana.

The dress with embroidery on I think was by Manish Arora.

and the Little Drummer Boy Alexander McQueen jacket. I'm so drooling over this.Oh God, why can't I afford this?

Pre-show. Guests start to fill  the room.

 I hate that I can not give you  nice runway pictures. The show opened in a red Michael Kors gown followed by some Erdems, Nina Riccis, DVFs and a chokeful of Dolces. For men, most were from Dior Homme and Dolce & Gabbana and some pieces by Dsquared, Viktor & Rolf, and Alexander McQueen.




I  love the pieces by Erdem. I can remember I described these previously as Monet's painting gone mad painted black. My favorite look that night was that tiered Nina Ricci gown. I'm so into Peter Copping's work these days and he is sure one of those new designers that can actually make clothes with a very sharp direction.



There were so many Dolce looks that night that one more sequined dress would blind me already,lol. They also pushed the Miss Sicily handbags to a lot of looks. I did not know they come in red and white python and yeah, sequins.


I expected looks from their newly opened Prada and Miu Miu stores but looking at the crowd that as if there were a prize for "whoever wears the shortest dress" or " whoever bares their shoulder the most"(lol), I don't think they would appreciate much those Miu Miu bold shoulder dresses and Prada's trompe l'oeil boots against their Louboutin's.

There was an after party in Atlantis but it was a "no-open-shoe allowed". That guy in the reception told me to buy a new pair in stores. That was easily said and done if I have millions, so I left and took some shots of the aquarium instead.

the hotel's centerpiece.

After the lengths that I have been through just to attend a 20-minute show, all in all it was a very fun night.
Thank you Saks.:)