tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79505420690212231382024-03-13T19:55:24.314-07:00The PolyglotAn exploration of cross-cultural fusions through art, fashion, architecture, culture, design, history, society, lifestyle…& all things ParisianThe Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-55797262325792826782011-12-15T07:59:00.000-08:002011-12-15T08:00:22.320-08:00The Polyglot featured in ELLE Arab World Dec. 2011The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-38187896890372231332011-11-20T19:43:00.000-08:002011-12-15T08:00:50.444-08:00Food for Thought…The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-65919908638436445622011-11-20T19:16:00.000-08:002011-12-15T08:02:31.623-08:00Middle East Fashion’s Nouvelle Vague: Aramco World MagazineLaunched in 1949, Aramco World Magazine is one of the longest running English language publications dedicated to the Middle East and its Diaspora. Circulated amongst universities and embassies alike, the publication has long provided a much needed literary bridge between the Middle East and the West. As a child I would wait for each issue, which provided a diverse and faceted perspective on the The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-61330470694541121762011-11-20T18:43:00.000-08:002011-12-15T08:03:57.836-08:00From the Archives: Tehran in VogueIn 1969 Vogue sent the photographer Henry Clarke to Iran to photograph models Marisa Berenson and Lauren Hutton amongst the historic monuments of Persepolis and Shiraz. But for Diana Vreeland, at the time Vogue’s Editor in Chief, a trip to Persia wasn’t simply about capturing the latest fashions in an exotic location, but an occasion to showcase its contemporary arts and fashion scene. VogueThe Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-39157651064833656712011-09-06T10:43:00.000-07:002011-09-06T10:43:39.485-07:00D’NA’s Website Launch Featured in ELLE Arab World
http://www.dnariyadh.com/The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-88053858705842555412011-08-11T19:53:00.000-07:002011-08-11T19:53:21.027-07:00D’NA Celebrates 5 Years of Fashion Magic with a New Website & Much More…I recently teamed up with Deena Abdulaziz to re-launch the website of her cutting edge store/gallery, D’NA, in Riyadh. The culmination of 7 months of hard work, I will be collaborating closely with the D’NA team as the site’s new editor, shaping content that, like The Polyglot, bridges East and West.
Abdulaziz is someone whom I have a great deal of respect for in the industry. In addition to The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-65786600843029058692011-07-05T12:24:00.000-07:002011-07-05T12:25:40.096-07:00And the front row goes too…
Amongst the usual sightings at Gaultier’s Spring 2011 couture show, that included Catherine Deneuve, Pedro Almodóvar and Princess Marie Chantal of Greece, one Middle Eastern client took the unusual step to sit front row.
Described by famed fashion illustrator Gladys Perint Palmer, as ”big mink, veil with diamanté, and the largest red croc bag,” Madame Jana Al Wazzan is one of the few visible The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-53323338851739244532011-07-05T12:04:00.000-07:002011-07-05T12:04:08.530-07:00Tunisian stunner Hanaa Ben Abdesslem opens Giambattista Valli’s debute haute couture show for Fall 2011The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-9265264978073439762011-06-08T16:24:00.001-07:002011-06-08T16:24:58.204-07:00Food for Thought...The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-44061614486643868772011-06-08T15:42:00.000-07:002011-06-08T15:47:43.310-07:00When Beirut Met Jaipur…An intriguing pop-up store brings the world to Beirut’s doorstep
Beginning June 30th Beirut, arguably one of the Middle East’s most cosmopolitan cities, will host a unique retail experiment meant to bridge cultures through art, design and fashion.
BEIRUT LOVES JAIPUR is the first in a series of pop-up stores showcasing a particular city’s design sensibilities. To be sure, the Levantine capital The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-24297120916666116752011-05-26T14:33:00.000-07:002011-05-26T14:47:29.653-07:00So many projects…So little blogging
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all the positive feedback these last few weeks.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, I don’t post regularly.
I have been MIA working on various projects, including a new article for a publication which I will share with you in the near future.
I’ve also teamed up with one of the Middle East’s foremost style icons (and a good friend) to launch a new The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-72207539166898886752011-05-26T14:17:00.000-07:002011-05-26T14:48:08.725-07:00Damascus Chic: A Guide worth the Read
When the first travel guides were originally conceived around the 18th century, roaming the world was a luxury only the very wealthy could afford. Instead, they were mostly destined for home-bound individuals with a desire to experience exotic lands from the comfort of an armchair. Written in often flowery descriptive prose and accompanied by equally exotic illustrations, they were the The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-39141372914141799902011-05-26T12:34:00.000-07:002011-12-15T08:05:01.232-08:00From the Vogue Archives: Stella in DamascusBritish Vogue, May 2009
Back in 2009 British Vogue sent Stella Tennant to Damascus for a fashion story shot by Tom Craig. The result was an atmospheric spread of images that capture the allure of this ancient and cosmopolitan city. During her trip the aristo-model also kept a diary in which she noted her impressions:
“I’ve travelled all over the world as a model, I have never felt so much of a The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-74851191725617260952011-05-26T11:48:00.000-07:002011-05-26T11:48:02.258-07:00My Latest Article in Brownbook Magazine:For those of you who were unable to pick up the latest issue of Brown Book magazine, (the Dubai-based publication which serves as an urban guide to the region), I’ve attached my piece on Mona Khazindar, the Saudi Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Arab World Institute in Paris.
A fascinating and polyglot individual, Khazindar will co-curate the first Saudi Pavilion at the Venice The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-67991530680927414832011-04-21T10:23:00.000-07:002011-04-21T10:24:38.501-07:00Moments worth Blogging About...Backstage at Jean Paul Gaultier, Spring 2011 Couture: Crazy Horse performer, Psykko Tico, Farida Khelfa, Arielle Dombasle, and Tunisien Model Hana Ben Abdesslem.
It’s not often that I write in the first person, but I wanted to share with you a recent comment from a reader regarding a post on Farida Khelfa, whom I’ve always considered a fashion icon. This site has always been about a diversity of The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-42590305215928762552011-04-19T20:46:00.000-07:002014-06-01T08:47:14.216-07:00People in the Know: Noor Al-Sabah
Beyond the glitz and glamour of the runway shows during fashion week, lies another world seldom reported on by the press: that of the fashion buyer. In the span of a week they spend appointment-packed days running from one showroom, rented apartment, and hotel suite to the next, filling in orders for the coming season (without-hopefully- going over budget). They are also prized for their The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-56757818883434765862011-04-19T13:58:00.000-07:002011-04-19T13:58:14.944-07:00Food for Thought...The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-58657671800782999952011-04-19T13:28:00.000-07:002011-04-19T19:35:30.378-07:00Sheikha Chic: When Izzy Came to TownIsabella Blow captured by Donald McPherson in the Kuwaiti desert, December 2006
Back in 2001, Isabella Blow found herself collaborating with a young American photographer named Donald McPherson. “She was very good at making you feel important,” recalled McPherson in “Isabella Blow: A Life in Fashion,” by Lauren Goldstein Crowe. The two first began working on shoots for V magazine, and went on to The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-71818866500601060592011-04-19T09:22:00.000-07:002014-06-01T08:48:07.123-07:00Recalling Villa Moda Damascus
Widely responsible for putting Kuwait on the fashion map, Villa Moda recently began shuttering its locations across the Middle East. This week the Polyglot looks back on one of its most stunning outposts.
In March of 2006 Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah unveiled what could best be described as his most unique and luxurious Villa Moda outpost to date. Nestled in the heart of Damascus’s old souk, this The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-58679002907137480762011-04-16T10:56:00.000-07:002011-04-16T10:56:54.099-07:00Food for Thought...The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-26581418894262686672011-04-16T10:55:00.000-07:002014-06-01T10:02:10.570-07:00Meet Dana Al-Khalifa
As the cosmopolitan and fashion savvy name behind cult blog The Overdressed, Bahrain-based Dana Al-Khalifa, has carved out a niche for herself with inspiring fashion shoots that capture her sartorial mood of the moment. Just back from a trip to Paris and Florence, Al-Khalifa spoke to The Polyglot about growing up with a fashion icon, her love of vintage, and why she’s Erdem’s biggest fan.
The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-15576487507442599332011-04-15T18:58:00.000-07:002011-04-15T18:59:07.604-07:00Vintage Vogue:Earlier this month Christie’s New York held an auction of rare fashion photographs from a private collection. Amongst the items was a portrait of Lisa Fonssagrives shot in Morocco by her husband Irving Penn, for Vogue in 1951. Another standout was Norman Parkinson’s “Wenda in Tunisia," 1954.
The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-60802214153464860222011-04-13T21:33:00.001-07:002011-04-13T21:35:06.513-07:00Food for Thought...The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-33213697505474134692011-04-12T20:48:00.001-07:002011-04-13T21:54:43.038-07:00Making a Fashion StatementHanaa Ben Abdesslem- French Vogue March 2011
Born in Tunisia and educated in Beirut, Hanaa Ben Abdesslem quickly rose up fashion’s modeling ranks in just two seasons. Recently she was featured in the March 2011 issue of French Vogue (Carine Roitfeld’s last as Editor in Chief), in a stunning photo spread shot by Karim Sadli. As one of the few Arab faces working in the industry today, The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7950542069021223138.post-4814983938050739312011-04-07T18:06:00.000-07:002011-04-07T18:09:59.817-07:00From the Vogue Archives: The Great EscapeTatjana Patitz captured in Egypt by Patrick Demarchelier Vogue UK April 1992 The Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04194785804251375565noreply@blogger.com0