Davina Raisinghani
7 November 2009 Fashion designer Aiisha Ramadan and jewellery creator Victoria Casal came together for a relatively successful ‘Love Affair’
A simple 30-minute delay is a rather acceptable standard in Dubai’s fashion realm. So no point crediting the foresight of the female usher who unwittingly, but quite accurately, pointed out that Aiisha Ramadan and Victoria Casal’s ‘Love Affair’ show was bound to start ‘fashionably’ late.
However, in a rather innovative twist, opera singer, tenor Andrew Amdur lent his distinguished voice to kick off the evening. During his second piece Amdur was joined by figure skater Natasha Kemball on the only section of Dubai Mall’s ice rink that was not covered in carpet and seats.
Amdur’s vocals coupled with Kemball’s skill and grace on the ice were flawlessly in sync with the ‘Winter Wonderland’ theme for the event.
The showcase itself featured a collection of outfits designed by the locally based Ramadan and jewellery crafted by the Parisbased Casal.
The colour scheme of the dresses was dominated mainly by whites, silvers, creams, greys and pinks with the odd sighting of a red, an orange or a purple.
Eventually, a range of floral-inspired, borderline-psychedelic creations was brought out and the night drew to a close with a snow queen-esque creation offset by a laced cape and fake snowfall on the catwalk.
Embellishments made repeat appearances on Ramadan’s designs to hold up the ‘bling’ quotient. Scattered and occasionally unfitting use of feathers and bows was also seen.
“Through this event we were hoping to bring Paris to Dubai for one night,” said Ramadan of her inspiration for the collection. “Together Victoria and I hope we have created the perfect love affair.”
Butterflies served as the general templates for most of Casal’s necklaces. Her chunky chic rings and cuffs definitely made a trendy statement on the ramp.
The clothes and jewellery were teamed with stylish footwear from the Manolo Blahnik studio - and the shoes definitely added the ‘oomph’ factor. Make-up for the models was provided by Max Factor and cup cakes at the door were courtesy Sweet Stuff.
