Bonjour Beirut: Malaika Najem’s Unconventional, Raw and Beautiful Jewellery

If you ask anyone the words you’re least likely to hear when discussing fashion in Beirut – ‘raw’ or ‘urban’ will be top of the list.

For such a gritty environment (and Beirut often defines the concept of raw) there is an almost escapist obsession with being refined and polished. Quite often to an extreme.

Even away from the fashion scene you’ll find architecture that involves plastering new facades over historical buildings and the famous Lebanese look (never leave the house without makeup, bling or a blow dry, what surgery can I do this year...)

Yep, Lebanese people are known for their seeking of what they see as aesthetic perfection. And its no wonder Kim Kardashian is such a hit over there.

Raw, ethnic and intruiging... Malaika's work is not your average
style of jewellery, especially not in Lebanon!

 You can multiply that by 1 million when it comes to fashion - just look at the breakout labels that come from Beirut. Nothing but glamour in the form of Elie Saab, Zuhaair Murad and Basil Soda.

So when I stumbled upon Malaika Najem’s work, the epitomy of raw and unfinished, I was more than a little surprised.

Malaika is a jewellery designer whose work is all about the core rather than the perfectly polished exterior. she definitely is a breath of fresh air in a country stifled by a narrow fashion perspective.

The beautiful and charming Malaika, bringing some depth to the overly
polished fashion scene in Beirut.

Fashfix Singapore: A Fun and Stylish Way to Clean out Your Closet

The cover for my fashfix closet! Wonder who's gonna be my first buyer :-)!

Anyone who has visited Chez Bonjour will know that my apartment’s second bedroom basically doubles as a walk-in wardrobe. It basically houses a bed (which I’m lobbying to remove!) and the important stuff – mainly racks, rows and bags of clothes of which half I hardly wear anymore.

And in case you’re wondering, yes I do wake up most days and feel like I have nothing to wear! While donating boxes of unwanted clothes to charity is something I’m keen on doing (related story coming up next week!), there are some items which are too pretty to let go of and I’d rather see someone else wear them.

Having a stall in flea markets is one option (also helps to fund some more shopping ;-)) but why bother and sit in the sun all day when you can sell your stuff from home at the newly-launched fashion exchange site fashfix.sg?

Fashfix is the brainchild of Vivien Chia, a Singapore-based entrepreneur who has come to the rescue for like-minded (i.e shopaholic) people like myself who want to clean out their closet stylishly. And like they say, someone’s trash can be someone else’s treasure so I decided to try it for myself to start with.

Love this colourful skirt but time to let go...

Introducing Singapore's Hot Streetstyle Collaboration...

Forget Versace/H&M, Marni/H&M or whoever/H&M. The hottest collaboration of the year will be taking place next weekend in Singapore.

Of course I’m talking about the L’ILE AUX ASHBY Pop up store and showcase which is taking place in the painfully hip Tiong Bahru area on July 13 and 14.

What’s that I hear you cry? And why is it such a hot event? Well the number one reason is obvious. I’m in it :-)

In all seriousness though, I’m always very excited when cool local designers/artists do collaborations and events which show the extent of their talents. So when I was asked by Rayson Tan, the designer behind  L’ILE AUX ASHBY  to collaborate on a showcase, I was over the moon!

Bonjour Beirut: Missak HajiAvedikian’s fun take on couture

What happens when you mix, great couture aesthetics, strong heritage influence and a hint of fun together? You get Beirut’s newest  enfant terrible Missak HajiAvedikian.

The minute I entered the Armenian Lebanese designer’s showroom in the middle of the hussly bussly Armenian center I knew I was getting something different, more authentic and candid in a way.

Missak has a great sense of humour which translates even in his most dressy gowns. He does fashion for fun and you can see it through the feathers, unusual bird cage silhouettes and scattered laser-cut butterflies. He is not one to shy away from drama or experiment and this is exactly why I fell in love with his avant-garde designs.

It's obvious when you see Missak's playful creations that he has a
lot of fun making them. I love this dress!!

Q&A with Toton, Indonesia's hottest new label

I have a confession to make. I’ve got a new love in my life.

This new obsession occupies my every waking thought, I surf the internet just to gaze lovingly. I still remember the first time our lives came into contact.

It was love at first sight. As I browsed the stalls at Blueprint I couldn't help myself, we made eye contact across a crowded floor, I was instantly drawn in by the elegance and beauty he displayed.

That beauty was called Toton and I’m already turning into an addict!

The designer Toton Januar: Can't wait to see what this man will do next,
after his fresh and exquisite debut collection this year!

Classic with a (considerable) twist is what you can call Toton's
collection like this gorgeous jacket with a zip detail