Friday 29 October 2010

The Slaughterhouse - Review

All week I've been hearing just about everyone talking about the Halloween party taking place at St. George. It was an interesting idea since the event was taking place inside the building, the DJ line-up looked great, and one of the most important things when going to events: tables were available for reservation.



I'm going to start with the things that I liked about the event to be fair. One particular DJ blew everyone away, DJ Base. His choice of music was great, it kept the crowd moving. The whole concept of the party being inside St. George was also very creative. Everything coming from behind the bar was great too, an alcohol-poisoning-free night for everyone! Also, people and their costumes, wow. There were a lot of very original costumes, everyone looked great, and they really put an effort into it.

Unfortunately for me (and a lot of other people) our table for 30 apparently didn't exist anymore, which left 30 people expecting to have a place to sit, standing on their feet. Being a girl, I can tell you that the worst part of it was that I had no where to put my things down to dance, and I was in heels so I'm paying for it right now. Also, I don't know the exact numbers, but picture a venue that would clearly only fit 800 people, and now put in about 1,200 people. It was hot and there was barely any room to breathe (let alone dance). Thank God for the long hallway leading to the bathroom, because that's where we ended up going for air.

All in all: great location, good music, amazing crowd, but disappointing organization and a waste of music since there was barely room to dance. I don't think I'm going near an event with the same organizers in the future, sadly.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Stolen Jewelry & the Re-Opening of Starch

I know it's late, but here's a quick review of H&M: it was horrible. I wasn't able to find anything! I guess people are hitting the stores faster than I am these days.


Starch was a boutique in Saifi Village which focuses on Lebanese designers and their collections. Today, they're re-opening with a list of new designers with new collections!


Here are a list of the designers:

Fashion:

"Emily Cremona" by Deena Wassef & Rouba Mouawad
Nadine Mneimneh
Racha El Abbas

Jewelry:

Rana Mikdashi

Bags & Accessories:

"Margherita" by Ghita Abi Hanna

Interiors:

Najla El Zein


On a different note, the jewelry designer Rana Mikdashi's collection was stolen yesterday. Two people on a motorbike snatched it. She will still be presenting her jewelry, but keep an eye out for the stolen pieces, here's the link to her work: Rana Mikdashi's Jewelry

So, for whoever is interested, the re-opening will take place in Saifi Village, on the same street as Cream. And it goes from 5 to 8 this evening. Enjoy!

Sunday 17 October 2010

What's Up, H&M?

All I've been seeing lately are people walking up and down Hamra with H&M bags in hand.



Yesterday, I recognized one of the H&M carrying people and called her over to ask her what all the fuss is about. Apparently, the collection includes a lot of great pieces! She also said, though, that everything was selling like crazy, so there isn't a huge variety of sizes and colours.

I think I'll drop by H&M after lunch today, so I'll report about it later on!

Saturday 16 October 2010

Shi 7elo w Shi Tayyeb

Good morning Beirut! The sun is out, and it looks like it would be beautiful to be sitting outside. Unfortunately I've put myself under house arrest until I'm done with all of my assignments. So no sun for me!


Those of you who liked Ctrl+Z Designs are going to be very happy with this post.








On the 2nd of November, you'll be able to purchase this jewelry at an event being held in Electro Mecanique, Mar Mekhayel. 


In addition to jewelry, Aline Khokaz Ian will have her homemade food there.


Now, I just checked out her group and although I was put off when I heard that it was vegetarian, I must say that the food looked extremely appetizing, and this is all from just pictures so I can't wait for the real thing.


Wait, there's more! The Facebook event page promises that we can "sit down and relax to the sight of vintage Egyptian movies on screen and the sounds of your favorite classic Arabic singers." I'm really excited see all this honestly, I love how the theme of the jewelry and the theme of the event complement each other.


So, I will definitely be stopping by, but I kind of need help. I have a confession to make, I have absolutely no idea where EM is, so if anyone could point me in the right direction (either in the comment box or via email) I would really appreciate it.


Event's Facebook Page
Ctrl+Z Designs
Garden On A Plate


I'll post a reminder once we get closer to that date!

Sunday 10 October 2010

Shoes? Check! Jewelry? Check!!

Let's jump right in!

Girls, whoever is interested in buying a pair of Nike High-tops, keep checking out the Nike store in Beirut Souks, because they constantly bring in new models. I finally bought mine, and I'm very happy with them. Here they are:





I made it to Lunatic, I absolutely love the store. I love the exterior design, I love what they're selling. You can find pretty much anything you want in there, and it's so funky, it just made me happy while I was looking at their stuff. For now, I only bought some jewelry, but I'm going back for other things! Here's what I bought:








I don't know what I'll be up to next, so I can't promise anything. But I do promise that whatever it is, I'll make it worth the read!!

Friday 8 October 2010

Rain, Rain.. Chill Out!

I had every intention of checking out Crown Outlets yesterday.. but I didn't. And I have an explanation!

I was planning on heading down at 1, right after my classes, because I know for a fact that if I get home and get comfortable, I definitely wouldn't be in the mood to walk over there.

As I was walking out of LAU at 1, I felt a slight drizzle of rain, which kind of discouraged me from continuing the walk down, so I detoured to my house. Good thing I did too, otherwise I would have been stuck there until about 3!!

I might pass by Crown Outlets today though, but first I'm going to be in Beirut Souks.

Once again, my cousin spotted something he thought I might like in Beirut Souks. (I should really make him my "fashion hunter", haha).

What did he spot? Nike High-tops for women! I've been trying to get myself a pair of trainers, but they always look too big on my because I'm quite short, yet my shoe size is slightly larger than would be expected. Also, skinny jeans don't help. I figured though, high-tops are bulky from the bottom and the top, so it might balance it out. I'll be checking those out today, and hopefully find a pair for me! These are what they generally look like, for those who don't know:


Also, I haven't forgotten about Ctrl+Z Designs. I've picked out all the pieces that I want, all that's left is to contact Chahine. The reason I delayed this is because, if I have time, I might try and swing by Lunatic in Monot today. This way I can just buy them on the spot rather than go through the whole ordering process.

Let's hope it doesn't rain on me today!

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Ctrl+Z Designs

While going to fetch us some goodies from Sugar Daddy's to satisfy our sugar cravings, my cousin noticed some funky jewelry in the window, and brought back a business card for me to check out.

(Excuse the webcam quality)

Naturally, living in an internet-dominated world, I looked for the business' page on Facebook.

According to the page I found (and the card) Ms. Zinab Chahine is responsible for the very unique jewelry I was going through on their photo page. It is a home business, and according to her "everything is very affordable". She also offers custom designs for those who would like it, and everything is handmade.

I personally really liked the jewelry, I will definitely be buying some very soon (I am picking out the pieces I want as I type). The jewelry holds a lot of Arab culture in it, mostly Lebanese culture but includes a lot of different Arab elements in the designs as well, which is what caught my attention. I love holding on to a little bit of my culture, but seeing it interpreted in a new and different way, which is exactly what I saw in these designs.

Since it is a home business, you will have to contact Chahine in order to make arrangements for purchasing. The jewelry is also available at a store called Lunatic in Monot (it is no longer being displayed at Sugar Daddy though). The contact details are on Facebook, but I'll give them to you here as well:

E-mail: ctrl.z.design@hotmail.com
Phone: 03 610 436

Click here to see photos of the jewelry on Facebook.

I'll be doing a follow up review about the jewelry when I buy my own, so stay tuned for more!!

Saturday 2 October 2010

Crown Outlets - Fall 2010

It's been a while since I've posted anything, and as usual I have my excuses. I thankfully managed to survive my first week back in university. I'm using the word survived here very specifically because, as all of you who are familiar with LAU's registration this year would know, the online registration system suffered an endless amount of glitches this semester. This means that my first two days back consisted of long hours camping outside of an office, just to be able to register for my major courses. All that is over now, though, and I'm back on track.



Crown Outlets! For those who don't know, this is a worldwide outlet chain, and it's back in Beirut with its Fall 2010 collection for both men and women. The thing I like about Crown Outlets is that every time their customers come in, they ask what the customers would like to see more of, and they act on it. This year, the collection features even more brands (chosen by customers) which means a whole new variety of things to choose from.

These include:
  • UGG Boots
  • Juicy Couture
  • Ed Hardy
  • Christian Audigier
  • Abercrombie & Fitch
  • True Religion
  • Bebe
  • Fred Perry
  • Hollister
Again, as this is an outlet chain and all the items are bought in bulk, the prices are 50% less than the market price! Here are the dates of this season's open house:

Friday 8th October: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 9th October: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 10th October: 10:00am - 6:00pm

The place is where it usually is, which is the 1st floor in Crown Plaza Hotel (above roadsters) in Hamra.

I very strongly advise everyone who is interested in going to go on Friday, and go as early as you can. The later you are, the less you find and the less you have to choose from.

Here's the link for their photo gallery on Facebook, which gives you a preview of this season's collection:

I will try to stop by on Friday, although I won't be able to get there before 1:00pm due to my classes, but nevertheless I will come back and let you all know how it is.

Stay tuned! I promise I will try to be more active :)



"Style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style." - John Fairchild