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diReCtoRY

Publisher Tony Salamé Group TSG SAL / editor-in-chief Marwan Naaman / creative director Malak Beydoun / art director Laurent El Khoury

associate editor Natasha Tohme / assistant editor Tala Habbal / editor-at-large Serena Makofsky Junior art director / Khalil Halwani

writers Gretel Blackwood, LC Gates, Ziad Gedeon, Lucy Gillespie, Ruby Gotham, Jana Jammal, Anna Leach

Veronique Loger, Sassafras Loy, Sydney Reade, Shirine Saad, Salma Salloum, Ann Valente, Kristin Julie Viola

PhotograPhers Mark Babushkin, Raya Farhat, Sigurd Grünberger, Jessica Kalache, Tarek Moukaddem, Christina Rahmé, Yasmine Sarout, Bachar Srour

in-house stylist Mouna Harati / stylists Racil Chalhoub, Amelianna Loiacono, Sevine Samadi

Production Fadi Maalouf, Maria Maalouf / resPonsible director George Chahine / Printing The art of printing

gossiP online issuu.com/gossip.beirut scandalmongering.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/gossip.newsletter

140 el Moutrane st., fourth floor, downtown beirut, lebanon / gossip@gossip-beirut.com

Even though the sun is still shining and it sometimes seems as if summer never really ended, we feel that there’s been a slight shift in the air, a last gasp of summer some would say, and that the cool season has finally arrived in Lebanon. Up in the mountains, the pine forests are evergreen, but the

surrounding deciduous trees are dressed in multicolored shades of yellow, orange, gold and even red. Down in Beirut, we’ve thrown open our winter closets and dug up our velvet blazers, wool coats, knit sweaters and colorful checked scarves so that we can look our best when strolling around the Beirut

Souks, ABC and the fashionable streets of Verdun, Downtown Beirut and Ashrafieh. And then at night, we take it all off, grab a drink at one of Beirut’s happening pubs and hit the dance floor at one of the

city’s after-hours dance spots. After all, it’s the season to eat, shop and be merry!

See you in 2011,

Gossip

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SP_Gossip_ToDoIt_Hand.pdf 7/26/10 1:55:41 PM

news

1. st

retc

hy st

retc

h

The

only

thing

bette

r tha

n the

aweso

me

denim

labe

l J B

rand i

s the

labe

l’s ne

w exclu

sive

colla

borat

ion w

ith Pr

oenz

a Sch

ouler

. The li

mited-

editio

n high

-rise

jeans

, whic

h will

hit st

ores n

ext

July,

are m

ade o

f Jap

anese

prin

ted a

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and-

paint

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retch

den

im an

d are

sure

to be

come

the n

ext m

ust-h

ave

wardrob

e sta

ple. W w

ww.

jbrand.com and www.proenzaschouler.com

9. bar in

fash

ion

On the l

ast t

wo Thursd

ay ev

enings

of Octo

ber,

the M

arc Ja

cobs

boutiq

ue in Dow

ntown Beir

ut

was tr

ansfo

rmed

into

the M

MJ Live

Bar.

The

spac

e hos

ted h

ip ga

theri

ngs fo

r fan

s of t

he

label

and

for a

ll Beir

ut citi

zens w

ho lik

e to

have f

un in a

fab fa

shion

spot

. Gues

ts sip

ped

on c

hampa

gne

and

listen

ed to

tunes

spu

n

by D

J Cali

ne Chidi

ac, a

ll while

peru

sing

the

fall/w

inter 2

010-

2011

Marc

by

Marc Ja

cobs

colle

ction

of Sa

ddler

y ba

gs,

trench

coats

and

military

-insp

ired

looks

. El M

outrane St.,

Downtown Beirut, T

01.991.111.

2.art t

o carr

y

Accesso

ry de

signe

rs Ch

ris&Tib

or ha

ve te

amed

up w

ith B

ritish

artis

t Stua

rt Se

mple to

prod

uce

a fun

ky co

llecti

on of

bags,

scarv

es an

d jew

elry.

Piece

s inclu

de pi

nk le

ather

and b

lack c

lutch

bags,

graffi

ti-sty

le sh

oppe

r tot

e ba

gs an

d slo

uchy

shou

lder b

ags i

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lk sat

in, bo

ld ne

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and

key r

ings.

The c

olor s

chem

e and

text

is in

Semple

’s dist

inctiv

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e. W www.chris

tibor.com

11. ath

letic

flair

Sport

ing b

uffs

proba

bly n

otice

d th

at sev

eral

youn

g ath

letes

were wea

ring

New Bala

nce

runn

ing sh

oes

at th

e Beir

ut Mara

thon

last

Novem

ber. T

he Bos

ton-b

ased

bran

d has

emerg

ed

as on

e of t

he ho

ttest

brand

s for

athlet

ic sh

oes,

and t

he Le

bane

se will

be th

rilled

to kn

ow th

at in

Febru

ary it’

s bein

g re-

launc

hed h

ere in

a majo

r

way. N

ew B

alanc

e will

be av

ailab

le at

retail

ers

throu

ghou

t the

coun

try, w

hile i

ts more

fash

ion-

focus

ed Lif

estyle

colle

ction

will be

avail

able

exclu

sively

at Aïzo

ne.

10.n is

for

styl

e

This D

ecem

ber, N

icole

el Msan

n ope

ns he

r first

N

by N

icole

bouti

que i

n Gem

mayze.

The 2

6-ye

ar-

old Le

bane

se de

signe

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’s be

en cr

eatin

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r

own

fashio

ns fo

r quit

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hile n

ow, w

ill off

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her la

test f

all/w

inter

2010

-11 co

llecti

on of

shoe

s,

bags

and

clot

hing,

all o

f whic

h are

set

in a

‘50s-i

nspir

ed, re

tro-st

yle sp

ace.

Nahr Ibrahim

St.,

Gemmayze, T 03.120.174, W

www.nbynicole.com

7.java in hamra

More good things are coming to Hamra. Newly

opened just opposite the Crowne Plaza Hotel,

Café Hamra offers not only Lebanese dishes

and arguileh, but also a wide variety of menu

items, including steaks, pasta dishes and club

sandwiches. If you’ve had it with stuffy, smoky

restaurants, sit in the non-smoking section or in

the garden – it’s one of Beirut’s loveliest outdoor

haunts. Hamra St., T 01.348.999.

3. Za

c for a

ll

In an

effor

t to m

ake fa

shion

more

availa

ble to

the

averag

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hion-

obses

sed co

nsumer,

New Yo

rk

desig

ner Z

ac Po

sen re

cently

laun

ched

his

own

diffus

ion lin

e, Z

Spok

e by Z

ac Po

sen.

The w

ell-

priced

rang

e ($7

8-$67

5) co

nsists

of pa

nts, d

resses

and T

-shirts

in m

ateria

ls suc

h as s

ilk, ca

shmere

and

stretc

hy kn

its. W

www.zspoke.us

8. i want w

ings

Come December, wing lovers will be flocking to

the third and newest Lord of the Wings location,

set just off Hamra Street. Known for its 12 special

wing sauces, such as barbecue or teriyaki glazed,

and yummy mix-and-match menu combos, this

casual spot also offers delicious burgers and

tasty golden fries. Near Librairie Antoine, Hamra,

W www.lordofthewings.com

6

7

11. ath

letic

flair

Sport

ing b

uffs

proba

bly n

otice

d th

at sev

eral

youn

g ath

letes

were wea

ring

New Bala

nce

runn

ing sh

oes

at th

e Beir

ut Mara

thon

last

Novem

ber. T

he Bos

ton-b

ased

bran

d has

emerg

ed

as on

e of t

he ho

ttest

brand

s for

athlet

ic sh

oes,

and t

he Le

bane

se will

be th

rilled

to kn

ow th

at in

Febru

ary it’

s bein

g re-

launc

hed h

ere in

a majo

r

way. N

ew B

alanc

e will

be av

ailab

le at

retail

ers

throu

ghou

t the

coun

try, w

hile i

ts more

fash

ion-

focus

ed Lif

estyle

colle

ction

will be

avail

able

exclu

sively

at Aïzo

ne.

7.java in hamra

More good things are coming to Hamra. Newly

opened just opposite the Crowne Plaza Hotel,

Café Hamra offers not only Lebanese dishes

and arguileh, but also a wide variety of menu

items, including steaks, pasta dishes and club

sandwiches. If you’ve had it with stuffy, smoky

restaurants, sit in the non-smoking section or in

the garden – it’s one of Beirut’s loveliest outdoor

haunts. Hamra St., T 01.348.999.

12. ba

nd-aid

fad

The d

ays o

f the

hide

ous b

and-

aid sn

afus a

re

officia

lly ov

er th

anks

to Cyn

thia

Rowley

’s

new li

mited-

editio

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nd-a

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llecti

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delig

htfu

l, ca

ndy-

color

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and-

aids c

ome

in

neat

blue

or b

lack

tins.

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and-

aid co

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ign Ig

nites

Chang

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W www.

cynthiarowley.com

3. Za

c for a

ll

In an

effor

t to m

ake fa

shion

more

availa

ble to

the

averag

e fas

hion-

obses

sed co

nsumer,

New Yo

rk

desig

ner Z

ac Po

sen re

cently

laun

ched

his

own

diffus

ion lin

e, Z

Spok

e by Z

ac Po

sen.

The w

ell-

priced

rang

e ($7

8-$67

5) co

nsists

of pa

nts, d

resses

and T

-shirts

in m

ateria

ls suc

h as s

ilk, ca

shmere

and

stretc

hy kn

its. W

www.zspoke.us

6. tech on the marc

In today’s digital age, no fashionista would be

caught dead with unaccessorized gadgets in her

hand. Cue Marc by Marc Jacobs, who created a new

line of funky and colorful headphones, USB chains,

and iPod sleeves to ensure that even your tech tools

look their trendy best. W www.marcjacobs.com

5. teen beauty

Ten years after publishing Teenage Beauty,

makeup artist Bobbi Brown has released a new

beauty bible, Beauty Rules. In her book, Brown

takes a look at beauty from the inside out,

offering tips on everything from exercise and

eating right to the importance of being a great

friend. And, as it should be, the makeup diva gives

tons of info about getting great makeup. W www.

bobbibrowncosmetics.com

4. fr

ench o

penin

g

Opening C

eremon

y has

long b

een kn

own fo

r

its an

nual cu

ltural

colla

borat

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ith va

rious

countri

es fr

om ar

ound t

he glob

e. Th

e cou

ntry

of ch

oice t

his ye

ar is

France

, and

the r

esult

is a

saucy

coll

abor

ation

with

Fren

ch b

rand

Repett

o. Th

e coll

ectio

n – R

epett

o x O

pening

Ceremon

y – in

clude

s dain

ty wes

tern bo

oties

,

lace-

up sh

oes

and

balle

rina

flats.

W www.

openingceremony.us

7

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1 37 E L M O U T R A N E S T R E E T D O W N T O W N B E I R U T L E B A N O N + 9 6 1 1 9 9 1 1 1 1 E X T 1 4 8

99

3. Did you read the Pretty Little Liars books to prepare for the role?Once I got the part on Pretty Little Liars, I bought all the books. They definitely helped me dig more into Hanna’s personal life. It was fun to see what was in store for the future episodes. The books are fantastic and are a huge help to the success of the show.

4. Do you have any theories on who “A,” the secret stalker in the series, really is?I know who “A” is because I’ve read all the books, but I have no idea who the producers will choose to be “A.” I think they want to throw the readers off a little bit.

5. When you are not shooting scenes for Pretty Little Liars, do you and your co-stars ever hang out together?Thankfully, the girls and I get along on- and off-set. We’ve all gotten close, and we love being around each other.

citizens

[ Text Kristin Julie Viola ]

It’s no secret that Ashley Benson is a face to watch. She may just be 20 years old, but the actress already has a host of TV shows and films under her belt, including Days of Our Lives, Eastwick, The OC, Bring It On: In It to Win It, 13 Going on 30 and more. Her latest role is on ABC Family’s freshman series Pretty Little Liars as Hanna Marin, a popular high-schooler with one dirty little secret. We caught up with the rising star to get the scoop on her high school experience, her personal theory on the show’s anonymous character, and her surprising talent.

1. Do you get recognized often?Before the show, I would get recognized from projects I had done, but it was never like what it is now. Pretty Little Liars has just skyrocketed, and everyone knows about it or watches it. I get recognized a lot and it’s all a bit weird. I love that people are so supportive, but it’s weird to think that all these people look up to you and get excited if you wave or say hi to them.

2. Are you anything like your character Hanna?Hanna’s personality is similar to mine. She is so sarcastic, which is so me. I love to see and make people laugh. I also love how fashion-forward she is. I’m always playing with style and different trends and making them my own and unique.

It’s my dream to play Lucille Ball

in a film

6. You appeared on Days of Our Lives for more than three years. What was that experience like?Being on Days of Our Lives really prepared me for the real world of acting. I got started at a young age and worked with people that were much older than I was, and it helped me learn and grow and definitely matured me a lot. Soap actors have a lot on their plate everyday they go into work. We had so many pages of dialogue a day. We would film anywhere from one to three episodes a day so you have to be on your game.

7. How were your high school years, since you were acting so much?I was homeschooled in high school due to acting, but I’m glad. Elementary and junior high were hard for me. I got picked on, so school wasn’t my favorite. It’s fun to experience high school on the show, though.

8. I’ve heard rumors that you are starring in an ABC Family movie with Christina Milian and Chad Michael Murray. Can you tell us about it?I’m working on a Christmas movie right now with Christina and Chad, and I have to say I love it. It’s a very

gorgeous little liar

nice change. Christina and I have become best friends – we have so much fun together. All three of us have great chemistry, and it shows on screen.

9. What would be your dream role?My dream role would be in a huge feature film with a renowned director. It’s my dream to play Lucille Ball in a film – that would be an experience I’d never forget. My ultimate goal is to win an Oscar.

10. What are your favorite TV shows?My favorite TV shows are Entourage, Grey’s Anatomy, I Love Lucy and Glee. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I definitely DVR those and watch when I’m not working.

11. Tell us one thing about yourself that fans would be surprised to know.Something fans don’t know about me is that I love to sing. I’ve been singing and dancing since I was three. I’d love to do a musical some day.

10

If your papa was a Rolling Stone, wouldn’t you want to rock the house?

citizens

[ Text Serena Makofsky ]

rock ‘n’ roll girlsGrowing up with Ozzy Osbourne or Courtney Love may seem like a one-way ticket to rehab, but many daughters of rock stars not only keep clear of Lindsay Lohan’s well-trodden path, they also make names for themselves. After all, if your papa was a Rolling Stone, wouldn’t you want to rock the house?

Elizabeth Jagger, the spawn of Jerry Hall and Mick, chose to follow in mama’s high heels, modeling for several international brands. She even joined Theodora and Alexandra Richards, the daughters of Keith Richards, to promote the Tommy Hilfiger brand. Her sister, Georgia Jagger, is also making waves as a model, having graced the covers of Australian Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and scoring the new ad campaign for denim brand Hudson.

Dad was the influence in the case of Coco Sumner, daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler. In 2010, the 19-year-old released her recording debut, The Constant, with the band I Blame Coco. If “Self Machine” reminds you of “Ghost in the Machine,” blame her voice, which definitely has been stung by Sting. The inevitable comparisons between daddy and daughter prompted Sumner’s “My Name is Stain,” with the lyric “Forget my dad, you need to hear my band.”

Acting remains a popular domain for rock stars’ offspring. Calico Cooper (daughter of Alice Cooper) coasted in

on daddy’s bedraggled coattails, performing during his concerts in a macabre dance/freak sideshow. She also had the dubious honor of appearing in the documentary E! True Hollywood Story: Rock Star Daughters alongside Chastity Bono (now Chaz Bono after her/his infamous sex change operation). Cooper also starred in slasher flicks Junkfood Horrorfest and Suck.

Acting also shows up on the resume of Zoe Kravitz, daughter of singer Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet. While Kravitz has not found her breakout role, she has managed to look hot in movies like Fury Road, the latest chapter of the Mad Max franchise. Riley Keough, granddaughter of Elvis Presley, also appears in the film.

Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of singer Bruce Sudano and disco diva Donna Summer, can credit hip parents with the inspiration for her creative careers of acting, singing, writing, painting and dancing. The brightness of this rising star proves the veracity of the John Mayer song “Daughters,” with the lyric “So fathers, be good to your daughters/Daughters will love like you do.”

Coco Sumner

1111

Brooklyn Sudano

Georgia Jagger

Calico Cooper

Elizabeth Jagger

Zoe Kravitz

Riley Keough

Theodara and Alexandra Richards

12

citizens

[ Text Serena Makofsky ]

advertisingshrewd advertiser.” However, these selfsame qualities are pivotal to Kaddoura’s campaigns, which feel more human and less idealized, and are often humorous. Kaddoura asserts, “Advertising is a very competitive business. It burns a lot of people out. I was lucky that I started my career in advertising in a place that had a lot of soul and a lot of heart...It doesn’t have to be like [the TV show] Mad Men.”

Indeed, Kaddoura had the opportunity to work on a project concerning one of her great loves – the state of Oregon. She has lived in Portland for eight years and used her experiences there to work on a campaign to re-brand the state, creating the tag line “We love dreamers.” She has discovered that many people with ideals migrate to Oregon. She appreciates Oregonians’ propensity for saying “yes” when approached with a new idea, rather than issuing a knee-jerk “no.”

Kaddoura maintains a similar openness in her creative process. She has no formula for her campaigns, revealing “It’s kind of random. It’s always different and changing.” What does not change, however, is her quest for truth in her work. “It’s nice to find a truth, a truth to something that connects people.” She envisions more connections in her future, as she endeavors to find ways to build more bridges between her family life and loved ones in Beirut and her current life in Portland. “I think these two worlds can get closer to each other.”

It takes a particular kind of vision to have everyday women talking with pride about their bruised soccer legs and their tomboy knees to promote a fitness brand. But for Mira Kaddoura, a senior creative at Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Oregon, and a key player behind Nike’s Real Woman campaign, taking risks is the name of the game. “This campaign made people feel proud of who they are,” she explains. “It started a conversation.”

Credit Kaddoura’s colorful background as key to her out-of-the-box approach in the advertising world. She was born in Egypt, and raised in Toronto and Lebanon. In fact, her family moved to Lebanon in 1989, when the civil war saw deep conflicts and political crisis. She was only in middle school, and found the experience initially challenging, but ultimately eye-opening. The close-knit nature of her community afforded her more social freedom than she had experienced previously in Canada. During the last years of the war, she assisted her parents in helping diverse people find food, medical attention and other necessities, a lesson in tolerance. She observes, “I feel like I belong to many different worlds. My parents raised me to feel part of the world, not just belonging to one place.”

In an interview in MainGate magazine, Emily Dorman opines, “In the seemingly greedy, superficial, bottom-line obsessed advertising world, Kaddoura’s success may be a bit of a puzzle. She is too young, too honest and too sensitive to be an accomplished businesswoman and

Mira Kaddoura’s colorful background is key to her out-of-the-box approach to advertising

dreamer

1313

[ Text Tala Habbal Photo Jessica Kalache ]

the corsetPatrick Farah is inspired by the likes of John Galliano

uplifting

Patrick Farah is the creator of the Patrick Georg label. The 27-year-old, Lebanese-born designer, who spent his early childhood in France before moving to Beirut in 1992, is quick to explain the reasoning behind dropping the Farah from the name of his new clothing line.

“Farah is not an easy word for non-Arabic speakers to pronounce, and it just ends up sounding so wrong.” This statement hints at Farah’s hopes to one day sell his clothes outside the Arab world. “George was my father’s middle name. He passed away two years ago, and to say that he was my inspiration is an understatement. I always wanted to do something creative, and he always pushed me,” explains Farah, who speaks with such passion about designing that you can’t help but wonder what creations are hiding in his closet.

The designer, who launched Patrick Georg in January 2010, pursued a fashion degree in Thessaloniki, Greece, despite being accepted at the Université St. Joseph (USJ)

in Lebanon. “I was planning on studying economics and maybe pursuing a career in economic journalism, and as I was sitting in the registrar’s office at USJ with my father, I realized I wanted to do something creative, maybe theater or directing. Anything that would allow me to be in a creative environment.”

With his father’s blessing, Farah moved to Greece in 2004 to pursue a fashion degree. After he completed his studies, Farah worked for a short period with Lebanese designer Milia Maroun (owner of the milia m brand), where he says he learned a lot about the pressure and intense competition that exist in the world of fashion. “It was when I started assisting Milia during her busiest time of the fashion season that I got amazing first-hand experience.”

This is when Farah decided to branch out on his own. “I started out with a trial brand called P by Patrick.” This brand was experimental, and it served as a way for Farah

to find his own style. That first line also led him to found Patrick Georg, which he produces in his Baabda atelier.

Unlike most young Lebanese designers, Farah’s design aesthetic differs greatly from that of the mainstream: he specializes in intricate and beautiful corsets. “I do everything. It’s a mini collection consisting of casual clothing with hints of eveningwear and even wedding dresses. Corsets are made to order, and I’m planning on starting menswear very soon.”

Inspired by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano, Farah says that “clothes should fit the person, not the other way around. I want the woman wearing my dresses to like them. When she likes it, she’ll wear it better.”

citizens

14

The newly redecorated Starch space is the work of 27-year-old Najla el Zein. “For this new season of Starch, I was faced with many different personali-ties, and I needed to find a way to unify them and promote the designers’ work at the same time,” ex-plains Zein, who graduated with a Master’s degree in interior and product design from L’Ecole Camon-do in Paris. As part of the new interior, Zein created, in her own words, “an ambience of fantasy, warmth, femininity, lightness and impalpability,” with the fashion designers’ garments hanging from clouds floating inside the shop.

Thirty-year-old Racha el Abbas unveils her first ready-to-wear collection, Collection One, which fo-cuses on draping, bold graphic prints and structure, at Starch. The former graphic design student worked as an art director at H&C Leo Burnett for five years before traveling to Paris to pursue a degree in fash-ion at Parsons Paris. “Collection One is inspired by a study of contemporary architecture and fabric. The garments, made up of jerseys, felts and silks, focus on structural rhythms and prints, with a bold sense of graphics,” says Abbas.

Adding a different type of products into the mix is 37-year-old jewelry designer Rana Mikdashi. Initial-ly a math student, Mikdashi decided to pursue her love of jewelry design full-time, first by taking on an apprenticeship at a silversmith at Khan el Kha-lili in Cairo and then by completing a program at Italy’s Alchimia School for Contemporary Jewelry and Design. “This collection is a whimsical take on high society jewelry from the 19th and early 20th centuries,” says Mikdashi of her latest Oh My Lady! collection. “The allure of the pieces in Oh My Lady! emanates from the way the pieces are made rather than from the materials used,” she adds.

The new generation is in. Starch, the Saifi Village boutique created by Rabih Kayrouz in 2008 to launch promising young designers, is back to shine the spotlight on six up-and-coming Lebanese talents. In its two years of exist-ence, Starch has provided a platform for young designers to showcase their work and to receive guidance on developing and promoting their collections.

Najla el Zein Racha el Abbas Rana Mikdashi

cradle of fashionbeirut

style

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[ Text Tala Habbal Photos Tarek Moukaddem ]

Nadine Mneimneh, 27, says that her first prêt-a-porter collection, Softly Lay Me Down on the Weep-ing Ground, was inspired by romanticism and a woman’s psyche. Mneimneh obtained a BA in de-sign and patternmaking from Esmod in Beirut and a certificate in styling at Milan’s Istituto Marangoni. “I think patternmaking is such an important part of design. The great designers of our time are experts in patternmaking techniques,” says Mneimneh, whose designs boast menswear fabrics and some-times resemble Japanese costumes.

Margherita Abi Hanna (nickname: Ghita) creates leather accessories and quirky jewelry pieces under the Margherita label. The 30-year-old Abi Hanna branched out into fashion by attending the Domus Academy in Milan, where she earned a Master’s in accessory design. For her debut fall/winter 2010-11 collection, titled “Smock Pack,” Abi Hanna devised handbags and accessories with a three-dimensional ethic. “While designing, I had in mind a bold, fearless woman with a distinctive personality, so I hope any woman with a desire to stand out will be attracted to my designs,” she says.

Established in 2009 by young designers Deena Cre-mona Wassef and Rouba Emily Mouawad (both 22), Emily Cremona offers an avant-garde, fresh take on womenswear. “The Du Fleur collection embraces the dark side of women and plays on the concept of surrealism,” says Wassef of the current collection, which is inspired by poetic literature and theatri-cal garments. The clothes embrace a sense of dark, elegant, royal glamour, embodying masculine and feminine touches. “We don’t design for shrinking vi-olets, we dress dreamers and dandies,” adds Wassef.

Nadine Mneimneh Margherita Abi Hanna Emily Cremona

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Forget cheesy photos in Times Square and chasing fake Vuittons in Chinatown. Ditch the family and cross the bridge: Brooklyn, international headquarters of indie rock and hipsters, is the anti-tourist’s paradise. Here’s a daytrip for dreamers and party freaks.

10am: Brunch at Frankies SpuntinoThis is where you’ll bump into Kate Hudson and other local hotshots gathering for delicacies such as the prosciutto and parmesan frittata and French toast, served with a heavenly caffé italiano and mimosa. W frankiesspuntino.com

Noon: Brooklyn flea It’s Brooklyn at its trendy best. Every weekend about 200 vendors selling vintage clothes, crafts, antiques, art, flowers, local foods and more regroup for a fun-filled adventure of browsing, eating and socializing. Pick up some adorable stationary from Beau Ideal; fall for Birdhouse jewelry’s tiny bird charm necklaces; pig out on Choncho Tacos’ fish tacos and Kumquat Bakery’s scrumptious cupcakes. W brooklynflea.com

2pm: Brooklyn MuseumVisit the Brooklyn Museum’s valued permanent collection. View a statuette of Queen Ankhes dating from 2000 BC, Matisse’s “Nude in a Wood”(1906) and Judy Chicago’s groundbreaking “Dinner Party” (1974-1979). There are also various examples of African, Asian, Pacific, Islamic and contemporary art on display. W brooklynmuseum.org

4pm: Vintage shoppingA true hipster wouldn’t be caught dead with an obvious label, although most of them spend hours perfecting their negligee looks. Every expert knows Eva Gentry Consignment, which sells almost-new wonders from Stella McCartney, Missoni, Christian Louboutin, Chloé and more for half the price. The owner sometimes stocks the unsold items from the cute brands she sells at Butter, another Brooklyn favorite. W evagentryconsignment.blogspot.com

7:30pm: Delusion at BAM You can always count on BAM for the best avant-garde plays, dance shows and concerts. This season’s highlights include the “Next Wave Art” group exhibit, a screening of Persepolis and, of course, American Ballet’s classic holiday performance of The Nutcracker. W bam.org

9:30pm: Dinner at Roberta’s You may miss it if you don’t know where you’re going, hidden as it is behind an old façade. But Roberta’s is Brooklyn’s hottest pizzeria. With an herb and salad garden, a local-only menu and loud rock music, this is the perfect spot for a pre-party group dinner. Start with some charcuterie and spicy olives; then share some pies. Favorites include the Cheeses Christ, a mix of mozzarella, taleggio, parmesan and heavy cream; the Lupo, which has mozzarella, prosciutto, smoked ricotta and spring garlic; and the Cortés, with tomato, pork sausage, radish and jalapeño. Don’t miss the heavenly basil gelato with fleur de sel. W robertaspizza.com

11pm: Romance at Manhattan InnPerfect for a sultry date, the Manhattan Inn is a vast, dimly lit speakeasy decorated with soft woody tones. Musicians play almost every night, either on the all-white piano or on the karaoke and turntables. Order from the long list of retro-inspired drinks. For a midnight inspiration, check out the small room where movies play. T 1.718.383.0885.

1am: Happy ending at DelmanoDelmano is Brooklyn’s most refined bar, but it still has that signature local grittiness. Head there for people watching and delicious drinks like the Commandant’s Cocktail (pear cognac, chartreuse, cointreau) and the elderflower tequila gimlet. T 1.718.387.1945.

[ Text Shirine Saad Photos Mark Babushkin ]

24 hours in brooklyn

what to do

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never not working

citizens

Who is Aaron Bondaroff? This might be a seemingly straightforward question, but it beckons a far more complex and intangible answer. Known to most as Aaron Bondaroff, he also goes by A-ron and Downtown Don and his job profile is as abstract as it is specific: an ambassador of downtown, a facilitator of the arts, a subculture pioneer, a streetwear designer, an artist, a printer, a gallerist and a masterful brand builder. Bondaroff’s identity is intertwined in what he does, and perhaps this is summed up in his motto, “Never not working.” A man on the move, Bondaroff doesn’t sit in an office from 9 to 6, rather he’s on the go 24 hours a day developing new projects for his gallery-cum-print shop, OHWOW, and running his own brand, aNYthing.

Born and raised in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, Bondaroff – half Jewish, half Puerto Rican – dropped out of high school in the ninth grade.

“As a kid, I was always going out and having adventures. I was obsessed with subcultures and spent a lot of time in the city,” says Bondaroff. “I knew growing up, there was always this thing out there, that was a half hour away, a train ride away, a place of crazy energy.”

At 17, Bondaroff immersed himself in Manhattan’s downtown culture and became part of the underground skating scene with what he called “a crew of talented

runaways, derelicts and skaters.” As one of the founding members of Supreme – the legendary skater brand and downtown establishment – Bondaroff discovered a new medium and outlet for his ideas.

After collaborating with several well-known streetwear brands, Bondaroff felt the time was ripe to venture out on his own.

“Once I developed my voice, knew what I had to say and had a vision, I started putting the pieces and a crew together. I started my own brand, aNYthing, which was more of a platform for producing projects that were weirder, where you thought ‘who knows what’s gonna happen,’” he says.

aNYthing first took form as a shop in the Lower East Side that not only showcased his wares, but also provided artists and designers with an opportunity to sell their work from records and zines to books and clothing. Bondaroff later fashioned aNYthing into a website, which became the online home for his brand that includes a store, music, videos and happenings downtown.

Two years ago, Bondaroff turned his attention to a new endeavor, OHWOW, which he opened with business partner Al Moran. Based in Miami, the exhibit space

can best be described as a cultural incubator, a vehicle for creative collaborations that run the gamut from art installations and happenings to commercial projects. Recently, OHWOW hosted a pop-up gallery in New York. Also, the OHWOW Book Club just opened in the heart of the West Village.

“I am trying to push the envelope, just going with the flow and helping artists that we respect, giving them shows, helping them develop work and their careers,” says Bondaroff. “At the same time, I’m making sure that 20 years down the road, when a young kid wants to find out what was happening at this particular time

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Aaron Bondaroff is a facilitator of the arts, a subculture pioneer, a streetwear designer, an artist

[ Text LC Gates Photos Floto+Warner, Jordan Kleinman, Takuya Sakamoto ]

A v a i l a b l e i n A ï s h t i D o w n t o w n , A ï s h t i S e a s i d e , A ï s h t i V e r d u n , A ï z o n e A B C A s h r a f i e h , A ï z o n e C i t y M a l l , A ï z o n e B e i r u t S o u k s + 9 6 1 . 1 . 9 9 1 1 1 1 , D u b a i , M a l l o f t h e E m i r a t e s + 9 7 1 . 4 . 3 4 7 9 3 3 3 , D u b a i M a l l + 9 7 1 . 4 . 3 3 0 6 4 4 2 , M i r d i f f C i t y C e n t e r + 9 7 1 . 4 . 2 8 4 3 0 0 7, J o r d a n , C i t y M a l l + 9 6 2 6 5 8 1 5 6 7 0 , S y r i a , D a m a s c u s B o u l e v a r d M a l l

+ 9 6 3 . 1 1 . 2 3 2 2 2 4 3 , B a h r a i n , B a h r a i n C i t y C e n t e r + 9 7 3 . 1 . 7 1 7 8 0 1 2 , K u w a i t , T h e A v e n u e s M a l l + 9 6 5 2 2 5 9 8 0 1 6

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style

Make a statement in hip brown leather pants from Paige Premium Denim. The figure-flattering pair showcase vertical and horizontal pleats that work to shape the silhouette. Dress ‘em up with sexy cowboy boots and a cool, form-fitting tee.

7 For All Mankind’s Second Skin collection has add-ed a sultry leather effect to traditional jeans. The new models are all denim (not leather) but they look and feel like real leather and come in either shiny or matte materials. “It’s amazing how denim can look and feel like leather pants,” says Sacha Gomez de Zamora, the brand’s sales director, who was in Bei-rut last September for the launch of the 7 For All Mankind boutique in the Beirut Souks.

Go for the bad guy look with Dsquared’s black skin-ny leather pants for men. They feature a zippered (and bulging) front, pocket flaps at the knees, plus a few strategically located studs and straps. The pip-ing hot look is simmered down when paired with a clean but stylish and totally rad cotton shirt.

The rocker chic trend just seems to get better every season. For fall/winter 2010-11, designers have re-invented the look by going for a less-is-more ap-proach. Outfits this season are built around skin-tight and foxy leather pants, all exuding a high street allure when paired with stylish tops and jack-ets. Fashion savvy celebrities like Rihanna and Jus-tin Timberlake have all embraced the new fashion trend, but you don’t have to be a pop star to flirt with the wild side.

Super skinny black leather pants are also en vogue for the gals. Diesel Black Gold has a fabulous low-waisted version for a sexy, modern look. Style it up with elegant accessories (think embellished ankle boots) and a slinky top that accentuates your curves.

Dsquared

7 For All Mankind

Diesel Black Gold

Paige Premium Denim

leather upthe denim

[ Text Salma Salloum Photo Diesel Black Gold ]

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it’s all about

[ Text Ruby Gotham Photos Levi’s ]

These brand-new jeans are designed to embrace and enhance a woman’s proportions and curves. They come in three custom fits: Slight Curve, Demi Curve and Bold Curve. The main measurement that deter-mines one’s Curve ID is the difference between the hips and derriere.

style

Hotness comes in all shapes and sizes, and all asses are not created equal. This, according to Levi’s, the undisputed blue-jeans king. It’s also the global brand’s impetus for imploring the ladies to forget about size and focus on shape. (Can you say hallelujah?)

Before launching Curve ID, Levi’s did some serious research that included conducting one-on-one in-terviews with women of all ages and nationalities, and studying more than 60,000 3D body scans to understand what makes a woman’s body unique.

“We found out that 54 percent of women tried on at least 10 pairs of jeans before finding a pair that is somewhat suitable to her body type,” says You Nguyen, senior vice president of women’s merchan-dising and design.

In an effort to smash this statistic, Levi’s identified three body shapes that 80 percent of women should fit into. Slight Curves are for straight figures that tend to struggle with jeans that fit in hips and thighs but are tight in the waist. The solution? Jeans that define the waist and enhance curves while hugging thighs and shaping the seat.

The Demi Curve is made for bodies with even pro-portions and difficulty finding denim that flatters the waist. Levi’s silhouette provides an all-over fit that enhances and compliments the entire body. Bold Curve jeans are for those women who put up with that annoying gap at the back of the waist in order to fit hips and thighs. Levi’s honors these genuine curves with waists that fit snuggly and don’t gap or pull.

Each of the Curve ID jeans – sized by waist and length – is available in various styles (skinny, straight and boot cut) and an array of washes (vintage, black, distressed, gray, etc.).

Feeling a bit skeptical about this whole shape-not-size thing? Join the club. Full disclosure: this writer/doubter was convinced only after having a custom fitting and acquiring a pair of Demi Curve, Skinny, Vintage Dark jeans. Go forth, indeed.

Enter Curve ID jeans.

shape, stupid

Levi’s new Curve ID Jeans are designed to enhance a woman’s curves

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generation next:

style

He’s New York’s new fashion darling, adopted by editors and celebrities alike. Carine Roitfeld, editor-in-chief of French Vogue, wore a gorgeous Altuzarra ivory mink coat with mink tails sewn onto the shoulder hem to Dior and Lanvin’s fashion shows last year. That day Joseph Altuzarra’s name was on everyone’s lips. A few months later, the designer won an Ecco Domani award and a Rising Star award from the Fashion Group International. He was also nominated in the CFDA/Vogue competition, which offers promising designers a large grant and a year-long membership in the fund – insiders whisper that he has a very good chance of winning.

Born in Paris, Altuzarra studied art in Philadelphia before interning at Marc Jacobs and working for Proenza Schouler. He then worked as a design assistant at Givenchy in Paris and moved back to New York to launch his own line. His muse is a powerful, feminine working woman. His silhouettes often embrace the body, with sharp cuts and luxurious materials like silk and cashmere. For winter, he dreamed up a tough urban-chick look, with leather body-con dresses, jumpsuits and goat fur. Vanessa Traina, daughter of writer Danielle Steel, is his most faithful client, as are Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Laura Santo Domingo.

Altuzarra

On New York’s hyper-competitive fashion scene, three new designers have succeeded in attracting fashion editors’ and buyers’ attention. Take a look at their offerings for the current and upcoming seasons.

first stop new yorkfashion’s

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[ Text Shirine Saad Photos Altuzarra, Eddie Borgo, Ohne Titel ]

Eddie Borgo

Alexa Adams and Flora Gill, the designers of Ohne Titel, met while students at the Parsons School of Design. They had different approaches to fashion: Adams loved structured silhouettes, while Gill worshipped textured materials and handcrafted textiles like macramé and crochet. But the designers appreciated each other’s work and, after working for Karl Lagerfeld, decided to launch a brand together. Named in tribute to German artist Anselm Kieffer, who often leaves his paintings ohne titel (unnamed), the brand exudes a stark and structured aesthetic, with lots of new textiles like mesh lace and draped silhouettes. Inspired by art brut and the minimalism of Helmut Lang, Ohne Titel is a soft mix of masculine and feminine (harem pants, jodhpurs and super-tight dresses), futuristic and romantic (neon and lace), graphic and fluid (graphic prints and flowing silk tops).

No wonder the fashion world is taking note – and so is the art world: Tauba Auerbach, one of New York’s most successful artists, has designed a line of accessories for the upcoming spring/summer 2010 collection. The duo also designs shoes with Cesare Pacciotti.

Ohne Titel

Eddie Borgo’s inspirations range from New York’s dynamic, edgy streets to punk ideology to post-punk icon Siouxsie Sioux, Tim Burton and the Rolling Stones. His parents always played ‘70s rock, and the family’s black cat was even called Sabbath (in a nod to Ozzy Osbourne’s iconic ‘70s rock band Black Sabbath). His jewels shimmer with strange contrasts: gold spikes are attached on a leather ribbon, pearls mix with thick ribbon and quartz spikes; chains are covered with delicate tulle. There are tinsel bangles, fringe leather cuffs and triangles galore. Cone rings feature brightly colored gemstones.

Borgo doesn’t follow fashion trends, choosing to focus on his own signature style. This approach has been hugely successful: he has designed jewelry for Marchesa, Altuzarra, 3.1 Philip Lim and more. He was also one of the finalists for 2010’s CFDA/Vogue award, and “it” girls, from Vanessa Traina to ELLE editor Kate Lamphear, have all adopted his designs.

wintergreen[ Photos Sigurd Grünberger Styling Amelianna Loiacono Hair Didi for Ï Day Spa Makeup Ralph Lteif Location Shouf mountains, Lebanon ]

wintergreen

She’s in a Tory Burch top, LL415,000; Chloé shorts, LL2,150,000; Hat Attack hat, LL144,000; vintage belt; and vintage floral shirt

She’s in a D&G sweater, LL2,113,000; and D&G shoes, LL848,000

She’s in an Haute Hippie dress, LL1,227,000; and D&G sweater, LL1,855,000

She’s in a Whenever Wherever top, LL318,000; Haute Hippie vest, LL1,439,000; Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes, LL1,022,000; and vintage hat

She’s in a Carven top, LL500,000; Juicy Couture vest, LL576,000; and vintage shorts

Left: She’s in an AKA top, LL583,000; Gryphon pants, LL364,000; and Borsalino hat, LL546,000. Right: She’s in an Autumn Cashmere top, LL500,000; All Dressed Up pants, LL371,000; and Borsalino hat, LL546,000

She’s in a Marc by Marc Jacobs dress, LL1,696,000; Laurence Dolige cardigan, LL546,000; Stella McCartney shoes, LL697,000; vintage T-shirt; and vintage sunglasses

She’s in D&G hat, LL1,260,000; Jay Godfrey skirt, LL583,000; H&M shirt and vintage T-shirt

She’s in a Prada jacket, LL4,717,000; Elizabeth & James shorts, LL546,000; Gucci belt, LL356,000; and vintage T-shirt

She’s in a Marc by Marc Jacobs top, LL387,000; Knitwit cardigan, LL546,000; and H&M shorts

She’s in a Marc by Marc Jacobs cardigan, LL674,000; Jay Godfrey skirt, LL583,000; and vintage T-shirt

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[ Text Sydney Reade Photos Bird, Burberry, Dannijo, Moschino, Rag & Bone, Paul & Joe ]

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SEVEN STORE, BEiRuT SOukS, SOuk El TawilEh TEl: 01 99 11 11 ExT: 560alSO aVailaBlE aT all aïzONE STORES iN BEiRuT, DuBai, ammaN, maNama aND DamaScuS

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romp

style

nighttime[ Photos Bachar Srour Styling Sevine Samadi Hair Didi for Ï Day Spa Makeup Ralph Lteif Location Hamra, Beirut ]

4343Get into the hottest trends – and get ready to party! – at Aïzone.

44

She’s in a Juicy Couture jacket,

LL599,000; Paul & Joe top,

LL330,000; Paul & Joe skirt,

LL599,000; Maison Martin

Margiela shoes, LL1,181,000;

and vintage bow tie

She’s in Carven shorts, LL583,000;

Theory sweater, LL652,000;

Paul & Joe blouse, LL341,000;

Borsalino hat, LL210,000; and

Gucci shoes, LL856,000

She’s in a Paul & Joe top,

LL326,000; Akiko Ogawa

jacket, LL1,454,000; Avenue

Montaigne leggings,

LL341,000; Gucci shoes,

LL856,000; and Hermès

vintage scarf

style

college[ Photos Bachar Srour Styling Mouna Harati and Sevine Samadi Hair Didi for Ï Day Spa Makeup Ralph Lteif ]

crush

4545

She’s in a miu miu dress,

LL2,612,000; Gucci shoes,

LL856,000; and her bag is by

Prada, LL1,605,000

She’s in a Frankie Morello

sweater, LL621,000; miu miu

blouse, LL1,234,000; Paul & Joe

pants, LL470,000; YSL shoes,

LL773,000; and her bag is by

Pauric Sweeney, LL1,333,000

She’s in a Paul & Joe dress,

LL742,000; Theory cardigan,

LL720,000; Maison Martin

Margiela shoes, LL1,181,000; and

vintages socks and necklace

She’s in a miu miu jacket,

LL2,847,000; miu miu

sweater, LL675,000; Theory

shorts, LL394,000; Prada

headband, LL367,000; and

Prada shoes, LL705,0000

46

1. Lulu Guinness clutch, LL630,000 2. Unique pouch from Kitsch, LL113,000 3. Mikita sunglasses, LL863,000 4. Delfina Delettrez earrings, LL1,895,000 5. Marc by Marc Jacobs bangles, LL143,000 (each) 6. Lady Gaga necklace from Kitsch, LL329,000 7. Angel Jackson bag, LL728,000 8. Nancy Gonzalez card holder, LL413,000 9. Junk Food T-shirt, LL90,000 10. Tom Binns bracelet, LL1,155,000 11. YSL shoes, LL1,515,000 12. Alexis Mabille bow clip, LL338,000 13. Essie nail polish, LL17,000 (each) 14. D&G scarf, LL1,373,000 15. Lomograph from SuperCaliFragilisticExpialiDocious, LL263,000 16. Cupcake from Kitsch, LL4,500 17. D&G key chain, LL292,000 18. Tumi luggage, LL1,020,000 19. Pierre Hardy shoes, LL885,000 20. Style Diaries book from Papercup, LL42,000 21. Smiley perfume, LL120,000 22. Balenciaga coin purse, LL593,000 23. Tory Burch rain boots, LL360,000

pop celebrationstyle

6.

4.

2.

3.

5.

1.

14.

16.

8.

13.

9.

11.

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a totally trendy twist for the holidays

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1. Shana clutch, LL1,770,000 2. D&G belt, LL592,000 3. Disaya ring, LL232,000 4. Dolce & Gabbana gloves, LL592,000 5. Delfina Delettrez cuff, LL2,291,000 6. YSL wallet, LL840,000 7. Jimmy Choo clutch, LL2,693,000 8. miu miu jacket, LL4,635,000 9. D&G ballerina flats, LL690,000 10. Balenciaga sunglasses, LL570,000 11. Jimmy Choo shoes, LL3,060,000 12. Paperweight from SuperCaliFragilisticExpialiDocious, LL37,000 13. Choux à la Creme cards from Papercup, LL12,000 14. Chanel lip gloss, LL67,000 15. Juliet Has a Gun perfume, LL203,000 16. Guy Bourdin photography book from Papercup, LL119,000 17. D&G scarf, LL1,372,000 18. Nancy Gonzalez bag, LL10,792,000 19. Lulu Guinness bag, LL630,000 20. Tissues from Kitsch, LL4,500 21. Gum from Kitsch, LL4,500 22. Marc by Marc Jacobs hair clips, LL105,000 (each) 23. YSL shoes, LL1,680,000 24. Marc by Marc Jacobs bracelet, LL263,000. Available at Aïzone stores unless otherwise indicated.

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a diva christmas Listen to Annie Lennox’s latest holiday album, Christmas Cornucopia, a compilation of some of her favorite Christmas tunes.

cocktails are callingWith recipes for drinks such as the champagne cocktail, between the sheets, and agave gingerita, Assouline’s Vintage Cocktails book is sure to refine your mixology skills.

sugarcoatedWalk the Beirut streets in style this winter, with a trendy wool coat by Theory.

sips of chocolate It’s winter, and we can officially justify enjoying warm, steamy cups of hot cocoa at Beirut’s Ladurée.

game timeBoard games are back as the hippest pastime on cold winter nights. Grab some wine and gather friends for Monopoly, Scrabble Mad Gab and Cranium.

secrets of the beirut nightThe new book B. Nightlife, photographed by Anthony Rahayel, has over 700 unretouched photos of Beirut’s nightlife – not the nightlife we all know about, but the secrets of which we’re surprisingly unaware.

snow and style Always be trendy, especially in Faraya. Carry one of D&G’s latest ski-inspired bags.

when in rome Celebrate New Year’s differently this year and head to Rome. Enjoy Italy’s fine wines, delectable food and glam shopping while ringing in 2011.

star of a dressAs the weather cools down, stylish soirées heat up and Lebanese fashionistas vie to be the best-dressed gal at the party. Stay ahead of the competition with glitzy gowns by Badgley Mischka

time for a leiMar Mikhael’s newest hotspot, bar and restaurant LEI, is where all the action is this winter. Go with friends, leave with a stranger.

disney holidaysThis holiday season, stuff your sweetheart’s stocking with a whimsical, bejeweled Disney charm necklace.

we love audreyGet the classic 1961 flick Breakfast at Tiffany’s, snuggle under a warm blanket and fall in love with Audrey Hepburn all over again.

ugg and choo, just for you Jimmy Choo’s latest collaboration with Australian footwear company UGG offers five trendy styles of the classic UGG boot.

après-snowAfter racing down Faraya’s snowy slopes, head to Rikky’z for après-ski steaks and a stellar mountain setting.

holiday picks: things we worship and adore

during the most festive time of the year

new year’s in the big appleWe know this is a cliché, but we couldn’t help mention the classic holiday activities that are a must for anyone visiting the Big Apple on New Year’s: the lighting of the tree and ice skating under the stars at Rockefeller Center and watching the ball drop in Times Square.

your sweet best Which are Beirut’s most delicious winter desserts? We vote for the Argentine-style dulce de leche cheesecake at Gaucho.

style

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what to do

London is still as fashion conscious as it was in the swinging ‘60s. One of the hippest cities in the world, London has established itself as a global trendsetter, so it comes as no surprise that one of the hot new trends about to sweep the globe, swishing, origi-nated in the British capital.

“Swishing” means swapping your old, never-quite-fitted-me-anyway clothes for new – new to you any-way. It started as an informal clothes swap between friends and is now a popular monthly party (check it out at swishing.org).

To find out how it works, I hauled a bag of clothes to Platform Bar in London Bridge for “The Big Swish.” I was skeptical at first. Surely no one would want my old discarded clothes. But the girls unpacking my clothes said: “There’s some lovely stuff here,” and with apparent sincerity. Each item earned a stamp that could be redeemed for a piece of clothing from the rails when the swish opened.

After a few ground-rules were laid down – “No hair pulling or elbows!” – the swish began at 2pm sharp, with the VIPs who paid more for a ticket allowed in five minutes early. Everyone rushed to the rails of the popular sizes. I grabbed several items that looked okay in the hysterical atmosphere, but with no time for try-ing anything on, it was hard to judge. “That’s mine!” a woman shouted, pointing to a dress I had just picked up. I braced myself for her grabbing hands, but she was just proudly pointing out that she had donated it.

“I think we’ve lost our imaginations,” said ethical stylist and host of The Big Swish, Lupe Castro as she bagged my clothes. “In the old days we thought noth-ing of taking the hem up or taking it in a bit.” Castro will be pleased to learn that I heard several girls talk-ing about how they could customize the clothes they picked up. If something is free people are more will-ing to play around with it.

When I got home I tried on my spoils of war and was happy to find that I had acquired several cool tops,

One girl’s trash

[ Text Anna Leach ]

let’s go swishing

including an oversized American Apparel T-shirt that would cost at least £20 in the store. A few things didn’t fit, but as I hadn’t bought them I passed them on to my roommate with no pang of regret.

Swishing gives you all of the feel-good satisfaction of a serious shopping spree with none of the guilt from max-ing out your credit card. And if there are no swishing events near you, you can always organize one. Remem-ber, one girl’s trash is another girl’s treasure.

is another girl’s treasure

what to do

spying in cyberspace

wireless

[ Text Salma Salloum ]

It all started innocently enough. Immediately after meeting Nabil, Maya Googled his name to do a little background check. Once they started dating and became Facebook friends, she began desperately searching his page for anything incriminating: she scoured the profile page of every girl listed as his friend, she regularly checked his wall to see what girls he was adding or accepting as friends, and then she went one step further.

Suspicious that he might be playing the field – because he never changed his Facebook status to “In a Relationship,” and his profile picture was still of him alone – Maya set a cybertrap. She created a bogus Facebook page using a photo of some gorgeous model she found on the web, gathered enough friends to make the invented character seem real and then invited him as a friend. It didn’t take too long for him to bite the bait. He fell for her “We met at Joe’s party!” message hook, line and sinker, and they soon began a heated flirtation in cyberspace.

“Fake identities are a great way of finding out if your partner is being unfaithful,” says Maya, who dumped

Internet stalking is a way to secretly gather information about people

Nabil after presenting him with all the incriminating evidence she’d gathered. “And with the Internet, you don’t have to go through the drama of following him wearing a wig and huge sunglasses like Samantha did on Sex and the City. That’s really tacky because it ends up making you look crazy.”

Unlike regular stalking, Internet stalking seems to be more accepted as a way to secretly gather information about people – in the privacy of your own room. That’s exactly where Ziad was when he discovered that his girlfriend Rana was dating another guy.

“It was a long distance relationship. I was studying in Boston at the time, and she was in Beirut, but I always thought things were fine between us. Then one day I was looking at photos of a beach party that a mutual friend posted, and I saw a picture of her kissing another guy,” says Ziad. “I felt betrayed, but I got my revenge.” Instead of approaching Rana about the photo, he tagged her and then promptly unfriended her. “She tried calling and sent a few text messages and e-mails, but I ignored them.”

A self-confessed addict of Twitter, Bouchra intentionally posts where she’s going so that the guy she’s flirting with – who follows her on Twitter via his BlackBerry – will know where she’ll be partying. “Nine out of 10 times he shows up to the club that I’m at,” she says. “It provides information in real time, plus you can follow people without being accepted by them.”

You can however be blocked on both Twitter and Facebook – which is precisely what happened to Samia after she and Wissam broke off their engagement. They decided to be civil and stay friends, but she went through a stalking phase that involved scrutinizing his Facebook wall and monitoring his tweets. She got curious when he became Facebook friends with one of her best friends. “I couldn’t understand why she would betray me like that, and so I called her to ask if they were dating. At first she denied it but then she admitted that they were seeing one another,” says Samia, who started stalking her girlfriend too. Until, that is, she was blocked by both of them.

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wireless

An ad agency in London developed a way – using your iPad – to display 3D figures of light. As you replay the 3D image on your iPad and draw it through space, it “extrudes” the image like a pasta machine.

The Elgato EyeTV HD is a full-featured DVR that captures TV and delivers it live to Macs in full HD. This fab tool allows you to watch, record and edit TV and is capable of recording Blu-ray discs with the press of a button.

Sceptre just launched a line of 24-inch HD LCD TVs in five festive colors: chrome, red, blue, pink and black. The TV’s compact design makes it perfect for small spaces like lofts, bedrooms, offices and kitchens.

Bank machines have looked the same ever since they came out in the ‘70s. Now, design firm Ideo has created a whole new look for a Spanish bank with a 19-inch touch screen that adapts to your needs.

Tunebug recently introduced Vibe, A portable generator that turns any surface into a speaker. The rechargeable battery allows five hours of playtime.

Always dreamed of being a superhero? Now you can, with the 1966 Batmobile, priced at $150,000. This is a true replica of Batman’s classic car, with details like the double-bubble windshield, red siren light, fins and knobs.

Boasting an innovative design, Speakal’s iCrystal features two separated spherical pods that house an illuminated teardrop shedding a blue light around the rim of the speaker. The speakers are available in white, black or red.

After designing cars for Volkswagen, Walter de’Silva has reinterpreted a classic, creating the Leica M9 Titan, complete with light titanium casing, leather trim and sapphire-crystal glass. Only 500 of these babies are available on the market.

BlackBerry wants to outdo Apple’s iPad with its PlayBook, designed to handle media, networking and e-mail. When connected via Wi-Fi to a BlackBerry phone, it becomes something between a laptop and a smartphone. The release date is mid-2011.

The EconoDriver by Lemur Monitors is a driving feedback accessory that displays real-time fuel consumption to help you save money and the environment. Just program in the cost of fuel, and it will show how much money you’re wasting by accelerating and braking too quickly.

The Swedish W101 by Wästberg lamp – reminiscent of a Danish Bang & Olufsen phone – is made from 100 percent renewable fibers and is biodegradable. It’ll look fab on your desk or nightstand.

REAL 3D BIODEGRADABLE BEAuTY A BOOK TO PLAY

BATMOBILE DESIGNER ATM

techbytes

A bendable, flexible tripod that can be affixed to any surface and features magnetic feet, Joby’s Gorillapod Magnetic can support cameras and mini camcorders. The functional gadget comes with a lock ring for secure hold.

CAT’S EYE SExY GORILLA COOL RIDER TEAR DOCK

STYLISH TVGOOD VIBE

TITAN CAM

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[ Text Serena Makofsky ]

The other day, I was strolling through the Lou-vre when I saw her again. That Cheshire grin, the seemingly Chinese background, her folded hands beseeching me to remember her chaste ways, a stark contrast to that slut Olympia over at the d’Orsay. But, this time, Mona Lisa didn’t do it for me. Surely she had the subtleties and mysteries of all our previous rendezvous, but I found myself wanting something more from her, a nod to the modern age with its modern ills. And gadgets. Why not digitize her?

Enter MyFace Gallery. The maestros of digital art behind the MyFace moniker can make ML relevant to the new decade of the new millennium. And it need not stop with the Monas and the Lisas, be-cause here, the low and the pop can get high art treatment, too. Here is where Toshihiro Mori gives Superman a Japanese pop makeover, setting him against a New Wave background of pink bubbles –

face off

style

Wonder Womanas a femme fatale

MyFace reinvents

perhaps cutesy bullet holes – and turquoise clouds. David Despau, reinventing Wonder Woman as a femme fatale, gives her an American dye job of red, white and blue highlights.

If it sounds more like a social network than an art phenomenon, should you be scared? Here is the MyFace conundrum, a theoretically forward-thinking, market-savvy approach to selling art, an institution that labels itself a “concept” rather than merely a bricks-and-mortar gallery, but you

may find yourself asking if there’s a there there. To further confuse the masses, most of the art not only comes as prints mounted on glass (known as Diasec), but also on T-shirts.

Chanel has no problem with this confusion of art and shirts. MyFace photographer Jean Christophe Attard recently had his photographs projected at the opening of the brand’s shop in Ginza. Perhaps Chanel understands the mystique of digital art printed very large, one of the impressive aesthetic achievements of the MyFace New Master concep-tualizers. I can almost hear Coco sighing as she pa-tiently explains to me the difference between My-Face’s Exclusive and Collector offerings, and why its curators-cum-crowdsourcers decided to subtitle the latter as the Collector’s Collection.

A show of MyFace painters, photographers and mixed media artists’ reinterpretations of superhe-roes is currently touring the great cities of Europe, so you may find yourself in the awkward position of choosing between ML and these splashy, glassy newcomers. Do the bright thing.

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what to do

James Franco is Hollywood’s ultimate jack of all trades. From film acting (Spiderman, Milk) to TV work (General Hospital), he has made a name for himself as a producer, independent filmmaker and novelist, and is currently finishing not one, not two, but three advanced degrees in three different states, to get ready for a PhD at Yale. How’s that for a side job?

Big screen, then backstageThe pairing of Cate Blanchett with Australia’s Sydney Theater Company has proved exceptionally beneficial since the appointment in 2008. As of yet, Blanchett (and co-artistic director husband Andrew Upton) have created quite the ruckus, announcing seasons of innovative new works and producing a highly acclaimed revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Celebrity restaurateurs

The Upper East Side of New York is a haven for high-society elegance. And now, thanks to Justin Timberlake, sexy is back in this most exclusive of Manhattan enclaves. Tired of dining in a New York minute, to questionable New York manners, JT bestowed upon the Big Apple a little piece of home with his restaurant/bar Southern Hospitality.

Further down the island stands Pete Wentz’s hip hangout, Angels and Kings. Unsatisfied with the bazillion New York nightclubs in existence, Wentz (of Fall Out Boy) wanted a post-show hangout, and so his place came to be. Co-founded by Perez Hilton, this dark, secretive spot is the perfect East Village place to catch a hot new group.

Other luminaries with their fingers in the New York Restaurant pie include Drew Barrymore (The Half-King) and Robert DeNiro (Tribeca Grill, Ago).

cake and ice cream

celebrity side gigs

[ Text Lucy Gillespie ]

Is there a doctor on set?Contemplating a change in career, or can’t decide from among your options? Take a cue from these enterprising celebs, who wouldn’t dream of resting on their laurels or letting the travails of fame get in the way of business.

Big screen, then backstage

Starlets and fashion go together like cake and ice cream, but the newest red-carpet-to-catwalk expat is creating quite a stir. Nicole Richie’s House of Harlow 1960 launched an inaugural jewelry line in fall 2009. The full apparel collection (Winter Kate) is resplendent with the kinds of rare, wondrous heirloom pieces you always dreamed of wearing to fairy-tale balls. Who’d have imagined this springing from the mind of Paris Hilton’s bland second-in-command?

Not to be outdone by her Superstar mom Madonna, Lourdes Leon has cut out a niche of her very own with the new, exclusive-to-Macy’s fashion line Material Girl. An homage to the electric ‘80s, the collection is all tights and two-tone leotards.

Another match made in heaven? Penélope Cruz’s line, exclusive to Mango is, after four seasons, becoming a style staple. These ultra feminine, breathtakingly chic pieces are not to be missed.

Fame and fashion

Starlets and fashion go together like

Lebanon is riding the eco-friendly wave with a slew of new projects designed to respect the environment. There are green skyscrapers and ecotourism nature clubs. Add to these some western inventions such as solar-charging backpacks, eco-friendly cleaning fluids, electric cars and talking trees on Facebook, and you’re ready to live like a true ecologist.

1. Downtown green Wadi Abou Jamil’s Beirut Terraces, a soon-to-be-built green structure designed by world-renowned Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, features breathtaking apartments where the outdoors rush into your interior space. Green elements like energy saving features and lush vegetation are all part of the design. W www.beirutterraces.com

2. Nadia, when she’s organic Up-and-coming Egyptian fashion designer Nadia Nour has introduced a new line made of organic fabrics and natural dyes. Working out of New York in the Garment District, Nour decided to produce her line locally to cut down on emissions and enhance sustainability. Her styles are inspired by Arabesque geometry and the rich colors of the Middle East. Plans are under way to introduce eco-friendly accessories and jewelry. W www.nadianour.com

3. Skincare from the AlpsIf you like to be pampered naturally, you’ll love Dr. Burgener, the Swiss line of products made using the finest marine extracts, essential oils and herbs from the Swiss Alps. Available exclusively at Ï Day Spa in Downtown Beirut, these products can be customized according to each person’s skin type and to the scent that the client prefers.

4. Eco backpackFinally, a backpack that’s both useful and eco-friendly. Made in the United States, the V-Dimension, Helius Solar-Powered backpack has a small solar pad that can charge an iPhone, iPod and several phone types such as Nokia, LG and Samsung. It holds laptops up to 15.4 inches and has a headphone port to listen to music while charging. W www.v-dimension.com

5. Take a hike Take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time, leave nothing but footprints. That’s the motto of the Footprints Nature Club, which espouses the concept of ecotourism with nature hikes across Lebanon. Activities also include rappelling, kayaking, rafting and mountain climbing, all of which are conducted in an eco-friendly manner. Even smoking isn’t allowed on these adventures, which takes hikers to such places as the Shouf reserve, Bsharreh and more. W www.footprintsclub.com

6. Talk to the tree Giving a voice to environmental concerns, Belgian magazine Eos hooked a tree to an ozone meter, dust meter, webcam, weather station, light meter and more. This so-called Talking Tree updates people on the environment through Flicker and other social media. It says things like “What’s all this noise?” and “This ozone concentration makes it difficult to do my job.” W www.talking-tree.com

7. Smart rideFollowing the preliminary launch of the Fortwo Electric Drive, Smart unveiled two more emission-free vehicles: the eScooter and the eBike. With a range of 100km, the eScooter takes three to five hours to recharge while the eBike – which is powered by an electric drive that’s integrated in the rear wheels – takes two to three hours to recharge. The motor automatically cuts off at 25 km/h, so you won’t need a driver’s license to use it. The eScooter and eBike are still in the conceptual stage, and only 1,500 Electric Drive cars are now available.

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Available at all Aïzone stores in Beirut, Dubai, Amman, Manama, Kuwait city and Damascus

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Circus at Webster Hall Every Saturday, Webster Hall hosts the massive Circus burlesque dance party. Snake charmers, fire breathers, go-go girls and flying trapeze take up four levels and six dance floors at this fiery event that hosts about 3,000 people. Let go of your inhibitions, and pull out some of the sexy moves you’ve learned throughout the journey! 125 E. 11th St., T 1.212.353.1600, W www.websterhall.com/nightclub/saturday.php

Gold Rush: Burlesque at Lotus Spice it up at Lotus, where you can feast on a Thai-urban Asian menu while checking out the babes performing every Tuesday night. Here the shows are on the lighter side: no Vaudeville, but subtle dance moves and skits. Go early and have a quiet evening, or stay for the Gold Digger party for a night of hip-hop, rock and other adventures. 409 W. 14th St., T 1.212.243.4420, W www.starshineburlesque.com/lotus

Burlesque Festival If you want to put up your own Dita Von Teese-type show, check out the Burlesque Festival, which takes place every year during fall. Start with the teaser party at the Brooklyn Bowl, where you can meet some potential, uh, partners. At the festival you can purchase some delightful footwear from Bordello Burlesque and learn about the New York School of Burlesque. W www.thenewyorkburlesquefestival.com

panty raid!

Le Scandal New York’s oldest variety show has moved from the Cutting Room to the West Bank Café, with circus, burlesque, variety and live music. It’s known as the rock star of burlesque and features an exotic contortionist, a striptease trapeze and a sword-swallowing belly dancer. Need we say more? 407 W. 42nd St., T 1.212.388.2988, W www.lescandal.com

The BoxThis is the temple of New York’s hip nightlife, and it showcases insane burlesque shows. The website warns: “Ladies and gentlemen are expected to look their best when attending a show at The Box.” Consider yourself warned! Book a table, get there at midnight and sip some bubbly. At 1am, the elaborately sexy performances begin. Don’t forget to watch out for wasted celebrities and bathroom catfights. 189 Christie St., W www.theboxnyc.com

The Slipper RoomThis lofty Lower East Side favorite hosts Mr. Choades upstairs/downstairs every Saturday, and it’s guaranteed pleasure. A DJ plays rock ‘n’ roll tunes. On the tiny stage, surrounded by enamored couples, cheerful lesbians and friends looking for entertainment, lovely ladies perform go-go and Vaudeville acts, with much humor. Cover charge is only $5! 167 Orchard St., T 1.212.253.7246, W www.slipperroom.com

Striptease? Mais non! This is burlesque!

[ Text Shirine Saad ]

nightlife

The Box

Burlesque Festival Circus at Webster Hall Gold Rush: Burlesque at Lotus

Le Scandal The Slipper Room

Saturday night at the tiny Slipper Room on the Lower East Side. The lights are dim, and the rock ‘n’ roll is blasting. A

sultry brunette is slowly peeling off her clothes and performing a series of acrobatics. The pompons on her glittered

sequins start swirling as she shakes her décolleté. Then she gets on her hands and stands upside down, stretching her

legs wide open. Striptease? Mais non! This is burlesque, the very chic Vaudeville-inspired art form that has invaded

New York’s nightlife scene. Here’s where to go for sizzling burlesque nights.

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MOVIES TO WATCH

This drama is a portrait of a marriage – one that is blissfully happy at first and devolves into a loveless, miserable relationship. As spouses, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams bring their A-game to the drama, which cuts back and forth in time, telling an all-too-familiar tale of the destruction of a marriage. All the usual suspects are to blame for the relationship’s implosion: lack of communication, betrayals, unfulfilled dreams. And of course, a baby is thrown into the mix. You’ll either love or hate the various filming techniques, from hand-held camera work to overly dramatic use of lighting.

Oscar buzz is already swirling around Natalie Portman’s performance as Nina, a ballet dancer competing for top billing against Lily (Mila Kunis) in a production of Swan Lake. Director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) delves into the demanding, competitive and not-so elegant aspects of the performing art, while deftly prob-ing the dark side of human nature in this mesmerizing psychological thriller.

This beautiful and simple film by ac-claimed French animator Sylvain Chom-et is wholly unique, as it re-creates ‘50s Europe and the life of an old vaudevil-lian/magician who performs in pubs, fringe theaters and anywhere that will have him. The focus of the film is his sweet friendship with a young girl, who becomes enamored of him and his tricks. Gorgeous and moody, the film will grab you at the opening credits.

Two spoiled-is-an-understatement sis-ters (Camilla Belle and Alexa Vega) go from rich girls to dirt poor with the un-expected death of their father. The com-edy puts a modern-day, Latino spin on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. With nowhere else to go and no money, the siblings move in with an aunt in a mod-est home in East LA, and they eventually learn that love, friendship and family are more valuable than cold-hard cash.

BLuE VALENTINE

NEW ON DVD

DECEMBER 7RestRepo

DECEMBER 21FAmilY GuY: it’s A tRAp

JANuARY 4howl

DECEMBER 28the boY next dooR

JANuARY 11Come undone

This Italian drama focuses on

an affair between two office

workers and how a tangle of love

and lust impacts their lives.

This hardcore war documentary

follows a year in the life of a

15-man platoon of US soldiers

in Afghanistan.

The third chapter of Family Guy’s

out-there Star Wars spoof is

hilarious. New faces join Chris

Skywalker and Stewie Vader.

James Franco embodies poet/

activist Allen Ginsberg in this biopic

focusing on the iconic poem and

the obscenity trial it launched.

DECEMBER 4twiliGht sAGA: eClipse

The happy couple is back together.

But the tension between Edward

and Jacob threatens Bella. Prepare

for new vamps and lotsa hotties.

Glee’s Cory Monteith (Jason) turns

up murdered in a small town in this

TV flick. The murder-mystery writer

neighbor is the prime suspect.

Javier Bardem won the Best Actor award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival for his role as Uxbal, a divorced father with a shady past who must confront his mor-tality when he’s diagnosed with terminal cancer. This dark drama from director Ale-jandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams) will draw you in as Uxbal deals with an ex-wife, securing his children’s future and confronting his past and eventual death.

BLACK SWAN THE ILLuSIONIST BIuTIFuLFROM PRADA TO NADA

between illusion and reality

movies

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creates moody, impressionisticmusic videos

Pedros Temizian

Pedros Temizian grew up with the movies of Fellini, Bergman and Antonioni and with his soprano mother’s opera classics and his father’s large collection of vinyls. When he started making music videos, he layered these early influences to create moody, impressionistic pieces that illustrate Beirut’s underground grit.

The Incompetents’ “Prelude to an Abyss” opens on a film noir scene of smoke on a jet background; there is the murder of a man dressed as a woman, two gangsters, a scene of dancing in the woods with the resuscitated man in a dress. The whole film is vaguely absurd, tinted with a noir aesthetic and a touch of poetry. “I was thinking of Kaurismaki, Hitchcock, Jarmush, all my obsessions,” says Temizian, 30, whose day job is making advertising films. “The music is light and the lyrics dark. The film expresses that.”

beirut music stories

[ Text Shirine Saad ]

The film, along with other work for The Incompetents, Slutterhouse and Hiba, is circulating in various Beirut film festivals, but since the resources are so scarce to support underground music, Temizian has created the Turban Collective, with artists Maria Kassab and Ahmed Makki, to support and promote local talent.

In the first video created by his collective, Hiba’s “Fog el Nakhal,” realistic scenes alternate with highly imaginative stop-motion narratives. Meticulously crafted by Kassab, the characters and objects tell the story of Hiba’s love encounter with her husband and the pregnancy that followed. Buildings are made of cardboard; plastic bags illustrate water; a drawer chest holds a baby in front of the character’s belly. The film starts and ends with the singer sleeping next to her husband in pure bliss. “It’s a

music

62

wanna

Together with her musical partner Will Gregory, singer Alison Goldfrapp has been recording as the British band Goldfrapp since 1999. The pairs’ otherworldly, synth-based pop ranges from disco floor-fillers to futuristic torch songs. Madonna has openly acknowledged Goldfrapp as an influence. A white dress with a horse’s tail is among the young singer’s more famous stage costumes. Gossip caught up with Alison Goldfrapp, currently touring in support of her new album Head First, to ask about her unique style.

[ Text Gretel Blackwood ]

music

goldfrapp?

People are terribly disappointed because

1. Where do you source for your stage costumes? For stage and performances I get stuff made. There are two people who make them for me. For this tour they’ve been made by a guy called Jeffrey Bryant. I recently had him make a dress for me out of videotape, after I saw some that had got stuck in a tree. From a distance it was this twinkling thing and looked really amazing. I went up to it, thinking “What is that?” When I realized what it was, I just thought “I could make a nice dress out of that.” He made me a smock-dress covered in it.

He also made another stage costume for me that was inspired by a Pierrot doll I had. I love Pierrots and always have, which is why I’ve sometimes worn ruffs. I had this Pierrot doll that a lady in

Amsterdam gave to me. I said to Jeffrey “I’d really like to have a costume like this doll.” He came back two days later with this costume. He’s one of these guys who’s got an amazing eye.

2. What about clothes to wear off stage?Clothes for going out? That is a problem! It’s kind of mad, I haven’t really got any clothes to go out in. I’m either in jeans or in a costume! I am trying to change that. I’m just quite lazy in everyday life and tend to put on the first thing that I see, because otherwise I could spend hours choosing, and there are other things to do in the day. When I was little I used to change about four times a day. As a busy adult, you just can’t do that. Plus I don’t want to walk down the street and be looked at.

3. Are you recognized often? Sometimes, yeah, usually in America. I think they’ve just got more bottle, so they’ll come up to you and say hi! English and European people are just more discreet maybe. People are usually kind and polite. It’s quite sweet really. Often if I’m paying for something over the counter, people will see my card and say “You’ve got the name of that singer,” but not recognize me. I like that anonymity. But you do get people who are terribly disappointed because you’re not wielding a whip and wearing nine-inch heels.

I’m not wielding a whip!

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music

ALBuM PREVIEWS

AFROCuBISMAFROCuBISM

TINIE TEMPAHDISC-OVERYThe rising star of the London grime music scene scored a number one hit with the hyper “Pass Out” and Disc-overy continues his trajectory of producing more pop-oriented rap music. Video game beeps underscore many of the dance floor-ready songs, which run scatter-shot through influences of ska, R&B, rock anthems, electronica, hip hop and pop.

About 14 years in the making, AfroCubism represents the original intention for the Buena Vista Social Club album, recording jams and improvisations between artists of Mali and Cuba. When the Malian musicians couldn’t get visas, the project got stalled, but the artists united last summer for a tour leading up to Afrocubism. Cuban rhythms meld with fresh musical twists, as heard on “Nima Diyala.”

SuFJAN STEVENSTHE AGE OF ADZ The troubled troubadour, who revealed during interviews last year that he was “sick of his own voice,” has ventured somewhat from his neo-folk roots, delving deeper into experimental noise and musical artifice. High-tech soundscapes and drum machines underscore Sufjan’s sometimes-industrial and sometimes-primal songs that dwell in dissonant darkness.

MATT AND KIMSIDEWALKSHanging on the sidewalks of Brooklyn produced the fodder for an album that rocks with urban dance party joy. The boppy single “Cameras” sets the tone, proof that the duo recreates its legendary live show energy on recordings, with the added benefit of no injuries from crowd-surfers. Ben Allen, the mixer behind Gnarls Barkley’s runaway success, produced the sunny album.

Médéa Azouri is a reporter with over 15 years of

experience in both print and radio, having hosted

her own culture and music show on Radio Liban

for the past 10 years. Here are her favorite tunes.

PLAYLIST

KINGS OF LEONCOME AROuND SuNDOWN The Nashville band open their fifth album with “The End,” a track that worries bassist Jared Followill during shows because “it’s way too hard for me.” Pressure may be affecting the whole band, knowing it had to follow up last year’s hit “Use Somebody” and an album that sold over 6 million copies. As the Followill family reached superstar status, lead singer Caleb Followill lashed out, saying that, like fans, he was sick of Kings of Leon, which may have prompted these 13 twangy tracks, at times maudlin and others times sunny, that hearken back to the good old days of the band’s 2003 debut album.

audio boom

FAR*EAST MOVEMENTFREE WIREDFashion-forward and gadget-equipped, members Kev Nish, J-Splif, Prohgress and DJ Virman represent a mix of Asian-American cultures, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Filipino. Free Wired marks the Koreatown chums’ first major label release. The album manages to keep a hopped-up underground party feeling, while merging with a Los Angeles electro hop club sound.

1.“Hi life” by Syd Matters 2.“Barbra Streisand” by Duck Sauce 3.“Tes Etats d’Ame Eric” by Luna Parker 4.“Blame It on the Boogie” by The Jackson 5 5.“Great DJ” by The Ting Tings 6.“Pendant Que les Champs Brûlent” by Niagara7.“Shut Up and Take Me Out” by DJ Y 8.“Fire with Fire” by Scissor Sisters9. “L’Anamour” by Serge Gainsbourg 10.“Sprawl II” by Arcade Fire 11. “Master Blaster” by Stevie Wonder 12. “Jimmy” by Of Montreal 13. “Ready for the Floor” by Hot Chip 14. “Another Likely Story” (Aeroplane remix) by Au Revoir Simone15. “Common People” by Pulp16. “Blind” by Hercules and the Love Affair 17. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon

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party destination:

nightlife

Parked outside Palais are the Porsches and Hummers of Beirut’s A-class crowd. This high-heeled society with pouting lips and nose jobs wouldn’t be caught dead in jeans; the shorter the dress, and the more showy the man, the better the party. The various levels mean there’s more opportunity to scout for talent. Thursday’s Bling Shower of R&B and hip hop and Friday’s In Da House night build up to Saturday’s big party with resident DJ Anthony. Monot, T 01.338.964 and 03.854.455.

Electro MecaniquePalais by Crystal

Walk down a spiral staircase to an underground world where graffiti-inspired walls and Lebanese poufs set the scene for Beirut’s arty crowd who have ditched stilettos for sneakers. Established for the pure love of music, Electro Mecanique promotes local talent by hosting alternative and experimental gigs that always have audiences dashing from their seated booths to the dance floor. Keep your ears open for the New Year’s Eve lineup of DJs playing funk, reggae, dub and Brazilian tunes. Mar Mikhael, T 01.565.313 and 03.871.589.

Beirut has always been lauded as the party capital of the Middle East, and

just because winter has waved its chilly atmosphere into the region does not

mean that the situation is any different. Although Gemmayze’s bars are still

pumping, further down the road in Mar Mikhael there’s a vibrant party spirit

brewing, with a more laid-back crowd dancing to alternative and old-school

tunes. But if it’s house and electro music you’re after, you may want to don

your highest heels and make your way to Monot and Sodeco to party it up

with the in crowd. It’s going to be a long night, but you’ll be begging for more!

beirut

Once known as the Paris of the Middle East, Beirut still knows how to party like the Parisians, with French Night every Wednesday at Métis. Purple-colored lights and big-screen projections add to the decadent atmosphere. If you need an excuse to get closer to the skin-tight, dress-wearing revelers sitting cross-legged on the bar, order the city’s signature Doudou shot. Monday’s Kitch night with DJ Ray includes open sushi, while Friday is all about a singer with saxophone and percussion accompaniment, and Saturday gets down and dirty with house and R&B. Monot, T 03.030.906.

Métis

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Behind the massive, green, head-turning door of this hotspot is a happy-music haven where jazz, Indie and pop sounds (anything but house and techno!) bounce off the carpeted floors and velvet armchairs. A pole adds to the dance-time fun in this bar that always feels like a cozy house party with good friends (and cute barmen). Named after an old film about pleasure and secrets, you’re assured of both Behind the Green Door. Mar Mikhael, T 01.565.656 and 70.856.866.

Behind the Green Door

[ Text Veronique Loger Photos Tarek Moukaddem ]

beirutAnyone who’s partied in Beirut over the past six years has probably stumbled up and down the stairs of The Basement. This party central will be closing down soon, so now’s the time to rock the party. Upcoming events include Diamond Setter and Scrambled Eggs’ CD launches, as well as a two-night retrospective of the club’s jamming years with Jade and Diamond Setter featuring Vanclode Jandam. Be there on January 9 for The Last Dance and listen out for The Basement’s new location. Saifi highway, T 70.959.698.

Element’s metal and wood facade has made it both a legend and a landmark since 2001. While the DJ spins his tunes from above the crowd (anything from chillout and soft rock to progressive house), you can indulge in a decadent dish of foie gras before dancing on the same table as silver ice buckets of drinks land at your feet. New Year’s Eve will offer Element’s annual four-course meal with open bar and the best party favors in town. Oh, and breakfast’s included! Damascus Rd., Sodeco, T 01.212.100.

Beirut’s soul/funk/rare-groove musical family, the Beirut Groove Collective will turn up the heat this season with its Winter Soulstice on December 26. The BGCs DJs Ernesto, Rami O (aka Wesley Stripes aka Flint Eastwood aka DJ Stickfigr), Brother Jackson and Heavy G will provide the pumped-up entertainment with a planned live-band reunion of the Fareeq al Atrash spin-off Mudbone, plus an international turntablist. This party is guaranteed to warm the soul. W thebeirutgroovecollective.wordpress.com

Thursday’s ‘80s night at B018 is hard to beat. This underground club starts at midnight, making it Beirut’s top after-party destination. If you stay late enough, you’ll get to see dawn breaking through the retractable roof. Weekend nights are filled with techno tunes so you can party way beyond sunrise. Karantina, T 03.810.618.

Element

BG Collective

B018

The Basementhonorable mentions

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nightlife

If Beirut nights are legendary, they’re about to become more than mythical with the opening of Bazalt. The new bar, located midway between Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael, envisions itself as an alternative art space for Beirut’s hip young crowd. “Each month we’re going to create an event to promote all kinds of up-and-coming artists, like painters, sculptors and fashion designers,” says co-owner Christophe Zamroud. “They can launch their stuff here.” Zamroud partnered up with his twin brother Joel (they’re both 29) and friend Teddy Azar (28) to establish Bazalt, which is named after the volcanic rock basalt (the word

[ Text Salma Salloum Photos Yasmine Sarout ]

just looked cooler spelled with a Z). Since opening in August, the place has attracted a mostly 20-something crowd that gets into a groove listening to lounge music followed by deep house. They enjoy a few drinks (Italian cocktails – try the negroni – are the house specialty), nibble on mini burgers, let go and feel the peace. “It’s a small place with a unique quality,” says Zamroud. The interior is all industrial chic with dark gray basalt tiles (naturally), triangular rafters made of raw wood beams and cool circular patterns carved into the concrete walls.

Whereas institutional settings have an uptight feel, bars are about having a good time and at Bazalt fun’s at the top of the agenda. Once the mood is right, then people are invited to take a look at the artwork. “There are other places that have opened with a similar concept, but after a while they stop having events to launch new artists. We’re going to try to stay true to the concept.”

The first event, which opened in late October, was an exhibit entitled “Organic Stimulus” and featuring works by Hoda Fadel. Zamroud is now preparing the second event, scheduled to take place in December, which will

see the launch of two jewelry lines. The first, CZ, is his, and the second is by his brother Joel. Yep, their day job revolves around designing jewelry, and they like to party hard when they’re not working even harder.

Their jewelry designs are usually on display in three glass boxes strategically positioned behind the bar. Although the twins’ techniques differ – CZ designs are created using high-tech software while Joel makes everything by hand – their styles are similar. Using silver and rhodium, they design artistic chunky rings that are mainly for men. “It’s funky stuff man,” says Zamroud.

volcanic eruptionspace for Beirut’s young crowd Bazalt is an alternative nightlife and art

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JANuARY 22

ARMIN VAN BuuRENBIEL, BEIRuT

The world’s number one DJ will have the house rockin’ with the hottest trance and progressive music.

JANuARY 20-30

SuNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL PARK CITY, uTAH

The independent film festival will screen over 120 films, including Mark Boulos’ All That is Solid Melts into Air.

datebook

THROuGH DECEMBER 10

JANuARY 6-10 JANuARY 12-16

DYING POINTJOANNA SEIKALY GALLERY, BEIRuT

THE ROCK BOAT xITAMPA, FLORIDA

TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS CHICAGO

DECEMBER 14

BRYAN ADAMSBEIRuT FORuM

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams performs his biggest hits, including “Summer of ‘69,” “Heaven” and “One Night Love Affair.”

Berlin artist Zhivago Duncan presents his latest paintings, inspired by the likes of Andy Warhol.

The destination is unknown on this four-day cruise, but there’ll be nonstop music hosted by rock band Sister Hazel.

Chicago’s winter music festival returns with big names like Besnard Lakes performing with up-and-coming acts.

JANuARY 15-23

SNOWBOARD CHAMPIONSHIPS CATALONIA, SPAIN

La Molina ski resort joins forces with the city of Barcelona to host this popular snowboarding competition.

JANuARY 16-23

ASPEN GAY SKI WEEKASPEN, COLORADO

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, activities include daily après-ski events and nightly parties with top DJs.

DECEMBER 31

STRANGE DAYSHAMMERSMITH APOLLO, LONDONThe lineup at this New Year’s Eve concert includes Sonic Youth, Shellac, The Pop Group, Factory Floor and several DJs.

DECEMBER 20-MARCH 27

IN THE TRENCHESRuNNING HORSE, BEIRuT

Works by Lebanese artists Rasha Kahil, Hiba Kalache and Alfred Tarazi are on display at the gallery.

DECEMBER 29

DuBFIREB018, BEIRuT

Iranian-American DJ Dubfire brings the house down with his heady mix of house and techno music, courtesy of Mix FM.

uRBAN FAçADE ANIMOTIONMARTYRS’ SquARE, BEIRuT

This 3D projection mapping event invites artists to create video displays projected on buildings. Grand prize is $4,000!

Indie band Belle & Sebastian curate this event, which features around 40 bands, including Julian Cope and The Vaselines.

DECEMBER 31-JANuARY 9

THE BPM FESTIVALPLAYA DEL CARMEN, MExICO

Escape the winter doldrums at this 10-day electronic music festival that includes music by DJ Hernan Cattaneo.

DECEMBER 10-12

THE BOWLIE WEEKENDER 2MINEHEAD, ENGLAND

DECEMBER 23-31

MYFRENCHFILMSFESTIVAL.COMINTERNET

The first edition of this French online film festival invites Internet users around the world to vote for their favorite movie.

JANuARY 14-29

TOGETHER AS ONELA SPORTS ARENA AND GROuNDS

Over 40,000 dance music enthusiasts are expected to attend this massive electronic music festival.

DECEMBER 31

what to do