Beauty and Fashion Dubai

Dubai, UAE, July 2014: Bring out your maracas as Queen of Spades goes all Latin with its latest Mexican-inspired collection. The vivacious collection was unveiled at the La Fiesta Grande, a private pre-Eid preview, held at the Galeries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall.

The fashionable evening unfolded over a sit-down dinner, designed and styled by Lafayette Gourmet to present an epicurean experience fit for the Mexican bonhomie that designer Lamya Abedin presented.

Abedin’s exotic Latin designs once again celebrate folk art and traditions and represent it in an urban, modern style – the very elements that make up the core of the Queen of Spades brand. The newest creations keenly emphasise indigenous crafts and pre-Columbian art that has thrived over a wide timescale, from 1800 BC to AD 1500. Abedin has particularly drawn from certain artistic characteristics that were widely prevalent in the Latin-Spanish belt through the years, like a preference for angular, linear patterns, and three-dimensional ceramics. These patterns and notable handicrafts seen on clay pottery from the valley of Oaxaca and the village of Tonala have found manifestation in her latest assortment of ensembles.

The look of the collection manifests a strong inspiration from the works of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, who has achieved great international popularity. Kahlo painted using vibrant colours in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico interspersed with European influences of Realism, Symbolism, and Surrealism.

In Abedin’s collection you will find these influences through visual hits of colourful embroidery, textured textiles, authentic local weaves and a flurry of lush fabrics like jute, cotton, organza, raw silks, satins, chiffons, tulle and lace, sourced all the way from Guatemala, Mexico, Spain, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and many other destinations.

For this collection Abedin chose hues of Latino spices, handicrafts and local bazaars like yolk yellow, deep purple, apricot, terracotta, tangerine, dark slate and the like, making this one of her most effervescent collections by Queen of Spades.

“Every collection I create is a revival of my first love for culture and heritage, in a redefined modern version. So while the core elements of my style statement can be seen across my creations, each collection brings about a touch of novelty juxtaposed with timeless beauty. That I believe is the true designer in me, who can breathe life into style and create inspired fashion classics that persist across the realms of time,” says Abedin.

Having tried various new styles and design techniques, even non-black abayas in brown, maroons, teal, and mustard; in this collection Abedin will introduce the ‘poncho’ style inspired from the Mexican sombrero hat. You will also see lots of patterns and notable local Mexican handicrafts in the 60 exclusive pieces that Abedin will be showing to a select clientele. Abedin has tried her creative hand at designing a fully printed abaya for this collection. “Any fashionista would love to flaunt this printed exclusive, perhaps as a jalabiya, a kimono-style robe or a long cardi thrown over a neutral dress or just a plain tee and jeans,” feels Abedin, who loves to see women from various walks of life and different nationalities wear her designs.

Galeries Lafayette has set stage for Abedin to bring alive the streets of Mexico.Jacque La Coupe beauty center and the celebrity-loved brand, Laura Mercier Cosmetics, as the exclusive hair styling and make-up sponsors for the Queen of Spade’s fashion show. Accessory pieces from luxury brand Farah Ali, available at the premium department store, complemented each abaya look. Also present at the event, one of Galeries Lafayette’s popular Arabic perfumery brands: Khaltat- Blends of Love, giving guests a whiff of its latest collection of fragrance scents.

So let us all say “ehoi”to an evening dedicated to fashion, food and fiesta!