Summer Heat Solutions 1: Parasols & Umbrellas

  It is already getting extremely hot in the Middle East and the sun rays are becoming more and more severe everyday! So how do we ladies protect our pretty heads and beautiful hair from the sun? Do we wear caps? Hats? And what about our hairstyles- won't they get spoiled by all that head-wear? And what about matching them to our outfits? So much headache already and we are not even under the sun just yet! 

  No worries- there is a solution! It dawned on me during the Ten-Minute Rain that Abu-Dhabi was finally blessed with on 23rd April! 

  Below you can my umbrella, which is hardly ever used! 

  Pale turquoise flowers on a white background- a very refreshing pattern. However, everything in my umbrella is made for a rainy day- from the waterproof material, to the heavy shaft and handle. At some points I did use it during summer heats, but like I said- it wasn't quite practical.

  After a little research, I came to know that initially Umbrellas were used "to shade a person from the sun" (How Umbrellas are made). That is where the second name "Parasol" is used- "parare"- shade, "sol"- sun (French). Unlike, the zippers (Zipper Inventor: Google Celebrates!) which were invented in the last century, the origins of Umbrellas and Parasols root back to the ancient world- China, Egypt and Mesopotamia in particular.
                                                                                                                                                                 
 

                     

Coming back to the current issue that we ladies face with our jobs, education, going out in the sun and so on, I would say that using a fancy or oriental type of Parasol, is a great way of protecting our skin, hair AND  hairstyle from any damage! So have a look at the Parasols below!

All the above are called "Wedding Lace Parasols". But of course you don't have to wait for a wedding to use one! 

I found this hand-knitted rainbow Parasol on a blog- 80's Girly Girl! For those who know crochet, this should be easy! 

                         For lovers of Oriental styles, you can get yourself  "a la Geisha" Parasols.

Vintage Parasol. Found this in an online shop: ThisNext 

 In my opinion, the best ones are the so called "Wedding Lace Parasols". They mostly come in white, ivory, black, red. Get one for yourself before the summer hits hard! In fact I have already received mine from Souq! If you live in United Arab Emirates, the choice may be limited only to the Lace parasols. However, I would advise to visit online shops, especially Ebay, where you can find a HUMONGOUS variety of accessories! And don't worry- it's totally safe. I have checked myself! Just look for sellers who ship abroad! ;)   

Zipper Inventor: Google celebrates!

Good morning! 

I opened Google just now and was surprised to see a ZIPPER picture and the word "Google" in an embroidery texture! For a dedicated sewing & crafts fan it was a pleasant surprise! 

Yesterday was "Earth Day". Could today be a SEWING Day? Would be cool, ha? But it turns out, today is 132nd birth anniversary of Gideon Sundback- the inventor of the ZIPPER! So, it is still related to garments and sewing! Although some of you may not realise how valuable and important the invention of The Zipper is (of course it's not a discovery of electricity!) , I dare say it involves more imagination and creativity. Think about it- Gideon came up with a solution to a problem. He did not discover something which was already there, created by nature!

Now, after a quick research and some digging in my own experience as a tailor and shopper, I can say that zippers can be extensively used as decoration, and not only as a stylish replacement of buttons or method of keeping that skirt on! Zippers can be THE tick- the detail in a design of a garment which changes everything! Example- I have a friend who LOVES these thick zippers with golden teeth on dresses and tops! They are known as "EXPOSED Zippers". I am sure you have seen a lot of them in shops recently! 

Now check out how zippers could make an item look interesting in a new & different way!

Victoria Beckham wearing an Exposed Zipper dress.

        Forever 21

                                                           

ZARA dress with an Exposed zipper

                                                                       

Zipper Trends (http://hiddengemsfashion.com/archives/90)

                                        

Zipper Trends

And there are also ways of re-using old zippers or just including them into your design ideas!  

Gallery of using Zippers as accessories (http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaliaversaci/page12/)

Zipper Brooch (http://oohsome.blogspot.com/2009/08/zipper-brooch.html)

Exposed zippers on leggings!

Complicated party dress with LOADS of exposed zippers!

Zipper Decorations!

 Well, there you go! Now you know who you should be thanking for Zippers! Happy Birthday Gideon Sundback! 

(Read more about him here: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/shownews.aspx?id=GADEN20120200545&Sec=NEWS&nid=201347) 

   

I am back!

This time I have been away for 3 months! Oh my God-Some blogger I am! But you will have to forgive me of course, as so many things happened since the last time I posted in December! I have changed my job, I have finally found and joined a Fashion Design course, I have turned 24 and gifted myself a white iPhone 4S, I have made plans to get my own place, my cat turned 1 year old, I have exchanged quite a few Tweets with my favourite artist Carole Samaha (www.carolesamaha.com), I made some new friends from different parts of the world (Belgium and Malaysia), I have finally purchased my first CAROLINA HERRERA bag and not-so-first pairs of shoes and skirts, I have discovered Nara Camicie- an amazing blouse brand (keeping those working ladies look fabulous! http://www.naracamicie.it/), I have attended my first Fashion Show in Dubai with Zuhair Murad as an honored guest, I have decided to make a major decision towards my ambitions and dreams of fashion! And all this in just 3 months and in the same city of Abu Dhabi! As I am writing this from my Marketing office, I do not have all my fashion illustration photos to post, so I will do that later. However, I will share some latest photos of my styles illustration, my cat, Carole Samaha and some trends from fashion magazines that caught my eye! Enjoy and stay tuned!

Fashion style Illustrations

Spring-Summer style

Carole Samaha

My cat Arabella