Marchesa, Spring/Summer 2012

British born Georgina and Keren met at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Georgina, a 2001 graduate of the Wimbledon School of Art, began her career as a costume designer. Keren graduated from Brighton Art College in 2000 and subsequently focused on print and embroidery design. Georgina’s draping and design expertise paired with Keren’s textile creations resulted in a business partnership and the establishment of Marchesa in 2004. Elegant eveningwear, inspired by vintage and Asian influences, defines the Marchesa Collection. The beautifully crafted designs fuse high fashion with an eclectic aesthetic. Co-founded by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, the company’s namesake and muse, Marchesa Luisa Casati, is the noted eccentric European style icon.

For the first time, Marchesa’s stunning bags are available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall for the Spring/Summer 2012 season. Each piece is a beautiful work of art – the craftmanship and embellishment is incredible. Take a look at some of our favourites from the stunning new collection…

Images taken at Symphony, The Dubai Mall using instagram. Follow @SymphonyDubai on Instagram!

Symphony | Ground Floor, Fashion Avenue | The Dubai Mall | T: 04 330 8050

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Call Me Maybe (Cover) by Ben Howard

You’ve no doubt heard Carly Rae Jepsen’s irritatingly catchy track, ‘Call Me Maybe’ but have you heard Ben Howard work his magic on it? Howard is one of our favourite vocalists at the moment and he recently recorded this version of ‘Call Me Maybe’ for the BBC’s Radio 1 Live Lounge. What do you think?

Do you want to see your favourite song feature as a Music Monday?Tweet us the link or artist & song name with the hashtag #musicmonday @SymphonyTweets

The Symphony Instagram Challenge

Do you love instagram as much as we do? Show us some instagram love and we’ll show you some back! Sharing is caring!

We challenge you to visit Symphony, take snaps of your favourite pieces, purchases and even you in the changing rooms wearing your favourite Symphony look – tag us and you could find your images on our Blog, Facebook and Twitter. Here are our favourite Symphony Family Snaps on Instagram last week…

Symphony | Ground Floor, Fashion Avenue | The Dubai Mall | T: 04 330 8050

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An intimate dinner with Tim Blanks & Jeff Lounds

On Sunday night we were blessed with the opportunity to attend a private dinner with style.com’s Tim Blanks and perfumer Jeff Lounds at Armani/Ristorante, Burj Khalifa. A handful of people were invited and the Symphony Insider was lucky enough to be one of them. Tim & Jeff were in town for their perfume line Escentric Molecules which is a coveted, celebrity-worn range of fragrances which all began on their kitchen table in Maida Vale, London. Tim was just as witty, dry and hilarious as we had heard he was and the evenings conversation covered Anna Wintour, the future of the fashion industry in terms of the growing amount of bloggers and social media as well as funny stories about BBQ’s, Beyonce and Kate Moss. A once in a lifetime opportunity that we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience. Huge thanks to the organisers and to Armani Ristorante for hosting such a delightful evening. Check out the images from the evening:

The incredible dessert at Armani/Ristorante

What did we wear?

Symphony’s Holly Williams opted for an Alessandra Rich SS12 look and Edie Parker SS12 clutch – both available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall now.

The gorgeous neon lace Alessandra Rich SS12 maxi skirt close up

The incredible Edie Parker SS12 clutch which features a handy concealed mirror and glow-in-the-dark “ice block” esque ends.

We ended the night with a smile and a beautiful complimentary Armani rose… perfection!

http://www.escentric.com/

http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/language/en-us/armani-hotel.aspx

Reunion by M83

We love Reunion by M83. M83 is a musical act by Spanish-French musician Anthony Gonzalez which was named after a spiral galaxy, Messier 83.

Do you want to see your favourite song feature as a Music Monday?Tweet us the link or artist & song name with the hashtag #musicmonday @SymphonyTweets

Symphony vs. Instagram

Today we took one of our favourite apps and social media platforms INSTAGRAM over to our little store – Symphony, The Dubai Mall – and took a heap of images of all of our favourite things right now. Are you addicted to Instagram too? Follow us at @symphonydubai

A Christian Siriano SS12 jacket in detail

We think of a piano when we see these gorgeous Charlotte Olympia SS12 dolly’s

This is what we like to call ‘The Couture’ wall which is where we display all of our favourtie evening gowns

Edit Parker’s clutches are just fabulous aren’t they? This one glows-in-the-dark and has a built in mirror

Stunning gowns fit for a Princess

We love this Holly Fulton SS12 clutch

Beautiful embellishment on a SS12 Jenny Packham gown

We love the colours! Karla Spetic SS12

Some visual merchandising trickery! Katie Ermilio SS12

Feathers make our heart beat! Naeem Khan SS12

Omer Asim SS12 dress and Opening Ceremony SS12 flatforms – a good pairing non?

The Opening Ceremony flatforms up close

Rachel Zoe SS12 bags are just “to dieeeee”

Prabal Gurung, Naeem Khan and Jenny Packham SS12 sitting pretty in our windows today

All available at:

Symphony | Ground Floor, Fashion Avenue | The Dubai Mall | T: 04 330 8050

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This Song is Called Ragged by Jonathan Boulet

We are getting excited for summer adventures and dreamy vacations – ‘This song is called ragged’ by Jonathan Boulet is so summery and puts a spring in our step. What do you think?

This is the first single off Jonathan Boulet’s forthcoming sophomore album ‘We Keep The Beat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart’.

Out June worldwide via Modular Recordings.

www.modularpeople.com
www.jonathanboulet.com

Do you want to see your favourite song feature as a Music Monday?Tweet us the link or artist & song name with the hashtag #musicmonday @SymphonyTweets

AED 880,000 Raised for Noor Dubai Foundation

Symphony Style LLC concept (Symphony, The Dubai Mall’s parent company) The Ara Gallery hosted a series of events this
past week for the Noor Dubai Foundation and have succeeded in raising an amazing AED 880,000 in funds for the charity. There was a two day ART4SIGHT exhibition and charity auction held at Ara, and a ‘surprise’ Nja Mahdaoui collaborative art work with three young Emirati artists represented by Ara that was auctioned off at Christie’s on April 17th. We are so proud of The Ara Gallery and all of the artists and people who helped to raise such a life-changing sum for this great cause.

Several known artists including blind Turkish artist, Esref Armagan, contributed their works to raise 880,000 AED in this charity fundraising exhibition and auction…

For the second consecutive year, ART4SIGHT succeeded in raising funds to support Noor Dubai Foundation’s prevention of blindness programs globally. Art4Sight was held for the second consecutive time in Dubai – the two-day event took place at The Ara Gallery located in The Centre of Now, Downtown.

His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Chairman of the Noor Dubai Foundation said: “The proceeds of the Art4Sight exhibition will help fund many blindness prevention programs in countries of need. ART4SIGHT brought together all members of society for a common cause to help provide the blind living in countries of need with the gift of sight.”

Dr. Manal Taryam, CEO of Noor Dubai Foundation said: “With overwhelming support from local and international artists, local art galleries and renowned art auction houses, this year’s event has been a more impressive experience for art lovers, whose contribution will directly help preventative blindness programs in countries of need. This includes providing those who are unable to afford eye medication and glasses with an aim to prevent further deterioration of their condition. People across the world are in much need of our assistance and through this program we aim to make a positive difference to their lives and the lives of their family members.”

Dr Taryam said that at this year’s event, Noor Dubai was privileged to have the attendance of the phenomenal blind artist Esref Armagan. The inability to see has not hindered this Turkish artist from his goal of painting beautiful works of art which have been featured on international documentaries including the Discovery Channel’s ‘The Real Superhumans’.

At the gallery, Armangan, sketched the Burj Khalifa Tower. He was presented with a momentum of the tower, which he felt with his fingertips and based on that, he sketched the tower. As a token of his gratitude, Esref presented the sketch to HH Sheikh Majid, chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, who inaugurated the Art exhibition last Sunday. Armangan said, “I wanted to learn about the world I live in through my fingertips. Although I am blind, I do not consider myself to be blind because I can recognize the world and draw pictures. I am honoured to be here today, to support this cause, which is very close to my heart.”

Three of his works were auctioned at ART4SIGHT including his work entitled ‘Waves’, painted in 2008, which depicts the energy and movement of the ocean, concepts which were thought to be impossible to portray by a blind person. Esref may have been born blind but his ability to paint beautiful art pieces, many of which are currently exhibited in international museums, has amazed scientists and led to them to re-evaluate the visual pathway that they believed existed and taught in medical schools for years.

Other works of art displayed during this exhibition included works of modern and contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art. Works included those of Abdulqader Al Rais, an Emirati artist whose work sold for 212,000 AED. Also, a collection from artist Najat Makki titled ‘Amel’, which translates into the word ‘Hope’, sold for 135,000 AED.

A surprise artwork by HH Sheikh Hamdan, ‘Towareg’

A surprise photography piece was presented at the auction titled ‘Toware’”, which was donated by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown prince of Dubai and was taken by His Highness in 2008 of the tribe Towareg in Niger.

In addition to the funds raised through last night’s auction, a calligraphy piece was sold at auction by the Tunisian Artist Nja Mahdouie. This piece was executed and sold for 180,000 AED through a live performance that was joined by 4 Emarati artists during the Christies auction last week in Dubai.

The Ara Gallery also celebrated their one year anniversary this April 22-23 alongside ART4SIGHT, Noor Dubai Foundation’s annual charity art event. The exciting preview exhibition was honored by the presences of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid AlMaktoum, HH Sheikh Majid bin Mohamed AlMaktoum, and HE Mohamed Al Gergawi…

Many UAE based art galleries also donated to the cause including: The Barjeel Foundation, Tashkeel, Farjam Collection and The Salsali Private Museum. Art pieces included work from internationally recognized artists such as Mohamed Kanoo, Reza Hosseini, Himat, Manal Dowayan, Babak Kazemi, Jalal Luqman, Azza Al Qubaisi , Khawla Al Marri and HH Sheikha Lateefa Bint Maktoum.

The funds raised totaled up to 880,000 AED and will support Noor Dubai programs globally and directly help those who are unable to access the medical attention they require.

Noor Dubai Foundation is currently preparing for its third mobile eye camp in the city of Worabe in Ethiopia.

Follow The Ara Gallery on Twitter: @TheAraGallery

Like The Ara Gallery on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheAraGallery

xoxo

Hummingbird by Alex Clare

Today’s Music Monday is Hummingbird by Alex Clare.

Coachella Couture

Coachella isn’t just a music festival, it is a fashion festival – as these photos are testament to. Models, designers, actresses, muses and anyone-who-is-anyone descend onto the grassy planes of Indio California’s summer festival to rub shoulders with their beautiful counterparts. Take a look at some of our favourite Coachella-ers and how we will be incorporating festival vibes into our wardrobes via Symphony’s newest arrivals…

Diane Kruger

Dree Hemingway

Florence Welch

Kate Bosworth

Rumi Neely

Karlie Kloss

Jessica Szohr

Lily Collins & Emma Watson

WHAT WE WOULD WEAR TO COACHELLA…

Coachella, California April 2012

SILK PJ SUITS by SHAKUHACHI

LEOPARD PRINT MEREDITH WEDGES by CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA

JUMPSUITS by RACHEL ZOE

ACROSS THE BODY BAGS by JEROME DREYFUSS

CAT TOP & FLARES by OPENING CEREMONY

KIMONOS by ANNA SUI

All available at Symphony, The Dubai Mall now T: 04 330 8050

facebook.com/SymphonyDubai for full collection images and prices