Z for Zayd

Virgins in Popular Culture

Zayd — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:23:38 +0000

Balmain leather jacket. Marc by Marc Jacobs dress. Céline envelope clutch. Balenciaga boots. Homiès beanie. YSL gloss.

Opposites attract and that’s exactly what we have here. Dark, bold and hardcore items with a beautiful dress of a 21st-century virgin [and vice versa] give out an outstanding result at the end. Trust me.

A few essentials for this spring and summer that will make your life and choices in life much easier are displayed in the above set. I mood boarded inspirations and everyday garments: black leather jacket from Balmain and Balenciaga boots to a monochromatic, kaleidoscopic Marc by Marc Jacobs dress. Accessories between Céline and Homiès. Do not forget the YSL glossy stain ‘Rouge Pur Couture’ that will combine the texture and shine of a gloss with the long wear of a stain. You’re welcome!

xxo

What Royalty Tastes Like

Zayd — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:10:52 +0000

My friends and I have decided to visit the infamous castle of Fontainebleau, a French national heritage, where Napoleon and other royalties have lived during the Great French era. I can go on and on about how magical this place is but you really have to see it yourself if you ever come to Paris… Among the Far Eastern precious furniture, the golden-laced curtains and silk bedsheets, the ambiance of greatness and glory were still present in each and every room. We went to the back of the palace where a beautiful lake existed in the vast parks and took some shots. Check check this this out.

PS: I’ve been nominated for Best Fashion Blog in the Social Media Awards Beirut and I’m among the finalists now thanks to you lovelies. There is still voting to bypass, so if you like Z for Zayd and you believe that this is the best fashion blog in Lebanon please:

- Vote on the SMA Beirut website,

- Connect with Facebook or Twitter

- Go to the 6th category (Best fashion blog) by clicking on the white dots en bas

- Click on my photo (Z for Zayd) to vote

Thank you!

xxo

Massimo Dutti shirt. H&M denim shirt. Vintage coat, Lanvin pants, Pavarotti shoes. Rayban sunnies.

Details In The Showroom

Zayd — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:14:39 +0000

I’ve been kindly invited by Almaz Communication, a Paris/Beirut based PR/Consultancy agency, to its showroom here in Paris. The showroom contained young Lebanese designers’ collections such as Dina Jsr, Milia M. and Gemy Maalouf… These fresh talents were showcasing their latest collections (2013-2014) at the Almaz showroom. From Architecture inspirations, to Henna drawings appliqués on Dina’s collection using leather, to the use of leaves by Milia who pixelated a part of them to show the ‘Effect of technology on nature.’ Gemy Maalouf’s collection was present too, coming bolder than the last time with pieces more wearable than ever. All in all, the room decorated by Karen Chekerdjan furniture brought festivity into visitors who were all pleased by the efforts put into this event. A special thanks to Ms. Zeina Raphaël, who put it all together, for the invitation and the guided tour in the showroom! I also met the one and only Samar Youssef from the Une Libanaise à Paris!

xxo

Délires du Moment

Zayd — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 18:07:58 +0000

I’ve put a set together of all my current obsessions using Polyvore. Future-driven items with a modern twist, I can legitimately say they’re tomorrow’s wears. I’d like to think of this leather biker white jacket by the one and only Theyskens as a timeless piece of clothing, matching these wide satin noirs pants by Y-3. Céline merited the word ‘cult’ in its definition by US Vogue because I see this brand as effortlessness at its best. A French brand that could not embody the french style any better since les parisiennes have this reputation of being effortlessly elegant (think of Garance and Emmanuelle Alt). Céline is one of my personal faves because I see someone not trying too hard and while these shoes are to die for because they make something so uninteresting ,like feet, shine, the Audrey sunnies perfectly shape the human eyesight. Gucci has pioneered once again with the infamous transparent clutch made of perspex. For those who don’t give a shit about being seen carrying weed and condoms in their fastened clutches, please proceed to purchase this revolutionary Gucci Aristographic clutch.

1- Theyskens’ Theory leather biker jacket (here)

2- Gucci transparent clutch (here)

3- Y-3 wide pants (here)

4- Céline ‘Audrey’ sunglasses (here)

5- Céline heels 2012 (here)

Spring Breakers

Zayd — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:33:40 +0000

I went with a dear friend of mine to UGC Gobelins to watch the new movie Spring Breakers starring Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez. The billboards of the movie had been all over the city and people were talking about it, atop of that, the movie stars premiered the movie in Paris (which kinda made it a cultural obligation to go out and see it) so I was getting mixed reviews which irked me so I went out and watched it myself. I mean, I usually don’t go to the movies that often but when I do, it’s almost always something that triggers me and makes me wanna see it. All in all, it was total trash. Poorly-maintained scenario, crappy acting and really bad clothes… Not lots of words but lots of boobs flying around the place, it is really THE rockbottom of Hollywood. If you still haven’t got what the movie’s about, let me put it this way for you:

Good catholic girl goes bad with drugs, jail, money and a pimp while bad girls have fun because, well, they’re just bad! Booz and boobs always omnipresent. The motto: Spring Break forever.

Speaking of spring and breaks, I’m currently in Lebanon for two more days before heading back to my beloved Paree along with Wara’ 3enab (my fave for life). The weather has shocked me as its thrice as hotter as the French capital, another thing that shocked me is that we’re still in the very same place since a year ago (some would think I’d be exaggerating if I said worse). Anyhoo, I went to the beach on a sunny Tuesday with my bestfriend and we transformed my current obsession with denim and obscenely short shorts into an outfit post for you.

Vintage shirt, Zara shorts, Rockport loafers, Alsace bracelet, Giorgio Armani sunglasses.

Elie Saab FW 2013

Zayd — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:52:31 +0000

Few moments ago, Elie Saab showcased his latest collection and I couldn’t be any more madly in love than I am right now. I’m in a state of trance caused by all these shoes, long capes and artisticly sown dresses. I gathered some photos so that you can have an idea of what I’m talking about and perhaps join me in my hour of insanity. Mannequins walked down the runway along with “I Love You” by Woodkid (a song I’m constantly replaying ever since my ears captured Woodkid’s desperate [used in a meliorative context] vocals and the euphoric rythmes). I mean could you expect anything less from the brilliant Elie? What amazes me more is that he was at Tod’s today while he had an international show to put on few hours later, according to my first Chinese friend Eugenia.

xxo

Sorry for the bad quality images, I just wanted to share this with you as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Z for Zayd x Margiela x H&M

Zayd — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:11:12 +0000

I’ve been having less time for blogging on here because I’m planning on moving out and changing apartments here in Paris since my 6-months lease in my current place is over now. How do you know you’re childhood is officially over? When you start worrying about rents, leases, warranties, furnitures an sink installments… Makes you wanna come, right? I’ll probably be moving to ‘rive gauche’ which is the chicer, wealthier part of the city where you can find a typical man on a bike, wearing a stripped white sweatshirt whilst carrying a baguettes and a pack of cornichons. Anyways, along the thoroughly done packing, I found some time with my beloved friend Anne to surf the web and we came across a photo of the Margiela x H&M collection. It’s menswear, a wool coat that looks so versatile that it can be worn with anything from denim to preppy black clothing. SO. I head this incredible idea of using my Zara, inspired by this Margiela coat. I mean, this Zara coat is stuffed with wool and is made out of it from the inside, so I turned it inside out and wore it like it was made that way! And believe it or not, I kinda love the Margiela-inspired look. The only problem is the pockets hemlines and stitchings that sort of show on the sides. But, I mean I’m still falling for this woolen look thing, especially with black denim shirt that I happen to own. Check check this this out.

xxo

(So that’s the coat from the Margiela collection, I find it to be pure beauty, dontcha?)

from Refinery29

And then that’s what I did…

Zara everything.

Prada F/W 2013

Zayd — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:58:50 +0000

Personally, and for me, the most anticipated show of Milan fashion week got to be Prada. I mean, hoards of media, fashion and entertainment people patiently await the arrival of the new collection. They desperately try to acquire the latest pieces that Miuccia showcases every season on anorexic mannequins catwalking in the fashion capital of Italy. The Prada empire that became the Emperor itself hasn’t attained this overly-wide position in the fashion industry because of endorsements, nor trends. Miuccia Prada, the pioneer, transformed her inherited brand into an inaccessible luxury, far far away from democratized fashion goods. But the difference between Prada and another high-luxury brand is that the former focused on a pretty simple motto: ‘It’s Prada, it’s beautiful, and you can’t have it’. I believe that this theory is applicable on two facets, first one is that Prada is $$$, so only 3% of the masses can afford to keep it in their closets. And the other reason is that the styling they adopt in their campaigns or on the runways create the demand that -greedy- humans have into a need, a physiological one. Anywho, I’m not gonna blabber more about the elitism of Prada, but I wanted to comment on the new Fall 2013 collection we witnessed few days ago in Milano, Italia. A collection that was somehow different from everything we were used to seeing on the runway for the past few years.

Miuccia Prada’s biggest influences for this collection were actually her previous ones. If you could focus closely on the garments and silhouettes of this Fall 2013 collection, you could identify some elements that were déjà reflected, or should I say… Elements that somehow existed in a before Prada show. But the thing is that this collection was all about Miuccia getting personal with her design abilities, showing off her obsessions, her fantasies, her like’s and mainly her emotions. I mean, sure it is fashion week but it was more about the whole ambience of the show, the small creatures (such as birds and cats) that were moving in the background, the silhouettes and the mystery of being in a movie, a vintage one.

We saw oversized coats, waisted belts and sculpted bag that came in different material like animal skin. Some suits also infiltrated the collection, very preppy ones, a little big of course, but the belts were almost forever present on each model to sculpt her waist. Belts that varied between hard-metal and wide leather belts, glassés for sure. Onto another level (literally), the camouflage Miuccia exercised around the skirts hemlines was pretty noticeable.

A personal favorite detail I noticed on the catwalk was the excessiveness of the wrist-sleeve volume. Either it was the fur enrobing the wrists or just the coats’ sleeves that were sown to give this volume for the area, it is pretty major!

However, I’ll leave the combination of dresses and casual wear mixed together for you to judge guys!

So, on a scale from 1 to 10, rate Miuccia and her latest womenswear collection.

The Abstract Truth

Zayd — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:33:12 +0000

I really like today’s outfit because of the monotoned allure it gives to the overall ambiance… Fashion week just kicked off in NY, so this month I’m spending hours everyday on Style.com contemplating the latest looks from international designers. I hope there will be lots of jumpsuits because I feel they make the world a whole lot prettier…

On another matter, I noticed that latest purchases -tops, specifically- this season were mostly white, offwhite and light beige just like these two Celine garments. I’ve been keen on owning light-colored shirts, blouses and jackets ever since I lost weight here in Paris (incredible how I’ve always had a car to use back home and now I have to walk about 2 miles on average everyday).

Another thing I’ve been hooked on to is this new collection Lacoste blue-marine coat made from sheep wool. It’s been keeping me very warm during the icy cold days in France, plus it’s long and that’s exactly what I was looking for, above-the-knees length.

After the plain-colored garments I wore, I had to add a special something, that would kind of enrich the overall look so I put on this vintage bicycle necklace I got from a friend. And then I found out I was right, it sharpened my appearance after all.

Lacoste coat. similar here

Zara top. similar here

Zara pants. similar here

Tod’s shoes.

Vintage necklace.

Valentine’s Wishlist

Zayd — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:58:26 +0000

This is mostly for you guys -or homo chicks, in some cases. For this year’s Valentine’s day, here are my top 5 picks as presents. Sure some of these are quite expensive but getting inspiration from this set I created can do you no harm so man up and start shopping!

Disclaimer, if you’ve been dating for several years now, I think inspiration isn’t for you, unlike others, you’re gonna have to pay the whole thing. Don’t fall for the “Valentine’s day isn’t important for my baby, all I need is you”. She might mean that but the other part she didn’t really declare is: “… all I need is you, along with YSL, Godiva and some Tiffany & Co. to seal the deal.” The more expensive the gift is, the more likely you’re popping the cherry on the 14th of this month -another argument in your favor.

A structured red Valentino dress with no sleeves and preppy details all along the average-long dress resembling to pointy waves if I must say. Another stunner are these pumps from Sergio Rossi embellished with Swarovski crystals, crowned with a suede upper and an open-toe. Then comes the Calibre de Cartier watch for men with 18k rose gold, although very pricey ($28,000) but I couldn’t think of any perfecter time-keeper to hold on your wrist.Illesteva shades with round frames and a chic glass iridescent purple and don’t worry about UV protection, they’ve got that covered too. And Finally, the little cute satchel I found during an online shopping spree that kind of reminds me of the infamous PS1 bag, but this is the less-formal version of it, although the PS1 bag couldn’t look any more casual. Check out this F&F satchel that costs as much as 3 jars of Nutella or two Durex packs.

xxo

1- RED Valentino dress here

2- Sergio Rossi pumps here

3- Calibre de Cartier watch for men here

4- Illesteva sunnies here

5- F&F satchel here