Fashion Forward bursts into bloom on day two

Season five came alive at Fashion Forward on Saturday afternoon in Dubai with the eternally fresh designs of Lebanese graduates working with the talent incubator Starch Foundation.

For her, there were shift dresses in shades of lemon and lime, plus feminine separates in nautical blue and white. For him, there were board shorts aplenty, either white-on-white or trimmed with neon and paired with matching tanks and sleeveless gilets.

Another popular show was that of the Dubai-based designer Aiisha Ramadan, who received a bouquet of flowers from a front-row guest as she took a bow for her sleek and chic collection.

However, the true tussle of the titans came down to the catwalk presentations of Lebanon’s Jean Louis Sabaji and the Emirati designer Zareena Yousef.

Both received rapturous applause. Sabaji’s show began with a floral fairy-tale video by Fouad Tadros, in which a model ran through a forest in key pieces from the collection. The conceptual show, as in previous seasons, revisited the theme of Mother Nature, this time with spring flowers the inspiration. Stunning from start to finish, the bold, bright and beautifully constructed pieces left the crowd wanting more and swarming to congratulate the couturier post-show.

Suited and booted

Not to be overlooked was the roll-out of “His Hour”, hosted by Saks Fifth Avenue on Saturday. A welcome newcomer to the event – and one we hope to see again next season – the selection of apparel and accessories for men in one dedicated space proved a hit.

Front-row fashion

For big shows, the big names were sitting front row. Couturiers came to check out the competition, socialites came to earmark the next dress they’d be commissioning and the rest came to gawp. Chanel’s eternally popular Boy handbag swung from many shoulders while on the feet of the well heeled were studded patent sandals by Valentino. Ladies dressed in boundary-­pushing abayas and kaftans or opted for cropped jackets with metallic epaulettes worn over cocktail dresses.

For Monday’s diary

If you’ve managed to secure an invitation to Fashion Forward’s fourth and final day, hosted by d3, here are the highlights:

• 11.30am Designer workshop by Oleg Mitrofanov of Atelier Research on How the Eye Travels: Translating Arts and Crafts Into Contemporary Fashion.

• 3.30pm A panel discussion with Shireen El Khatib of Marquee General Trading and Alberto Oliveros of Level Shoe District on How to Get Your Brand into Stores: A Retailers Perspective.

• 4pm Designer workshop by Alice Shulman of the fashion brand MTWTFSS Weekday on Pragmatic Creative Tools and Methods in Fashion Design.

• 5.30pm A panel discussion on Fashion Criticism with Alice Shulman, Caterina Minthe of Style.com/Arabia and Nez Gebreel of the Dubai Design Fashion Council.

Fashion Forward concludes on Monday, April 13, at Madinat Arena, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. For the full schedule, visit www.fashionforward.ae. Check out our daily coverage on the All Dressed Up blog

rduane@thenational.ae