Most people nowadays have heard of Pilates or even tried it. It has justly earned its reputation as a life-changing form of exercise that really works. But what most people don’t know is that Pilates is not just something you do for an hour few times a week in the gym or a studio, it is a way of life. I know that sounds quite cliché but the only way to really change your body is to fully integrate the new way of moving and using your body into everyday life.

As anyone who’s been to the Gulf lately will have noticed, something’s up – quite literally – with the local hijab.  After a half-decade of explosive innovations in color, print, and surface embellishment, headscarf styling in the Khaleej has boldly entered the third dimension.  Some might argue that the veil’s new gravity-defying form is better suited to the twilight zone than the no-fly zone; still others might praise its queenly proportions.  But one thing is for sure: from sidewalk to mallwalk to university hall, “big hijab” is making an indelible mark on our concept of Is

One wonders what Edward Saïd, (the late Palestinian literary theorist, cultural critic, and political activist) would have made of the recent round of spring collections that just wrapped up in New York. As one flitted through the tents in Bryant Park, it was difficult to ignore a certain whiff of the Middle East permeating through many of the shows.

The girls at Jasmine Box in Jeddah have created a set of boho thobes just in time for Ramadan. Frankly, I think they would do great for a party in Tangiers or a late summer weekend in Mykonos or Ibiza....

Tala Hajjar Khalaf, PR Director for Maison Rabih Kayrouz gives a first hand account of Nhar B Saleh a one off event in Gemayzeh, which Beirut’s trend-setters can’t stop talking about.

Bringing together 10 designers and artists was a very exciting challenge.

It was the first event of its kind in Lebanon and we were all very eager to see the outcome.

Although the fashion press regularly report on couture’s American clientele and the stars who attend the shows, it is rare that one reads of its regular customers from the Middle East, who constitute a large portion of its buyers.

Brides get a few tips from Image Specialist Rana Saab. Whether you're torn between white or ivory for your wedding dress and can't figure out what to pack for your honeymoon - than this blog is for you...

Have you ever advised a bride for her wedding day?

 

With Cannes closing today (sunday) might be fun to have a look at what people wore. If you ask us, there's one or two looks that would look great at a black tie event such as this summer's dozen or so weddings...

Our picks: Christina Ricci, who looked quite beautiful in her black fourreau. Julianne Moore, theatrical, fragile and beautiful. They both sported Chopard jewelry.

Eva Longria always as fiery with her bright turquoise Versace dress.

Fashion week is an outstanding opportunity that for most, unfortunately only appears twice a year:

Girls Girls Girls… Stick Grab that guilt-filled cheese burger you have been craving for since the dawn of time as you jump off that dreadful treadmill, because believe me, you have worse worries… pull out your tweezers from your slim-to-none-sized handbags, boil that body wax you’ve been storing in that dark corner of your cabinet all darn winter and start sobbing uncontrollably!