Last week, I was invited to fly out to Muscat, Oman to attend their fashion week which is their 3rd one yet. (Shocked how I’ve never heard of it before) Organization aside, their fashion week was definitely better than I expected. The 3 day event took place at Al-Riyam park in Muscat. I’ve only been to Oman once for a Duke of Edinburgh expedition trip when I was in high school so it was a great chance to explore the city. The impressive part of the FW was the fact that they didn’t limit it to just Omani designers (there were Omani, but were joined by designers from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi and Jordan to name a few) After coming back to Dubai, several people asked me what the difference between Dubai Fashion Week & Muscat Fashion Week were… They are incomparable. Great crowd at MFW, and lots of great support from the Omani women.

Here is a breakdown of  my 3 days in Muscat…

Day One:

After arriving early morning to Muscat, we headed to Grand Hyatt hotel where we were staying. After freshening up, we had lunch at the beautiful Chedi Hotel (make sure you visit the hotel or stay there if you are in Muscat anytime soon!) That evening, we started with Muscat Fashion Week – day one…. The line up included:

-Nawal Al Hooti from Oman, who displayed a collection of embroidery, sheer tops – some great pieces for Ramadan Suhoor nights
-DAS from the UAE, who are stocked at places like Harrods, and have their own two-story store in Dubai. A Personal favorite… Think midnight blues, metallics and embroidery.
-Tatyana Aceeva from Jordan, who was Marchesa inspired and showed a collection of sheer dresses.
-The last one of the night, Zhor Rais from Morocco – another personal favorite of mine. The collection felt very Moroccon with embellished flats, belted jackets and harem pants.

Day Two:

For the second day of our trip, we started the day getting introduced to the first jewelry store in Oman, Jawahir Oman Jewellers. We were all given a history class on the importance of Jewelry within the Omani culture and a tour around the store. My favorite day of the 3 day event… The line up included…

-The night started with Toujouri, the fab Qatar based label by the talented Lama El Moatessem who is known for her Caftans, and has expanded into more gowns.
-Led on to Kanzi, the UAE based label who displayed sharp shoulders and bright colors.
-One of my favorite Middle Eastern labels, Razan Al Azzouni also showed at MFW – beautiful Scarlett red hues and lace textures.
-The evening  ended with Dibaj by Omani sisters – what a collection! I learnt about the brand at Muscat fashion week, and is definitely on my radar now.

Day Three:

On to the last day in Muscat (I left that night) and the Fashion Week Finale. We started the day at the Muscat Opera house to watch a beautiful contemporary dance show, which was just surreal. We then visited the Dibaj designer’s home (which had the best view) and we got to see the pieces up close and personal with Omani desserts to accompany the viewing. Great way to start the evening… The line up included…

-C’est Moi, a cocktail couture brand from the UAE.
-Omani label, Endemage by two sisters.
-Ahmed Talfit, a young Tunisian edgy designer.
-The evening ended with Mauzan, a gorgeous line of Abayas.

Thank you Muscat for the amazing three days! Enjoy the pictures above…  

muscatfashionweek.com