Category: Retail Therapy

The Porsche 918 Spyder celebrates world debut

Leave a comment

PI-VR GmbH vred 6.07

Diva is on about Porsche again…This time for good reason as the technologically pioneering Porsche 918 Spyder celebrated its debut at this year’s International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. The super sportscar with plug-in hybrid drive marks the beginning of a new era for sportscar manufacturing.

Never before has a super sportscar designed for everyday use offered such an impressive dynamic performance combined with the fuel consumption of a compact car. In setting this technological benchmark, the Porsche 918 Spyder is taking on a pioneering role similar to that of the 911 when it was unveiled at the IAA fifty years ago.

Anyway…to mark this anniversary, Porsche is presenting the “50 years 911” limited edition model. Based on the 911 Carrera S platform, this special model combines traditional 911 features with state-of-the-art technology. Porsche is completing its sportscar line-up with the new 911 Turbo, which is being presented to the public for the first time at the major trade show in Frankfurt.

The 918 Spyder is the continuation of the traditional Porsche DNA in a ground-breaking sportscar concept. Designed from the start to be a high-performance hybrid, the 918 Spyder boasts an unprecedented combination of performance (offering the 887-bhp output of a super sportscar) and the virtually silent locomotion of an electric vehicle.

What excites me most – The vehicle is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and offers an average standard fuel consumption of between 3.0 and 3.3 litres/100 km. The 918 Spyder concept also allows a combustion engine to be combined with an electric motor-based drive to further optimise the dynamic performance of the vehicle.

Going back in history – Since its debut at the IAA in September 1963, the 911 has been revered by car enthusiasts around the world as the epitome of the sportscar. The bestseller is now celebrating its 50th anniversary in Frankfurt, and Porsche is marking the occasion with a limited edition model based on the current 911 Carrera S.

Only 1963 special models are available – the same number as the year of the 911 world premiere. In addition to a comprehensive features package and various visual references to the early years of this iconic sportscar, this very special 911 model exclusively combines the wide body of the all-wheel models with the traditional rear-wheel drive of the original 911, which also featured a flat-six engine that transmitted power to the rear wheels.

A Million Little Pieces

Leave a comment

dima shereen shabnam

Dima Ayad’s new collection really does try to meet the needs of women from all spheres of life.

She recognises that a Woman’s life is made of ‘A Million Little Pieces’ through the roles she strives to fulfil and the people that she engages with in her life. This season’s inspiration drew from a mother, a wife, a sister, a confidante, a lover, a successful working woman, and the list goes on for the many roles a Woman endures.

The Autumn Winter collection is brought to life with subdued tones of Blue, Grey, Rose, Gold, Ivory Purple and Burgundy and a hint of Lime Green. Dima’s staple fabric use of Lace, Gros grain, Crepe, Silk and Tulle ensured the collection evolved while staying true to it signature…. check them out.

dima ayad shereen shabnam

Culinary diversity at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island

Leave a comment

Al Maryah Island - promenade shereen

 Just when I mentally told myself I will be on diet for the next 3 months, it gets thwarted  by news of amazing new dining options – all I can say is I’m glad its in Abu Dhabi so to some extent, the calories will be burnt in travel should I stumble towards Al Maryah Island in the next few weeks.

 Set to open in the coming weeks, The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi’s new luxury retail and dining destination, will not only feature an unrivalled collection of designer labels and luxury brands but also the finest cuisines and some of the world’s most acclaimed dining concepts. Thirteen gourmet outlets that will bring the culinary diversity in Abu Dhabi to a new level are set to impress even the most sophisticated palates.

The Galleria is establishing a reputation as Abu Dhabi’s most alluring urban hub, with 8 new dining concepts, adding to previously announced venues including Zuma, set to complement Emporio Armani Caffe, Almaz by Momo, Caffé Nero and Magnolia Bakery.

Any craving will be catered for by a mixture of licensed and unlicensed venues that will adorn The Galleria’s stunning setting, offering a range of international cuisines by Bentley Bistro & Bar, Café Bateel, Biryani Pot, Nolu’s Downtown, Lemongrass, Carluccio’s,  Burger Fuel and Taqado.

Developed by Gulf Related and Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure (MREI), The Galleria on Al Maryah Island is a 33,000 square meter (355,000sq. ft) GLA luxury shopping and dining development with a stunning waterfront promenade….. looks like we have to keep an eye on the waistline with all the delights coming our way this year.

Celebrating Women Entrepreneurship at the 15th Women’s Exhibition

Leave a comment

image001

It’s the time of the year when preparations have begun for the awesome Women’s exhibition we have been enjoying the last few year thanks to Thoraya Al Awadhi, Founder and CEO of Thoraya Al Awadhi Group of Companies.

The realization of a vision comes to life with Women Entrepreneurs, Trailblazers and Industry Supremes coming together in a celebration of ingenuity…. hence this is an ideal platform to participate in the “15th Women’s Exhibition” to be held on October 31 to November 03, 2013 at the Dubai World Trade Center, Zabeel Hall 2.

This year’s 15th Women’s Exhibition will continue in the fashion of the previous 14th Women’s exhibitions, however on a much larger scale, with over 100 stands for exhibitors to showcase their products and services from the region and abroad.

This year’s sector variety is also expanded to include fashion, jewellery, spas and wellness to travel agencies, financial services, medical supplies and health products in addition to many other sectors.

Personally I have enjoyed the exhibitions tremendously and have always commended the work Thoraya does to elevate the women, be they entrepreneurs or women already in business or any organization whose target happens to be women. The ambience is always fun, friendly and you feel like its more a festive atmosphere than an exhibition for visitors, hence the excitement in visitors and exhibitors returning year after year.

Registrations and bookings of exhibition stands are now officially open. For more information about this event and past events please visit www.thorayagroup.com or write to info@thorayagroup.com

thoraya exhibition shereen

Culinary diversity at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island

Leave a comment

Al Maryah Island - promenade shereen

 Just when I mentally told myself I will be on diet for the next 3 months, it gets thwarted  by news of amazing new dining options – all I can say is I’m glad its in Abu Dhabi so to some extent, the calories will be burnt in travel should I stumble towards Al Maryah Island in the next few weeks.

 Set to open in the coming weeks, The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi’s new luxury retail and dining destination, will not only feature an unrivalled collection of designer labels and luxury brands but also the finest cuisines and some of the world’s most acclaimed dining concepts. Thirteen gourmet outlets that will bring the culinary diversity in Abu Dhabi to a new level are set to impress even the most sophisticated palates.

The Galleria is establishing a reputation as Abu Dhabi’s most alluring urban hub, with 8 new dining concepts, adding to previously announced venues including Zuma, set to complement Emporio Armani Caffe, Almaz by Momo, Caffé Nero and Magnolia Bakery.

Any craving will be catered for by a mixture of licensed and unlicensed venues that will adorn The Galleria’s stunning setting, offering a range of international cuisines by Bentley Bistro & Bar, Café Bateel, Biryani Pot, Nolu’s Downtown, Lemongrass, Carluccio’s,  Burger Fuel and Taqado.

Developed by Gulf Related and Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure (MREI), The Galleria on Al Maryah Island is a 33,000 square meter (355,000sq. ft) GLA luxury shopping and dining development with a stunning waterfront promenade….. looks like we have to keep an eye on the waistline with all the delights coming our way this year.

Guy Laroche 2013 Spring/Summer Swiss Timepieces

Leave a comment

Diva is in watch mode – moving house has helped me uncover some hidden gems in my stash in form of watches so with renewed interest, I am now looking at dress watches. Paris Gallery launched the Guy Laroche 2013 Spring/Summer so I decided to see what they had to offer…. I like the one in the photo below out of the four that I saw but if you like dress watches, check them out.

Guy Laroche - SL1002-01 - AED1290 copy

The fluidity of this new Swiss collection evolves from the luxurious, chic, and refined into efficient, accessible and trendy. This season’s designs are all about defining the brand especially for those who identify with the GUY LAROCHE image.

Dignite: Elegance and simplicity are definitely part of the GUY LAROCHE image. This simple case design carries a European taste with its etched monogram GL Signature logo on the surface, and for the dial, three hands with a subdial for the seconds hand. The genuine leather strap is available in Guy Laroche’s signature color — black and white – as well as in ochre.

Elegance: Carousel is the inspiration for this new series. A pleasantly amazing watch, the design innovation is a big step for Guy Laroche in its creation; a stainless steel case with cubic zirconia and SWAROVSKI crystals placed together to create charming flower and leaf patterns on the surface.

There is a matching rolling decoration piece that playfully moves around the watch 360˚ in the slightest shift of the wrist. The genuine leather straps also feature on its back, some soft colors as an added detail. Very elegantly-designed, this timepiece is sure to be the talking piece in any cocktail party.

Sacoor Brothers Womenswear

Leave a comment

Have you have the chance to visit any of the Sacoor Brothers stores yet? If not, you better hurry and get yourself a classy and super sophisticated fashion fix. Sacoor Brothers is little diva’s fashion fix. I love the stuff but my voluptuousness somehow is not suitable for most of their cuts so i just make do with their awesome accessories. If you have a figure like Mademoiselle NJD, head out there. Whether it’s for the office or a relaxed Friday with friends and family, Sacoor Brothers offers you the right outfit for any occasion!… Wish I could fit into them as easily as NJD. See some of my favourite pieces below.

Bag AED 1225 (4)Moccasins AED 795Pencil Skirt AED 625 (2)Shirt AED 395

Moon Jars

Leave a comment

NJD Moon Jar

Because one of the best routes to get to Fiji these days is via Korea, Tash and I have had the opportunity to see moon jars of Korea a number of times…the first time was when we had a couple of nights in Seoul where we experience the first snow Seoul had in years and our first sighting of a moon jar. More recently, we saw a really good moon jar exhibition in London at the Korean Cultural Centre. (Actually it will be there until the 17th of August 2013).

The moon jar is a vessel shaped albeit like the moon where the height of the body is almost equal to its diameter.

We learnt at the exhibition that the technique used to make the jar is by joining two separate parts that make the diameter of the base smaller than that of the mouth, so the shape appears unstable.

The beauty is that these slight imperfections, in harmony with the cream body actually highlight the sheer size of the voluptuous curves, lending to a greater dignity in the piece….that almost sounds like a description of me – voluptuous with some imperfections but overall in harmony with myself.

Anyway….moon jars were created by royal kilns primarily between the late 17th and 18th century and used for utilitarian purposes – for storing food, displaying flowers etc.

NJD2000

The exhibition was a nice detour as we introduced Tash to various parts of London. It is important I feel that mixed kids need to know both sides of their parents’ heritage and feel connected to our childhood, our upbringing and get exposure to the life we lived.

Tash is very lucky to have travelled the world – Over 20 countries before the age of 12 and having a connection to Fiji, UK, Spain, Malaysia and UAE will help her understand the strong influences of these countries she sees at home.

PS: *The artists in London whose work I saw included Adam Buick, Jack Doherty, Akiko Hirai, Gareth Mason and Yee Sookyung. There is also a beautiful video still of the artists at work called Aspheric Light by James Kelly.

Tash London1

Peacock Collection from Mouawad

Leave a comment

Mouawad Peacock Collection ShereenShereen Shabnam Mouawad Peacock

Mouawad’s skilled awesome artisans have come up a stunning nature inspired jewellery collection that evokes the hues and beauty of peacock plumes…the last time I saw a Mouawad piece was months ago so it was superb to see some new pieces from them this week.

The new range of precious jewellery combines diamonds and multi-coloured precious gemstones and boasts a sophisticated chromatic effect.  The new Peacock collection is perfect to complement and adds a touch of colour to any wardrobe during special Ramadan occasions.

Released in limited numbers, the items of the new collection are all realized in 18K white gold and set with diamonds, citrines, sapphires, tourmalines and peridots. Matched in different combinations, the colourful stones create a graceful medley of bright white, deep blue, dark green, warm red, pink-violet and golden yellow, recalling the tones of the peacock’s plumage.

The Peacock collection captures the colourful splendour of nature’s most romantic bird in a striking and delicate range of bangles, earrings, necklaces, pendants and rings. Worn individually or combined to create a coordinated set, the pieces of the collection will grace a woman for every occasion and captivate during upcoming Ramadan social gatherings.

With prices starting from to USD$ 6,950 to USD$ 47,200 the Peacock collection is available in all Mouawad boutiques across the GCC.

Mouawad Peacock Shereen Shabnam