Last week, Souq.com inaugurated their fashion division with an affair at the XVA Gallery at Gate Village in Dubai. To celebrate the launch, Souq.com flew in power stylists Mariel Haenn and Rob Zangardi—the masterminds behind Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Lopez, and Rihanna’s looks. They have been working together for six years now, after they met whilst Mariel was working with MTV and ended up teaming up for their first project together: Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ music video. Having just finished styling Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad for her tour, Haenn and Zangardi sat down to talk with Style.com Arabia.
What is the process of styling a client?
Everyone is different and it will depend on the occasion—for example music videos and performances require a different process compared to a red carpet event. For performances there is usually a story the artist wants to tell so we work with them and come up with ideas and inspiration on the best way to tell that story.
Style tip?
Have fun! Wear clothes that make you feel good and confident regardless of what’s trendy at the moment.
What is a great investment?
Invest in great classic staple pieces that you can wear many ways—and mix them up with fast fashion items. It’s one of the reasons why we’re so excited about working with Souq Fashion—as it will allow shoppers to purchase high street and designer pieces from the same online fashion destination and mix them in as many ways as possible.
How would you style three key Fall/Winter ’12 trends?
This Fall you’ll see a lot of leather pants/skirts, metallic, and peplums. Both a leather skinny pant or fitted skirt is a cool, edgy look. Pair it with a simple tee for a more casual look or with a blazer and colored top for a more sophisticated twist. Next up you’ll be seeing metallic madness. You can wear metallic pieces from day-to-night. For daytime, wear a metallic skirt with a solid, neutral colored sweater. The mix of textures will be cool and low key. For a more dramatic nighttime appeal, try a jewel-tone metallic look. Go all out! Peplums are back again for fall. You can wear a peplum, pencil skirt with your business shirts or a peplum mini-dress for a night out. Renee London has some amazing peplums in their latest collection and we can’t get enough of the Matini peplum dress. It’s the ultimate LBD and will flatter most figures. Ultimately, it’s all about owning the exaggerated look. If you’re a fan of the exaggerated look you’ll love Renée London for quirky details, Paprika for bold prints, Virgos Lounge for embellishment, and Lebanese designer Dina JSR for show stopping gowns and cocktail dresses.
How do you elevate your client’s wardrobe every season?
We start with imagining the look we want to create for them. Then, we incorporate season appropriate colors, silhouettes and then build a look for that specific client. We take simple pieces and make them into something different and amazing. Souq Fashion has some stunning accessories which will help bring your wardrobe right up to date. The Lexx Perry studded cuffs for example, will instantly transform and update any outfit—giving a chic and subtle nod to the studs and spikes trend.
Tip on how to transform a look from day to night?
When taking a look from day to night, pay attention to colors and textures. Pick one color to mix with neutrals. We love an ox blood red or emerald green. These colors are daytime friendly and still sultry for nighttime. For fabrics, try mixing a knit sweater (LNA have a great knitted T-shirt) or sweater dress with a leather skinny pant, wool coat, or metallic shoe. This keeps your look fresh throughout the whole day.
Women in the Middle East love looking glamorous at night, but how do you style a day look without it being too boring?
Pick one piece of your outfit to highlight. We love accessories and layering them up. Your simple business or casual look can take a turn for the best with the help of some amazing embellishments. Try a brightly colored bag or shoes, purples and reds are great for Fall/Winter. Tory Burch’s collection is ideal—her flats come in a range of beautiful colors, perfect for putting a twist on a simple day look. When it comes to jewelry, you can also try layering different lengths and widths of chain necklaces, bangles and rings. The more the merrier! We’ve spotted Souq Fashion’s collection of Mynita bracelets which are perfect for mixing and matching (and those skulls give off just a hint of rock- chick!), or, for a more sophisticated look, we love Susan Hanover Design’s bold and beautiful jeweled cuffs and bangles.
www.souq.com/fashion
