There is one thing we can all agree on: “mother” is another name for “love”, with all that this word entails, of fire and water and roller coasters. Our moms, we want them to be the most beautiful, the happiest, the most fulfilled people on the planet. From childhood, we are crazy about their perfume, we have stars in our eyes when we see them wearing a new dress, when they have a new hairstyle, when they put on makeup and on their earrings before heading out for the evening. We grow up, they age, but we would like this magic to never end. And then Mother’s Day comes around. A new opportunity to help make the pleasure of admiring them come to the fore once more. To get away from mainstream gifts, Pulse is here to help you find the perfect present by offering you four designer creations that the Arab world can be proud of, plus one we just couldn’t resist.
1 | A bag, but “not just any bag”
We’ve found an alternative to Lady Dior, one by Lilian Afshar, under the L’Afshar label, and made in Dubai. Drawing on her up-bringing as a British-born Iranian who moved around a lot between London, Vancouver, Marbella and Dubai – Lilian’s aesthetic is inspired by her travels and love of art. The Maxime bag comes in pink embossed crocodile genuine leather. It has an inside shoulder strap and features a thick gold chain top handle option. Just look at that candy pink, taking you back to your childhood and making you want to dig your little fingers into it, looking for a lollipop.
2 | Flares
We chose the orange-paprika version, to wear with the magenta sweater, gigot sleeves, reinforced shoulders and a sunflower motif. A 70s aesthetic that will bring her back to her crazy youth in the blink of an eye, in colors that she may never have dared to wear. As Sara Tamimi, the Abu Dhabi born designer, puts it: “Looking back at pictures of older times and how fashionable women dressed gave me a nostalgic feeling of what clothes represent – a lasting statement in each piece, an identity – all while keeping it feminine and luxurious. Determined to bring back the grandeur of an earlier time, with my love for exploring unique fabrics and opulent textures, I designed my collection by mixing demure and daring.”
3 | A fresh rose quartz ball
It’s like a giant dew drop that refuses to vanish. The creator of this sensual object, made with a roller with a sculpting and depuffing action, is Huda Kattan, the Iraqi-American make-up artist whose ambition led to a successful business and her making a name for herself in the world of cosmetics. Her bet paid off, as she managed to turn a $6,000 loan into a business now worth over $1 billion. No doubt she understood everything about women’s expectations. Trust her.
4 | A jewel, of course
Let’s hope dad wants to help, even if mom is not his mom. Certainly, a heart is the first symbol that comes to mind when it comes to love, but hearts…? We’ve have seen too many of them. Lebanese jeweler Joanna Dahdah’s is different, both baroque and contemporary, like a precious striped candy. It’s called Mila and comes in rings, earrings and pendants. Available in ivory, lapis blue or red enamel, it bears in its center a precious stone, a ruby, emerald or diamond, from which rays set with brilliants radiate. Dahdah’s debut collection Muse has featured on the pages of Italian Vogue and won her ‘Best Newcomer 2010’ at London Jewelery Week.
5 | A pasta necklace
It’s our favorite. Who hasn’t strung pasta, tongue out, to give their mom the most precious jewel (apart from their arms around her neck)? But if you’re no longer four years old, Simon Porte Jacquemus offers an alternative to a pasta necklace that will end up decomposed at the bottom of a drawer: the gold-plated copper pasta necklace! Now, that’s brilliant, isn’t it?
