Issue 4

your weeklyimpression

new in...

nOir Jewelled knuckle-dusters, super-longspiked rings and stackables. This week wehave these showstopping arrivals fromcoveted accessories brand nOir. Thesebabies are coveted by A-listers like LadyGaga, Madonna and Rihanna. Just makesure you don't poke anybody's eye out.

2

YazbukeyFancy carrying Karl Lagerfeld, MichaelJackson or Lady Gaga on your blazer,your bag or around your neck? We havenecklaces and brooches from Paris-basedaccessories label Yazbukey, from theirever-popular collection Icognito. We love an injection of pop and fashion iconography in our accessories. They're simply pop-tastic!

3

in impression’swardrobe

sass & bideAs we embark into spring/summer it's always good to have a couple of investmentpieces which can carry you through intothe new season and beyond, just like this dress and jacket from hip Austrailianlabel sass & bide. The pastel shades areperfect spring colours, and the peplum skirton the dress is bang on trend. The quirkyrope details and structure of the jacketmean it nails next season>s futuristic trend.

4

a word with ... Ma!This week we chat to funky Qatari t-shirt designer Ma! about her exclusive collectionfor Impression Boutique

You are a graduate of Graphic Design and now you're a fashion designer - how did you come up with the idea of combining your love of graphic design with fashion design?

I don’t consider myself a fashion designer yet … I think I'm a graphic designer who loves fashion and I use fashion to show my graphic style. I'm using my own graphic style, "illustration, funky, traditional with a western twist," in my own fashion line.

You recently launched an exclusive collection for Impression Boutique - tell us about it.

I launched two collections; the first one was to introduce people to my style. My second collection was for Qatar National Day. In both collections I used my illustration style to highlight issues in society in a humorous way.

Why did you choose to incorporate traditional Qatari elements into your designs?

Because it's part of me. My mum still wears the batola, which is the traditional gold face veil, and I love this combination between her and me. I'm a modern Qatari woman who graduated from an American university and my mum doesn't know how to read. I'm wearing jeans and brands and she is still wearing traditional clothes.

Everybody has become crazy about t-shirts recently. Why do you think this is so?

I think this is one of our problems like any other society. People become crazy about things in a short period of time. For example cupcakes - everybody has become a cupcake chef, but only the good ones continue. I think if you have your own style and you are creative you will be successful in any field.

5