Cannes 2019: Priyanka Chopra’s Couture Comes From Beirut Points To A New Fashion Order

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Hot Take: Priyanka Chopra's couture comes from Beirut, what was once called 'the Paris of the Middle East'. Her choice, Georges Hobeika, points to a new fashion order.

Priyanka Chopra and stylist Mimi Cuttrell are a match made in fashion heaven. This time, the actor stepped out in a stunning Georges Hobeika creation. The tiered and ruffled dress by the Lebanese designer looked ethereal on the actor.

Her choice played to a much larger trend of Bollywood actors spotlighting a wave of Middle Eastern designers taking the couture world by storm. We've seen a long line of stars – Chopra among them – championing names like Georges Chakra, Rami Kadi, Ashi Studio, Michael Cinco (Dubai-based Filipino designer), Nedret Taciroglu, Ziad Nakad, Rami Al Ali, Alina Anwar, and Yousef Aljasmi.

These couture labels present a fascinating counterpoint to heritage European couture labels, which are famously well-represented on the red carpet. (After all, every A-list actor worth their salt has been spotted in Dior or Chanel at one point or another.) While both poles of couture are rooted in craft, they subscribe to different ideals of beauty. The Middle Eastern labels have an underrated flair for opulence.

This second wave of designers have been emboldened by the crossover success of legends such as Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad, Rabih Layrouz, and Reem Acra. One could argue they paved the way for Hobeika to have his moment at Cannes 2019 today.

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Hot Take: Honayda shrunk the fashion biggies. Priyanka Chopra makes her Cannes debut in a shimmery Roberto Cavalli, but red carpet-newbie Honayda stole the spotlight for us.

Chopra chose a white jumpsuit from Honayda for the premiere of 5B. The plissé pleated neck tie and jumpsuit details were all kinds of cool. Stylist Mimi Cuttrell paired this with a mini bag from Swiss fashion house Akris – small enough to hold a pair of keys and not much else! – which was totally on-point. It played to the idea of extremes, which the fashion sphere is obsessed with.

We were happy to be introduced to a new name! Enter Saudi Arabian designer Honayda Serafi, whose Lebanon-based label aims to reflect a slice of modern Saudi society. After studying Islamic art, she honed her fashion skills in Paris. Most recently, she was in the news for creating a capsule collection which riffed on the lifting of the driving ban.  

Honayda's all-white jumpsuit easily outshone the embellished, glittering-night sky-ish Roberto Cavalli she chose for the main do – premiere of Rocketman. As is customary these days, the looks debuted on her Instagram via a magazine-worthy shoot.

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