There are moments that belong to the world, and then there are moments that belong - entirely, unmistakably - to Egypt. The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum was both: an unveiling years in the making, a collective exhale that felt like a reunion with ourselves. It was the kind of evening that makes you stand a little taller, breathe a little deeper, and remember where your story began.

For the occasion, designer Marmar Halim, one of Egypt’s most introspective couturiers, was entrusted with dressing the First Lady, Entissar Amer and her daughter, Aya El-Sisi. “It was an immense honour,” she says. “Each gown carries the soul of Egypt - its history, its resilience, and the grace of its women. It’s not only fashion; it’s a tribute to who we are.”The First Lady’s gown, cut from silk crêpe de chine, shimmered like a held breath - long-sleeved, gold-embroidered, and inscribed with lines of ancient calligraphy that read:

“من رمال التاريخ إلى نور اليوم، أرتدي مصر”
From the sands of history to the light of today, I wear Egypt.

“وينحني الزمن أمام مجد مصر”
Time bends before the glory of Egypt.Her daughter’s gown, rendered in white with pleats, extended the lineage forward:

“ومن نسلها تولد القوة”
From her offspring comes strength.

“مصر عظيمة وتاريخها خالد”
Great Egypt and immortal history.
Fastened by a lotus clasp, the cape’s hem traced the Key of Egypt - a motif that seemed to hum in tune with the night itself. Architecture, music, couture: everything pulsed with the same ethos, as if, beneath the museum’s monumental light, an entire nation had momentarily remembered its own reflection.