Styled Archives: When MENA Celebrities Rocked Lace

In 2001, Fairuz performed in Kuwait City wearing a black lace gown, backed by a 48-piece orchestra. The look was spare and exacting. A year later, Samira Said opened the Dubai Shopping Festival in a lace-trimmed top and low-slung trousers, styled for early-2000s stage glamour.

At her 2003 concert in Cairo, Haifa Wehbe wore sheer black lace, a jewel-studded belt, and smoky eyes. In 2004, Elissa performed in Kuwait City in white lace layered over a scarlet slip. Nancy Ajram’s 2006 Muscat Festival look featured a flared lace skirt designed for movement.

On the red carpet, lace remained precise. Lebleba wore it with shoulder bows at DIFF in 2008. In 2012, Najwa Karam appeared at Cannes in a white mermaid-cut lace gown. At CIFF in 2016, Elham Shahin wore black lace with sheer sleeves and a flowing skirt. In 2017, Laila Elwi paired velvet with a lace panelled skirt.

Rym Saidi wore a hooded black lace cape to the 2023 Red Sea Film Festival. In 2024, Nelly Karim appeared at the Discobolo Awards in a lace corset, tailored trousers, and a long black coat.

These moments offer a cross-section of how lace has moved through stages and red carpets across the region - one fabric, countless statements.