Q&A with fashion designer Caroline Seikaly

Caroline Seikaly's SS15 collection is now available at Galeries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall. (Courtesy of Caroline Seikaly)

Beirut-based designer Caroline Seikaly recently visited the UAE to launch her SS15 collection. Read our Q&A with the French-American designer who talks about what inspires her, the difference between French and Lebanese fashion, and what it was like to work with Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Lacroix.

What was the inspiration behind your SS15 collection

It was a mix of James Bond and Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Very 1960s.

How do you go about designing a collection?

I’m usually first inspired by the beautiful fabrics I find. I love Italian prints and French lace and I’ll typically buy from the same manufactures. In my current collection I use this beautiful French lace with velvet on it — it looks like graffiti. I then take the colours from the fabrics and from there the collection starts to build. I don’t typically pick a specific theme, though. I use to do that years ago, but that was more of a school thing. And it helps. But now that I’ve had a lot of experience and I’m older, I find I’m more inspired by music and movies. Things just mesh in my mind and a collection comes out.

You say that you became interested in a couture at a very young age. Why do you think this was the case?

I grew up in Potomac, Maryland where there really wasn’t a fashion scene. Just the pool and a lot of horses! But we’re all artists in my family. My sister is a painter, my other sister is an architect and my great-grandmother was a costume designer for the Moulin Rouge and Follies in Paris during the 30s. So fashion and art is basically in our blood. It wasn’t a case of me looking at fashion and thinking “oh I want to do that”. It came about more naturally. Also, I use to watch a lot of old movies like Singing in the Rain and I loved people like Marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. I also use to dance and do ballet at the Potomac Dance Center. So more specifically, my love for couture came from movies and dance.

As you use to dance, can we see an element of movement in your designs?

Yes. My favourite thing to do is floaty dresses, especially muslin dresses. Think Isadora Duncan. Anything really that shows the female form, which I’m really interested in. I always think, “how can I make you [the customer] look beautiful”? I don’t go and try to reinvent something or create some weird concept. I want the women who wear my dresses to look and feel beautiful.

You lived in France for 10 years and currently live in Beirut. What would you say is the difference between the style in Paris as opposed to Beirut?

It’s more natural in Paris. French women don’t put a lot of effort into the way they dress. When they get dressed, it comes from within. They pick things that they feel comfortable in and matches their personality. They’re more modern, more avant garde. It doesn’t matter what people say. The Lebanese women, however, are a bit more coquet. They want the bag, the shoes, the dress, the hair style — they really want to look good and for them it’s about the whole package.

You worked with Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld. What was that like?

I went to Lacroix for a six month internship and worked for Lagerfeld for seven years. It was amazing. I got really lucky because they’re complete opposites. I was very much like Lagerfeld initially, very architectural, very graphic, and very into black and white. I wasn’t very good with colour at the time. So when I went to Lacroix, he was very different. A lot of draping and colours. I was amazed. Now, though, I really try to mix both into my collections.

As you frequently travel to the UAE, how would you describe the local fashion scene?

They’re all fashionistas. They love their fashion here and it’s become like a small fashion capital. Women here definitely follow the European and American trends.

Caroline Seikaly is available at Galeries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall.