How to look the part at Dubai International Film Festival

The DIFF VIP Lounge, introduced last year and located in Al Qasr hotel, has hosted celebrities including Colin Firth, Cate Blanchett and Kristin Davis. Nadia El Dasher takes a sneak peek at some of the 17 different brands of gifts and services the stars will peruse at this year’s event.

Musk Oud by Kilian. Courtesy Kilian

It’s the second year for the DIFF VIP Lounge, which is located in Al Qasr hotel. The lounge, which last year played host to celebrities including Colin Firth, Cate Blanchett, Kristen Davis, offers 17 different brands of gifts and services. Nadia El Dasher offers a sneak peek at what the stars will perusing at this year’s event.

Making a Kilian

The house of Kilian was launched in 2007 as a luxury fragrance brand. Kilian Hennessy, the man behind the launch, was introduced to the perfume world while writing his thesis on the semantic of odours at the Sorbonne Paris. After training with perfumers at Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani, Hennessy began his own journey into the world of fragrance. During the Dubai International Film Festival, celebrities will choose from Kilian’s three new collections: Playing with the Devil, Musk Oud (pictured) and Shanghai 1920. Playing with the Devil is a collaboration with the perfumer Calice Becker and is built around “forbidden fruits” and contrasting scents. Musk Oud is the last of the Arabian Nights collection that brought about a meeting of minds with Kilian and the Saint Laurent fragrance creator Alberto Morillas. The perfume combines liquorice, Bulgarian rose, Indian geranium and oud along with different musks. The final fragrance, Shanghai 1920, was inspired by the Chinese city and its glamour and elegance in the 1920s.

A rosy outlook

O’de Rose, the Dubai-based store, is a great stop for artisanal gifts and home-decor pieces. The shop is packed full of Arabian-inspired furniture, home accessories and jewellery, including chairs by the Lebanese design duo Bokja and cushions from We.rak. The store is also a firm supporter of Emirati designers. Celebrity giveaways include Tamer Khalifa’s pop-art cushion (pictured), which features movie star prints, as well as geometric jewellery by Azza Bijou.

Dazzling eyewear

The Austrian crystal specialists, Swarovski, does more than just homeware. The label has transformed into a fully fledged lifestyle brand that incorporates fashion, millinery, home decor and jewellery. This year, VIPs at DIFF will be able to get their hands on this pair of metal frames. The sunglasses, which feature ultrafine crystals embedded just above the lens, are a great mix of form meets function.

Juicy loves UAE

The American label Juicy Couture has come a long way from its velour tracksuit days. The “Juicy” emblazoned zip-up hooded jackets and tracksuit bottoms were a celebrity hit in the noughties and we predict that these “Juicy Couture hearts UAE” T-shirts will follow suit at DIFF. Stars will get their very own crystallised top in the colours of the UAE flag, quite appropriate seeing as the festival began just a few days after National Day festivities ended.

Because he’s worth it, too – male grooming at DIFF

The Dubai branch of the Mayfair men’s salon Gentlemen’s Tonic at Atlantis is the male equivalent of a luxury salon. The idea behind Gentlemen’s Tonic was to recreate a traditional barbershop for the modern man. From haircuts to wet shaves, the station offers men a chance to get in on pre-red carpet pampering.