DUBAI: Part-Arab models have been taking over the Milan Fashion Week runways, walking for renowned luxury brands.
On Thursday, Dutch Palestinian catwalk star Gigi Hadid and French Algerian model Loli Bahia walked the Prada show.
Hadid, the 27-year-old star, stepped on the runway in a long tailored grey coat layered over a black jumper. She also wore a pair of matching grey shorts, adorned with delicate white three-dimensional flowers, and elevated her look with a pair of pale blue high heels.
Hadid stepped on the runway in a long tailored grey coat layered over a black jumper. (Getty Images)
Hadid’s makeup was kept minimal, but she donned light pink false lashes.
Meanwhile, Bahia sported a black cropped duffle coat with a structured hood and a calf-length pencil skirt. She wore black heels to match and added a pop of color by wearing yellow false lashes.
US supermodel Kendall Jenner also made an appearance on the runway wearing a camel duffel coat and bright yellow heels.
Some of the region’s It-girls attended the show including Saudi model Hala Abdallah, Romanian Jordanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi, Lebanese influencer Nathalie Fanj, Iraqi bloggers Rania Fawaz and Ola Farahat, Dubai-based fashion influencer Leena Al-Ghouti and Egyptian hijab-wearing model Aya Mohamed.
Bahia sported a black cropped duffle coat with a structured hood and a calf-length pencil skirt. (Supplied)
Other A-list guests included Dua Lipa, Sienna Miller, May Ray Thurman Hawke and Jeon Somi.
The latest Prada collection is designed by co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. Prada said that the pair wanted to give importance to modest, purposeful looks, not just “extreme glamour.’’
“Why not give importance to garments that people wear in the real life,’’ Simons told AP backstage.
The collection draws strongly on themes launched in the menswear look previewed last month.
There is an emphasis on architecture in the outwear, but with a more feminine touch. Cropped capes with military detailing offered a fresh silhouette, as did duffle coats with unexpected volumes on the back.
Perhaps the most adaptable of the runway looks were the pencil trousers worn with ribbed knitwear and pumps. They were shown in fetching color combinations like pink and seafoam green.
Hadid and Loli are not the only models taking over the runway in Milan.
Moroccan Italian model Malika El-Maslouhi opened the fashion show for Italian fashion label GCDS.
She wore a black leather skirt suit with a yellow shirt and a black tie. She accessorized her look with a bright yellow purse and heels. She opted for a curly retro hairstyle.
“I opened this gorgeous show. LOVED GCDS,” she wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, British Moroccan model Nora Attal walked for Italian label Tod’s. She walked the runway in a purple dress, with a high collar, that was clinched at the waist.
