All New 2007 Sahar Collection (with pics!!!!)

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Yes, I'll go ahead and post all of them in a new thread when the last two come in in mid-August! You will all see that they really are nice costumes indeed!

Originally Posted by ejaghana

Oh Chirstina...please post pics! We want to see your collection! That Marilyn costume with the red lip earrings sounds delicious!!!

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Thanks for your post Heinakuu and Kina. I don't know why I wrote that. I think I was afraid to post them. But I have decided that I will. I know that you all will love the costumes! I'll start a new thread next month on my costumes (I will have 14) so a new thread will be required with all the pictures!

Originally Posted by heinakuu

kina - my words exactly.- Christina please post here, be kind to us who desperately want to see them. You are a source of very unique information as always and everytime you post I want to read it immediately.

[ChristinaRizkallah]

The black and white just reminds of black and white stripes. It doesn't remind me of a zebra cuz I think zebra stripes would be a little curvy. But that's interesting you say that, because Sahar actually calls that one her "zebra" costume!

Also, you are right, we pay that price for the couture look and also for the fact that you won't see it duplicated on many dancers the way you will see Pharaonics, Eman and others duplicated. I had a conversation about that with Sherif and he told me that regarding Dina's spider costume (which is the first costume I ordered from Sahar and the one I asked him about), he said that Sahar has only made that costume for four dancers in the whole world (Dina, me, an Egyptian dancer in Alexandria and a dancer in Tunisia). Only my costume and Dina's are both dark blue, the other two dancers requested them in black. So you really won't see many people wearing them... But I have seen many copies/knock-offs of the spider costume by other designers on other dancers.

Originally Posted by Arella

I love the style of the stripped... but it makes me think of zebras....

I think these costumes look very well made, very fitted, unique ... very couture.

I do think with the minimalist costumes you do need a better body than with the 'loaded' costumes.... with minimalist costumes theres nothing to distract from body flaws... just my opinion....

I happen to like the halter bra look..its different and sexy.

I'm not really a label whore, even though I own my fair share of Manolos...
I'm more into style and a well made garmet/costume....
Couture also means they won't be mass produced...
to me its really worth the price if you don't see the costume you paid 1000 or more for on 10 other dancers!

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Yes, you are right. I guess I was too sensitive. I'll be post a thread of all my costumes next month for sure. Stay tuned...

Originally Posted by carolynn

why would you interpret expressions of distaste to be hostility? you shouldn't take "i don't like that" as an attack. it's just someone's opinion.
i hate it" isn't all that different from "i love it." you need to accept that people's not liking Sahar designs is part of what you're paying for when you buy her costumes because they're unique, unusual, different, etc. if everyone liked it, it wouldn't be pushing the envelope.

[carolynn]

any chance there will be some on hand to admire the 26th?


Tamra-henna just got two Sahars. they are beautiful-- one is the cutest lime green and the other a delicious red.

[carolynn]

Christina, have you ever seen Jillina's spider costume? it was the first i'd seen; she had it made in 1997? 1998? but it's a dress. yours is a bedlah, right?

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Do you mean that you would like me to post them by July 26th? I can look into it. I'm pretty busy during the week with my work and then I am booked solid all weekends until my vacation. But if I am unable to post them before then, for sure, I will post them in August. I probably won't be able to model them, but I can lay them on the bed or borrow my friend's mannequin and photograph them that way.

Tamrahenna-if you can post your pictures, that would be great. I think I will end up by posting mine in August...

Originally Posted by carolynn

any chance there will be some on hand to admire the 26th?


Tamra-henna just got two Sahars. they are beautiful-- one is the cutest lime green and the other a delicious red.

[tamrahennatx]

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

Do you mean that you would like me to post them by July 26th? I can look into it. I'm pretty busy during the week with my work and then I am booked solid all weekends until my vacation. But if I am unable to post them before then, for sure, I will post them in August. I probably won't be able to model them, but I can lay them on the bed or borrow my friend's mannequin and photograph them that way.

Tamrahenna-if you can post your pictures, that would be great. I think I will end up by posting mine in August...

Carolynn means the "other" Tamra-henna, lol. I have no Sahars...

But Rania, on the other hand, has a yummy white one...

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Yes, I have seen Jillina's spider costume. I think its one of her best costumes. My understanding based on a conversation I had with Louchia a few years ago, is that a local Russian designer made it for Jillina-not Sahar. My two Spider costumes (one from Hallah) and one from Sahar are both two piece. On Hallah's web site (www.hallahmoustafa.com) she has a one piece spider costume, I think she is selling it for $1,000-$1,100. Her spider design is pretty extravagant. She uses lots of crystals.

Originally Posted by carolynn

Christina, have you ever seen Jillina's spider costume? it was the first i'd seen; she had it made in 1997? 1998? but it's a dress. yours is a bedlah, right?

[firefly5]

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

Yes, I have seen Jillina's spider costume. I think its one of her best costumes. My understanding based on a conversation I had with Louchia a few years ago, is that a local Russian designer made it for Jillina-not Sahar. My two Spider costumes (one from Hallah) and one from Sahar are both two piece. On Hallah's web site (www.hallahmoustafa.com) she has a one piece spider costume, I think she is selling it for $1,000-$1,100. Her spider design is pretty extravagant. She uses lots of crystals.

I can only find a pic of Dina wearing a spider 2 piece on this site. Most of Jillinas costumes are horrible in this gallery (imho).

[firefly5]

But not as horrible as those jeans in the western gallery
Someone call the fashion police!

[dameshe]

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

That's interesting that you were going to be a vendor for her. Sounds like you already sold a lot of her costumes. I agree with what you said. It would be difficult to agree to that structure that Sherif set up. There's no guarantee that you would be able to sell them all here in the USA. Her costumes are expensive and if you dance in dirty/stinky nightclubs and restaurants, I can see why as a dancer you wouldn't want to buy them. I think some of the night clubs in Egypt are even more dirty and stinky because they still smoke indoors and lots of them smoke! (I'm thinking of this as comparision to California where you cannot smoke indoors anymore in restaurants). That's cool that you tried to be a vendor. They may get another vendor. I guess until then we would just get them from her directly. You are right about the price, I am really paying for the "look" cuz I know other designers aren't doing it and when other designers try to copy her, they just can't pull it off as well as she, the spider and butterfly costumes being really good examples.

Yeah, I was a little sad at first. I offered to do it because I really believed in her style and wanted to bring them here. I knew going in that it would really be a challenge because I knew many dancers would say basically what everyone has been saying about them. I thought they'd have to be introduced with a really hot website and great pics to get dancers interested even though they were minamalist. It's a tough costume market out there, but i thought once they took off, dancers would go crazy for them. I tried, but it wasn't meant to be.


I'm sure some of the smaller clubs are kinda stinky, but Dina has always danced at the big hotels and I saw Hanadi when I was there, and all she wore was Sahar. She was dancing on one of the Hotel Nile cruises on a pretty nice sized stage. In New York most of the nicer places don't have a stage. It's all dancing between stages. Only one, called Lafayette Grill has an actual performance space for the dancer. I usually only wear mine when I dance there....

[ChristinaRizkallah]

I think Hallah used to design Jillina's costumes many, many years ago so her costumes do look dated. But probably for the time period, they were nice.

Oh, I forgot, to look at her gallery where she puts her prices for custom order you will have to e-mail Marie to get the password. I think Hallah is protective of her designs just like Bella. Marie is her sister. Here is her e-mail: marie@hallahmoustafa.com.

Originally Posted by firefly5

I can only find a pic of Dina wearing a spider 2 piece on this site. Most of Jillinas costumes are horrible in this gallery (imho).

[ChristinaRizkallah]

I saw those jeans in person when Hallah was in LA last March/April-they are actually much prettier in person (not necessarily my style, but they looked nice in person) and she does put a lot of work into them.

Originally Posted by firefly5

But not as horrible as those jeans in the western gallery
Someone call the fashion police!

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Yes, that is sad. I think it would be a challenge to be a vendor for Sahar. Even Dahlal only sells a few costumes at a time and she doesn't have a regular supply. She hasn't had a Sahar for a couple of months. I think its too hard to committ to that schedule that Sherif wanted you to commit to. I see why you say you would need a great website with great photos. That would be necessary to sell her designs. Yes, Hanadi does wear exclusively Sahar's as well as Soraya and Nancy. I think their Sahar designs are more minimalist than mine because of the fact that they go through them so quickly since they do many shows a week.

Originally Posted by dameshe

Yeah, I was a little sad at first. I offered to do it because I really believed in her style and wanted to bring them here. I knew going in that it would really be a challenge because I knew many dancers would say basically what everyone has been saying about them. I thought they'd have to be introduced with a really hot website and great pics to get dancers interested even though they were minamalist. It's a tough costume market out there, but i thought once they took off, dancers would go crazy for them. I tried, but it wasn't meant to be.


I'm sure some of the smaller clubs are kinda stinky, but Dina has always danced at the big hotels and I saw Hanadi when I was there, and all she wore was Sahar. She was dancing on one of the Hotel Nile cruises on a pretty nice sized stage. In New York most of the nicer places don't have a stage. It's all dancing between stages. Only one, called Lafayette Grill has an actual performance space for the dancer. I usually only wear mine when I dance there....

[carolynn]

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

Do you mean that you would like me to post them by July 26th? ..

August 26 (or is it the 25th?)

[carolynn]

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

Yes, I have seen Jillina's spider costume. I think its one of her best costumes. My understanding based on a conversation I had with Louchia a few years ago, is that a local Russian designer made it for Jillina-not Sahar.

yeah, Jillina's spider is not a Sahar. i was going off on a spider tangent. i can't remember who made Jillina's spider. Larissa makes a lot of Jillina's costumes.
i couldn't remember if Larissa made Spider Woman or if it was Hallah. it doesn't look like what Hallah was doing at the time, but i didn't remember that Jillina was working with Larissa that long ago.

you know that Larissa is also one of the main Sahlala Dancers, right? i love her.

[carolynn]

Originally Posted by firefly5

Most of Jillinas costumes are horrible in this gallery (imho).

i don't know why Hallah chose these- they're not her best work for Jillina. these costumes are from the early to mid-90s. i think she had pretty much "retired" them by the time i met her in 1997.

Jillina and Hallah did some really crazy clever stuff. one of my favs was her Valentine's costume - it had big conversation hearts on it. really cute.

[bdaddiction]

My fave is the chocalate brown with the turquoise. She does have great ideas.

How much are these costumes anyway?

If it is in my size I would buy it. But, as the the posters say they don't. Bummer.

If I was going to spend lots of money I would really have to like it and it would have to definately be impossible for me to make.