A dress specially ordered from New York.. Behind the scenes of Mona Zaki’s appearance at the El Gouna Festival

Since the launch of the ninth El Gouna Film Festival, Egyptian actress Mona Zaki has attracted attention with a variety of looks, starting with the opening ceremony that honored her, all the way to her participation in seminars and photo sessions that were held on the sidelines of the festival. Behind these looks, an integrated team worked to coordinate the costumes, jewelry, makeup, and hairstyles, in a way that suits the nature of each appearance.

"Carolina Herrera" dress at the opening ceremony. Lebanese fashion stylist Cedric Haddad revealed, in an interview with the Arabic website Ofoq News, that Zaki wore at the opening ceremony of the El Gouna Film Festival a dress from the high fashion collection of the American house "Carolina Herrera", and it was specially transported from New York City, USA. Haddad explained that the choice of the design was based on its cut inspired by princesses’ dresses and its royal character, in line with Zaki’s status as the only honoree at the ceremony, and with the nature of the occasion and the atmosphere of the festival.

The dress was decorated with shiny beads that enhanced its presence, while the look was completed with jewelry specially designed for the Egyptian actress, in harmony with the details of the dress and complementing its lines. Bohemian style the next day: During the symposium in which Zaki participated, fashion coordinator Mohamed Haddad chose a different approach to her previous look on the red carpet, based on a bohemian style that was in harmony with the atmosphere and vitality of the city of El Gouna.

Haddad indicated, in an interview with the Arabic website ofoq News, that the vision was based on evoking the free spirit that characterizes this style, through a dress from the Australian brand “Zimmerman”, which combines femininity and strength, two characteristics that he saw as expressing the personality of the Egyptian actress. The look was completed with necklaces and bracelets from the American brand Dylanlex, which, with their various layers and details, added a bold dimension to the arrangement and enhanced its bohemian character.

Short hair in a youthful style Regarding hair, Zaki appeared with a short hairstyle, as Egyptian hairdresser Sylvia Barnabas worked to highlight her in a youthful style that suits her features and the chosen looks. Barnabas told Ufoq News in Arabic that the team wanted to take advantage of the new haircut in the best possible way, so she chose spontaneous and untidy waves.

She added that she imagined the hairstyle with short bangs, so they decided to cut it at the work site that day, which gave the look a more fun and youthful feel. On the second day, the team maintained the same spontaneous style, adopting a side parting to make a difference and give the hair more volume and texture.

Barnabas explained that the focus in this look was on highlighting the texture of the hair, in harmony with the fashion chosen for that day. Makeup complements the brilliance of the dress without overshadowing it. As for makeup artist Olivia Yaqoub, in Zaki’s look during the opening ceremony, she relied on a combination of classic elegance and modern appeal, using warm tones that harmonize with her skin tone and features.

She explained in an interview with the Ofoq News website in Arabic that she wanted the makeup to complement the brilliance of the dress without competing with it, so she kept the eye makeup with a matte touch, with warm and smoky tones to highlight the depth and define the eyes. She also used a thin eyeliner line with a slightly upward slant to highlight the shape of the Egyptian star's eyes without exaggerating the makeup.

To enhance the volume of lashes while maintaining a natural look, she used individual strands that added definition and dimension to the eyes. She added a limited touch of shadows with a metallic sheen to the inner corners of the eyes, in a detail that captures the light and is in harmony with the sparkling embroideries in the dress.

As for the skin, I made sure to unify its color and give it a velvety texture while preserving its radiance, using highlighter on specific points, most notably the cheekbones and the tip of the nose. For the cheeks and lips, Yaqoub chose calm shades of nude and peach, in harmony with Zaki’s skin tone and tan.