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Dahlia Hage

Fashion Advice From Beirut Boys

Trendy is the last stage before tacky.”- Karl Lagerfeld, Head Designer and Creative Director of Chanel

I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect. They are much more interesting.” – Marc Jacobs


Karl and Marc know fashion. But what happens when you ask boys- Beirut boys to be specific- for some female fashion advice? I asked a bunch of boys in Beirut what fashion advice they would offer girls, and got different answers. They range from hopelessly clueless, to inspiringly insightful, to surprisingly specific.

Enjoy.


“Don’t bother with doing your nails because boys don’t care and they don’t even notice.” – Mohammad Hijazi 

“100% always make sure finger and toe nails are always clean. White polish if you’re tanned. Black polish if you’re pale. And red and French work with almost anyone. Also, no pointy heels or ballerinas. Dress simple and tight if you’re confident in your body. Slightly loose if you’re not.” – Zafer Khatib


“Stay away from purple. Ma 7elu el color.” – Nawaf 

“I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that your wardrobe choices should remind people that you have total agency over your body and sexual identity. That is to say, own your look. This is easy to say for me, since I’m a guy, and men are not fetishized/objectified nearly to the extent that women are in pretty much every place I’ve ever lived. If you decide to wear something revealing, it should be because you’re feeling sexy that day, not because of some pull of social forces that incentive dressing in that particular way. Again, easy for me to say.

If that’s too high minded, I guess I would say reduce the effort in applying makeup and focus more on buying clothes that make you look less like a homeless person/adolescent Abercrombie pajamas model and more like someone who owns their own business. And go ahead and buy a nice watch.” – Steve Semler


“Fashion advice: Don’t over do it.” – Mohammad Faez Tarabichi


“Loose clothing is in. High waisted jeans are out… unless they’re loos-ish. And… ummm, this is just me, but girls need to start being brave enough to go braless. It’s so sad what a bra can do sometimes.” – Ilija


“Don’t jump in a pool of make up when you wake up” – Jad- Ev Nasser

“Be yourself, feel what you’re wearing.” – Yervant


“Simplicity, and not caring about what others say or think when you go for a daring outfit” – Anonymous Boy

“Ma ba3rifff” – Tony Eli


B: “I don’t f***in have any idea, lek Alain shoo bitheb el binet tilbos? It depends, summer? Winter? Inno something sexy-”
A: “But classy!”
B: “Eh but classy, not too revealing but revealing enough. Ya3ne inno, revealing enough but mish inno corole.” 
A: “Ma khas, it’s an attitude”
B: “Alain, fashion advice.”
A: “Eh fashion advice! It’s an attitude!”
B: “-Uhhh something cool. A girl I really really like… a big a** hoodie heik kbeer 3aleya tiji ma3 heik inno pantalone”
A: “That’s not fashion, man”
B: “Ana la 2ile it turns me on when girls wear normal clothes.”

– Conversation between Anonymous Boys


“Keep it simple.” – Elie Haddad


“It’s not about being up to date, sometimes up to date looks extremely miserable.” -Wahid Shoubassi 



“Never take fashion advice from me.” – DC


“Dress to compliment your own sense of being instead of the outer perception of people towards them. Be comfortable.” – Ziad Saliba


“Hmmmm simplicity is sexy.” -Jad


“Clothes? I don’t really have a super specification for clothes…” – Bassil Stephanou 


Bonus: Beirut Girl Input

“Dudes always say no heels (apart from this guy i matched with on Tinder with who wanted “tall babies” and concluded I was too short bas was willing to make an exception if I wore 6 inch heels)” – Aline


Despite all the thoughtful advice from Karl, Marc, and our Beirut boys, it is safe to say that a girl should wear whatever she wants, whenever she wants to.


Wait for it: next week, we reverse the roles and ask the ladies to help the guys out!