Denise Hajjar Fashion Show to benefit the Syrian Lebanese Women's Club Scholarship Fundraiser

I shot my first fashion show! Woot!  I was super excited when my friend Jamie asked me if I would shoot the fundraiser/fashion show of an organization she is a part of called the Syrian Lebanese Women's Association of Greater Boston. The group is a nonprofit that provides scholarships for college to women of Syrian/Lebanese decent. I thought this was such a great cause and I was happy to be able to provide my services.

I was nervous per usual with anything new I do but the pressure was a bit higher because I was shooting garments of one of the top designers in Boston, the lovely Denise Hajjar.

"Boston born and raised, Denise Hajjar inherited her design interest and talent from her grandmother who was also a designer in Damascus, Syria and her grandfather who was a patternmaker and dress factory owner from Beirut, Lebanon.

After graduating from The School of Fashion Design, Denise decided to stay close to her Boston roots and start a business here. With almost 30 years in her own design business, Denise has established herself as a top designer, having sold her creations nationally to department stores, specialty boutiques, and individual clients worldwide." Denise sells her garments at the Fairmont coply Plaza Hotel in Boston. (taken from her website )

Here are some of my favorite pics from the show.

Jamie was really sweet to send Denise the pictures from the show and I was surprised when I got an email from Denise herself " Hi Feda. Thank you sooooo much to taking the photos. They came out great!!! I love them. Thank you for your kindness and generosity." Cool right?!

I had a great time and met some amazing ladies. As always I'm very grateful for the beautiful people in my life and the opporunities that come my way. 

Hana Sadiq Fashion Show- Runway Makeup

I've been wanting to share these forever and I'm finally getting around to it now. This was one of those experiences that just came out of nowhere and I still can't believe I had.

I was so excited when my good friend, and talented Flamenco dancer Jamie Belsito put me in touch with the  Center for Arabic Culture (CACBoston), who invited famous designer Hana Sadiq to Boston. They sponsored her collection, The Many Names of Love, at the Taj Hotel in Boston. I was so honored to be able to do the makeup for four beautiful girls from Dynasty Models & Talent.  The show was produced by Marianna Toroyan and The Fashion Doctors. It was seriously the most well put together and beautifully presented fashion shows I've ever seen. From the music, to the lighting,  and the clothes and accessories The show really took you back to ancient times.

The makeup was designed by Hana herself. We were asked to do a smokey eye, put crystals above the eyebrows and three teardrops on one side of the face. I was so relieved that it all came together because let me tell you, it was my first time doing that many girls within a certain time frame, and it was fast paced!

Special thanks to amazing photographer Jan Bloch for allowing me to use these photographs. I'm so happy I'm able to have beautiful images of my makeup work to have in my portfolio.

"Hana Sadiq, artist turned fashion designer who takes the best of Arabic art and re-imagines it into haute couture. Using striking and bold colors, she adorns her dresses with Arabic calligraphy, either verses of love poetry or simply scattered letters. Complimenting her designs are pieces of old Arabic silver that have been collected over two decades. Having designed dresses for royalty around the Middle East, Hana is considered a cultural ambassador and has shown her designs around the world."

Hana Sadiq in the middle with two Dynasty models!

(left to right: Joe Freeman-Director at Dynasty Models & Talent, Jamie La Damasquina Belsito- Flamenco Dancer extraordinaire, Gin Freeman-Founder Dynasty Models, Tracy Aiguier and her husband Sean- Awesome woman! I have a few adventures with her I need to blog about- she's an amazing fashion photographer I assisted a few times!, Terri Mahn- one of the top stylists in Boston, and Me-all awkward lol)



© All images used with permission by Jan Bloch. Please do not use/share without permission of the photographer. www.JanBloch.com, Facebook Page: Jan Bloch