A day after the record-breaking Yves Saint Laurent art auction in Paris, hundreds of vintage YSL designs and accessories went under the hammer at a crowded sale Thursday. Some 950 items ranging from bags and jewellery at 80 euros (104 dollars) to rare couture pieces at 6,000 euros (7,800 dollars) go on the block over …

Sick of being landlocked? A yacht exhibition last week showed people how a potentially stomach-churning experience out at sea can be more reminiscent of a luxurious night at the Four Seasons. From DVD players to plasma screen TVs, polished dinner tables to comfortable living rooms, Egyptians can now buy their own yachts. The Egypt International …

Although it was not my first time heading south to the more rural ends of Cairo, driving down Mariutteya road last week was unlike any other time; the usual chaos and blasting honks at cautious drivers or poor donkeys pulling loaded carts had somewhat disappeared. It could be because it was a Saturday, a day …

That bastion of opulence and elegance has done it again. Not content with simply being one of the most beautiful hotels in Egypt, nor the setting for countless romantic weddings and host to many notable guests and events, the Cairo Marriott Hotel and Omar Khayyam Casino in Zamalek has revamped itself to welcome nobility and …

We ve all seen it: women in oversized sunglasses and hats out and about in Cairo proudly wearing the most pretentious accessory of all – the nose job bandage. Why don’t they just stay home until is heals, one might ask? The truth is, for today s active women, staying home, even after plastic surgery, …

Designers at London Fashion Week, which started Friday, have reacted to the credit crunch by toning down extravagant collections and opting for intimate showings rather than catwalk spectaculars. Names like Antoni & Alison, Duro Olowu and Maria Grachvogel – whose clients include Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and Victoria Beckham – have organized smaller scale “presentations …

When the going gets tough, the clothes get tougher. Narciso Rodriguez was among the designers who prepared for battle at New York Fashion Week Tuesday with an urban warrior theme that featured exposed zipper details, “camouflage lace and heavily hardwared belts that looked like they were holding bullets. Even elegant Badgley Mischka was more somber …

The French are particular about their food. They take their cuisine very seriously, mastering cooking techniques and aesthetic presentation. Eating French food is an experience. At The Grill, the experience begins as soon as you walk in the door. Perfecting French cuisine is a feat few restaurants in Cairo have accomplished, so I headed to …

Planning a wedding takes a lot of patience, drive and emotional investment; and could potentially lead to a break up. So many couples would benefit from a mediator, or better yet, someone to assuage their fears and assume responsibility for the whole ordeal. A convenience abroad, wedding planning services is a relatively new phenomenon in …

Patients suffering from obsessive, distressing thoughts have a new treatment option: a pacemaker-like device that relieves anxiety with electrical jolts to the brain. The American Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Medtronic s Reclaim device as the first implant to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, which causes uncontrollable worries, such as fear of germs or dirt. …

I am trying to explain the principles of the Credit Crunch to the Bedouin. What sub-prime debt is and why the banks are in such trouble. The problem is explaining virtual money. The Bedouin deal in cash, and cash only. All transactions are done on the spot and in cash. Cash is real; you can …

You ve got to be at the top of your game to be a one-name model: There s Iman, Naomi, Gisele – Barbie. The 29-centimeter plastic doll is still on top as a high-fashion muse as she approaches her 50th birthday, and will make her New York Fashion Week catwalk debut on Saturday in 50 …

Valentine’s day is arguably the most stressful holiday around. Between finding the perfect gift, planning a romantic night out, and saving enough money to pay for all of the above, couples get so frustrated that the day becomes another money issue to fight about. Do yourself a favor this Valentine’s day and enjoy a relaxed …

Pstic a pstic a pstic a neowwww, chocolata Gersy wakla El gawwww, if those lyrics do not ring any bells for you then maybe these would, “Jelly Cola ‘alla ‘ad sini. These jingles of the Gersy chocolate and other candy ads were the soundtrack of my childhood, as I’m sure they were for many children …

Pregnant women who develop breast cancer do not have worse odds of death or of cancer returning than other young breast cancer patients, a new study has found. The study is one of the largest to look at whether breast cancer hits pregnant and recently pregnant women harder than other women. It contradicts some smaller, …

If you are craving a kebab, tandoori chicken or Peking duck you may go hungry in the small Tuscan city of Lucca, which has just barred new ethnic restaurants from opening in its historic medieval center. Officials say new rules passed last week by Lucca s conservative administration aim to protect local specialties from the …

If you grew up in the 90s, or any time before for that matter, you will have witnessed the coffee spree that has sneaked up on Egypt in the past 10 or so years. We’ve shifted from a culture that indulges in afternoon tea with milk and gebna rumy to one that sips coffee like …

Popular hobbies in Egypt are usually centered on arts, sports, reading and writing, but only a few would put RC (radio control) car racing, planes and boats on the top of their list of hobbies. As small as the number of people interested in RC cars and airplanes in Egypt is, they are all familiar …

The recent images of the Israeli genocide of innocent civilians in Palestine has caused much outrage; and vehement claims for the urgency of pan-Arab unity was met by a very weak showing of high society charity fund raisers, university students rallying to collect donations for medical aid and very little progress on the part of …

If you don t know what s in your knickers, should you be wearing them? asks a short film showing at Paris lingerie show this week, the globe s premier underwear event. After foods, cosmetics and street-clothes, the shift to organic has finally hit lingerie — the cutting edge of female seduction that cannot stand …

Cairenes know these cars, the white and black ones that race around the city that never sleeps. They can be found at midday, during rush hour, at 4 am, anytime. Notorious for bumping up fares since the meters are 40 years old – and driving off even without knowing directions to their passenger’s destination, Egypt’s …

Women are much better at spotting a cute baby than men, according to university research out Wednesday. Psychologists at the University of St Andrews in Scotland used computer image manipulation to produce subtle variations in baby faces. They found that women could distinguish a cute baby — chubby cheeks, large forehead, big round eyes and …

After enduring several grueling days in the dusty, dry Sahara desert, a team of European drivers arrived in Cairo’s luxurious Mena House Oberoi hotel under the shadow of the Pyramids. But this is no Formula One race and these cars are not equipped with electronics, aerodynamics, or revved up engines. These devoted drivers like their …

The Valentino haute couture show Wednesday earned a standing ovation from Valentino himself. It was a sure sign the turbulent times that followed the retirement last year of the label’s designer, Valentino Garavani, have come to an end, and that the house has found its footing with the newly appointed design team of Maria Grazia …

As he crosses over the Nile every morning en route to work, Mohsen El Shaarani has to fight a strong urge – strapping on his wakeboard and riding the river’s waves. A wakeboarding pro, El Shaarani finds this habit hard to shake off. “It’s addictive, he says, “the first time I jumped over those waves …

Since my baby niece, Malika, was born, I have not been able to enter a shopping mall or clothing store without checking out the kid’s section to buy her something. As I shopped around, I grew conscious of a department of fashion I never knew existed outside the walls of Mothercare, the children’s clothing retailer. …

It is getting cool during the day and downright freezing at night. The Sinai mountains are at an altitude of over 2,400 m, with peaks covered with snow during the winter. Snow is good because it means water for the Bedouin gardens, but it also means less customers because nobody wants to spend a chilly …

MP3 players are leading to more and more hearing problems in young people, with damage to the inner ear now registered in one in five 16 to 20-year-olds, German doctors warned on Tuesday. Hearing problems usually associated with old age are now being noticed in people as young as 20, the German association of ear, …

Take two of the world’s top men’s designers and ask what is special about their trade and the answer is “millimeters and microscopic detail . Yet at the very high-end Paris couture houses of Hermes and Ungaro, neither Veronique Nichanian nor Franck Boclet would ever trade the nano craft of male sartorial perfection for the …

A hint of hard times hit the Paris catwalks as men’s fashion week opened Thursday with designers going for the dark side, opting for austerity over extravagance. The exception among the first of 46 shows to run over four days was France’s Jean Paul Gaultier, the wild “bad boy of fashion, who wowed the crowd …