The Desert Muse Edit with Moroccan Stylist Khaoula Chiga
If you've ever paused mid-scroll on a perfectly styled Moroccan scarf, chances are it was Zif Hayati . Behind the drape is 26-year-old stylist and image director Khaoula Chiga.
A name that translates to The Scarf of My Life, Zif Hayati is Chiga's nod to the traditional headscarf worn at home or after the hammam. 'I started content creation to make Zif Hayati more visible in the fashion industry,' she says, 'and to challenge the idea that it's only meant for home wear.'
Though her degree is in chemical analysis, fashion came first. 'My mom started studying fashion design when she was pregnant with me. I became her first model—whenever she learned something new, she'd try it on me,' she laughs.
Today, she works from that same atelier, styling and sewing with a vision that blends heritage and contemporary fashion. 'We have such rich heritage, and it deserves international recognition.'
Her references range from Moroccan classics to Mirror Palais and Jacquemus. 'If I didn't dress modestly, I'd probably live in Mirror Palais,' she says.
Now, she's building Zifelle , her upcoming modestwear label: 'It's everything I've ever wanted to create in one place.'
Look One | Sands of Time
'The flowy linen set mirrors the shifting sands, while the deep red leather bag and garnet necklace add richness inspired by Moroccan craftsmanship,' she tells SceneStyled. 'The golden makeup ties it all together.'
Na-kd | Linen Wide Leg Pant
Na-kd | One Shoulder Linen Blend Top
Zila Russi | Terez Dark Red Leather
Maayaz | Dahlia II Garnet Necklace
Kiko | Golden Oasis Chic Lips Beauty Kit
Look Two | Kasbah Nights
'Luxury is in each detail,' she explains. 'The Moroccan jewellery speaks to my style— it's where my love for heritage meets my obsession with clean, contemporary design.'
1309 Studios | Odelia Green
Okhtein | Malleable Clutch in Gold
Mekouar Joaillier | Pendants d'Oreilles 'Granada'
Jimmy Choo | Zyra 50
Dior | Oud Ispahan
Look Three | Dune Reveries
'This one feels like the desert's softness and sunlit warmth,' she says. 'Earthy tones, airy fabrics, and subtle handcrafted details– this look is timeless desert grace.'
Zimmermann | Acacia Maxi Dress
Kenzaklay | Green Zelij Set
Dolce Vita | Kesha Sandals in Bone Leather
Beauty of Joseon | Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen
Longchamp | Le Pliage Filet XS Mesh Bag in Ecru
Look Four | Palmshade Serenity
'This look reflects who I am. It feels like home to me—sunset tones, soft light, and that quiet beauty I grew up watching at the end of every day.'
Mirror Palais | The Sunset Gown
Zyne | Tory 45 in Orange
Moonglaze | Sheers in Gilded
Jacquemus | Le Bisou Perle Ivory
Jennifer Fisher | Samira Huggies
Look Five | Sirocco Soul
'The desert is never silent; it's the sound of the wind carrying stories of distant lands and endless horizons,' Chiga contemplates. 'Just like the breeze, these pieces flow with energy.'
Bottega Veneta | Angle Cat Eye Sunglasses
Hermès | Poivre Samarcande Eau de Toilette
Bottega Veneta | Viscose and Linen Dress
Chloé | Woody Mule in Vintage Khaki
Chloé | The Chloé Peonies Square Scarf in Silk Twill
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Al-Ahram Weekly
2 days ago
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Sunlit frames - Culture - Al-Ahram Weekly
As the Mediterranean sun blazes across the summer festival circuit, Arab cinema is claiming its rightful place with shining clarity. From Venice to Locarno, Toronto to Karlovy Vary, this season has seen an unprecedented lineup, with Arab voices and visions making waves on the world stage. But this isn't just about representation or numbers; it's about nuance, craft, and the multiplicity of Arab storytelling that refuses to be reduced to a single frame. The 82nd Venice Film Festival (27 August-6 September), in particular, was an unexpected mirror reflecting back the region's troubled, poetic, and urgent pulse. For the first time in the festival's history, Morocco was named the featured country at the Venice Production Bridge. Moroccan producers will pitch five projects under the VPB Focus banner, with additional works-in-progress showcased in Final Cut in Venice and immersive installations featured in the XR program, a landmark recognition that signals Morocco's evolving cinematic momentum. But beyond institutional recognition, the Moroccan cinematic voice is also making itself heard artistically—most notably through one of its most acclaimed contemporary auteurs: Maryam Touzani. Touzani's latest film, Calle Malaga, makes its world premiere in the festival's Spotlight section, an official selection dedicated to showcasing bold and genre-defying works that challenge and reinvent the relationship between film and viewer. Calle Malaga marks Touzani's Spanish-language directorial debut. Co-written with longtime collaborator Nabil Ayouch, the film stars Spanish icon Carmen Maura as Maria Angeles, a woman determined to preserve her childhood home in Morocco against her daughter's plans to sell it. Set between intimate memory and looming loss, the film extends Touzani's fascination with the personal as political, quietly radical, emotionally layered, and deeply human. Following its Venice debut, the film will continue its journey across the Atlantic with a North American premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, featured in the prestigious Special Presentations section. Born in Tangier in 1980, Maryam Touzani has become a leading voice in Moroccan cinema. Her debut Adam (2019) and follow-up, The Blue Caftan (2022) were both selected as Morocco's official submissions for the Academy Awards, garnering global acclaim for their delicate exploration of womanhood, repression, and resistance. *** Despite the absence of world premieres by Egyptian filmmakers this summer, Egypt's Film Clinic — founded by producer, screenwriter, and distributor Mohamed Hefzy — maintained a striking presence at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. 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Baisanos, a collaborative work by Chilean-Palestinian siblings Andrés and Francisca Khamis Giacoman, offers a different lens on identity and memory. Through the loyal fans of the Deportivo Palestino football club in Chile, the film opens a dialogue between diaspora and homeland, dream and return. In Toronto (TIFF, 4-14 September), Annemarie Jacir's long-awaited Palestine 36 will have its world premiere. Set during the 1936 uprising against British colonial rule, the film reimagines a key moment in Palestinian history with an international cast that includes Jeremy Irons, Hiam Abbass, Liam Cunningham, Yasmine Al Massri, and Saleh Bakri. Shot by legendary French cinematographer Hélène Louvart, it is poised to be a landmark in Jacir's already formidable career. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (4-12 July) also amplifies Palestinian voices. All That's Left of You by Cherien Dabis screened in the Special Screenings section. 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At Venice, in the Out of Competition Non-Fiction section, Libyan director Jihan Kikhia presents My Father and Qaddafi, a deeply personal excavation of trauma, politics, and memory. In 1993, her father Mansur Rashid Kikhia — a former Libyan diplomat and peaceful opponent of Qaddafi — disappeared in Cairo. The film traces her mother's nineteen-year search for truth and Jihan's own reckoning with the silences surrounding his fate. Intimate yet political, the documentary reveals how entire lives and legacies can vanish under the weight of dictatorship, and how the survivors carry the absence forward. Meanwhile, at the Toronto International Film Festival (4-14 September), Jordanian filmmaker Zain Duraie will premiere Sink in the Discovery section. A searing, empathetic drama, Sink centres on a mother's struggle to navigate her son's deteriorating mental health, brought to life with emotional nuance and heightened by the lush cinematography of Farouk Laâridh (Four Daughters). TIFF describes the debut as 'a magnificent portrait' and a breakthrough for a vital new voice in Arab cinema. *** This summer's festivals offered striking variations on the wars that have fractured the Levant and Iraq for decades. At Locarno, two powerful films by acclaimed Iraqi directors confront the aftermaths of conflict through deeply personal lenses. Tales of the Wounded Land, screening in the Concorso Internazionale section, marks Abbas Fahdel's latest act of witnessing. 'My film was born from the need to bear witness to a war that shattered our lives and homes,' he states, 'and to show how, despite everything, resilience and humanity continue to flourish amid the ruins.' Set in southern Lebanon, the film is an intimate chronicle of a war that lingered for 18 months, capturing the lives of those trapped in its shadow. Through the voices of family, friends, and neighbours, Fahdel documents the silent labour of survival—of rebuilding, mourning, and preserving dignity amid loss. In Piazza Grande, Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji's Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream reimagines the mythic in post-war Baghdad. 'Irkalla is my return to a wound that never healed — a myth reborn through the soul of a child,' Al-Daradji explains. 'Not just a film, but a whispered resistance against silence.' The story follows nine-year-old Chum-Chum, a diabetic dreamer who believes the Tigris hides a gate to the underworld where he can reunite with his lost parents. Similarly, the Proxima Competition at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival features TrepaNation, a raw and explosive autobiographical film by Syrian filmmaker and visual artist Ammar al-Beik. Set in a refugee camp near Berlin in 2014, the film documents his seven-month stay in a cubicle where, to survive he films, rebels, and archives. 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A chance encounter with an American producer and his wife Jess, who is chosen as the potential lead of Amin's script The Essential Elements of Universal Existence, opens a new chapter, yet fate, unpredictable as ever, has its own script to follow. In Piazza Grande, Hafsia Herzi, who launched her acting career in Kechiche's La Graine et le Mulet — a role that earned her a César and Venice's Best New Actress award — makes her mark as a director with La Petite Dernière (Little Sister). Based on the acclaimed novel by Fatima Daas, the film follows the inner world of a young Muslim woman in Clichy-sous-Bois, a Parisian suburb, as she navigates her sexual identity, faith, and fractured relationships. 'Reading the book was an instant crush,' Herzi notes. 'As a woman, I was deeply moved. I immediately thought: I've never seen a character like this on screen. This story is truly universal.' Elsewhere in Fuori Concorso, Tunisian director Mehdi Hmili gives us Exile, a surreal and politically charged drama. The story centres on Mohamed, a steelworker haunted by the death of a friend in a workplace accident, now living with a piece of rusted metal lodged in his skull. As the rust invades his body, he becomes a reluctant martyr — rising against corruption and transforming into a symbol of sacrifice and resistance. Hmili, who debuted with the 2016 Thala My Love — a love story set during the Tunisian revolution — continues to fuse the personal with the political in hauntingly poetic ways. * A version of this article appears in print in the 7 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
CairoScene
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Egyptian-Lebanese Model Sabrina Khaled Masters Minimalism After Dark
This is how to look like a princess every day, and with minimal effort. Aug 08, 2025 Egyptian-Lebanese model Sabrina Khaled has a knack for dressing minimally without losing any of the impact. Her style - what she calls 'elevated casual chic' - is rooted in family. Fashion entered her life early, shaped by the people closest to her and the places they took her. 'My mum is my anchor, my backbone, my style icon and critic,' Khaled tells SceneStyled. 'I look up to her - she gave me space to experiment growing up. And she always rocked a suit - because she needed to. I think that's where my love of power dressing comes from.' Her late father, she says, introduced her to fashion as a form of culture. 'He was my fashion and travel connoisseur. From a young age, we'd go on yearly shopping trips across Europe. He taught me everything I know about haute couture in Milan and Paris.' For this edition of SceneStyled Selects, Khaled curates a wardrobe of pieces she'd wear from a mix of regional and global labels - minimal, considered, and entirely her own. LOOK 1: WEDDING GUEST - REFINED GLAMOUR 'When choosing dresses for weddings,' tells us Khaled, 'I always strive for a unique yet classic look. This Nafsika dress has long been on my radar, with the drop waist hemline and balloon skirt with subtle flower details that add a feminine touch on such a dark background. Pairing it with my personal jewelry from Imad Baadarani makes the outfit complete.' Nafsika Skourti | The Garden Gown Amina Muaddi | Agnese Sandal Black Patent Imad Baadarani | Custom jewellery Vanina | Rose des Vents Bucket Neat bob blowout Glass skin, minimal Milk | Lip + Cheek Stick in dusty rose Dior | Forever Glow Maximiser in pink MAC | Lip pencil in Soar LOOK 2: MONOCHROMATIC POWER STRUGGLE 'I always look out for an impressive suit to add to my wardrobe each season. I believe that having at least one good suit in your wardrobe is essential, to say the least. Adding a masculine touch has always been my strong suit (pun intended) when playing dress-up - it gives me a boost of flair!' The Row | Azul wool suit - styled with nothing underneath. YSL | Lee Slingback Pumps in patent leather YSL | Cassandre Leather Belt in hot wine Jewellery stack: Jessica Mccormack Earrings: multi piercings Hermès | Kelly II Sellier Mini Rouge H Box Calf Leather Palladium Hardware Side part messy bun Ahood | Lip Liner in Chunky Mother Naked | Lip Treat in Tres Leches LOOK 3: SKIRT-ING AROUND 'I love experimenting with different silhouettes and textures,' tells us Khaled, 'Lace has always been a favorite of mine; it's cheeky with a side of class! Mixing and matching fabrics, prints, and cuts are crucial when elevating a simple look. You can pair this asymmetrical skirt with a simple white tee, sneakers, and a cool pair of sunnies for a more casual setting! Pairing this look with animal print heels is the cherry on top! I love chunky jewellery, and I have been eyeing Okhtein's collection for a long time now - I love their pieces so much.' Erdem | Asymmetric ruffled taffeta maxi skirt Dolce & Gabbana | Bow-detail cotton-blend lace bralette Andrea Wazen | Carol mule in leopard Okhtein | Bond Necklace in full gold Marzook | Pill bag in gold YSL | Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara in brown Hair: Sleek bob blowout LOOK 4: STRATEGIC ALLIANCE - FEM x MASC 'I'm all for an asymmetric fashion moment. This Vanina bustier can be styled up or down, depening on the occasion. Usually, I would style it with a pair of straight-cut jeans and mules fora day event, but for an evening affair, pairing it with cigarette tuxedo trousers fits better. I also paired it with my all-time favourite grungy flats from Miu Miu for a comfortable night out - and layers of mixed metal accessories. I think mixing metals is KING!' Vanina | Noeud De Papillon Bustier Victoria Beckham | Cropped tux trouser in ivory Miu Miu | Satin ballet flats Okhtein | Feluka clutch in rose gold Kamushki | Ayut Al Kursi Tear Drop Pendant Rainbow K | Earring Large Magnetic Bracelets: Rainbow K | Stack of mixed metals LOOK 5: KEEPING IT LIGHT - literally 'I love myself a peekaboo moment. I love organza, it's such a resilient yet malleable fabric, and it comes in so many forms. I'm pairing these iconic mesh pants with an oversized sweater for more coverage. I'm styling this look with an elevated fashion-forward Simone Rocha sneaker - and more mixed metals.' Acne Studios | Mohair and wool blend sweater in beige Khaite | Trenton silk organza wide-leg pants Simone Rocha | Ballerina grip trainer in duck egg Benedetta Bruzziches | Pondy in Coriandolo Low messy short hair ponytail Okhtein | Stacked mixed metals Okhtein | Rings Okhtein | Bracelets Supergoop | Glowscreen SPF 40 Sephora | Waterproof 12HR Retractable Eyeliner Pencil in brown
CairoScene
5 days ago
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Nashwa Mostafa's Heatwave Collection Is Jewellery for The Glam-Perched
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