Into the BAYT DAMAS x TONY WARD Collaboration: When Fashion & Jewelry collides.
Atom by atom, Stitch by stitch, The diamond forms, And the dress comes to life.
It’s the blended timeless world of high jewelry and Haute Couture, of Bayt Damas and Tony Ward Fashion House; It’s when Fashion, art and jewelry collide under one roof.
On Saturday the 3rd of February at 5pm Dubai time, an event kicked off a long-term collaboration between both houses.The event took place in the prestigious villa of Bay Damas, at Umm Suqeim in Dubai, UAE.
The event showcased statement pieces from the latest Couture Spring Summer 2024 ‘Golden Ratio’ collection that came straight off Paris Haute Couture Week. This timeless equation was harmonized perfectly with the timeless, classical pieces of Bayt Damas’ sophisticated items. In the presence of Tony, friends of the brands, clients, stylists, the press, all gathered to celebrate this over-the-top partnership.
Lounge music, gastronomic finger food inspired by both DNAs, sophisticated drinks, Couture gowns on mannequins with matching jewelry pieces displayed, and none other than a beautiful intimate crowd in between.
The guests were gifted exclusive live customized sketches, signed by Tony, with dresses in color tones of their choice, and dashed with lots of jewelry sparkles by an illustrator who was performing this art live.
But that’s not all, after this successful event, iconic Tony Ward Couture gowns, from previous collections, will be exhibited at Bayt Damas by appointment, with a representative of the house coming every month to offer an exclusive, made-to-measure experience to the villa guests. These pieces were chosen carefully to cater for this long-term collaboration.
Starting with Look 42 from the Couture Spring Summer 2023 ‘Stardust Voyage’ collection; A dress made with layers of hand woven three-dimensional silk threads, It’s a blend of Tony’s passion for architecture and pure geometry, the love for fine lines, details and the edgy runway silhouette.
Two looks were selected from the Couture Spring Summer 2019 ‘Anatomy of a Wing’ collection; The lemon gold Look 20, because of its silk organza that were intricately stitched together to form interesting patterns and cut-outs, just like the anatomy of a butterfly’s wings.
Look 37 from the same collection, going from the microscopic details to macro-form of the same anatomy, a jumpsuit created by a mix of silk threads and Swarovski beads, was floating the runway with a dramatic dash. This piece couldn’t go unseen from the stylists and media.
Moving on to the Couture Fall Winter 2019/20 collection, two dresses were chosen as well from this ‘Blossoming Fibers’ collection.
The first look that kicked off the show, was made of 100 meters of silk organza ruffles with silk threads. From Alessandra Ambrosio to Harper’s Bazaar; it’s an iconic piece that toured the world with editorials and shoots from different magazine outlets.A mushroom dress…yet redefined.
Fun Fact around it: It was designed to have the deep V-neckline at the back and a boat neckline at the front, Tony twisted it last minute before it hit the runway.
Whereas Look 36, took more than 600 meters of silk organa ruffles; The Ateliers worked overnights to create this intricate effect of mushroom-inspired ruffles, carefully and gradually manipulated.
A piece that graced covers and shoots.
Dresses were elected to be presented at Bayt Damas post-event based on their craftsmanship, but also on their impact. Look 2 from the ‘Glitch Gaze’ Couture Fall Winter 2021/22 collection, is a dress made of holographic shimmers of iridescent pleated organza, with Swarovski collar.
It took a second for this dress to go viral; A snap of Leonie Hanne gracing the 2022 Cannes Film Festival red carpet while "flying the dress” just like a butterfly effect. This piece was THE hit dress, with the most engaged social media post and the most requested dress by celebrities and clients.
Last but not least, a deeper dig into the archives, Look 22 from the ‘Aelia Eudocia’ Couture Spring Summer 2017 collection, is crafted using black silk panels with side sheerness, and contrasted silk gold embroideries: An oriental twist, but make it Tony Ward.
It was later worn by Paola Turani during Venice Film Festival.
As mentioned, the above iconic dresses will be displayed, and styled along jewelries from Bay Damas at their Villa, for the next 6 months with trunk shows held every month. In a world of absolute luxury, craftsmanship sparkles, and the refined details stand out.Let this collaboration begin, and to many more of these fruitful shimmers!