Block colours, bold prints or structured forms, stylish women everywhere know that a good suit is unmatched in its impact...
"I think Stella McCartney epitomises strong women," says Lebanese graphic designer Maya Khodr of her female role models. "Not only through her clothes, but through what she has achieved as a businesswoman and as a creator."
Like many girls, it is Maya’s mother who has set the standard for the role models in her life. Working hard for as long as she can remember, Maya has nothing but admiration for the way her mum, an art restorer, balanced looking after her children and a successful career, while still looking fabulous. "I definitely aim to achieve as much as she has in my own life," says the 26-year-old, who is already making a name for herself as quite the style influencer.
Experimenting with fashion is one of Maya’s passions, and her Instagram account is testament to the fact that she thinks individuality is important.
A fan of an avant-garde aesthetic as much as Victoriana and the new future vintage, Maya is pictured wearing Dior tailoring one day and hip Georgian brand Liya the next.
For MOJEH’s shoot, she wore vintage suits by Escada and Thierry Mugler from her own collection. "Creating your own style is one of the only things you can use to distinguish yourself within the world – especially the fashion world," she says.
A bit of a film buff, Maya grew up addicted to movies, and says that’s where her more leftfield sense of style most likely comes from. "I think what inspired and still inspires my dress sense to this day are characters from movies. I am a big fan of wardrobe in film. Some of my favourite dresses were the ones designed by Colleen Atwood in Alice in Wonderland.”
Day-to-day she wears Zadig et Voltaire, Maje and Sandro – "I’ve been wearing them for so long I know exactly what fits me" – and she lives in sneakers. "A good pair will take you anywhere!" she says.
Maya describes her personal style as extreme, and dresses dependent on her mood: "I sometimes like to overdo it, but sometimes go for the simplest thing." She doesn’t have style heroes, but says Katherine Hepburn’s courage as one of the first women to wear trousers back in the 1930s inspired her to break tradition and wear a suit to her prom, ensuring she stood out against the blowdries and ballgowns.
Her biggest fashion regret? "Losing my mum’s Chanel jacket" – something she’s been living down ever since.
