Timeless glamour or frivolous fun? MOJEH asks Nadine Elias what she’ll be wearing throughout the festive season
With a job of spreading glitter around Dubai and beyond, Glitterbox’s co-founder, Nadine Elias, is no stranger to adding sparkle to every party she attends – both sartorially and socially.
A fashion magpie in every sense of the term, and with a career that dictates she be constantly covered in shimmer of some kind, it’s no surprise that Nadine loves nothing more than getting dressed up in something that sparkles for a night out.
“It’s no big shock, but my favourite trend for the party season is sequins, sequins and more sequins,” laughs Nadine, who credits Zoë Kravitz as her ultimate style crush.
“You’ll always find me wearing sequins at the weekend,” she continues. “My sister and business partner, Laura and I have been wearing and collecting sequinned pieces for years, and the Rixo dress I’m wearing for the shoot has shot to the top of my wishlist for this festive season. I love the combination of colours, and the low back.”
Describing her signature look as “sequinned, tropical and eccentric,” Nadine’s favourite designers are a catalogue of kindred sparkly spirits – with Ashish, Michael Halpern and The Attico’s statement sequined pieces making her partywear pulse race.
“I have always had a fascination with Ashish – his sequin creations are insane,” says Nadine. “But I love Rachel Burke’s work. She’s an Australian designer who does wonderful things with coloured tinsel. I have a jacket of hers that I am obsessed with. And I can’t live without my holographic sequin kimono by Rosa Bloom. It goes with everything, and looks like a disco ball.”
With favourite partying haunts including Blue Marlin Ibiza UAE – where Nadine and Laura first came up with the business concept of Glitterbox – the beach-loving sisters are well aware of the negative environmental impact of traditional glitter, and have recently launched a range of unique, biodegradable glitters made from plant-derived cellulose.
“It breaks down in just a few months, rather than thousands of years, like the usual plastic kind, which means it’s actually sustainable,” explains Nadine.
“Sustainability is really important to me. It’s another reason why I love to wear sequins. I only want to buy new pieces that I truly adore, and sequins don’t date. So if I buy a sequinned jacket or dress now, I know I’ll wear it for years. They’re timeless.”
