A peek into my closet

Businesswoman and presenter Shireen Mitwalli Loves her Monochrome dresses and pearls

With the amount of bling people sport in this part of the world, it is easy to understand why the majority of this city perpetually has their sunnies on. Businesswoman, founder of The Female Network and presenter Shireen Mitwalli is not a part of that crowd. She prefers to stick to her own style, which is elegant, tasteful, classic and chic — very Breakfast At Tiffany’s, but with a contem-
porary twist. “I am 5’10, I don’t need a statement accessory or bright colours to stand out. My signature colours are black and white, and I love pairing them with pearls. Plus, I feel it is very important to be respectful of the culture of the country, so I ensure my dresses are knee length, and there is no unnecessary skin show,” she says.

Her favourite brands include Victoria Beckham, Karen Millen, Lanvin, local brand Reem-ami, and Australian brands like Sass & Bide. To instantly glam up an outfit, Shireen puts on a pair of black patent leather T-strap Gucci pumps, which she loves. “It is fundamental to invest in a good pair of shoes; in fact, I picked my wedding shoes before the dress,” she laughs.

“In terms of style advice, there are two things that are very important. One, when dressing up, only highlight two-three key features, and keep it clean. Secondly, there is a time and place for everything. I see people wearing beach shorts and short dresses in malls — not only is it disrespectful, it also looks very out of place — there are a lot of ways to look good without revealing too much,” she says.

Shireen has converted an extra room in her apartment into a ‘dressing room’. “I wanted to give it a feel of a vintage French store, and I didn’t even spend a lot to do it up — just a few shelves and racks from Ikea, and a small chandelier.” She highly recommends converting an extra room into a closet, where everything is 
in sight. “It saves time, and makes the process of dressing up more fun,” she smiles.

1-A part of Shireen’s shoe and bag collection. Her shoe collection is an interesting mix of high street and luxury brands like Zara, Gucci, Chanel, Manolo Blahnik, New Look, Hermes and Louis Vuitton 2-A few of her favourite accessories — a diamond Cartier bracelet, a Chanel necklace, Prada sunnies, faux pearl necklaces from Zara, and a few studded earrings to name a few 3-Shireen’s display of her necklaces in her dressing room. She prefers to have everything in view to be able to mix and match 4- An overview of a couple of her clothes rails