Isla Moda - Fashion Island

Imagine a Middle East as your next fun-filled holiday destination....a place where you can relax and have a good time without having to worry about getting your head chopped off for no apparent reason.....a place where you can visit a museum or two if you're looking to quench your thirst for cultural enrichment....or go on an exciting fun-filled adventure with or without a tour guide.....or a place where you can enjoy the exotic nightlife, spice up your tasting buds with fine dining and enjoy a few cocktails the way the locals do...and hey why not, maybe even a place to hang out at a ski resort and play with "real" snow....or a place to hunt for good deals at stuffy bazaars in designer fashions and shop till you drop on "Fashion Island"....

Hah!  You think I'm dreaming, don't you?

Well, people around the world generally don't think of the Middle East in terms of culture, style or fashion, let alone a place to find peace and live the good life, but maybe that's because we're too fixated on the news headlines that are constantly telling us what a war torn barbaric region it is, a no go zone, where women are terribly suppressed and most men are terrorists.

OK, maybe going on a ski trip in Tehran is a little too far fetched, but a "fashion island" on the other hand is actually not.  Some of the world's top fashion designers for instance have long discovered that parts of the Middle East are some of the world's best kept secrets and not just because that's where the money is, but more because it's where they find inspiration.  Ask Karl Lagerfeld, he knows!

Karl Lagerfeld to Design Dubai Dwellings - WSJ.com

Mr. Lagerfeld signed an exclusive deal with Dubai Infinity Holdings to design 80 homes in what aims to be the most fashionable address in the world, the man-made Isla Moda ("Fashion Island") in Dubai. The development will include a mix of penthouse apartments and two- to four-bedroom homes.

"We cater to a very exclusive clientele who are highly fashion conscious," said a spokeswoman for Dubai Infinity Holdings, which is owned by a group of local, private investors. The company launched in December 2007; Isla Moda is its first project.

More pics at Brownbook's Urban Guide to The Middle East