> Link to MM Corporate website

The planet is on hold, so are our events...

However, we are actively working in content creation and online video production! If you'd like to know more, click on MM-corporate.com !

>JAUNE fall winter behind the scenes

You've been wondering what happened since the last time I was here? Well... Fall happened! And with it the busy schedules, winter campaigns, shop windows... But it gives me nice things to share, like what we shot for JAUNE. 
Aviation and jet travel was the theme and we were lucky to shoot in two great locations: MEA training center & conference center, as well as Cedar Jet.
Watch the full video for more:

> How TV Series Inspire Fashion & Street Style

In this vlog you'll discover that no matter in which time or era the series take place in, and no matter how scary or fictional, we are destined to dress like their characters...



More posts on the matter:

http://seenbymaya.blogspot.com/2012/08/thus-proving-my-point-fashion-goes.html

http://seenbymaya.blogspot.com/2012/08/downton-abbey-perfect-art-direction.html

http://seenbymaya.blogspot.com/2010/08/fashion-has-gone-mad-men.html

> Lebanese Men are Boooooring!

Why? Because they dress all the same! And they think their manhood is in danger if they try out some colors... Whereas on the contrary, what we search for in a guy is: individuality!!
Watch the video for more:

> Art Direction Behind the Scenes

You always ask what I do for a living; well, I create moods and stories for publications, events, fashion editorials and video shoots. Here's the latest one I directed for Kerkor Jewelry inspired by the Far East. Press play and enjoy!



My earrings are by Elsa O
My necklace is by Rouge Pasteque

> Creativity on budget: Monoprix!

It's not the first time I talk about it, but this concept is still successful years on: Havas have created for Monoprix a systematic packaging that is everything but boring! Watch the video for more and don't forget to read the labels next time you shop there ;-D

> Scarf styles!

I wanted to name this post "Scarf Face" 
but Lea & Joe were going to kill me ;-DDDD

So why do my friends call me Madame Foulard? Because it's an essential in my wardrobe... Scarves can be tied in 101 ways and change your outfit from top to bottom. Watch the video to discover scarves... seen by maya ;-D

> Al Musiqa at the Paris Philharmonie

Music has always been at the heart of my life since the very beginning: as a toddler dancing with my dad to the sound of his vinyls, as a teenager fascinated by indie rock & new wave, and then as an inspiration for photo shoots, slogans, captions... I truly believe Music has saved the planet from going totally mad...till now ;-)
Let's celebrate it together with my review of the wonderful exhibition currently held at the Philharmonie de Paris.
Watch for more!

> Accessories that rock !

One question I'm often asked: "Where did you get that necklace?" 
I really never go over budget with my accessories, but i simply love a piece that tells a story.
Each time I find a piece that's bold, wherever that might be, even on a street stall, I buy it and wear it with a simple outfit so that it shines on its own... 

Watch the video to discover some of my favorites like Karma, Issorya, Elsa O and Riwaya...

> The Young Pope & other delicacies

Forgive me Father for I have sinned, I lust after Jude Law in fabulous new series The Young Pope !

An excellent venture between Canal, HBO & Sky, The Young Pope, directed by my favorite "regista", Paolo Sorrentino of infamous "La Grande Bellezza" and "Youth", gathers an impressive cast of creme de la creme actors from France and Belgium (Cecile de France, Ludivine Sagnier) Italy (Silvio Orlando) the US (Diane Keaton, James Cromwell)...

 ...and Her Majesty's very own Jude Law, although he plays the  first American and youngest pope! He is so much into his role that you almost forget he ever was British! (Remember my guest post about Brits invading Hollywood?)

Now what would you expect this series to be? A mix of Moretti's Habemus Papam and House of cards? Well yes and no, or rather just a teeny weeny bit. The truth is that it is the most refreshing work I've seen in a movie or TV series in the past 5 years or more!

The amazing contradictory devilish-yet-pristine half-god-half-human played by Jude Law is so intense and palpable in just a silence, a look, or an unpredictable riposte; the various complex characters are divinely played as well and the writing of Sorrentino is simply top notch. Eye/Ear candy I tell you...

And did I mention the music is to die for?

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Let's make this post a "café gourmand" now shall we?
I'll share two other must-see series, and I've really chosen for you ones that have only a few episodes ;-)

Now I do not have an accent fetish, don't worry, i am actually more of a sapiosexual, hence.. Season 4 of the amazing Sherlock, starring 
my other favorite Brit, Benedict Cumberbatch. Oh we did not define sapiosexual? Why, aroused by wit of course! Or should i say elementary? BBC One's finest :

Last but not least, the most ironic one of all: 
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: a hilarious series about a hot shot lawyer from NYC who goes back to nowhere, i.e. West Covina CA, chasing after her long lost teenage boyfriend... With parody songs that put every insane situation into notes and lyrics, curvy Rachel Bloom will make you cry of laughter ;-)

So there you go! Now you know what to do if you don't want to stroll on the corniche or hit those white slopes...

Addiction risk, beware...

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> Old is the New Gold!

Some things simmer quietly here and there, with no particular connection, until one day they perfectly merge together into a blog post that says: write me now, write me now!! Have you ever had that feeling?
Allow me to tell you more:
A few days ago, Rana,  my designer friend, delighted me with beautiful collector gifts from the Iris Apfel x Le Bon Marché exhibition in Paris. 

Iris Apfel is a 94 years old fashionista, who refurbished the White House for 5 different presidents, and wandered around the planet for eclectic deco items and glorious personal accessories. She has a unique sense of style and a unique sense of humor. She calls herself the "Geriatric Starlet" and says that she'd rather be happy than well dressed...

Second simmering story: I am really eager for Season 2 of my favorite Netflix show to start: Grace and Frankie.
Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin are in their sixties when they find out both their husbands are sleeping together, and have been doing so for years... They have to reinvent their life at 60! Show is hilarious, actors are amazing, and writing is exceptional: Highly recommended!

Third simmering story:
Yesterday, I was lounging and browsing, enjoying my last vacay day, and I stumbled upon a post by my stylish elder friend Rebi, showing these pictures:

 

After some digging, I discovered they were from a blog and book named "Advanced Style" by Ari Seth Cohen, an ode to the confidence and beauty of fashionable ladies and gents who are enjoying their later years with grace and panache...

And coincidence of coincidences, Ari just published (Saturday!) his new book: "Older & Wiser", and is currently on the launching tour.

Connecting these dots together, it seems that 70 is definitely the new 40! And according to this article in my fourth casserole, we are all gonna live more than a hundred years: so if you're going to flaunt it, do it with style, or many different styles.

I leave you with this thought from Iris again: "More is More and Less is a Bore" which is the direct antithesis of my last campaign ;-D but it only applies to the over 60 !!

WASTE x Maya Metni limited edition bag collection

Just in time for the holidays! 
I am so proud to share the big news: 
I, along with 3 other designers, just finished a HAND-DRAWN capsule collection,  for one of my favorite brands: waste !






The other talented designers are MJ Ayoub, Souad Eid & Mirella Salamé. The bag itself is completely hand-sewn with used flex material & rubber. Slim and sleek, it can also fit a laptop. 



My collection of 20 unique bags will be launched Wednesday Dec 16 at the waste Pop Up shop in Saifi, here is the event page.

Now isn't that the coolest gift idea? 

"On the road" fashion editorial ~ RJ sneak peek

You've read the book, or at least seen the movie...

If I ever want to travel through the US, it is merely for a road trip on the Mystic Iconic Route 66, but only as Jack Kerouac described it. Maybe because this time is long gone, or was never real... maybe because it only exits in our imagination and in the poems of the Beat Generation.

Here's our Kerouac inspired shoot, on a route you all know, in a valley not so far from here...
Enjoy!

Thanks again to all the RJ team & to Imad El Khoury, this editorial was shot in difficult conditions.

> Art directing for ESA business school

I was lately asked to direct a 2 day photoshoot for the famous business school ESA and it was quite challenging since we were working with the real students during the real classes. What we did was integrating a few faces in the front rows, whom we casted amidst the students and school personnel.

Photos were shot by Imad El Khoury, brochures were created by the talented Nay Elian, and Art Direction by myself.

> The evolution of men's clothing in the past 5 years

I must say, working in a field that revolves around fashion is quite fun and very inspiring. I've learnt a lot since my childhood years when I used to devour my mom's ELLE, through my college years, and up till this very day... In fact, i cannot remember a season or a day when I found my job boring, or that fashion is repeating itself... True every season we have an "époque revival", inspired by movies, series or life in general (Gatsby this year, Downton Abbey two years ago etc...), but it is never a mere direct application. There is always a plus.

However, all these trends are much more visible in women's fashion, since women have a playful way to adapt catwalk style to their daily lives. But in the last five years I witnessed a MAJOR change in men's fashion, and more importantly, in men's attitudes towards fashion! They are not afraid to try new things, they are playful, creative, and we definitely feel that they are having fun putting together their daily outfit, just like we women do. HURRAY!!! Finally ;-)
Style is not solely reserved to the gentlemen in touch with their feminine side, it is your right messieurs! Claim it. It is sheer pleasure for us to see you dress (and undress) and the fact that it's now giving you pleasure as well makes you even sexier to our eyes.

 So what has changed exactly? Once again, social media! Thank God for Tommy Ton or the Sartorialist (among others) who have shown the world how the smart men in Pitti (the world famous fashion trade show) dress. And it has started a "boule de neige" that exploded all over the collections, even on the high street brands.

In conclusion? Messieurs, faites vos jeux!

Photos via Tommy Ton & Eton.