Vogue Arabia held the first ball in its history on the evening of Friday, 13 November 2026, at the Delano Dubai hotel on Bluewaters Island in Dubai. The black-tie night, called the “Art Edition”, set out to celebrate art through the female gaze. Dozens of names from the Middle East’s film, music and fashion worlds walked the red carpet; from Türkiye, actress Hande Erçel became one of the evening’s most talked-about guests in a piece from Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad’s couture collection.
According to Arab News, Cairo-based jewellery designer Youssef Karam Hussein won the “Creators of Craft” design challenge at the ball with a necklace inspired by the mashrabiya (the traditional latticed window). The work of five finalists from Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates was on display throughout the evening. The night’s artistic direction was informed by the work of Emirati artists Shaikha Al-Mazrou and Dhabia Al-Qubaisi.
Hande Erçel: feathered couture by Zuhair Murad
Hande Erçel chose an off-the-shoulder Zuhair Murad couture design with pastel floral embroidery on a black base and feather details. Red Carpet Fashion Awards reported that the piece is a wrap coat with a train from the house’s Fall/Winter 2026 couture collection; Arab News also described the look as black Zuhair Murad couture with floral embroidery and feather trim. According to Red Carpet Fashion Awards, a Pomellato necklace with a purple stone completed the open neckline. According to Vogue Arabia’s post, Erçel told the red-carpet hosts why she loves the way Middle Eastern designers bring heritage and creativity together. Erçel had also appeared in the Vogue Arabia campaign film released ahead of the ball.
See Vogue Arabia's Hande Erçel post on Instagram
The night’s standout looks
Amina Khalil — Valentino
Egyptian actress Amina Khalil walked in a look from Alessandro Michele’s Valentino Autumn/Winter 2027 collection, pairing a lace top with a sculptural purple taffeta skirt. She was styled by Mohamed Ashraf. Khalil told Vogue Arabia that wearing it felt like wearing a piece of art.
See Vogue Arabia's Amina Khalil post on Instagram
Nadine Nassib Njeim — Georges Hobeika
Lebanese actress Nadine Nassib Njeim wore a design customised for her from Georges Hobeika’s Spring/Summer 2026 haute couture collection. A Swarovski crystal-and-pearl headpiece and embroidered lace gloves completed the look, which Vogue Arabia likened to the drama of Black Swan.
See Vogue Arabia's Nadine Njeim post on Instagram
Lojain Omran — Charbel Karam
Saudi social media personality Lojain Omran chose a custom Charbel Karam gown combining flowing chiffon with a sculpted silver armour bodice. She styled the look herself, finishing it with a crystal-embellished crown and Tiffany & Co. jewellery.
See Vogue Arabia's Lojain Omran post on Instagram
Mai Omar — Kristie Romanos
Egyptian actress Mai Omar took to the red carpet in a hand-painted corset gown by Kristie Romanos Atelier. The blue-toned corset and gold-embroidered skirt made it one of the most direct interpretations of the evening’s art theme.
See Vogue Arabia's Mai Omar post on Instagram
Huda El-Mufti — Dolce & Gabbana
Egyptian actress Huda El-Mufti opted for a Dolce & Gabbana look inspired by Marie Antoinette.
See Vogue Arabia's Huda El-Mufti post on Instagram
Cindy Bruna — Mugler
French model Cindy Bruna struck one of the night’s simplest yet strongest poses in a black leather Mugler look.
See Vogue Arabia's Cindy Bruna post on Instagram
Yasmina El-Abd — Dior
Egyptian actress Yasmina El-Abd wore a pink design with floral appliqués from Dior’s Cruise 2027 collection. She was styled by Cedric Haddad.
See Vogue Arabia's Yasmina El-Abd post on Instagram
Amira Al-Zuhair — Georges Hobeika
French-Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair chose a coral Georges Hobeika ball gown with a tiered bodice, beaded entirely by hand.
See Vogue Arabia's Amira Al-Zuhair post on Instagram
Azza Slimene — Rami Kadi
The evening’s host, Tunisia’s Azza Slimene, wore a custom Rami Kadi couture gown inspired by Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”.
See Vogue Arabia's Azza Slimene post on Instagram
Haifa Wehbe — Dolce & Gabbana on stage
Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe, cover star of Vogue Arabia’s November issue, took the stage at the evening’s party. According to Arab News, Wehbe performed three songs in an archival Dolce & Gabbana look inspired by Italy’s traditional luminarie light installations.
See Vogue Arabia's Haifa Wehbe post on Instagram
And the rest
- Red-carpet host Jessica Kahawaty: a custom Kristie Romanos gown featuring drawings by children from Dubai’s Rashid Center, with Kahawaty Jewels jewellery.
- Balqees Fathi: feathered couture by Krikor Jabotian.
- Huda Kattan: an off-the-shoulder white gown and jewelled choker by Khaled and Marwan.
- Salma Abu Deif: Elie Saab.
- Nour Rizk: Look 51 from Tony Ward’s Spring/Summer couture collection.
- Enjy Kiwan: a custom ivory gown by Nour Azazy with Piaget jewellery.
Why it matters
Thomas Khoury, managing director of Condé Nast Middle East, said the ball could travel to other cities in the region, such as Riyadh or Doha, in the future. Manuel Arnaut, Vogue Arabia’s head of editorial content, said future editions could take on architecture, design, cinema, music and photography as themes. Dubai thus becomes a contender for an annual gala tradition on the fashion calendar, much like the Met Gala.
Seen from Türkiye, the picture is even more interesting: by choosing a Middle Eastern couture house for the first ball of the region’s biggest fashion magazine, Hande Erçel once again showed the visibility of Turkish stars on the Gulf fashion scene. Readers who want to follow the red-carpet calendar can also take a look at our fashion week calendar guide.
Sources
- Arab News — Design prize at the Vogue Arabia Ball
- Red Carpet Fashion Awards — Hande Erçel at the Vogue Arabia Ball
- Onedio — Hande Erçel at the Vogue Arabia Ball in Dubai
- Vogue Arabia — official Instagram posts
Image: Ain Dubai seen from Bluewaters Island, Dubai (representative image) — Aidan-dubai2024, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Instagram posts in this article are official posts by the respective accounts, published using Instagram’s embed tool; image rights belong to their owners.