Supermodel Joan Smalls shows off Abu Dhabi’s natural wonders

Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls visited Abu Dhabi. (File photo: AFP)
Updated 31 October 2018
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Supermodel Joan Smalls shows off Abu Dhabi’s natural wonders

DUBAI: Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls is in Abu Dhabi and by the looks of her Instagram account, she’s having a blast.
The Victoria’s Secret model is in town for Etihad Airways’ 15th birthday, which they celebrated with a fashion collaboration with Diane Von Furstenberg that was presented at the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Smalls took a trip to the desert and even posed with a camel in a series of photographs posted on Instagram.
“When the lash envy is real,” she captioned a snap in which she is standing next to a camel with luscious eyelashes.
The model also paid a visit to the Abu Dhabi Fossil Dunes, an area that boasts imposing fossilized sand dunes, and posed amid the awe-inspiring geological formations.



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Don’t mind me, I’m just rocking out #abudhabi

A post shared by Joan Smalls (@joansmalls) on

“Don’t mind me, I’m just rocking out,” she captioned one of the photos. “Nature truly amazes me,” she labelled another.

Smalls was catapulted to stardom in 2010 when the model walked in the Spring /Summer 2010 show for Givenchy Couture. Since then, she has walked for an array of high-end labels, including Alexander Wang, Burberry, Carolina Herrera, Emilio Pucci and Fendi. She has also fronted advertising campaigns for the likes of Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Giambattista Valli and Tiffany’s and was named as the face of Estée Lauder cosmetics in 2011.
Smalls isn’t the only model that Etihad Airways has worked with in recent weeks.
Victoria’s Secret beauty Shanina Shaik, whose father is Saudi-Pakistani and mother is Lithuanian-Australian, also starred in a video for the Abu Dhabi-based airline, which she shared on her Instagram page earlier in October.
In the clip, she boards a flight to Paris and waxes lyrical about the service and food, adding that she “really enjoyed the Arabic mezze plate and being served my favorite Arabic coffee and dates.”
“Thank you @etihadairways for the amazing trip to Paris! I arrived fresh and relaxed!! Being a model I’m always in and out of a city and never able to see the sights. #etihadairways created an amazing trip that allowed me to discover all of Paris,” she captioned the video, in which she wanders the streets of Paris after the flight.


Shanina Shaik hits the slopes with Net-A-Porter

Updated 15 sec ago
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Shanina Shaik hits the slopes with Net-A-Porter

DUBAI: Part-Arab model Shanina Shaik traded city streets for snowy peaks last weekend as shopping giant Net-A-Porter brought its destination style fest to One&Only’s newest ultraluxury property in Big Sky, Montana. The event attracted a glittering crowd of fashion insiders and Hollywood names — including Emma Roberts and Louisa Jacobson — all embracing alpine chic between runs on the slopes.

Shaik, an Australia-born model of Saudi, Pakistani and Lithuanian descent, who took to Instagram to share snapshots from the trip, was spotted among the well-dressed guests turning the mountain resort into a style set. “A few days in the Montana mountains is good for the soul,” she captioned her post on Instagram.

Roberts made one of the weekend’s standout sartorial statements with a slouched, fur-accented jacket layered over sleek black separates, merging apres-ski warmth with polished glamour.

Meanwhile, Jacobson, known for her breakout role on “The Gilded Age,” embraced casual luxury in elevated winter staples that complemented the event’s laid-back yet luxurious vibe. Aurora James added fur-trapper energy with her double-layered fur look, offering playful inspiration for winter layering.

Shaik ended 2025 sharing festive content with her followers. In one Instagram post captioned “Holiday party season,” she wore a sparkly maroon halter-neck dress with a plunging neckline.

The post took the form of a “get-ready-with-me” carousel, offering a glimpse of the beauty products she used ahead of a holiday event.

She also turned heads in Paris last year when she appeared in new images shared by Victoria Beckham Beauty. The model was featured in photos from a collaboration post on Instagram between her and the beauty brand, seen applying products such as the satin kajal liner and eye wear palette to create a soft, bronzed makeup look.

Shaik also attended the Victoria Beckham show during Paris Fashion Week, where the British designer presented her Spring/Summer 2026 collection at 17th-century Val-de-Grace Abbey. For the occasion, Shaik wore a chocolate-brown satin halter-neck gown with a high neckline and open back, styled with minimal accessories and glossy waves for a sleek finish.

Before the show, Shaik shared a behind-the-scenes video of her getting ready for the event.

“I am so excited for this show. I am obviously a huge fan,” she said in the video before breaking down the products she uses on her hair before styling.