Lebanese divas Elissa, Haifa Wehbe thrill audience in Riyadh

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Elissa stunned in a yellow dress. (Arab News: Nawaf Almutairi)
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Haifa Wehbe hit the stage in black sequined jumpsuit and pink boots. (Arab News: Nawaf Almutairi)
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Updated 29 October 2022
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Lebanese divas Elissa, Haifa Wehbe thrill audience in Riyadh

RIYADH: Lebanese superstars Elissa and Haifa Wehbe joined forces for the first time ever and performed at the same concert in Riyadh on Friday. 

Fans seemed to be excited about the collaboration, with bronze and silver tickets having sold out before the icons hit the stage. 

The gig was part of Riyadh Season and saw the singers, both with two decades of hits under their designer belts, perform a number of their chart-topping songs.




Wehbe sang some of her fan-loved hits like “Tigi,” “Bokra Bfarjik” and “Ana Haifa Ana” as the crowd sang along. (Arab News: Nawaf Almutairi)

Wehbe sang her latest hit “Walad,” along with some of her fan-loved hits like “Tigi,” “Bokra Bfarjik” and “Ana Haifa Ana” as the crowd sang along. 

Meanwhile, Elissa treated fans to her vocal range with her songs “Nefsi Aollo,” “Awakher El-Sheta” and “As’ad Wahda.” 




Elissa treated fans to her vocal range with her songs “Nefsi Aollo,” “Awakher El-Sheta” and “As’ad Wahda.” (Arab News: Nawaf Almutairi)

For the occasion the pair showed off glamorous attire, with Wehbe hitting the stage in black sequined jumpsuit and pink boots as Elissa stunned in a yellow dress. 

“Can’t wait to see all of you on the 28th of October with my beautiful friend Haifa Wehbe in Riyadh Season,” Elissa wrote to her 18.8 million Instagram followers before the show, as excitement ramped up online. 




The gig was part of Riyadh Season. (Arab News: Nawaf Almutairi)

 “Can’t wait,” wrote one user. Another said: “It will be the night of a lifetime and there is nothing better than Haifa and Elissa being together. (It is) a concert for history to be honest.”

This year’s Riyadh Season boasts 15 zones with over 8,500 activities, including 108 interactive experiences, eight international shows, 17 Arabic plays, 252 restaurants and cafes, daily fireworks and more than 150 concerts.


Mona Tougaard wears bridal look at Dior’s Paris show

Updated 27 January 2026
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Mona Tougaard wears bridal look at Dior’s Paris show

  • Rihanna and Brigitte Macron among attendees at show
  • Design part of new director Jonathan Anderson’s vision

DUBAI/ PARIS: Model Mona Tougaard reportedly turned heads in a bridal-inspired look on the Christian Dior runway during the recent Paris Haute Couture Week.

The runway star, who has Danish, Turkish, Somali and Ethiopian ancestry, wore a sculptural white gown with a one-shoulder silhouette and layered petal-like appliques cascading from the bodice to the full skirt.

The asymmetrical bodice featured draped detailing across the torso, while the skirt flared into a voluminous, floor-length shape.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dior Official (@dior)

The look was finished with oversized floral statement earrings that echoed the dress’s petal motif.

The floral elements echoed the wider vision of Dior’s new creative director Jonathan Anderson, who drew inspiration from nature and his love of ceramics for his first Haute Couture collection since being appointed to the role.

The 41-year-old faces the rare challenge of overseeing all three fashion lines at the house — women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and Haute Couture — becoming the first designer to do so since Christian Dior himself.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dior Official (@dior)

Just days after presenting his latest men’s collection during Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the Northern Irish designer returned with his first couture offering.

The collection featured floral motifs on fabrics or as accessories, while sculptural bulbous dresses were inspired by the work of Kenya-born ceramicist Magdelene Odundo.

“When you copy nature, you always learn something,” Anderson declared in his show notes, which compared Haute Couture to a living ecosystem that is “evolving, adapting, enduring.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dior Official (@dior)

Other noteworthy pieces included dresses with spherical birdcage-inspired silhouettes, while other models wore vest tops with their dresses gathered around their waists.

The front row at the Rodin Museum reflected the scale of anticipation surrounding Anderson’s couture debut. France’s first lady Brigitte Macron arrived early, while Lauren Sanchez Bezos swept in shortly after.

Actor Parker Posey twirled briefly in a trench-style dress, playing to the room before settling in.

Then the space fell into a collective pause as celebrities and editors alike waited for Rihanna. When the pop star finally took her seat, the lights dropped and the show began.

Before the show, Anderson admitted in an interview with the Business of Fashion website that he previously thought couture was “irrelevant,” adding that he never really “understood the glamour behind it.”

“Now, I feel like I’m doing a Ph.D. in couture,” he explained.