Creativity and audacity are part of PIAGET’s DNA and these qualities were recently celebrated at the unique launch of the Limelight Gala Milanese collection in Dubai. The prominent watchmaker and jeweler collaborated with four talented fashion designers from the region to launch the collection in a memorable setting. The designers who joined hands with Piaget for the launch were Asma and Amna Khaled Saif (AKS), Manaal al Hammadi and Epiphany by Asma Al Matrooshi.

The idea was centered on two mains pieces from the Piaget collection. The classic Gala Milanese was interpreted by the designers as everyday ready-to-wear while the Tradition watch with its décor palace finishes was illustrated as Haute Couture. Each designer developed two exceptional looks that paid tribute to Piaget’s portfolio and essential master watch pieces.

Ready to wear

Asma and Amna Khaled Saif worked on lighter fabrics as the watch embodies a woman’s everyday wear wardrobe, they used mesh as a means to reflect the bracelet of the watch. The look was composed of two-layered Spring/summer jackets hinting at the “stacking” effect; women nowadays add jewelry and timepieces all together. The color palette is neutral and timeless. Asma Al Matrooshi portrayed the everyday woman with high-waist fitted pants, a blouse and jacket with a gold beaded and woven collar that highlighted the two dainty elongated asymmetrical lugs rounding the Gala Milanese. The look can be worn day or night, embodying the timelessness of Piaget watch pieces.

Manaal Al Hammadi worked on the visible traits of the Gala Milanese and its malleable bracelet with a look that reflected the texture of the bracelet through a zoomed in effect of woven laser cut fabric. Manaal worked around the idea that the piece was textured and in motion; embodying movement and attracting light while moving, this emphasizes the modernity of the watch.

Haute Couture

AKS’ look consisted of a take on modern couture through the construction of an A-line skirt, layered and bold which they paired with a short-sleeved silk blouse. They worked on silver rather than gold as the Tradition watch represents something far beyond a classic, it is modern and bold.

Asma Al Matrooshi’s second look referred to all that is timeless and vintage. The look was composed of a bold Indian raw silk, 3/4 length coat in soft gold. Her use of raw silk illustrated the embossed bracelet of the Tradition watch.

Manaal Al Hammadi wanted to embrace all that is couture; the draping, the gold, the light, the dress. The Piaget Tradition watch made her think of an armor with its embossed bracelet so she worked on that “armor” effect through lines seen on the dress that were built with sequins, caging, and hugging a woman’s curves.

Limelight Gala

Born in the 1970s, a period pervaded by freedom, boldness and extravagance, the Limelight Gala bears eloquent testimony – alongside cuff-watches and sautoir-necklace models – to the inimitable Piaget style based on a powerful design vocabulary that appealed to the jet-set and countless celebrities of the time. Revisited for the first time in 2013 on a satin strap, it now appears in an exclusively gold-clad version featuring a Milanese mesh strap complementing its generous curves.