Last night might have been one of Gouna’s craziest fashion nights so far, inspiring quite a few feather jokes on social media. Of course, while the trolls had their fun, we had our eyes peeled for the fashion the night had to offer. We at Contra won’t let the fashion get lost in the commotion. So, without further ado, let’s get into our faves of the night and some of those that didn’t exactly hit the mark with us. We’re interested to know if you agree with our picks.

Top 5 Best Dressed

Jamila Awad in Vintage Family Heirloom

Actress Jamila Awad dressed the part of a leading lady in a shimmering gold dress. I fell in love with the entire look the minute I saw her; the Grecian vibes of the dress, the halo-braid updo, and the choker, were perfect. Most actresses rush to hook up with the designer of the moment, Jamila’s gown, however, is extra special because it belonged to her grandmother…yes, an actual vintage heirloom. Talk about standing out in every best possible way!

Tara Emad in Deana Shaaban

Tara Emad wowed everyone when she showed up on the red carpet in this ultra-romantic frock. Featuring shiny sheer, satin, and dramatic cuts, Tara’s gown was nothing less than fairytale-like.

The cut holds the aesthetic of glamour expected of Deana Shaaban. I particularly love the sheer cut at the back; there’s something Tinkerbelle-like here. I’m not one for princess/Disney inspired looks, but this one just touched me. I also love that Tara kept her beauty look minimal and chose to add glamour with statment Azza Fahmy earrings and a cuff bracelet.

Samira Maqroon in Malek Gheni

Tunisian actress Samira Magroun looked dramatic, gorgeous, and trendy in this gold and white number with a major v-shaped neckline and expertly applied sequins, all done by Tunisian designer Malek Gheni. I think we were all excited to see this look. We love a lady who has fashion sense and isn’t afraid to experiment with fashion.

Mai Elghety in Akela Studio

If you follow Mai ElGhety, you’d know that her style is very minimalist and down-to-earth. I like that she stays true to her personal style on the red carpet while still adding a bit of flair. Akela are known for their signature tie-dye pieces which really compliments the minimalist dress. I like how she kept everything toned down with nude heels. In a world trying to be loud and extravagant, Mai kills it with minimalist elegance.

Carmen Bsaibes in Elie Saab 

Carmen Bsaibes wore a sleek, slightly unexpected look from Elie Saab. Naturally, everyone was excited about the actress whose latest TV show has been quite a hit. She completed the look with statemnet earrings by Azza Fahmy.

Either way, it’s safe to say that deep green hues are definitely on trend this season.

Other Noteworthy Looks

Shereen Reda 

Here at Contra, we were saying how hard is it to judge a dress Shereen Reda’s wearing. Heck, she could wear a paper bag and still look gorgeous! Looking gorgeous in a flowing white gown, there she goes, schooling on-lookers on red carpet fashion [everyone take notes]. The gold embroidery details is definitely the stand out factor in the dress. I like how she doned Azza Fahmy jewelry, which is usually a statment of its own, in way that comlimented the dress. Does she ever get it wrong?

Mariam El Khosht in Sara Onsi

Not one to shy away from the unconventional! I love that Mariam ElKhosht likes to take risks when it comes to fashion. Mariam has definitely solidified her place as my new fashion favourite to watch as she graced the red carpet  with this unexpected gown. Featuring a cross between off-shoulder and victorian-style sleeves, this tulle dress is a refreshing pick, completed with Iram Jewelry.

Mina Massoud

If you’ve been following our fashion articles, you’d know that we just appreciate men who try to be different. Mina Massoud veered away from the traditional tux with this unconventional blazer. While not the most glamorous of the night, he still turned heads. Or maybe that’s his charm, we’re not quite sure!

Most Controversial Looks

Amy Samir Ghanim

When I saw her look, I instantly knew that this would be a love it or hate it kind of dress. Emy Samir Ghanem stepped out in a daring full sequin dress last night. Personally, I think it’s a fresh take on the sleeved demure dress, but other fashion critics might think otherwise.

Dorra Zarrouk in Micheal Cinco

Dorra’s look was a prime example of a “love it or hate it” look. While she looked quite pretty in this number, and the bright colour was quite complimenting, the choice of such a basic poofy dress didn’t seem right for her. 

Yasmin Sabry – Antoine Kareh Couture

This is another dress that you either completely disliked or were captivated by. At first glance, Yasmine Sabry’s famous hourglass pulls off this look with confidence and grace, but the longer you look at it, the less it grows on you. It’s not the cut that’s problem, it’s more of the choice of fabric, that was kind of tacky. What do you think?

Least Favorite Looks

All the feathers

Mona Zaki in Maison Yeya; Amina Khalil & Nour in Hamda Al Fahim

There‘s a reason this would be trend became the butt of every joke of the night… it looks ridiculous! And it breaks my heart that many of my favorite actresses were wearing this. Sadly, they scored our least favorite looks of the night. While the colours were gorgeous, we kind of lost our favorite actresses in the midst of all the plumage!

The Lingerie Inspired

Reham Ayman in La Bourjoisie; Laila Elwy; Elham Shahine

A picture is worth a thousand words… and some things once seen can’t be unseen!

Bushra 

I absolutely adore Bushra so I’m sad to list her in the least favorites of the night. However, this look wasn’t even remotely related to fashion splendour. It’s bright colour and overly voluminous silhouette is just so distracting in a very bad way. This was definitely a miss in our books.

Mohamed Ramadan

We were having quite an interesting discussion about how sorry I usually feel for Mohamed Ramadan because almost everyone I meet hates him, and one of our editors said, “it’s not hate for me, he’s just one big disappointment after the other”… and I couldn’t find a better way to describe his outfit for the night.

Mais Hamdan in Iman Saab 

Mais seemed to be channeling her inner “sagheera 3l 7ob” persona and unfortunately it didn’t work for us. Sometimes less is more and this dress was just way to much to swallow. 

Your thoughts?

What other red carpet looks did you love? Any looks you didn’t like? Who wins your pick for best dressed? What did you think of the red carpet fashion? Did you watch the opening night of the Gouna Film Festival? Now that you know what we think, tell us your opinion!