Exotic Inspirations: Georgettes & Chiffons

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Victorian design fuses with Middle Eastern flairat Georgettes & Chiffons

Aline Saad designed, decorated and even named the 15 locations of Shakespeare and Co., the Dubai-based restaurant that her husband, Edward, started in 2002 and brought to Lexington three years ago. Now, she’s showcasing her unique taste and interior design expertise at a North Broadway boutique, just steps away from the popular restaurant known for its tufted velvet couches, colorful fringed lamps and luxurious curtains.

Originally located a few blocks north, in the building that formerly housed Flag Fork Herb Farm, Georgettes & Chiffons Boutique recently relocated to 124 N. Broadway, just south of Short Street. Offering a variety of ornate draperies, valences, cushions, curtains and lamp shades, in addition to scarves, handbags and jewelry, the shop looks like a condensed version of the nearby restaurant, with a distinctive style that combines Middle Eastern flair with Victorian-inspired charm.

“The place is magical,” said Mindy Hall, a customer who stopped by the shop recently. Hall was particularly struck by the uniqueness of the items in the shop. “You don’t see things like this anywhere else.”

For her style, which she describes as “Renaissance for today,” Saad drew inspiration from palaces that she visited in countries such as Italy, France and Austria.

“I took their décor ideas and re-created them in a fun way and within a reasonable budget,” she said.

The idea of making luxurious design affordable is important to Saad.

“Our customers don’t pay a whole lot more than they would at the department store, but what they get is unique,” she said. “It’s made with love and passion.”

And notably, all the items sold in the shop are handmade. Saad’s passion for designing and making beautiful things started early in life. She began making jewelry and clothes when she was 18, and when she got married and became a stay-at-home mom in Dubai, she began making curtains from the spare room of her house.

“My children grew up around fabrics, playing hide and seek in my workshop,” she said.

Over the years, her design business grew to the point where she was eventually employing 50 people at four different locations. Today, most of her inventory is produced in Dubai warehouses, with the Lexington location providing the business’ primary showroom and boutique.

Saad said that it was her dream to open a shop here since she and her husband first moved to Lexington four years ago, but she was too busy with their restaurants at first.

“I brought my collection of curtains from Dubai, but it took me awhile to actually start showing it,” she said

The collection of curtains offered at Georgettes & Chiffons consists of 14 designs, each coming in four to seven colors. While there are two standard sizes, everything can be customized. The curtains come with a variety of tiebacks and brooches.

“The way they are designed, you can really play with them,” said Saad. “You can display them differently, and it will change the look of your room. Or, you can wear the brooch as part of your outfit, or one day you can use a tieback as a scarf.”

The fabrics used to make Saad’s products range from velvet, taffeta and silk to silk, guipure (a heavy, large-patterned lace) and – of course – chiffon and georgette, the crepe fabrics that informed the name of her store.

Saad’s love for fabrics came as a result of her exposure to a variety of cultures: She lived in Lebanon and the Republic of Chad in Africa as a child, then lived and studied in France for three years before marrying her husband and moving to Dubai. Her other inspiration, she said, is reading. In fact, her favorite Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, inspired the name of the restaurant.

When they were opening their first restaurant in Dubai, Saad never thought that building a restaurant empire would become a full-time job for her husband, who initially worked as a successful chemical engineer in the oil business. Moving to the United States was not in her plans either, until she realized that her children wanted to follow their father’s steps and get their educations in America. (Edward Saad, who grew up in Lebanon, went to MIT and then to the University of Kentucky to pursue his Ph.D. in chemical engineering.) Four years after the move, the three oldest children are in colleges in different states; their youngest child attends Sayre.

The shop’s recent move, even just a few blocks to their new downtown location, has been a boon for business.

“People stop by; they are curious, and they really like what they see,” said Esther Abbott, a jewelry designer who helps at the store. Abbott and Saad plan to eventually host jewelry-designing workshops at the store, to further engage with their customer base.

“Working with fabrics and making things with your hands can be very meditative,” Saad said. “I want to share my skills with people so they can have this experience.” cc

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