Take Part in the First Fascinating Public Show of Old Lebanese Dress

It is a rare opportunity for our elegant ladies to seize in this unique tourist country: to appear as radiant emiras or enchanting country girls who have passed, with the passing of time, across this beautiful spot of the East. Answering the call of their esteemed magazine is a flash of inspiration that the Commissariat of Tourism and Summering is bringing into effect under the patronage of the Lebanese Red Cross Society. It promises, beyond dispute, to be a singular national demonstration, realizing part of what the Commissariat, together with the Directorate of Antiquities, has been striving for in the era of Lebanon's independence.

So come, daughter of the Cedars, make ready to bring back to life a night of your glorious history. Long live Lebanon.

Conditions of the Competition

1 – The contestant, Lebanese or non-Lebanese, is required to endeavor to realize a complete costume from among the authentic Lebanese costumes.

2 – To show her costume at the Commissariat of Tourism and Summering before the expert on this subject, Miss Andrée Kamerman, before the end of the first week of the coming August.

3 – To present herself for the competition wearing her costume at the annual party of the Lebanese Red Cross on August 15, 1954, at the Grand Hotel Sofar.

4 – To submit to the judgment of the jury, which will be formed from the Commissariat of Tourism and Summering, the Directorate of Antiquities, the Lebanese Red Cross Society, and The Woman's Voice magazine.

5 – First prize: 150 Lebanese liras
Second prize: 100 Lebanese liras
Third prize: 50 Lebanese liras

All of them the offering of the Commissariat of Tourism and Summering, together with precious pieces of the work of the Lebanese Artisanat.

Other valuable prizes will be awarded by the Oriental shops of Beirut, and a drawing will be held for various prizes taking in all the contestants.

Do not let the opportunity slip. You and we have an appointment on the coming August 15.

Good luck.

A Word to Make the Choice of Your Costume Easier

The first thing that comes to your mind: what does an authentic Lebanese costume cost? The answer is that if you want luxury, it may run beyond seven hundred Lebanese liras. But if you want soundness of taste with economy of material, the price is not likely to exceed a hundred Lebanese liras. And remember that the prize does not hinge on a high price, but on quality of workmanship, novelty of presentation, and precision of choice. We are accustomed today not to stint on any dress we want, whether for the evening or for the day. And tell me, pray: who wears her costly clothes until they are worn to shreds? Acquiring an authentic Lebanese costume, then, is not one of those luxuries that stays hanging in the wardrobe; it will serve you on many occasions, and it admits of no distortion or alteration. It is a permanent "classic" garment — the more so as the fashions of the West today are turning toward the old lines.

We have grown used to the sight of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, the Begum Aga Khan, and General Franco's daughter in their national dress, appearing in it at more than one purely official occasion. It is no exaggeration to say that this is a feeling of sincere national pride. Why should we not follow their example? Search among your grandmother's and your mother's old clothes: you cannot fail to come upon a symbolic piece that will tempt your femininity, which always asks for change and novelty in attire. Look through the old souks for copper coins, and have the tantour fashioned today of aluminum at an ordinary goldsmith's, and stud it with colored glass. Or look for a metal bowl and fix it atop a tarboush the size of your head. Defy the unknown. Resolve upon originality. And you will see that you are graceful and beautiful many times over what you are now.