A Magic Carpet Ride

On one day of my trip, I was taken to see how Egyptian rugs are made. These photos can't quite convey the incredible detail, beauty and rich colors I saw, but they're a start.

If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in Egypt, this is a local handicraft that is well worth the investment. We were able to watch a few of the rugs being made, and the hours and craftsmanship that go into creating these beautiful pieces of art were astounding to observe. Each thread of each rug is woven by hand on a loom using the softest silk and wool threads. Some of the rugs can take months to complete, and many of the designs come from the craftsman's own imagination.

While I can't fly you to Egypt to purchase a rug, I can offer you a great way to guarantee any future rug purchases you make are supporting talented artisans while ensuring no children are employed in the making of your handmade masterpiece. If you're in the market for a new carpet, I highly recommend purchasing a Goodweave certified rug.

The handmade carpet industry exploits nearly 250,000 children. GoodWeave is helping to combat this problem and transform the rug industry by certifying child-labor-free rugs and by providing education and opportunities to rescued and at-risk children.

Below are a just a few samples from the many retailers and designers who have the Goodweave certification. Many are available on popular sites like Amazon, or you can type in your zip code here to find a retailer near you.




If, on the other hand, you are not in the market for a rug right now, you can still get the look and feel of Egypt (and our traveling band of dancers) with a beautiful silk scarf. They're perfect for travel and they make great gifts for the holidays.

Since this post falls on Black Friday, I've rounded up a few vintage treasures from Etsy to get you started:

 Left to right: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Last but certainly not least, I would like to acknowledge the beautiful people in this post. As you can see, they all look like off-duty models (some actually are). When you put a bunch of dancers together in a beautiful setting, vogue-ing inevitably ensues. In fact, there are more outtakes up on the Fair Vanity Facebook page--check 'em out!

The prince of Egypt on the magic carpet is Mr. Marcus Ball, and the lovely folks surrounding me in the other photo are Mrs. Ashley Clausnitzer on the left and Mr. Craig Fishback on the right.

Marcus is a master of headwraps and headscarves-- he styled my scarf and Ashley's and pretty much every scarf you can see in any photos from our tour (instagram, friends). What's more, like Ashley and Craig, he was always willing to help me take a few photos for Fair Vanity.

Thank you thank you thank you, guys!

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