By Aysha Ibtasam

Shortly after becoming a Princess, Queen Rania initiated projects which aimed at improving livelihood of Jordanians from various sectors of society.

For the past couple of weeks of spring I have been writing about women in politics and their fashion taste. I will expand this topic for another week or two. With that said I would like to introduce you to another first lady who is down right beautiful, intelligent, compassionate and ultra-stylish. I must say, she is more than a first lady; she is royalty, a Queen, the one and only Queen Rania Al Abdullah, wife of King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein II, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

 

For those of you who are not very familiar with this stunning Queen, let me shed some light on her. She was born Rania Al Yassin in Kuwait to Palestinian parents on August 30, 1970. She attended school in Kuwait for her primary and secondary education; however, she earned her bachelors degree from the American University in Cairo for Business Administration. Freshly graduating from the University, it led her to pursue a career in banking field; however, her interest in Information Technology probed her to have a short-time career in the field of Technology as well.

As luck would have it, Queen Rania, at age 22, met the Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, who at that time was a Prince, at a dinner party in January of 1993.

As luck would have it, Queen Rania, at age 22, met the Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, who at that time was a Prince, at a dinner party in January of 1993. Subsequently, their meeting and obvious interest in each other convinced the young Prince to make the beautiful Rania Al Yassin his Princess. It was a fairytale wedding; the handsome prince dressed in his military uniform with hustles and bustles and the stunning princess wore a white gown with gold embroidery and a huge veil.

The King and Queen of Jordanian are blessed with four precious children, Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem. Queen Rania has many roles to juggle, and she does it ever so sufficiently. Along with being a mother of four, being a Queen and running a palace, she is also involved in philanthropy work.

Shortly after becoming a Princess, Queen Rania initiated projects which aimed at improving livelihood of Jordanians from various sectors of society. Actively playing her role as a first lady, she concerned herself with issues of national concern, such as environment, health, youth, human rights and many more. The development of income-generating projects, the improvement of the quality of life of the family unit, promotion of early childhood development, the incorporation of Information of Technology into the educational system and the promotion of tourism and the preservation of Jordan’s heritage are core issues of interest to her.

As Giorgio Armani has described Queen Rania as a ‘designer’s dream’, she has a model like structure and she holds herself like the ‘Queen she is’.

She also initiated a foundation called Jordan River, which provided non-financial businesses support and training to micro-entrepreneurs in order to assist them in establishing, expanding and improving their businesses. There are many other projects which she oversees. Queen Rania is deeply involved in helping her people, her community and her country.

With all of the above highlights and achievements of Queen Rania, she has great taste in fashion, I have noticed one thing, that when she wears a designer outfit, it might be very revealing on a model at a runway show, but it’s tailored and altered to accommodate her and is very modest. She stays away from plunging necklines, low backs or unnecessary show of flesh. From a designer’s point of view, it’s really interesting to see that she enjoys wearing beautiful designer costumes which can be very fleshy when they are designed for a fashion show but it transforms into something so wearable and modest to suit her.

She seems to incline towards European designers and is seen wearing them when attending gala events or social events in the evening. Among her favorite designers are Burberry, Chloe, Elie Saab, Givenchy and Roland Mouret. She also opts for Armani and Prada, but she has admitted that she loves to slip into track pants and be comfortable.

 

For the past couple of weeks of spring I have been writing about women in politics and their fashion taste. I will expand this topic for another week or two.

As Giorgio Armani has described Queen Rania as a ‘designer’s dream’, she has a model like structure and she holds herself like the ‘Queen she is’. He also said she has become a fashion icon around the world. Queen Rania also stated that she is well aware of which looks work for and sticks with it. She does not let fashion expert dictate her into something she knows won’t work for her.

There is a reason as to why I am choosing such accomplished women to write about. We, as a younger generation, should strive to be the best in all aspects of our lives, and in whatever role we play; whether, we are, daughters, sisters, mothers, wives, friends and neighbors. From woman like Queen Rania, we can learn how to be well educated, willing to lend a helping hand, hardworking, ambitious, dreamers and achievers, and generous. I believe to be one of these ladies we need to have many good qualities in us. That’s when we can truly shine like a star and stand next to these achieved women. I must say an extraordinary taste in fashion is a plus.