I suspect that if I had an older sister, she would be much cooler than me. I have oft fantasized about a sister whose wisdom on both men and fashion would always steer me towards the best of choices and save me the embarrassment of relationship blunders and many a fashion faux pas. This sister would have been artistically inclined, would know how to pull off a studded belt on a chiffon dress like all the other cool girls du jour, and have coffee table books scattered around her house on cool pieces of contemporary or shabby chic furniture. Although I'm still sister-less, I have at least found a store that my imaginary sister would certainly approve. Filled with hand selected gems is Rania's Corner, a small lifestyle boutique tucked away — as the best things in Cairo always tend to be — in Elements, a furniture and clothes store located on a quiet square in Dokki. A recently opened passion project, Rania Sherif owns and runs the store, selling clothes, home accessories, furniture, jewelry, art work, stationary, and assorted knick knacks. The sort of things girls fall in love with for a touch of personal comfort and pleasure. Rania's Corner is actually a fairly sized “store in a store,” with a wide and open space. One can walk across the shop and flip through some books, ruffle through racks of clothes, admire some art, or look for small treats for themselves or their significant other. Sherif travels to trade fairs in New York, Paris, Milan and Frankfurt to look for clothes and items to stock that she later finds painful to part with. “Anything I can take back home I buy it, but I'm in pain every time something's sold,” says Sherif. The emphasis as she curates and selects her collection for the store is simple: if she likes it, she either buys it or places an order. “I've bid on stuff and bought these [art deco] tables from Christie's simply because they are items I wouldn't mind having in my own home. I never buy items because I think they will sell but because, in a sense, they reflect me.” “The emphasis is on unique items,” says store manager Faye Ehrich. “Rania is often suggesting to customers a new way to introduce items and furnishings into the house, using items in a creative manner.” Large clocks are for sale, as are fun flower shaped pillows, dog shaped sculptures, and vintage looking radios fitted to serve as speakers for an iPod. The boutique has also introduced funky clothing labels that only a handful of hardcore fashion followers might already know: Cushnie et Ochs, and Sachin + Babi are two such labels that have been quickly selling out in Rania's Corner, appealing to women's tastes for something feminine with a touch of demure edge. There are a few Egyptian clothing labels as well, with unique pieces specially designed for Rania's Corner. Brands by designers Nadine Chammaa, Air Marin and Ayn Maha are currently being sold, and Sherif intends to bring in more local brands should she like them with the same intensity as what she currently sells. For what she calls a “small company,” she's already started collaborating with foreign furniture designers like Zoe Murphy in creating one off unique pieces for her store. Zoe Murphy only sells to Rania's Corner and the famous London store Liberty. According to Sherif, “I can't help myself but give suggestions” when placing orders with brands and designers. In the store at press time is a chest of drawers with graphics on one side, and there is also a dresser with lights which Sherif describes as “a vanity dresser that has a vintage look to it.” Sherif's curiosity to create and present interesting pieces for the contemporary and artistically conscious woman also extends to some of the clothing lines she carries; she often collaborates with an Indian designer based in Goa for light summer pieces. The boutique also has several British home accessories brands such as Squint and is the exclusive carrier of Old Cinema Shop, a brand that plays with unique pieces such as jet engines to form cool home bar units as well as a variety of other items. Colorful woolen poufs by SCP and Bloominville from Denmark are also carried in the store, as are Trendy Tubs — stools that function as storage tubs, stenciled with cool prints and designs. The store's new focus will be on extending the variety of brands available, and also organizing monthly events for clients. Last month, Italian jewelry designer Giuliana Michelotti flew in from New York for a two-day pop up event, getting clients excited about her statement jewelry pieces. And in the works for early next year is a day with a Los Angeles-based makeup artist to come in and give tips and tutorials to shoppers. “We'll be thinking of lots of things to do for our clients so that we can always have something interesting in Rania's Corner,” says Ehriche.
