anexpatabroad

“To become the common denominator of masculine interests—to be all things to all men.” Esquire

So leading men’s fashion magazine Esquire Middle East have scoured the region to find their annual Best Dressed Men of the UAE 2015 and then invited me as one of the guests to attend a rather fabulous party at Dai Pai Dong restaurant in the Rosewood Hotel, Abu Dhabi to celebrate them, well that was an invitation too good to refuse, right ladies?

The magazine teamed up with the Galleria Mall located on Al Maryah Island to throw the party to honour this years seventeen sharpest dressers, with some of the dapper gentlemen being flown to the capital by helicopter and the others arrived in chauffeured cars setting the scene for the stylish event which was also sponsored by Paul Smith and one of my favourite brands, Molten Brown.

There was of course a fair bit of pea-cocking as the chosen debonair few, who work in all different professions and hail from all over the globe, strutted their stuff in an array of smart outfits, fancy shoes and of course chunky designer watches. As expected It was certainly a well-dressed affair with some sporting more quirky attire than others. A bright yellow jacket, an equally bright blue suit, bejewelled cufflinks, red soled shoes, bold checks, bow ties, waistcoats and even red Adidas originals were just a snippet of what I saw along with fair few egos too. The other half scrubbed up well in his Paul Smith ensemble and one lady guest even asked him if he was one of the best dressed, that went down well as you can imagine! Smug or what? Good to see Dubai based blogger and model Andy Scott flying the flag for the Brits and even better to find out he’s a Hampshire boy from the same county as us back home in good old blighty.

What a fabulous venue too! Dai Pai Dong, which is located below ground in the space where the Rosewood Hotel meets The Galleria, is inspired by an open-air food stall once very popular in Hong Kong and we were treated to quite a selection from the street food style menu that offers a modern twist on classic Cantonese food. Chef He Jia and his team worked from the live glass covered show kitchen creating fabulous tasty canapés, soups and small bites and the desserts were amazing (especially the tiny Hong Kong style egg tarts). The restaurant has a great ambiance with authentic Chinese artwork and artefacts and my favourite bit, a hidden elegant speakeasy style bar. We were also treated to some Iive music courtesy and a film crew from Streetwise Productions were making a video of the event.

Esquire Middle East launched here in 2009 (Esquire first launched in the US back in October 1933) is the ultimate go to magazine in print and online for the more well-heeled and refined gentlemen in the region. Covering everything from culture, lifestyle, world affairs, fashion, music, sport, health and current trends through local and international content. Interviews and features showcase local high-flyers, brands and events as well as business and news.

Thank you Esquire Middle East for a truly marvellous evening…..and the Molten Brown goodies too 😉

Here’s the link if you would like to check out the Esquire Middle East Best Dressed Men 2015 for yourself www.esquireme.com/esquire-best-dressed-men-2015

I was invited to attend this event but the views are all my own. Unless otherwise stated, all photos on this page © Jo Brett 2015. All rights reserved. Photo credit for photos 2 and 4 www.esquireme.com