Dissecting the Layers of Cairo With Moroccan Stylist Nathalie Sicart

To the well-accustomed eye, Cairo may appear unassuming. Its streets, people, and places have become familiar sights, ingrained in the minds of Egyptians. As a result, one may not immediately look beyond its surface. After all, this is a city that thrives on speed, making it difficult to pause and uncover what lies beneath.

When it comes to French-Moroccan stylist and model Nathalie Sicart, however, that very surface layer of Cairo was simply that—a surface to be dissected, its threads calling to be unravelled to reveal a deeper, more intricate city.

Born in Paris to Moroccan parents, Nathalie Sicart spent her childhood years in Morocco, where she immersed herself in the muses of her Arabic surroundings. At 19, she moved back to Paris to study law—a field she’s still pursuing today at 25. While law remains a significant passion for her, Sicart is exploring how to combine it with her love for fashion, particularly through intellectual property law for brands. 

Sicart began her journey in fashion two years ago, with a certain focus. With a distinctive approach, Nathalie Sicart specialises in layers—both literally and figuratively. Rather than simply dressing, she aims to dissect and display through layers, each one contributing to a larger narrative. This layering technique has become her hallmark, reflecting her desire to build complexity and depth into every look she creates.

For SceneStyled’s December issue, Sicart takes on Cairo, a city that has been shaped by layers of history, culture, and diversity. Through her fresh perspective as an outsider, Sicart dissects and layers the city, turning it into a visual exploration of contrasts and harmonies. “Cairo is a city shaped by its cultural clashes,” Sicart tells SceneStyled, and her choices reflect this very essence of the city—a melting pot of ancient and modern, traditional and contemporary.

Sicart’s first scene, Sicar utilises Egyptian labels Kojak Studios, Dys-Euphoria, Aliel, and Sarah Wagdy to draw directly from Cairo’s architectural palette; a fusion of minimalist modernity and natural textures that echo the city's raw soul. “Kojak was the first Egyptian designer I discovered, and his influence has had a significant impact on this shoot,” Sicart tells SceneStyled. “I wanted to display earth tones that reflect Cairo’s architectural palette, focusing on minimalist layering.” she adds. 

The earth tones—beige and lark—are directly inspired by the muted hues of Cairo’s structures. Sicart’s first look evokes the natural beauty of the trees that line the Nile’s banks, solid and textured, yet weathered and worn with time. These tones are further contrasted with accents of blue, representing the Nile itself, the lifeblood of the city that has existed for millennia. In this, Sicart captures Cairo’s duality.

The second scene, showcasing sustainable Egyptian brand Almah, Sarah Wagdy, and Aliel, veers from the banks and plunges into Cairo’s urban palette. “I loved the Downtown colours, from the earth-toned buildings to the vibrant colours of classical furnishings in storefronts,” Sicart reflects. Here, Sicart embraces a kaleidoscope of colours, shifting away from the neutral tones of her first look to showcase the vibrancy that runs through Cairo’s streets. The brown base of the outfit echoes the city’s solid, earthy foundations, while the greens and blues nod to the life and nature that coexist within its urban sprawl.

The flamboyant ensemble is a sartorial representation of Cairo's downtown, echoing every building, every storefront, and every piece of street art in myriad shades. Through this, Sicart embraces the very fabric of Cairo’s streets in her ensemble. Having explored the banks of the Nile and the streets of the city, Sicart then turns to the city’s skyline, echoing its sunset hues with shades of red, gold, and sandy tones, with the aid of the Egyptian-Sudanese label Queens of Ra and Sarah Wagdy.

Sicart’s approach to Cairo is one of discovery and exploration from multiple vantage points. She delves into the city’s urban layers—its streets, its skyline—but also takes in the quieter, often overlooked aspects of life in the city. Each look she presents touches upon a facet of Cairo that often goes unseen: the trees along the Nile, the storefronts that line its bustling streets, and the sunsets viewed from its rooftops. These layers, though distinct, complement one another in telling the story of a city.

Sicart highlights how these differences reflect the varied people that shape Cairo's identity. “What makes Cairo is its different cultures, its convergence of its different eras; vintage, European, Egyptian.” Sicart tells SceneStyled. “Fashion in Egypt is incredibly layered—you’ll see women in European-style suits walking side by side with those wearing galabeyas.” she adds.

As Sicart herself says, “There’s beauty in the details. It’s crucial to observe your surroundings because everything holds inspiration.” In this sense, her work is not only a stylistic interpretation of Cairo but an invitation to see the city anew, to pause and dissect the layers often left unseen.

Styling: Nathalie Sicart

Photography: Shady Agban Bishara

Models: Nathalie Sicar, Enji Ezzat 

Agency: TFP Models

Makeup: Nour Rizk

Hair: Dafayer

Wardrobe: Kojak Studios, Almah, Queens of Ra, Dys-Euphoria, Sarah Wagdy, and Aliel.