An Egyptian Icon

Shirley Shalaby devotion to fashion started when she was a teenager. She has always been obsessed with modeling and passionate about following high-end fashion and the latest runway trends. After modeling professionally in Canada, the United States and United Kingdom, she became much more interested in the techniques of catwalk modeling and the protocols of etiquette. From then on, she worked as a catwalk instructor with prominent UK modeling agencies such as Elite Model Management, one of the world’s most prestigious modeling agencies. “It was always thrilling to witness the various transformations that individuals can achieve and a delight to watch their self-confidence grow,” she says. In 1990, Shalaby founded En Vogue to offer seminars and courses in etiquette, corporate image, communication and business ethics and modeling. En Vogue is not a modeling agency, but for more than two decades the institute has been a major player in transforming the concept of the professional model in Egypt. “My aim is to share with my students my personal technique for discovering shortcuts to looking good and feeling great, while melding this information with the fashion trends and styles of the day,” says Shalaby. Shalaby’s efforts to create awareness about the importance of being fashionable, even to ordinary people, have not stopped with the opening of En Vogue. The former model authored The Art of Etiquette in 2001, which was distributed in several Arab countries. In her second book, Beyond Charm, Shalaby provides professional advice on image enhancement for both genders. The book is available in all major bookstores in Egypt. While the Egyptian modeling guru has taken the concept of a model far, she feels the industry is still young. Local models still walking a rocky terrain have Shalaby to thank for helping pave the road.