Some people think fashion is a lot of frivolity and fairy tales. For Camilla Morton that's true: the author's continuing series of illustrated fashion fairy-tale memoirs tells whimsical stories around the careers of some of fashion's greatest figures, illustrated by the designers themselves.
Diane von Furstenberg is her next subject, but before Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty and Manolo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker, she had made her name as a purveyor of wise and witty advice on the subject of high heels and all that surrounds them. How to Walk in High Heels and A Year in High Heels bring together tips on the art of living gracefully from the eclectic likes of Samuel Pepys, Kylie Minogue, Gisele Bündchen, Dita Von Teese and Stephen Jones.
Morton takes an equally whimsical approach to reading, tucking into everything from Shakespeare to JK Rowling to Thomas Hardy. "I've never worked out how to tune in the TV in my house, so I have books everywhere," she says. "My dad has kindly wired up the computer so I have to check three news articles before I can check my emails, but essentially I just live in a different century or a land of make-believe."
Here is Morton's list of favourite reads for the summer.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
I had an amazing drama teacher at school, and my mum was also a drama teacher, so she would read Shakespeare when we were little, with such amazing voices that they were more my bedtime stories than children's stories. I'm a words person. I can't draw, I can't paint, but you can paint pictures with words, and his are so beautifully constructed. It's a bit like a symphony: you take out one note and it just doesn't quite work.
A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy
This is absolutely my favourite Hardy. Often when you read a big, heavy classic, it takes about 12 chapters to get into it, and you think, "Are people just being really noble reading this?" Whereas in A Pair of Blue Eyes, the nearest Hardy came to doing an autobiography, by about the second paragraph, when he describes Esmerelda's eyes, you are totally sucked in. When you have that first feeling of love, you do feel so invincible, and I think that this really captures that.
The Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye
When I go travelling, I always have a copy of this. You have to try to get hold of the old Puffin edition, illustrated by her, which makes it even more charming. It's the story of how even if you're ordinary, you can still be a princess. It's one of those stories that when you're having a bit of a rubbish day, you read it and you're like: "Aah." It's a children's book but it transcends any age.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I love the way that you never know the heroine's name: she's in the shadow of Mr and Mrs de Winter and there's this horrible murder. The first line: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again", is such an evocative phrase. It's really spooky and sinister and dark, but at the same time it's got hope and strength in it as well, because this girl is desperately trying to bring hope and light into Maxim's life.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
This book to me speaks of my time living in Paris. I think children's stories have to be written even better than adult stories, because in an adult world you can be more complex, but with children's stories you have to explain things in a very simple way. I used to read it travelling back and forth from St Pancras to Paris, and now when I go on the Eurostar, maybe two or three times a week, I always listen to the Stephen Fry audiobook. There's something comforting about knowing a story so well that you know exactly where you're going with it.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
This is a really nice story about how this little girl finds herself through books. Matilda is someone I see a little bit of myself in, because I like going down to the library and getting lost in books. Roald Dahl isn't condescending to children but he tells them things that are slightly beyond their years, so he's like, "Of course you know what this word means" and "Of course you've heard of Charles Dickens". As much as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the most well-known Roald Dahl, this is the one that I adored.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
What I like about Pride and Prejudice is how Austen reminds you about the art of letter-writing. You couldn't just send a text or an email or a sloppy little "C u l8r" - you had to sit down and write a letter. There are 21 letters of correspondence in this and the drama is played out through them. Nowadays, people are so preoccupied by their career and independence that sometimes, the art of falling in love is a little bit forgotten.
Camilla Morton's book Diane von Furstenberg and the Tale of the Empress's New Clothes (Harper Collins) will be released on November 6.
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CREW
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
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West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Stan%20Lee
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UAE FIXTURES
October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Age: 30
Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium
Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology
Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging
Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi
New schools in Dubai
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
