All eyes are on Taylor Swift as she continues to embark on her long-awaited Eras world tour, and the star is pulling out all the wardrobe stops for the occasion.
Swift is known to turn to designers from the Middle East to dress her for big occasions, and this tour is no different.
On Friday night during the first of three shows at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, the star took to the stage in a gold tulle dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, one of Swift's go-to favourites.
The star wore the dreamy gown featuring a ruched neckline and intricate corset detailing as she performed power balled Enchanted. The dress is from the designer's Haute Couture Autumn Winter 2020 collection.
And its not the first time Swift has chosen Saab during her much anticipated tour. The Shake it Off singer appeared on stage in a floral couture gown by Saab last month as she performed in Tampa, Florida.
Featuring long sleeves and heavy embellishment, the skirt of the delicate mesh gown was adorned with dozens of delicate 3D petals.
Swift has also chosen Saab to dress her for several red carpet moments, including the 2015 Grammy Awards, when she wore a custom teal ombre metallic gown, which featured a short front and caped long train skirt.
She also turned to the designer for the 2013 Country Music Awards in Nashville. For that occasion, she chose a classic satin gown in deep red with a full skirt, featuring floral embellishment.
Saab is not the only Lebanese designer Swift has championed during her Eras tour wardrobe.
At one of the tour’s March stops in Glendale, Arizona, Swift appeared in a custom-made glittering gown by Zuhair Murad.
The pink princess-cut dress featured thin straps, a full skirt and intricate bead work that covered the dress, making the waist the focal point.
Murad also created a custom midnight blue embellished bodysuit for the tour, which Swift wore on stage in Las Vegas.
Swift is a long-time fan of Murad. For the 2012 Grammys, she wore a nude dress with gold embellishing from the brand’s 2011 haute couture collection. Murad also created several custom embellished catsuits for her 1989 world tour in 2015.
The star has shown love to other designers from the region in the past, too. In the 2014 music video for hit Blank Space, Swift wore a white pencil dress by Lebanese designer Georges Chakra in one scene.
Swift has also chosen Lebanese designer Reem Acra for several occasions, including bridesmaid duties for the wedding of her childhood best friend Brit Maack’s wedding in 2016.
The dress had an intricate lacework top and a flowing blush pink skirt.
She also wore a dress by the designer for the Winter Whites Gala in London in 2014. That gown featured an gold embellished top and flowing white skirt.
See Taylor Swift’s style evolution
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
1st Test July 26-30 in Galle
2nd Test August 3-7 in Colombo
3rd Test August 12-16 in Pallekele
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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UAE%20SQUAD
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Company%20Profile
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