From relaxed elegance at Prada to Indian influences at Louis Vuitton and the UAE’s own Qasimi honouring its founder’s legacy with thoughtful, culturally rooted design, we round up the best from the recent men's runway shows in Paris and Milan.
Prada
At the Deposito at Fondazione Prada in Milan, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons unveiled a collection that marked a clear shift in attitude. Titled A Change of Tone, the show dismantled traditional power dressing, offering a playful, non-conformist take on men’s style. The mood was direct yet versatile, celebrating freedom through unexpected pairings.
Silhouettes were relaxed, with smart tailoring layered over casual sportswear – think coats over tracksuits or suits eased with sporty zip-ups. Simple cotton trousers paired with crisp white shirts added to the understated charm. Juxtaposed fabrics and textures created depth, while accessories such as pointed rattan hats and subtle jewellery provided finishing touches.
Colour was key – primary tones clashed gently with neutrals, gradually softening into pastels paired with navy, brown and grey. Stripes hinted at nautical nostalgia, while utility elements reinforced practicality.
Footwear and bags kept things grounded – flip-flops, moccasins, canvas lace-ups, gym bags and backpacks underscored the collection’s approachable, laid-back elegance, inviting men to rethink modern dressing.
Giorgio Armani
For the first time in his remarkable career, Giorgio Armani, 90, was absent from his Milan Fashion Week show, recuperating at home from an undisclosed illness. Yet, his presence was felt in a collection that embodied the relaxed sophistication and timeless elegance synonymous with his house.
The runway featured pairs of models (male and female), styled in harmonised looks that subtly blurred gender lines. Soft tailoring, layered knits and airy fabrics created silhouettes that flowed gently, offering lightness and ease. Wide-leg trousers, supple leather, silks and fine cottons underscored the collection’s fluid charm.
Influences of city and seaside, East and West, combined seamlessly. Subtle checks, abstract sketches and watercolour prints added depth. The palette balanced soft greys with purples and blues, cream with gold and warm desert tones with aquamarine.
Suits worn with flip-flops reflected effortless transitions between business and leisure.
Accessories echoed the laid-back charm – knotted belts, raffia caps and large fabric bags. Closing the show, Leo Dell’Orco, Armani’s trusted head of menswear, paid tribute to a designer whose vision continues to define understated luxury.
Qasimi
Marking its 10th anniversary, Qasimi debuted its spring/summer 2026 collection in Milan with a deeply reflective presentation. The London-based label, founded by the late Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi and now helmed by his twin sister Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, continues to embody a rich dialogue between its UAE heritage and its base in the UK. The collection explored this dual identity, offering garments that speak to cross-cultural exchange and shared histories.
Staying true to the brand’s core, the collection was defined by clean lines, oversized silhouettes and a palette of neutral and sandy tones. Long tops and jackets layered over wide trousers created fluid, effortless shapes. Utility-inspired details, including abundant pockets, pleats and zips offered functionality and versatility. Memory nylon – a fabric that records creases that gradually fade – became a striking symbol of lived experience, once again nodding to the very personal influences on this collection.
Blazers with zip detailing and multi-functional pieces echoed the balance between smart and casual dressing, while a collaboration with Lebanese artist Dala Nasser added further depth, with raw edges, loose threads and doodle-like embroidery evoking traces of place and memory. The collection felt like a wearable reflection of legacy, adaptability and modern Arab identity.
Dior
Jonathan Anderson’s highly anticipated debut for Dior marked a bold new chapter, as he reinterpreted the house’s codes with imaginative flair for the men’s spring/summer 2026 collection.
Anderson approached the collection as a modern fairytale – romantic yet informed. Capes, tailored waistcoats and Bar jackets with nipped-in waists paid homage to Dior’s storied past, while denim shorts, relaxed socks and sandals added a casual, youthful twist. Cable knits and long coats echoed the house’s womenswear signatures, blending tradition with fresh energy.
There was a sense of dressing up to become a character, with ties, bow ties and 18th and 19th-century-inspired waistcoats anchoring the narrative. Anderson’s own design language overlapped subtly with Dior’s, creating a dialogue between aristocratic elegance and modern spontaneity.
The colour palette spanned soft neutrals to vibrant greens, pinks and blues. Thoughtful details – rococo-inspired Diorette charms, delicate rose embroideries and playful tailoring – ensured Monsieur Dior’s romantic spirit remained central, as Anderson recoded the house’s language with informed creativity.
Louis Vuitton
Presented at Paris’s Centre Pompidou on a striking show space by Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai - a life-size tribute to the ancient Indian board game Snakes and Ladders - Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2026 menswear was a tribute to modern Indian sartorialism, explored through the Louis Vuitton lens.
With an offering that felt more grown-up than recent seasons, Pharrell Williams delivered smarter dressing without losing the edgy twist that has defined his tenure so far. The collection blended rich material, colours, and craftsmanship rooted in Indian culture. Tailoring took centre stage, with L.V.M monograms adorning blazers that hinted at a more serious, elevated take on suiting. The palette - navy, brown, burgundy, khaki, pink - drew inspiration from Indian landscapes and vibrant sunsets.
Denim, cable knits, pyjama stripes, and polo shirts combined preppy and street style. Shell jackets, fleece blousons, and hiking boots nod to Indian mountaineering culture, elevated with heritage patterns, hand-embroidered stones, micro-beads, and lace. The Darjeeling Limited motif, which was created by Louis Vuitton for the film of the same name in 2007, was included in a collection for the first time, presented on garments and bags, merging travel, cinema, and craftsmanship.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Company%20profile
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
More on Quran memorisation:
RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
HOW TO WATCH
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THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
