When the death of the queen was announced a week last Thursday, London Fashion Week suddenly found itself at a crossroads.
Shortly after the announcement, Burberry, the biggest name at the event and the holder of a royal warrant, cancelled its show, followed shortly after by Raf Simons. As a co-designer of Prada, and ex-Dior creative director, his presence had been something of a coup for the London event, and his departure coming so soon after Burberry suddenly threw the entire week into doubt.
On Monday, the body that organises London Fashion Week, the British Fashion Council, declared that the event would be going ahead, albeit with changes. All events booked for the day of the funeral were hurriedly rescheduled, parties were cancelled and guests were politely asked to refrain from publishing street-style images or anything too light-hearted, until after the funeral.
With so much riding on the event — both financially and socially, as a chance to put the woes of Brexit and Covid-19 behind — smaller brands without the resources to cancel instead pressed ahead, marking the occasion in their own way.
On Thursday, during the event's teaser day before the main event started the day after, Daniel Fletcher led a minute's silence and gave a first look of a mourning suit and black armband.
The same day, Harris Reed, the darling of London, closed his show with a model clutching a posy of Lily of the Valley, reportedly the queen’s favourite flower, and a live performance from Adam Lambert singing Queen’s Who Wants to Live Forever.
On Friday, Poster Girl sent out a single Union Jack dress. While guests at Bora Asku also held a minute's silence before the show. The collection was a gentle nod to the monarchy, with it's lightly military theme.
Scroll through images of the first day of London Fashion Week below
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
