Trend alert: haute couture might exclude the majority of us who simply can't afford it, but it does hint at the next big things in fashion. This week there are several concurrent themes emerging. First off, roses. Christian Lacroix embroidered them on white taffeta jackets as well as taffeta and organza boleros, as well as supersized ruffled corsages on collars and derrières.
Alexis Mabille attached silk rose petals to the straps of the espadrilles he wound around the legs of his models (he even had rose embroidery on men's shirts, too).
Georges Chakra's tiny, exquisite flowers made from paper-fine malleable plastic adorned canary yellow and baby doll pink Courreges-style evening gowns.
Despite its monochrome palette, Chanel used rose (rather than signature camellias) on everything from headbands to hems. And at Givenchy on Tuesday evening, the show location, an austere 13th-century abbey in Paris's trendy Left Bank, was strewn with several thousand silk rose petals. Even the air was scented with heady eau du rose. Riccardo Tisci's collection was inspired by the romantic Pre-Raphaelite artist, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, who hailed from Holland (his real name was Laurens). At the height of his fame, he made it the fashion for many wealthy Victorians to have one of his paintings of sylph-like ladies in a version of the toga.
Many of the parchment-toned draped robes also featured featherweight veils that entirely covered the face and fell to the waist and below. I think he is slightly ahead of the game in terms of all the draping and straps. Flashes of same-toned sequins hidden beneath sheer panels were also spot-on credit crunch glamour.
Backstage, when I queued up to ask Riccardo Tisci to elaborate on his veils, Glenda Bailey of Harpers Bazaar, the photographer/director Jean-Paul Goude and a posse from Vogue were congratulating him. Carine Roitfeld and Lou Doillon who sat front row also clearly loved it.
John Galliano's show, which was also inspired by art, in his case Flemish painters, was considered too literal. Too many tulips for a start. The palette he used - gold, bluebell, vermillion, shell pink and ivory - was spot on, however. Apart from occasional violent bolts of tangerine, yellow, purple, vivid pinks and sky blues, it's been a very black and white season indeed.
Hemlines are long. Mabille, considered one of the "experimentalists", had them consistently touching the ground. There's also been a lot of shoulder interest. Shoulders are not so much wide as attention-seeking. On boleros and military jackets they are neat but with nips, tucks and pleats and all sorts of clever tailoring.
Giorgio Armani worked a neat, glamorous line that looked a bit Hollywood mid-Thirties in his Far East-themed show. The jackets on his fitted skirt suits and opulent dresses could have stepped straight off a Busby Berkeley movie set or at least something post-1929. Now, why is that date so familiar? Ah yes, the Wall Street crash. Funny that.
One haute couture trend that might have difficulty being transformed into ready-to-wear, certainly into fast, high-street fashion, is back interest. The past 48 hours have seen an incredible amount of bustles, giant godets on flared-out jackets (at Dior), fussy capes and billowing trains.
Lacroix and Zuhair Murad took inspiration from the ocean and shoreline. Lacroix's romantic dresses and shrunken buccaneer jackets reminded me of Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean. Talking of which, Knightley was guest of honour at Chanel as the "face" of their Coco perfume. The other celebrity who kept on popping up front row was singer and producer, Kanye West. He stood out because he was the only person at the shows wearing jeans, trainers and dark sunglasses. Surely he's cool enough to know shades are so last season?
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Scoreline:
Manchester City 1
Jesus 4'
Brighton 0
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Company%20Profile
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Company%20Profile
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Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Apple's%20Lockdown%20Mode%20at%20a%20glance
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
DC%20League%20of%20Super-Pets
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Mountain%20Boy
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Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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