Don't expect any let-up in the body- conscious look for next summer. The catwalks are rife with tight little dresses, shorts and the skinniest trousers, so close-fitting that they are laced on. If you want swathes of fabric to hide in you will have to look hard to find them in Milan, although there are one or two houses that offer something a bit more discreet than a plunging neckline, bare waist or a tiny skirt, but later for that.
The sassiest shows on Saturday were from Gucci and Pucci - two names that neatly roll off the tongue together. They both produce upbeat collections that cater for different moods of the same woman. Gucci's soul is in the strong, dark and moody rock chick, while Pucci would serve her well when she wants to indulge in a more flamboyant, expansive and casually glamorous look.
The Gucci mantle sits easily on the shoulders of its designer Frida Giannini. Occasionally she rustles out a bit of the old Tom Ford style, putting the spare, long, body-skimming evening dresses and little black dresses back on the catwalk, or revamping bamboo-handled handbags (originally designed in the 1940s and revived by Ford in the 1990s). However, she has updated the whole collection with jewel-like harnesses, plus metal and techno detailing on leather jackets and the dresses.
The show opened with a series of dynamic jackets, zippered pencil skirts and trousers covered in an elaborate collage of nylon and mesh inserts, strapping, and rubber and silver piping. All of which gave the collection, apart from a few ikat prints in black, grey and white, a sporty overtone. On the dresses, rubber and metal lacing presented a modern take on the corsetry trend of the London and Milan catwalks. The detailing certainly served to pull the clothes to the body and the back-laced trousers were so tight there would have been no other way of putting them on.
In his second season at Pucci, Peter Dundas (formerly of Cavalli and Ungaro) is moving the print house forward at dramatic speed. His love of leather was unleashed in a series of beautiful python Spencer jackets with whipstitching or fringing, and a bold ultramarine blue, studded suede jacket, which he teamed with shorts or slightly loosened low-slung trousers. Mixed with silky vests, the aim was separates thrown on with a casual elegance. Adding these casual elements moves the house on from its 1960s jet-set heritage, but Dundas cleverly updates the signature prints by extracting an element of the pattern and blowing it up on a large scale for a voluminous silk or chiffon dress.
The complex patterns created by the company's founder, Emilio Pucci, and his recent successor, Christian Lacroix, have been pared back with part of a print on a jersey dress either replaced with chiffon or cut out like windows onto tanned skin beneath. Body-conscious evening dresses disguised the flamboyant sunshine yellow, turquoise and ocean blue prints in gathered swathes of fabric wrapping the body, or were given full rein in billowing, feminine parachute silk dresses.
Va-va-voom (also characteristic of Versace) is but one view of Milan. There is also a quietly sophisticated side to the fashion collections. We have witnessed it already at Jil Sander. This sense of simplicity and individuality is very much part of the identity of Bottega Veneta. The designer Tomas Maier displays impeccable taste producing collections of subtle but ultra-luxurious handcrafted accessories and fashion that is the epitome of gentle feminine elegance. He was in a sporty mood this season producing cotton canvas dresses, judo jackets and trousers graphically accented with wide bands of white braid and worn with brown leather and raffia wedge shoes. There were creamy 1950s-inspired shirtwaister dresses in fresh cottons and tunics with their necklines set off-centre.
This may sound awkward but with a deep armhole one side and a bunching of fabric on the other side, the effect was very modern - and comfortable-looking. Over the years, Maier has quietly carved out a niche for Bottega Veneta with a classy, sporty and leisurely look. However, he says that "designing is a collaboration with the woman wearing our clothes. In a sense, the clothes are a 'blank' until she puts them on". How refreshingly self-effacing from a designer.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
