Georges Chakra sent brightly coloured chiffon gowns down the catwalk.
Georges Chakra sent brightly coloured chiffon gowns down the catwalk.

Designers take a leisurely approach



With the intermittent drizzle and misty weather making it hard to think about work, show attendees favoured clothing fit for the private confines of home. But who can blame them? The dreary atmosphere isn't exactly the most ideal time to frantically run around town, and judging from the boudoir-inspired and lounge get-ups seen on the wet streets and the catwalks, it seems that today, home is where the heart is.

The first order of the day was Lacoste at the Bryant Park tents. Tennis was an appropriate leitmotif considering the French brand's origins and the finals of the US Open that are also taking place in New York this weekend. But the label also showed some boxy cotton tops perfect for that unhurried weekend look that's appropriate for having friends over on Sunday morning. Georges Chakra, by contrast, thought of entertaining as a more glamorous affair with brightly coloured chiffon gowns that are perfect for a socialite extravaganza.

Jeremy Laing's presentation was held on the top floor of Milk Studios, which had large windows allowing the overcast sky to add gloomy drama to his beautiful, texturally rich and architectural outing. The collection featured a black tank and floor-length skirt made from black lace and nude viscose; trousers with droopy, pyjama-like proportions; and tulle slips underneath pencil skirts. While Laing's collection offered minimal accents to this trend, the fashionistas milling around the presentation wore get-ups that included tight lace tops underneath smoking jackets and long, transparent cardigans redolent of a robe.

Staying indoors would have been the best thing to do on this wet day, but this isn't an option for stylists, journalists and retailers. Perhaps it's a matter of kismet or just sound strategic planning, but whatever the case may be, Richard Chai showed his lower-priced line for women and men back-to-back (with an intermission), saving hard-working industry folks a trip outside the Cedar Lake venue in New York's West Chelsea area. It certainly was a relief to attendees who mingled during the intermission in between shows. They included Chai's designing peers Phillip Lim and Robert Geller, and a cadre of power players including Lauren Santo Domingo and Fabien Baron of Interview magazine. For his womenswear line, called Love, he presented a cool collection marked by easy separates that are both utilitarian and feminine. There were also drawstring cotton trousers that appeared like sweat pants, layered T-shirt tanks and an outsize silk fuchsia V-neck top with rolled sleeves that gave a domestic vibe to the collection. While Chai's womenswear had more pieces that were on point with the homely trend, his menswear, featuring rolled thermals underneath shorts, had the same effortless air that is sure to create a strong demand considering its more commercial-friendly price point.

With Joseph Altuzarra and Band of Outsiders being held in the same building at Milk Studios, killing two birds with one stone delighted the fashion flock, too. In the crowd, a number of people were spotted who looked as comfortable in their apartment as they are on the streets. There was a couple spotted sporting sweat pants with tailored blazers, a woman with dishevelled hair wearing an embroidered duster over a skirt, and a woman with a long crepe de chine nightgown over torn denim shorts and under a tough leather jacket - probably the most stylish ambassador of the trend.

Altuzarra's show, which was held on the second floor, was well attended by the major players in fashion, including Stefano Tonchi and Cathy Horyn of The New York Times, Hamish Bowles and Meredith Melling Burke of American Vogue, and French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld along with her daughter Julia Restoin Roitfeld. Industry folks have been buzzing about this young designer, but the presence of Leighton Meester (a much-photographed actress of the wildly popular US television show Gossip Girl) and Rachel McAdams in the front row will give the label more mainstream appeal. The clothes, perhaps the best collection thus far, certainly did not disappoint. While Altuzarra delivered insatiably feminine dusty green dresses with woven geometric panels that served as vents, he also showed luxe pieces such as silk, harem-inspired pants and henley tops with gold buttons that can be integrated into a woman's wardrobe with a leisurely purpose.

Meanwhile, at Scott Sternberg's crowded menswear and womenswear presentation, called Band of Outsiders and Boy, respectively, he loosened up the line's slimmer approach to American sportswear. There were baggy sweatpants, a striped pyjama onesie under a large trench coat, and a slouchy button-down shirt, the sort you grab in the morning while you're on a beach holiday - a sunny imagery everyone was trying to hold on to before they headed into the gloomy weather outside.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

MATCH INFO

Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')

Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')

Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

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The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Kerb weight: 1580kg

Price: From Dh750k

On sale: via special order

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Yabi%20by%20Souqalmal%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202022%2C%20launched%20June%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAmbareen%20Musa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20u%3C%2Fstrong%3Endisclosed%20but%20soon%20to%20be%20announced%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseed%C2%A0%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EShuaa%20Capital%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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Saturday's results

Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City

How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

MO
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5