A coronavirus-affected New York Fashion Week opened on Friday with autumn/winter shows by Proenza Schouler and Christian Cowan.
Despite pandemic restrictions and the Omicron variant upsetting preparations, several brands have opted for in-person shows, including Michael Kors, Altuzarra, Tory Burch, Brandon Maxwell and Telfar.
A notable absentee is Tom Ford, chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America or CFDA that organises the event.
He was due to close the week next Wednesday but cancelled at the end of January owing to a surge of Covid-19 cases among his team.
"We have tried everything possible to avoid cancelling our New York show but ultimately, are faced with the sad fact that we will simply not have a completed collection in time," he said.
Still, the show, which ends on Wednesday, went on ...
Proenza Schouler opens New York Fashion Week
Proenza Schouler kicked off proceedings, with a collection inspired by the Surrealist aesthetic of Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim.
A series of eclectic silhouettes and flowing designs were displayed at a downtown Manhattan art centre on Friday afternoon.
As violinists played, the runway show, staged at The Brant Foundation, began with sculpted knitwear and combined bold colours – yellow, purple, bright red – with black and white ensembles. Typical of the designers’ work was a theme of deconstructed garments. “Construction is eliminated, letting the yarn itself do all the shaping,” the designers explained.
There was a focus on peplums, or strips of fabric attached to the waist of dresses or skirts or tops, in various forms – short and ruffled, or longer, on a voluminous skirt or layered over an oversized trench.
Christian Cowan brings party glam
Meanwhile, British wunderkind Christian Cowan held a show 102 floors up the One World Trade Centre on hallowed 9/11 ground, with a screeching party soundtrack, a riot of sequins, feathers and little T-shirts of love to the city he now calls home.
It’s about maximalism. More is more
Christian Cowan,
designer
The designer, aged 25, who first put clothes on Lady Gaga’s back while still a teenager in fashion school, married Hollywood with Gen Z TikTok culture – and the vibes of Lower East Side club kids with Upper East Side ladies who lunch. He set out this time around to honour New York as the city wakes up amid a pandemic with loosened restrictions and the hope of a brighter future.
Cowan rolled out a variety of evening sparklers, day looks and minis done in Valentine’s Day red. There was a slinky show of black and a silvery party mini adorned with flat sequins of varying sizes. He went with a deep purple for several creations and lavender for others worthy of a night out, including an embellished body hugger with one bulbous shoulder.
Feathers in pink adorned sleeves and bandeau tops, and trains trailed behind some of his models as they camped it up for the cameras.
“It’s about maximalism,” he told The Associated Press. “More is more.”
Tika the Iggy attends Christian Siriano's front row
On Saturday, Christian Siriano’s runway on Saturday was part space-age, part centuries gone by and part in the moment with a special guest: social media’s star Italian greyhound Tika the Iggy.
In the bowels of the Empire State Building, on a bare concrete floor, Siriano rolled out his huge, signature ball gowns in a variety of colours and textures, including one in grey tweed with a huge hood and another in shiny, steel blue with sleeves that formed spikes worthy of the Jetsons. Before that came a range of looks in the experimental collection he calls Victorian Matrix.
The Project Runway mentor and host who launched his eponymous womenswear brand in 2008 included a series of looks in a bold black and taupe check. There was a belled trouser outfit with a flouncy strapless top that would require a bold fashion confidence. He sent one model out in a mini-dress version of the checks, with a huge round statement head topper that’s as conspicuous as fashion gets.
His latest ball gown offerings also came in the check, one with a full skirt paired with a long-sleeve, midriff-baring top with a cutout back.
Some of his guests cheered on his models as the show progressed. Hannah Waddingham of Ted Lasso fame, Susan Sarandon and Siriano mainstays Danielle Brooks (who wore him at her recent wedding) and Alicia Silverstone sat on his front row with Drew Barrymore and Candace Bushnell.
Waddingham and Barrymore posed for photos holding the tiny TikTok and Instagram star Tika the Iggy, a huge smile on their faces.
- AFP and AP contributed to this report
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Brief scores:
Kashima Antlers 0
River Plate 4
Zuculini 24', Martinez 73', 90 2', Borre 89' (pen)
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Power: 819hp
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
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On sale: Now
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
