Is a little bit of that Tom Ford turbocharged rock 'n' roll style seeping back into Gucci? Certainly, the latest collection from his successor, Frida Giannini, suggests that the spike-heeled vixen is back, but she is not of the smouldering kind that Ford pushed.
The bouquets of flowers that marked Giannini's early collections have completely disappeared in the last couple of seasons and for autumn, the Gucci girl strides across the concert stage wearing silver tunics, micro leather mini skirts, shimmering metallic black androgynous tailoring and big, square rock-star sunglasses.
Giannini's Gucci girl has attitude; her lean jackets are short, her trousers are lean and her needle-heeled, thigh-high leather boots are aggressive - this rock chick is a creature of the night. That said, Giannini still wields a feminine touch, working oversized polka dots, stripes and chevrons in black, electric blue, purple and fuchsia into belted crepe de chine dresses with kimono sleeves and T-shirts.
The new Pucci girl also has a bit of that sassy attitude, channelling the big fur jackets and skinny pants beloved of Italian women, but the new boy Peter Dundas helped to define the Roberto Cavalli woman, so we shouldn't be surprised. However, it was brave of him to use so few of the house's famous signature prints. The Oslo-born Dundas spent a couple of years at Ungaro before moving back to Italy, and now he is the latest in the Florentine label's revolving door policy of hiring designers to give those whirling psychedelic prints a faster spin - except he didn't.
Pucci without prints is like Dolce without Gabbana: unthinkable. However, Dundas made his mark with one graphic flash motif zigzagging down a dress or tunic, offering a leitmotif to the collection, which used a lot of diagonal detailing. The more complex signature patterns were rendered in such subtle khaki green and brown tones that you might almost have missed them. There was a lot more of Dundas in this collection than Pucci, with body-hugging bands of swathed fabric and plenty of fur. We shouldn't be surprised; his predecessor, Matthew Williamson, also eschewed print in his debut collection and went on to give the label some of his boho charm. The change might not be ideal for continuity, but the Pucci customer will never get bored. Every three years she will discover something new and refreshing to tempt her.
Blumarine is another label pushing the lean look. The designer Anna Molinari tends towards sugary sweetness in her collections, with lashings of frills and crystal beading, but this season she opted for more minimalist shapes - tuxedos, reefer jackets, masculine-cut coats and leggings. In fact, there were even a few sober city coat and dress looks, which was rather startling for her and probably surprised her game-show-hostess-filled front row, but the subsequent array of multicoloured leopard print outfits and logo T-shirts ablaze with bling, redolent of 1970s Fiorucci, brought us safely back to Blumarine territory.
Up to this point there had been a gentler, more relaxed mood sweeping through Milan, with the emphasis on allure rather than sexpot. Tomas Maier at Bottega Veneta caters to a sophisticated clientele who will appreciate the fluid languor of the new collection. The jewelled halternecks and straps that crossed bare backs were about as sexy as he got, but his brand of sexiness is chic rather than sassy. He has moved on from the stylish 1950s Doris Day shirt dresses of recent seasons towards a slender rectangular silhouette that peeled open at the back (seductive, but subtle) and enveloped the torso in fine silk twill. Straight silk velvet dresses, too, featured straps that slipped insouciantly off the shoulder. There were a couple of cashmere and silk bouclé coats, but this was mostly a dress collection beautifully executed in shades of lilac, grape and elephant grey. It was demure and timeless, right through to the final few long dresses in rippling chiffon pleats knotted at the shoulders and teamed with beautiful diamond bangles.
There was a time when a catwalk show was an excuse to parade an endless choice of handbags. Bags got so big and decorative that the clothes barely got a look. Now the days of the It-bag are over, much to the chagrin of the big accessory houses. Bottega Veneta and Gucci built their fortunes on their bags, but neither house showed one - they were all back at the showroom. This season, the focus is on architectural shoes and jewellery, and the amazing jewels at Bottega Veneta are an exciting new venture for a label founded on beautifully tooled leather.
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
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
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
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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
BLACK%20ADAM
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
