Some menswear trends are downright tricky. Take wearing pink (I'm on the fence) or dress shorts (I am very much over the fence) or polo necks (reasonable grounds to end a relationship).
While some may say these trends border on the moronic, they are also bearable - forgivable mishaps on the grand scale of things. After all, nobody's perfect; who can throw blame for a little slip-up every now and then?
What I cannot condone or forgive is the latest rage: heavage. Yes, you heard me correctly. We are looking dubiously at male cleavage, where plunging necklines are slit open to reveal chest hair, pectoral muscles (or lack thereof) and, sometimes, frighteningly even more.
Until recently, male décolletage was an androgynous fashion affectation seen only on the runways. Last season everyone from Rick Owens to Versace included plunging necklines in their menswear collections - which was all OK because surely real men would run a mile from them, right? Wrong. They have permeated the veins of the masses. The new look, including slashed tight T-shirts and scoop-necked wool jerseys, has been seen on actors such as Jude Law, Ed Westwick and Johnny Borrel.
Now, I get trends. I get the fact that we are sometimes led in the wrong direction. But how some men have strayed so far from common sense with this one leaves me a little puzzled.
I can only blame the hipster plague, which originated in small pockets of east London and Brooklyn and sweeps through the mentally vulnerable of the male species like smallpox. You know the type, they are, like, t-o-t-a-l-l-y ironic with their hipster version of Seventies maschismo or their handlebar moustache.
And before you men get excited let me stop you right there. Women are less entranced by the opposite sex's cleavage than you are. In fact, women are less entranced by the opposite sex, full stop, when it comes to style; it's simply not as compelling and about as baffling as celebrity perfumes worn by women over the age of 16 (trust me, it happens). Simply put, save yourself the bother. You will only project an air of peacockdom - another nasty ailment that seems to target balding, midlife-crisis actors with a suspiciously even tan, and, of course, footballers. And let's face it, nobody wants that.
Three words, chaps: modesty preservation, please.
M-ometer
This week's highs and lows.
ONE FOR THE BOYS Net-a-porter is soon launching Mr. Porter, its men's counterpart.
POINTED NAILS We can't cope with this micro trend as worn by the singer Jessie J.
CAPED CRUSADE Richard Nicoll's pleated cape dress is our new go-to evening wear.
THE ERA FASHION FORGOT Why oh why is Megan Fox turning to the Nineties for inspiration?
ALL THAT JAZZ After watching our favourite new TV series, Boardwalk Empire, we want to get our hands on a John Galliano jazz dress.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.