With the sun finally making a long-awaited appearance, the seasonal transition from summer to autumn was briefly suspended as florals bloomed as prints and accessories in all their feminine glory on New York's streets and catwalks. Apparently, even September showers bring out the flowers.
Pundits have argued that due to the recession, designers are hedging their bets, favouring sellable clothes rather than designing with razzmatazz whimsy and avant-garde flair. Many women love to feel feminine anyway, and there's really no better (or more classic) way to do so than with a generous helping of florals for spring/summer 2010. One need look no further than the streets to see New York suddenly bloom into a bouquet of colours and flowery embellishments.
Taste-making pretty young things paired leather jackets with flirty skirts covered in petals or vintagey dresses that evoked a timeless femininity - of particular note was the blue number that Theodora Richards wore at the opening of the Boom Boom Room party in the Standard Hotel. Kirsten Dunst also wore a dress in the same spirit at Alexander Wang's fete, which in true rebellious style was held at a petrol station. Among the bloggers who are currently causing a media sensation - both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have profiled these eager fashion beavers this week - The Glamourai's Kelly Framel has been spotted wearing a brave amalgamation of silk coats and short skirts printed with copious amounts of florals in varying sizes. She's even accessorising with chic ribbons folded like petals with luscious jewels emblazoned on them.
Rather than relying on the cliché of prettifying petals, Donna Karan, by contrast, opted for a decidedly gritty effect in her DKNY collection that's more akin to the arty graffiti found in New York's Alphabet City than a country garden. Titled City in Bloom, the collection included scribbly silver contour lines of petals on black trousers, pink outlines on easy warm weather throw-on sweater dresses, and glittery abstract versions embroidered on loose tops and cardigans, recalling items that the Golden Girls would have worn.
It's common knowledge that Karan knows how to compliment a woman's body, and in her eponymous label's outing of flattering silhouettes, she manipulated fabrics to accentuate just that. Her first look was a wrap jacket that hugs the torso, but its hem structurally resembled a gardenia. While Karan's working woman will be sated with her utterly wearable pieces come spring, members of the ladies-who-lunch set will by pleased with Lela Rose and Tuleh. Bryan Bradley for Tuleh sent pretty blouses such as white cotton tops with panels that had intricate floral cutouts, and a beige bell sleeve blouse with two rose fabric brooches perfect for those summer soirées in the Hamptons. While Lela Rose used abstract petals in neon metallic in a zippered jacket, shorts and an elegant cocktail dress.
Thakoon, on the other hand, didn't veer from the feel-good effect that flowers can have on clothes. His brand of American sportswear - an editorial favourite of US Vogue - yielded drippy blossom patchworks in green and blue and floral shift dresses with piping. These details were certainly not aesthetically groundbreaking, but the genius of Thakoon lies in his ability to make women stylistically noticeable, but not so over-designed that the wearer's personality is overshadowed.
This type of versatility explains why Michelle Obama has become a repeat wearer of his designs, a distinction Thakoon shares with Derek Lam. In his colourful outing, Lam offered up a botanical sampling of different species of flowers found in high-waisted silk skirts, dress and jacket silk sets, and sweet-looking satin numbers. Lam's accessories - such as the winsome heels with straps that knot into petal shapes and a clutch with tan leather accents - will prove irresistible pieces for ladies looking to add a dash of sweetness to their wardrobes.
Known for her whimsical take on femininity, Erin Fetherston paraded models in airy chiffon dresses with cherry blossom prints, sequinned shorts and dresses in faint pink, which were capped off by refined accessories such as chiffon gloves and white sun hats.
If Fetherston designs for the girls with a whole lot of imagination, then Diane von Furstenberg, the inventor of the wrap dress, is the woman for practical chicness. She used daisies and marigolds to create a garden explosion in a series of swingy day frocks in her textural and wildly colourful bohemian collection.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Community Shield info
Where, when and at what time Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday at 5pm (UAE time)
Arsenal line up (3-4-2-1) Petr Cech; Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal; Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck; Alexandre Lacazette
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Chelsea line up (3-4-2-1) Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill; Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Pedro; Michy Batshuayi
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte
Referee Bobby Madley
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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 White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
more from Janine di Giovanni
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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.
