To herald the new, cooler winter weather, the run-up to December and the UAE's 50th anniversary, the three fashion houses of Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton have clearly been thinking of new ways to mark the occasion. Here, we take a closer look at the pop-ups that have come to Dubai.
Gucci
In joint celebration of its centenary, the UAE’s 50th anniversary and the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai, Gucci has opened a pop-up at one of Dubai’s most famous locations, the Burj Al Arab.
Open until February 2022, the space is decked out in aquamarine to echo the waters outside. At a height of 142 metres over the Arabian Gulf, the new store can be found next to SAL restaurant, and allows visitors to gaze across the water as they shop.
The pop-up is filled with ready to wear, bags, shoes and jewellery. On offer are also pieces that speak of the hold Gucci has over popular culture, with the lyrics of songs that name check the company written across clothing and accessories.
Louis Vuitton
The French house has unveiled a menswear pop-up in the heart of Mall of the Emirates. On until Sunday, November 21, it is a collaboration between Vuitton’s American menswear designer Virgil Abloh and Nigo, founder of the Japanese streetwear brand Human Made.
With both known for an irreverent take on fashion, together the pair explore their diverse backgrounds through the French prism of Vuitton. On offer is ready-to-wear, trainers, leather bags and accessories as well as gifting ideas.
Constructed as a giant series of circles, suspended above one another, the pop-up is made to resemble the handles on Vuitton bags in tan, brown and touches of red.
Dior
However, the best approach may go to Dior, which has opened a short-term boutique on the beach. To fully embrace the cooler weather, it has opened its pop-up at Nammos Dubai at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach.
Made in conjunction with WASP, one of the pioneering companies behind large-scale 3D printing, the space is made of two circular elements that sit on a wooden platform on the sand.
The pop-up is 3D-printed with natural materials such as sand, raw fibres and clay. Not only is the finished building a unique shape, it is perfectly habitable, sustainable, and has created dramatically less waste than standard building methods.
Best of all, thanks to the unique construction of creating the structure layer by layer from the floor up, Dior’s famous quilted cannage motif has been integrated into the walls.
If all of this were not remarkable enough, the space inside is filled with Dior pieces from its toile de Jouy prints to blasts of neon colour.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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