Milan Men's Fashion Week is under way, already with some impressive outings from Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada, which drew in several big-name celebrities who sat front-row.
With a strong nod to the archives, each brand has presented shows for spring/summer 2023 that are resolutely in the now, but rework many familiar elements for a new, younger audience.
Prada
Created by the ongoing partnership of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, this show opened with crisp single-breasted suits that gave way to a collection that mixes modern with retro.
Horizontal striped jumpers popped up, as did black leather shorts that, with a double zip front, felt vaguely 1980s. More historic influence made an appearance as gingham, now turned into lightweight men's coats layered over gaberdine jackets and those same shorts, or as shirts worn under longer leather coats.
There was a great quartet of washed denim jumpsuits that arrived collared, collarless and chopped into shorts, and offered a breath of fresh air in the middle of all those knee-length coats and ankle-cowboy boots.
As with all things Prada, this collection is underpinned by deep, philosophical musings, which, as usual, the house preferred not to share, leaving us all guessing what so many gaberdine coats actually mean.
As a sign of the offbeat pull of Prada, showgoers included the actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Rami Malek, plus Emirati twins Mohammed and Humaid Hadban, dressed in matching outfits, as always.
Also, there was former Prada model and now front-row guest, actor Jeff Goldblum, who raved about the quality of the clothes. "They not only make things that, as you can see, are kind of beautiful and interesting, but they’re comfortable, too. I mean, I'm not here to do a commercial, but I'm telling you — that’s how I honestly feel.”
Dolce & Gabbana
After almost 40 years in the business — it first launched womenswear in 1985 and menswear in 1990 — the eponymous designers behind Dolce & Gabbana are enjoying trawling through their own vast archive. As a house, it has never liked to look back, and instead has constantly found new ways to describe its codes of Italian heritage. However, a couple of seasons ago, the pair seemed to notice the treasure trove of ideas they are sitting on, and began to revisit and rework some for a new, younger audience.
For spring/summer 2023, its line is called Re-Edition, which means a lot of 1990s-era baggy clothes, seen as loose jackets and wide-legged, pleat-fronted trousers, in materials from glitzy brocade to mesh.
Woven through were sultry, sheer lace shirts, lots of leather, and religious imagery, while the suits were clean and snappy, and mostly single-breasted.
Within all of this, there was a reminder of David Beckham, whose famous No 7 kept popping up on vest tops and T-shirts. There were also plenty of ripped denim jeans and cargo trousers, and more denim turned up as fabulous, slouchy, wader-style boots.
Versace
In a nod to its alter-ego as a creator of homeware, for the Versace men's show, many models walked the runway with bits and pieces pilfered from the store.
Vases were carried underarm, and saucers dangled from waists like key fobs. Elsewhere, this would feel like an affectation, but at the house of Versace, whose mantra has always been more is more, it felt delightfully tongue-in-cheek.
In between the china, there were monogram-lined coats, silken pyjama pants in bronze and rococo-patterned suits, many of which were lifted from the archive.
One motif in particular, a drawing of a man's face, became a recurring theme of the collection, seen on hoodies, silken shirts and even a loose suit. The face, it turns out, belonged to someone from Pompeii, the city destroyed in 79AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying it under a layer so deep, it wasn't found again until 1748. In other hands, this would risk being morbid or creepy, but Versace made it almost celebratory, as a focal point of clothes that jumped from peach through deckchair striping to translucent lemony yellow jackets. The face appeared in lime, next to brilliant blue suits, and slashed, black leather trousers.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More on animal trafficking
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on Quran memorisation:
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The five pillars of Islam
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20750hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20800Nm%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%207%20Speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20332kph%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012.2L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYear%20end%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1%2C430%2C000%20(coupe)%3B%20From%20Dh1%2C566%2C000%20(Spider)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
More from Neighbourhood Watch
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
