The first full day of London Fashion Week successfully navigated a seemingly impossible path; showcasing a crop of British talent as the nation mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
London Fashion Week began with a string of tributes to the queen, from models holding pictures of her to others being dressed in all black. Some brands have pulled out while Monday's schedule has been altered — the UK marks a bank holiday on the day the monarch will be laid to rest following a state funeral.
However, for others, the show goes on; many welcomed it as a chance to showcase London's proud association with fashion, with the queen herself having been a surprise visitor at the event in 2018.
Bahrain's Noon by Noor opened Friday's schedule with a suitably elegant presentation. The label is from cousins Shaikha Noor Al Khalifa and Shaikha Haya Al Khalifa, who are known for their understated aesthetic and their outing reinforces that.
Edward Crutchley followed, as he held his co-ed show three stories below street level, in a central London car park. Stripped of cars, the space felt a little bleak, but actually offered a perfect space for Crutchley to unveil a collection centred on the theme of a constantly changing sea.
Opening with a tiered dress made from metallic double faced jacquard, this same fabric appeared throughout the show. Clothes looked as if they floated, like ethereal jellyfish around the body, cinched with obi-style wraps, and balanced on precariously high, iridescent platform sandals.
There were multi-coloured knit dresses with cut-outs. And, as colours shifted from silvery to dark blue, it was strangely beautiful, with a quiet aura of romance.
One consequence — perhaps entirely intentional — of the venue, was that while providing a private space to show the collection, it also offered secrecy for the audience, who arrived in full regalia. One guest strolled past in Dr Martin boots and a Marie Antoinette wig, while another had pink glitter eyebrows and two long feathers, worn deely bopper style on a headband. Another wore sequin fishnet trousers, someone else a kilt, and everyone seemed to be carrying a fan.
Temperley London also chose to showcase its new wares in a hidden location.
In a private residence in West London, described as an "iceberg house" because most of it was underground, the new collection was split into two parts. The spring collection, set for a November launch, was filled with party season shimmer, courtesy of golden sequins, as the three-piece suit introduced last season was here again, now in a luscious raspberry velvet.
The second half was for summer 2023, filled with plenty of Temperely's eye-catching patterns and embroideries. A loose linen safari jacket arrived in a lovely mustard print, with matching paper bag shorts, while a dotted pattern across dresses turned out to be cowrie shells. Elsewhere, a slip dress and matching jacket arrived with heavy mustard embroidery as tea dresses in pinks and blues were lavished in signature embroidery.
A recent introduction is the Heritage range, made from bestsellers now with a permanent collection all of their own. Filled with the top pieces from the brand's 20-year history, it is a shift towards a more mindful approach, giving longevity to pieces that take hours to create.
At Boru Aksu, there was a minute's silence to honour the queen, ahead of what turned out to be a lightly military themed collection. Opening with a drummer, it was followed by a look finished with a row of medals and a tailored, double-breasted trouser suit, before softening into something more feminine and frothy.
Dresses came adorned with polka dots, ruffles and asymmetric drapery, as full skirts spilled out from under tailored jackets, and scalloped hemlines.
Aksu created most of the collection from deadstock, some of which is decades old, neatly bringing the past into the present day.
With that in mind, it is a fitting way to mark a new era for Britain and its unwavering adoration for fashion. And, the queen.
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
