After a truly historic week, London Fashion Week has closed with a fitting tribute to Queen Elizabeth II as Richard Quinn dedicated his entire show to the mourning dress of monarchs.
The first 18 looks sent out on the runway were all black widows' weeds, adorned with feathers and jewellery and draped in heavy lace veils. Beautiful and moving, it seemed fitting that the first recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Fashion Award, in 2018, should now pay such homage to the monarch who had sat front row at his first show.
Scroll through the gallery above for some of the top looks from London Fashion Week
Amid the mourning looks, Quinn also showed his love of colour and pattern with bright moulded mini dresses that sat high around the ears, and were teamed with either thick tights or long boots. Fierce, modern and determined, they, too, nodded to the colourful outfits the queen was so famous for.
At one point, London Fashion Week looked like it may not go ahead at all following the queen's death, but the event continued, although largely scaled back. Designers had the presence of mind to offer collections that managed to carefully navigate respect and the raw, celebratory fashion that London so excels at nurturing.
At the start of the week, Harris Reed delivered a collection that shows precisely why he is the darling of the fashion set. In Dutch Hall in Austin Friars, and with a performance from Adam Lambert, who sings as part of a collaboration with rock band Queen, Reed's show channelled old-school glamour, mixing exaggerated shoulders, form-fitting dresses with mermaid hemlines and vast hats, dipped below one eye.
Over at Edward Crutchley, that took place in an underground car park in central London, a sea-themed show unfurled as metallic fabric formed into rounded shapes around the body, culminating in a tiered dress in shimmering tones of vert de gris and seashell pink. And, thanks to the platform sandals worn underneath, it took on a towering, Poseidon-like quality.
J W Anderson brought his trademark subversive humour to proceedings, not only staging his show in an amusement arcade in Soho, but sending out an upside down jumper as a dress, the metal clothes hanger now around the neck of the model. Then came otherworldly shapes, such as a silver shift dress that ballooned around the hips.
Christopher Kane, too, explored a new direction, looking into anatomical drawings that were then splashed across looks. Set in the huge space of the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, his collection was about images of limbs stripped of skin, to show muscle structures in all their intricate glory, yet far from feeling gory or gruesome, was instead more of a reminder that we are all the same underneath.
Over at Simone Rocha, — who picked the Old Bailey for her venue — menswear was offered for the first time in a show so gorgeous it got a standing ovation. Mixing parachute fabrics, webbing straps and layers of netting as veils, it was sumptuous and utterly delicious. The show was bookended with looks accompanied by veils.
Held amid the pillars of the British Museum, Erdem also pulled out all of the stops, delivering a show that, as with all the best Erdem collections, felt like stumbling upon the greatest dressing-up box in the world, filled with corsets, huge skirts and fragile chiffon. He delivered exquisitely feminine dresses in retro-feeling fabrics, as if cut from the most beautiful curtains in the world. With dresses pieced from halves of different fabrics, it was all unutterably lovely.
Meanwhile, on the streets of Shoreditch, David Koma staged his latest round of high-octane looks, with floor-length skirts carved away from one leg and dresses kept form-fitting. Best of all were the numerous thigh-length boots, in orange, blue and a glittering iridescence sure to be seen on celebrities soon.
In the unlikely setting of the Seymour Leisure Centre in London, Molly Goddard delivered a stunning show, in bright rainbow tones and with ruffles for days, culminating in a ballgown that seemed to be made of nothing but gathered netting, while at Chopova Lowena, the duo unveiled their first runway show. Unveiled at their studio in Deptford, it also stayed close to the heritage of the designers, as it was themed around the Rose Festival, celebrated every year in the Bulgarian village of Kazanlak. Famous for its skirts finished with carabineers, their debut outing was brimming with colour, patterns and a youthful energy, and brought a punkish air back to London.
Halpern opened its show in the Royal Exchange with a cornflower blue look of headscarf knotted under the chin, and a huge diaphanous cape that billowed regally. While definitely a nod to the queen, it felt a little out of kilter with the 1970s Studio 54 sequined looks that followed.
Upbeat and dynamic, the shine arrived as tight, slinky dresses and kick-flared trousers with mismatched legs, before shifting into a Barbie-themed segment, complete with huge, flicked wigs. Drawing these rather disparate elements together, the closing look was another headscarf and cape combo, this time in retro baby-doll sheer black.
Paul & Joe also used a headscarf tied under the chin in a nod to the queen, now in red gingham.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dooda%20Solutions%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lebanon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENada%20Ghanem%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AgriTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24300%2C000%20in%20equity-free%20funding%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
65
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EScott%20Beck%2C%20Bryan%20Woods%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdam%20Driver%2C%20Ariana%20Greenblatt%2C%20Chloe%20Coleman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.