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.
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
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
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
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.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE CARD
The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns
Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
Singles match
Triple H v John Cena
To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced
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)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
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
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
