Paris Fashion Week has finished for another season, bringing to a close an event in which designers across the board recalibrated collections to speak to a new need for practicality. Gone are the big, showstopping runway moments; instead, they've been replaced almost unanimously by pared-back tailoring and timeless classics. Even the final big shows in the French capital stayed with this approach, containing the drama into discreet detailing, instead of letting it take over the show.
Valentino
Two seasons ago, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli delivered an entire collection in only two colours: black and shocking pink. For autumn/winter 2023, he again returned to the notion of a single, unifying thread, namely "Black Tie."
Far from being a gimmick, however, putting a literal black tie on to every look, both men's and women's, actually shifted the emphasis of the clothes — away from something unobtainable, into a new, beautiful reality. In many ways, it was a return to something for Piccioli himself as well. Although these days, he is most likely to be in a dark T-shirt and a coral necklace, during the days when Maria Grazia Chiuri (who is now heading Dior) was his co-creator for Valentino, he was rarely seen without his skinny-fit suit and even skinnier black tie. Now, that has been translated into a new aesthetic that speaks of throwing out the rule book and wearing whatever — in this case, a tie — makes you happy.
There were plenty of elegant Valentino tailoring, as roomy white shirts for both genders, as well as well-cut skirts, jackets, dresses and shorts. Switching proportions, the clothes travelled from floor-length to micro-mini, so that floor-length sequinned skirt, for example, took on an air of Marlene Dietrich's style, while a densely encrusted miniskirt became boyish, almost rakish. Even dresses were given ties, either as a tone-on-tone as with a split-to-the-thigh look in lemon yellow, to more sequins, gathered across a sweeping dress. Elsewhere, a simple shirt dress was encased in a top layer made of bow ties.
Louis Vuitton
If the spring/summer offering from Nicolas Ghesquiere, the designer heading up Vuitton, was about oversized belts, buckles and zips, then for autumn/winter, it was about a profound new sleekness.
The show he delivered was a stroll through what constitutes French style, from the overcoat worn belted over oxblood leather trousers, to a knitted slip dress that appeared with tall leather boots and an oversized cream scarf slung over one shoulder. This dress in itself explained a lot about the subtlety of detail in the show. From a distance, it looked metallic, but close-up, is actually woven with specks of white.
Capturing a certain urbane cool is what makes Ghesquiere tick, and here it materialised as oversized, curved-sleeved jackets over slip dresses, and boxy jackets paired with trousers that are slashed at the knee. The proliferation of skinny leather belts, over overcoats and dresses, gave us all a lesson in not trying too hard, while unexpected looks such as curiously lightweight pinstripe cotton, pleated and gathered into a waisted jacket and pantaloon trousers, spoke of off-kilter nonchalance.
Intriguingly understated, this deceptively simple show was still infused with the creative anarchy of Ghesquiere, who loves to set things up in opposition. Case in point: the illuminated face masks he sent down the runway intermittently. In a show that was as complex as it was elevated, it boiled down to the intense luxury of discreet design, executed with technical know-how.
Chanel
The final show of the week is always Chanel, and here, its creative director Virginie Viard focused the entire proposition around one of Chanel's most memorable motifs — the camellia flower. A recurring design element since 1923, to celebrate its centenary, Viard used it here to backbone clothes that were, like at many other houses, remarkably laid-back, and easy to wear.
Against a stage decorated with vast camellias, the show opened with a classic Chanel tweedy skirt suit, patterned with sketched flowers against a gridded background, thus setting in motion flower-as-decoration that would appear on almost every look, albeit in differing forms. Later in the show, other tweed looks had the motif as the belt buckle or even buttons.
A black leather coat had flowers around the lapels, for example, while black sequinned trousers were twinned with a white T-shirt, with white, 3D fabric flowers. Meanwhile, it turned up as what first looked like polka dots on top of jumpers, as intarsia patterns on knitwear, and even woven into cycling shorts and tights. It was reduced to a repeating graphic swipe of black and white on a snappy minidress worn under a cape, and etched into knee-high boots. It was made into a coral jacquard skirt and as a gossamer chiffon print dress. It even appeared as the shoulder bag paired with a beautifully simple knitted, cream dress.
Given how skilful Viard is at reading what her customers want, this collection was about timeless pieces that can be mixed and matched, or paired with jeans. Effortless, uncomplicated and yet utterly uncompromising in what it stands for, this understated collection was a joy to behold.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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
Coming 2 America
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
3/5 stars
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E470hp%2C%20338kW%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20620Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh491%2C500%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
