Falguni & Shane Peacock are just the latest in a long line of designers born outside the US who have found not only success but a warm welcome from the New York fashion community. From the Dominican-American Oscar de la Renta to the Indian-American Naeem Khan, the Filipino-American Monique Lhuillier to the Thai-American Thakoon, it seems that wherever you come from, you can succeed in New York - at least if you have a strong work ethic, a canny eye for style and a lot of talent.
But there's no doubt that Indian designers are having a particular moment at New York Fashion Week: the Peacocks, Khan, Prabal Gurung and Bibhu Mohapatra (formerly creative director at J Mendel) have all found full and enthusiastic audiences this season.
Khan, who like Mohapatra is an alumnus of Halston, had his breakthrough in 2009, when Michelle Obama wore a custom-made dress designed by him to her first state dinner as First Lady. Since then, he has dressed many a star, and his autumn/winter collection, shown at New York this week, was packed with the sort of red-carpet numbers that attract Alisters like magpies.
He currently offers arguably the most successful hybrid of eastern and western design, combining the exquisite stitching and beading of India (his father's company has for years provided embroidery and textiles for many of the world's greatest designers, as well as for Indian royalty) with modern, simple, on-trend shapes - such as the 1950s-style wrap jackets this season, round-necked and crop-sleeved, appliquéd, embellished and cinched in with a tied belt.
"It's from the decadence and the dust of India," he explained before the show. "Dust is from the sadhus of India, who live in the Himalayas: they don't wear anything but body paint; they paint with dust to protect themselves from the cold and they produce these very interesting patterns on the body, with vermilion and other pigments." These appear in the collection as a hand-painted dot pattern on full-silk skirts. "Then I looked at the decadence of India, the royal maharajas. How do you take body paint and make it modern and luxury?"
That's a good question, and answering it will probably provide the secret to his success. The celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch, who was also backstage before Khan's show, put it this way: "He's been able to fuse his ethnic background with being a style soldier for the world. All of the East is having a resurgence in fashion. In general we're having a fusion of all ethnicities, whether it be African or Asian or Middle Eastern or Indian."
And how to achieve this without stooping to kitsch or cliché? "You have to pay attention to the small details and turn them into something very modern," said Bloch. "It's fusion, not confusion!" Wise words.
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Scores in brief:
Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
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The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Our legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
SPECS
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
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