I've had endless after-hours discussions regarding that million-dollar question: what drives fashion on, and who decides when is the tipping point?
Some argue it's all down to image-makers, such as Steven Meisel, Tom Ford or Carine Roitfeld.
Others insist it's trailblazing designers such as Miuccia Prada, who can be relied upon to come up with fresh ideas every six months.
Although no one would dare challenge the notion of the international catwalks being the birthplace of new fashion (editorials merely report on these), it takes a few more ingredients besides extraordinary clothes, son et lumière theatrics and clever hair and make-up trickery to successfully bring fashion to life. Vital to producing any new look is finding the right model at the right time.
I always argue that the one person directly responsible for pushing fashion on for the past decade, ever since his collaboration with Prada first began, is the catwalk model casting director and Svengali, Russell Marsh.
No one besides Marsh, with the exception of Meisel, has been more successful in his quest for discovering models' talent that in turn become a living canvas for whatever is the next fashion movement.
It's no coincidence he has the ear of designers such as Prada (Christopher Kane is another who employs him).
Blame Marsh for booting out the curvaceous Brazilians in the late 1990s in favour of the Eastern European waiflets who have since dominated the international catwalks and designer campaigns.
I can well remember witnessing Sacha Pivovarova's Prada runway debut strategically engineered by Marsh, who found her at the age of 16.
Looking back she was (then) so different from any other model I had ever seen. Almost alien. Hmmm, I thought. What is Russell up to? Fashion is about to change. And it did. Now Pivavarova has not only triggered so many model look-alikes, her face staring back at you from magazines no longer appears to be high fashion. Her type of beauty has even been embraced by L'Oreal TV adverts.
Marsh's choices for Prada and Miu Miu are scrutinised each show season for good reason. Ignore his choice of girls and you may as well stick your head in the sand.
This September, slightly out of the blue, Marsh decreed it was a case of "all change" once more. From nowhere, the exotically named Arizona Muse not only opened (and closed) the Prada show, she went on to be the break-out star of spring/summer 2011 shows including Chanel, YSL and Dior. No wonder Muse has since become the latest fashion it girl.
With her impossibly high cheekbones and alabaster skin, the blonde beauty could have come from anywhere in Europe (or Australia or Brazil). Even more shocking than her catwalk domination was the fact that she hails from a continent whose once plentiful supply of super-league models was thought to be going the way of its bison: the US.
Although one could hardly describe Muse's "look" as all-American (she actually is more a young Jane Birkin), she is undeniably pretty. When was the last time you could say this about a high-fashion model without adding "but she's way too..." followed by the relevant adjective, ranging from scrawny to scary/cool/weird.
The 19-year-old was joined by a fresh line-up of first-season new faces, including Maddie Kulicka, Hailey Clauson, Joan Smalls and Caroline Brasch Neilson, who are now tipped to clean up in terms of spring/summer 2011 campaigns.
What do we know of Muse? Her real name is Zoe Muse. She's American. She's a mother to an 18-month old son called Nico. She did have waist-length hair pre-Prada, now it's hewn to a stylish bob. She was discovered in LA in 2008 when she was 17 and waited a year to beging ner modelling career so she could finish school. She is now represented by the model agency Next and jets between homes in LA and Paris.
It's not just the fact she snaffled the best outfits in the key shows that the entire industry is watching to see what she does next.
If she had stepped blinking into the Milan sunshine following her triumphant Prada debut to face the waiting paparazzi wearing something intrinsically dull, things might have been very different.
As it was, the off-duty Arizona get-up of wrinkly velvet boots, ditzy scarves, kooky Bloomsbury style hat pulled down low teamed with a pretty farm-girl dress was documented by the paparazzi, already sensing a new star.
This year's model, according to the editorials is Freja, possibly Lara. Next year's, decreed by the man who pulls the puppet strings of fashion, is Muse.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
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
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
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Company%20profile
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20profile
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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.