As pictures began to filter through from the long-awaited Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiere in London, the big red-carpet story was a somewhat surprising one. Emma Watson? Nope: she looked gorgeous, young, fresh and appropriately dressed (until her vintage Ossie Clark wrap frock blew aside revealing a little more than she had bargained for).
Bonnie Wright? Well, the actress who plays Ginnie Weasley in the films is looking like a serious contender as the new Emma Watson, but that's a story still to be played out. How about Daniel Radcliffe? Well there's no doubt that his right on-trend suit was right off-taste but it merited only a passing glance in comparison with the evening's true offender: JK Rowling.
The beloved authoress, who came to fame at a youthful 32, has not made a habit of flashing her considerable cash on bling over the years, and has a reputation as a down-to-earth sort, unmoved by riches and adoration. Which made the rather terrifying Louboutins she was wearing all the more surprising. For one thing, they are remarkably similar to the gold strappy platforms worn on the same evening by Watson, 24 years her junior. They would not have been out of place if this was the premiere of Gladiator: The Musical, but on the 43-year-old Rowling, with her red-manicured toes splayed over the edges, they are rather (and we apologise, JK, for we respect your writing greatly), well, grotesque.
They could almost have been forgivable if they had not been combined with a saggy Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti frock featuring a neckline that would have been too décolleté for a 25-year-old, let alone a middle-aged mum who very admirably but very clearly has refrained from going under the knife. The metallic blue Marc Jacobs clutch did nothing to add gravitas to the look.
Now perhaps this all sounds a little churlish, even petty: after all, we're supposed to be judging her on the quality of her wildly successful books. But her rags-to-riches life also makes her, if reluctantly, a role model for other women who dream of succeeding despite being slung on society's scrap heap because of their age, gender or other life choices. All eyes are on her. And her decision to dress like a teenager simply reinforces the modern ethos that no achievement can trounce the feat of looking eternally youthful.
Back in 2006, when Helen Mirren was first feted by Hollywood, much was made of her natural beauty, untouched, as far as we knew at the time, by scalpel or diet pills. In comparison to the skeletal, embalmed look popular among Tinseltown's ladies of a certain age, Mirren, now 63, has seemed like a refreshing vision of mature glamour. Her very confidence makes her beautiful. But even her example has failed to reverse the trend and she stands out among so many desperate-to-be-young women for whom the term "mutton dressed as lamb" could have been invented.
Take Madonna. This is a woman who has an incredible sense of style: her forties were marked by a series of classic-but-quirky, vintage-inspired looks and when recently spotted out and about with Stella McCartney, the 50-year-old wore a timeless white trouser suit and tweed trilby that no one could have objected to. She has a physique that many 30-year-olds dream of. Yet no amount of make-up, white lighting and yoga can rescue her from muttondom when she reveals sinewy legs and veiny arms in the micro minis, tiny shorts and high-cut leotards of her Sticky and Sweet tour, which launched last week.
It's not about wearing slippers and house coats. It's about remembering that the same rules apply whatever your age: dress to emphasise your good bits and hide the bad ones. If you look like Sharon Stone or Demi Moore, then fine - go ahead and wear a curve-clinging evening dress. In any case, those va-va-voom gowns are so full of boning and internal structure that everything is lifted and strapped in for the evening. But if you don't, then take some tips from the (admittedly still fabulous) likes of Mirren, Meryl Streep, Maggie Smith and Susan Sarandon. If you have batwing arms, wear sleeves. If your décolletage is less than perfect, go for a higher neckline or some cover-up jewellery. If you still have a tiny waist, emphasise it and keep everything else under wraps. And don't, whatever you do, compete with your younger companions by wearing gold Roman sandals with a two-inch platform.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The Programme
Saturday, October 26: ‘The Time That Remains’ (2009) by Elia Suleiman
Saturday, November 2: ‘Beginners’ (2010) by Mike Mills
Saturday, November 16: ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ (2013) by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Tuesday, November 26: ‘All the President’s Men’ (1976) by Alan J Pakula
Saturday, December 7: ‘Timbuktu’ (2014) by Abderrahmane Sissako
Saturday, December 21: ‘Rams’ (2015) by Grimur Hakonarson
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
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
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Asian Cup 2019
Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
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Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
