An easy spring elegance, deceitfully simple but never sloppy, brought a bit of good, clean fun to New York Fashion Week as the biannual round of frenzied runway shows moved into the fifth day on Monday.
The secret, Carolina Herrera said, is in the details. Look to tailoring that appears simple, when it really isn't, or loose without crossing into 1970s redux or boho slouch.
"Fashion has to have details and it's a way of doing them in a very simple way that they look effortless," she said. "That's what fashion should be: effortless and fun."
Herrera, beloved in the UAE, with her stores prominent in malls across the country, seems never to have a wrinkle in her skirt, not a hair out of place. Nevertheless, she has a playful side, too. A shirtdress seen on the catwalk had oversized pockets, and a delicate red cocktail dress was made of seersucker silk. It's not Herrera's way to make things too fussy, even when there's a lot going on. A black and blue gown was as soft and pretty as you'd expect from the designer, even though it was covered in sharp-edge embroidery. Making things look simple can be one of the hardest things to do, she said.
And it's the US Open that's happening alongside New York Fashion Week, but athletic-inspired clothing seen this week has been as unrelenting as Novak Djokovic's backhand. Although style swans such Anna Dello Russo still pulled out all the stops to keep street-style photographers snapping away, there are those who have taken a stylistically laissez faire yet sporty and active approach to fashion over the past couple of days.
Stephen Gan, editor of V Magazine and creative director of Harper's Bazaar, chose comfort over style by wearing colourful Nike trainers, and André Leon Talley, American Vogue's former editor-at-large, stuck to what's become his uniform: a silk cape and velour suit combo. But nothing embodied this fashionably active trend better than a showgoer who wore a top and pencil skirt combination in contrasting plaids paired with Nike trainers that featured neon panels.
As a brand, Y-3's design ethos is rooted in this seamless blend of style and activity and at the spring/summer 2012 outing, it was more of the same. Altuzarra, on the other hand, showed off big, comfortable pieces such as an oversize knit sweater in neon yellow paired with a tight leather skirt, and a bright white form-fitting, belted dress with a soft ruffle at the hemline just above the knee. His jungle print with bright red, purple, green and pink flowers stood out. It appeared in a print, zip-front halter quilted vest paired with matching long trousers and as an accent on a pair of skinny white crop trousers and leather jacket.
Altuzarra wasn't alone in embracing the colour white. Over at Bebe, which is considered a contemporary line with a strong following among young teenage girls, the show was an all-white affair with uber feminine dresses that had Victorian sleeves and abundant lace details. If even half of those pieces make it to the Bebe store in Abu Dhabi's Marina Mall, the young girls of the UAE will be decked in white dresses worn with utilitarian coats, cinched at the waist with drawstrings to dress the femininity down.
At Marc by Marc Jacobs, which made a colourful addition to the capital last year when it arrived at Abu Dhabi Mall, the vibrantly hued and optimistic collection boasted an interesting combination of sporty ease juxtaposed with edgy style. More bright colours paraded down the runway: electric orange, flame scarlet and fresh grass. Models in visors wore striped shirts with peplums on their pencil skirts; one sauntered down in a military green blouse with an orange skirt that had a drawstring closure.
But if there is a brand that knows how to put an outfit together using tactics and smarts, it's DKNY's parent label, Donna Karan. Her legion of fans adore her for showing them how to dress purposefully without neglecting their femininity. Case in point: the Casual Luxe line she introduced this season moments before her main show, which featured paper-thin nylon outerwear, jersey dresses and linen shirts designed for the globetrotting nomad who wants flexibility with their wardrobe. Those linen shirts should be especially popular in a climate like the UAE's.
For the mainline, Karan used tribal motifs to anchor the show, with large brush-stroke prints seen on one-shoulder dresses, flattering, waist-hugging full skirts and elongated gowns with stone embellishments. But she also gave a nod to activewear, as seen in several bodices with elastic bands, which gave the collection a whiff of fencing gear, and the transparent paper-thin jackets worn with A-line skirts.
Activewear trends aside, however, these were clothes that modern, productive women will want to wear.
Additional reporting by Robert Cordero
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
The%20specs
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
If%20you%20go
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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
- 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
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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.
