The folk look is back: proceed with caution



Lets hear it for the folk ­revival. Yes, this is the same boho trend of last summer and the winter before. Isn't it strange, in a season dominated by sharp tailoring and sombre black lace, that folk, with its spirit-lifting colours and optimistic prints is stronger than ever? Or perhaps, given the current economic climate this is precisely why its back in fashion (again). If you were to ask me what to go for given the economy, Id say investment pieces and tailored suits. Ive already styled countless folk fashion shoots this month which look really hip, but I know that anyone who isn't pin thin and extremely beautiful in that 1960s rock chick sense will look overdressed, and anyone over 30 will look simply daft.

At least, this is what I keep telling myself. Yet every time I see something tasselled or embroidered in a boutique, especially ponchos, I get far more excited than I do about sensible tuxedo jackets or well-cut evening trousers. The thing about folk, which is why its such a perennial bestseller, has less to do with age and more to do with attitude. Certain women and men who haven't stopped wearing it since it first burst onto the fashion scene in the late 1960s are some of the most stylish ­people I know. Worn correctly paired down rather than piled on like fancy dress it can be extremely flattering and youthful.

Although I have never actually owned a shaggy yeti coat, a billowing embroidered maxi dress or a pair of cowboy boots, I hope to one day. I do own a Roberto Cavalli for H&M folksy-style smock dress in red Ikat cotton voile with tiny mirrors dotted around the hem, which I would rate as the most feel good piece in my entire wardrobe. It looks like it has a social life all of its own. I wear it over skinny jeans (the new Citizens of Humanity Birkin, which come in a double-knit cotton with stretchy Lycra and could almost pass for leggings) ­because its way too short, even with opaque tights.

I have this theory that Kate Moss gets the street cred she does because she pulls off casual so well. Part of her secret is her passion for folk and the way she narrows her palette to sombre ink: black, grey and brown. This explains how she gets away with wearing a gilet and fringed ­bootees, which, we all know, are from the season before last. That feeling of freedom which folk unleashes in the wearer is the other reason it sells (and sells). Yes, tailoring is flattering and sends out all the right signals but folk is fun. It doesn't work top-to-toe, so dipping in to it makes you appear chic and totally switched on. For example, I wore a simple little black dress to a book launch last week with a gigantic folk ring strikingly similar to Dior's Milly Carnivora but from Topshop along with a jangly Native American necklace Id picked up in an art gallery in Colorado. It was just the ticket for this particular after-work do, which included a few kooky celebs and fashion journalists. Most, if not all, women present had embraced folk just as I had and gave me a knowing wink. No one, I might add, was wearing a power suit as offered on most autumn/winter 2008 catwalks. Right now, who wants to look like they are a banker or worse a hedgefunder?

The author, India Knight, was wearing a particularly clever ­fashion hybrid, a 1940s style ­pencil skirt suit with a distinct, folksy Russian feel teamed with staggeringly high heels. The Thrift Book, her latest offering, offers several quirky ways to beat the credit crunch. Shes right. There is a backlash to looking like a Park Avenue Princess, however; fashion has a habit of thriving even in the hardest of times. For now its folk, which allows you to dress up and go a bit crazy without splashing out a fortune. Add to this some of the latest glittering Naars eyeshadow, which looks like its been hewn from ground up moon rock, and you really are ready to party.

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

What is a calorie?

A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.

One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.

A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.

Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.

Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram. 

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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
  1. Join parent networks
  2. Look beyond school fees
  3. Keep an open mind
The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.

 

There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.

 

More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.

 

The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.

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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

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 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

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Like a Fading Shadow

Antonio Muñoz Molina

Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez

Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)

UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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INDIA SQUAD

Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami

About Seez

Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017  

Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer

Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon 

Sector:  Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing

Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed

Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A 

Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Results

2.30pm: Park Avenue – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Rb Seqondtonone, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)

3.05pm: Al Furjan – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bosphorus, Dane O’Neill, Bhupat Seemar

3.40pm: Mina – Rated Condition (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Royal Mews, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar

4.15pm: Aliyah – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,900m; Winner: Ursa Minor, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash

4.50pm: Riviera Beach – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 2,200m; Winner: Woodditton, Saif Al Balushi, Ahmad bin Harmash

5.25pm: Riviera – Handicap (TB) Dh2,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Al Madhar, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

6pm: Creek Views – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Al Salt, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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
SPECS
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Pathaan
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