Two of the most consistently interesting and innovative fashion designers in Milan are Miuccia Prada and Marni's Consuelo Castiglioni. Neither subscribes to the glamorous dolce vita style of dressing that is frequently presented on the Italian catwalks. However their clothes, particularly Prada's, are often alluring despite their sometimes stubborn oddness.
Prada's summer collection, last September, ignited the catwalk with vibrant colours and wacky banana prints; for autumn she wanted to explore whether she could take high-octane materials such as python and sequins and make them appear more innocent. For daytime silhouettes, she picked out graphic, colour-blocked 1920s-style chemises that looked like schoolgirl gymslips, and loose 1960s-style coats with contrasting drop-waist belts and big buttons. Coats featured python, while the dresses were dripping with shimmery fish-scale paillettes, a much fresher and prettier approach to sequins than the usual sparkling body-conscious looks one sees on the catwalk.
So far, so good with Prada's ingénue theme. However, the quirky accessories - pale suede and lurex boots that resembled Mary Jane shoes worn with socks, and shaggy bonnets that looked like bathing caps - would challenge even her most loyal followers.
In many respects, Prada was treading on Marni territory, as Consuelo Castiglioni's collections frequently have an innocent, girlish spirit. This season, however, Marni is rather more grown-up. Like Prada, Castiglioni loves playing with odd 1960s prints and her geometrics, some of which echoed the pattern of the carpet on the catwalk, came in black and cream or tones of green. They looked terrific on short coats layered over tunics and modest over-the-knee skirts. The silhouette, as always at Marni, was loosened off and there were some sturdy leather jackets over gilets. However, Castiglioni injected a dose of sophisticated glamour into her perfectly pitched collection by adding a series of geometric-patterned lurex dresses, a few jewelled necklines and some beautiful passementerie beading.
The experimental mood also spread to Bottega Veneta where Tomas Maier, another designer who always manages to find intriguing angles, wanted to push technique and craftsmanship to the extreme for the collection. BV's diamond fine jewellery collection is expanding into coloured stones and this inspired Maier's autumn collection. Vivid colours from pale yellow to ruby, topaz, fire opal and peridot green appeared in a range of fuzzy wools, silk, tulle and lace carefully overlaid, over-printed and embroidered to create extraordinary optical effects and textures. Choosing as his canvas clean, uncomplicated coats and dresses, Maier delivered one of the most desirable collections in Milan.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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War 2
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Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
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The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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