It's a brave woman who requests a fitting with the Tunisian couturier Ahmed Talfit and turns up in anything less than four-inch heels. "The biggest style faux-pas a woman could make is wearing ballerina pumps," he states categorically while backstage at Muscat Fashion Week. "High heels are perfect for strong, independent women."
Of the 12 designers showing in the Omani capital this year, Talfit was the solitary male, something he considered an honour. A risk-taker and an anti-conformist, Talfit was a fitting designer for the event's final night.
"It's wonderful to be the only man among all the fabulous women showing here," says Talfit. "The most important thing is that we all come together to do something positive for Arab women and regional fashion. To empower and raise the importance of women in society - that's our collective purpose. I'm committed to making women as beautiful as possible, emphasising their elegance and determination."
Known for his master manipulation of animal skins and unconventional materials like glass, Talfit's spring/summer 2013 runway show was an eclectic retrospective of his past three collections.
Structural, geometric designs featured prominently in a line-up with an unmistakably far-eastern feel.
"I used a lot of silk, chiffon and of course leather in shades of black and brown. The first of the main themes of the collection was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Every dress also has a touch of the modern Oriental woman about it - that's the second theme. The third theme was the apocalypse."
Despite the somewhat macabre inspiration behind the collection, Talfit shrugs off the suggestion that he's fatalistic.
Heightening the dramatic tension of Talfit's show and in keeping with the sombre theme, requiem-esque choral music accompanied his models down the runway.
An Esmod graduate, Talfit's imaginatively crafted, eccentric designs are full of promise - and underlying messages stitched into every seam.
"My clothes represent my opinions about the world - be it historically, socially or what's making headlines right now. It's a way for me to transmit my ideas," he says.
But he's not a young man with an axe to grind, nor is his highly-sculptural couture inaccessible or unwearable. Whether you laud or lambast him, one thing seems certain, be it on the regional or international circuit, in the coming years you certainly won't be able to ignore him.
For more information, visit www.ahmedtalfit.com
* Rebecca McLaughlin-Duane
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UAE SQUAD
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
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UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
STAGE
1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56
2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21
4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05
2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05
3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18
4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33
5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more about the coronavirus
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
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Ferrari
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RIVER%20SPIRIT
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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RESULTS
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