It’s always interesting when someone comments on what you’re wearing.
Whether complimentary, critical or simply curious, observing and remarking on people’s sartorial choices are a natural way to understand one another.
I’m often in a suit jacket, or in the less formal variation of the outer garment, a blazer.
In both cases, I wear them with a collared shirt or T-shirt with matching trousers, jeans, chinos or other formal trousers of varying colours depending on where I’m going.
Single or double-breasted, flap or patch pockets, cotton, linen, wool and a few, unfortunately, are polyester. I have some in classic colours, others in contemporary tones and patterns. I also have, of course, a variety of pocket squares to complement and match. These choices afford me the versatility to make an outfit as formal or informal as I’d like.
While complimented for my style choices, I’ve also been questioned a fair few times, about my decision to opt for a more “dressed up” aesthetic.
Who wears a blazer to a picnic? I do. A suit to the cinema? Of course. To an informal gathering at a friend’s home? Absolutely. Are you physically comfortable always wearing a suit? Always. Don’t you get hot? Not really. Don’t you feel overdressed? I’m not bothered.
Not one to take such comments to heart, I joke that I’d wear a suit to the beach if I could. Believe me, I’ve looked into it.
It’s important to be mindful of how we put ourselves together and that includes listening to others impressions of us.
I’d wear a suit to the beach if I could. Believe me, I’ve looked into it
I’m sure many of us look back with a medley of shock and cringe when we see photos of ourselves in the early 2000s.
Why didn’t anyone say that popped collars, sweat bands on our heads, cargo pants, graffiti and tattoo-inspired urban wear (remember Ed Hardy?) and oversized, distressed, boot-cut jeans wouldn’t age well?
Thankfully, I wasn’t a victim of the trends of the early 2000s. I’ve always been in a suit. And any photographic evidence proving others wise has been destroyed or have been created by AI.
How we choose to put ourselves together is a form of personal expression but it’s also a sign of the times.
Current trends reveal a push toward leisure and comfort wear over more fitted and clean fits. Athleisure is a thing now because, apparently, sweatpants are stylish.
No matter who designed them or what they look like, I can’t think of anything more atrocious than walking around in sweat pants — bar going to the gym or lounging at home.
I feel some comfort that I share the sentiment with the late Karl Lagerfeld who famously labelled sweatpants as "a sign of defeat".
I will also say that some people, sometimes, can pull that look off — albeit at the risk of their future selves looking back at photos in horror, wondering why they attended a party wearing what can only be described as an expensive set of pyjamas.
We’ve all heard the phrase “clothes make the man” coined in contemporary times by the novelist Tom Wolfe. Variations of this quote have been attributed to other writers, from the ancient Greek proverb “vestis virum facit,” to the phrase “there is no power without clothes” from the Irish satirist Jonathan Swift.
My favourite version of this quote is from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, when the comical Polonius advises his son that: “The apparel oft proclaims the man.” While Polonius's judgment is wrong on almost every other occasion in the play, he’s right about that.
The reason a quote of this nature has retained its relevance over time is that it holds a universal truth.
The assumption would be that we dress to impress others or to tell the world who we are, which I’m sure is true for some. At a more cerebral level however, this quote actually means, and it’s a personal belief I adhere to, that how we dress is a reflection of who we are or who we would like to be.
And no person or trend should be dictating that very personal journey.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
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Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
