"Sometimes I get irritated," Diane Von Furstenberg says with a tight smile, eyes hidden beneath huge sunglasses, even though we are indoors. And that, after 12 minutes of conversation, is the startling end to the interview.
You can't blame her: everyone wants a bit of Diane Von Furstenberg, and that day had been a prime example. Von Furstenberg had arrived at the Academic City campus of Zayed University to give a speech to the students about her life, her career and her wish to empower women. It was such a popular event that extra seats had to be called for, yet a number of girls had wandered out, BlackBerries in hand, part way through.
As soon as she had finished she was surrounded by staff and students desperate to have their photos taken with her, and then she was bundled off to a lunch that was supposed to be starting an hour later, leaving us hacks and snappers gawping in surprise, apparently bereft of our interviews. Dragged away from her meal early to do the planned interviews in a university corridor, it would have been no surprise had this 63-year-old fashion superstar, who by all accounts likes very much to keep to her timetable, been slightly put out. And what she really wanted to do was visit the gold souk.
There is no doubt that Von Furstenberg is a formidable woman, an indomitable designer and businesswoman. But tales of her personal kindnesses to friends abound, and in her public persona she exudes an ageless joie de vivre that makes her the perfect advert for her own colourful, easily glamorous clothes.
It is no coincidence that the best-known image of the fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg is the Andy Warhol portrait created in 1974, in which her quintessentially glamorous face looks confidently back over her shoulder, eyes wide, lips bright red and glossy, a cloud of black hair emphasising those jutting cheekbones. If ever there was a person who knew a super-brand when he saw it, it was Andy Warhol. Campbell's Soup cans, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Warhol himself: those screenprint repeats became kind of unofficial logos for the genuine icons of the 20th century, the people and things that were so public that it seemed they could be entirely captured in a polarised, block-coloured image.
Von Furstenberg's name (her married name: she was born Diane Halfin in Brussels in 1947), her face and her story have been a brand for the 35 years that it has taken the wrap dress - her great sartorial invention - to come full circle from mass-produced must-have to over-saturated must-ditch and back again, once more a fashion classic of our time. (So very classic that during her speech at Zayed University she pulled up images of herself wearing a wrap dress 35 years ago in her first ever DVF photoshoot and Michelle Obama wearing a near-identical DVF wrap in the US first family's Christmas-card portrait last year.)
Von Furstenberg has a different kind of confidence these days. The twentysomething socialite who, with her then-husband, the late Prince Egon Von Furstenberg, epitomised the New York Studio 54 era, partying and playing while working and bringing up two young children (Alexandre and Tatiana), has become a revered figure of the fashion establishment.
She looks different too - as you'd expect over the course of 35 years - but there are none of the fillers and Botox to which so many beautiful women resort to maintain their youth. Von Furstenberg apparently likes her wrinkles, and is more interested in the person beneath - an unusual attitude for a woman who works in fashion, and perhaps one that is the prerogative of those with preternaturally marvellous bone structure.
"I'm still the same person," she says. "Yes, maybe I lived a little between 12 and 2.30 in the morning, and I was so serious in a sense, because you know I had children at home and I was separated and I was missing my mother. But I was working at 8 in the morning. I did go to Studio 54, but I never lost myself."
Like many of today's established designers, Von Furstenberg owes her success in some way to the great fashion editor Diana Vreeland, to whom she presented her pieces in New York back in the Seventies and under whose encouragement she found the confidence and the means to continue to make dresses.
"She was formidable and very daring and intimidating but wonderful," says Von Furstenberg, and she could easily be talking about herself. She did, after all, come back from a decade of fashion limbo in the Eighties, after her five million-selling wrap dress became passé, to become president of the powerful fashion trade organisation the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
This is a strong woman, uncowed by personal or financial troubles, and she is very keen to share that strength with other women - something she calls "empowerment", a right-on American word that sounds just a little less glib in her Belgian-New York accent. She has established the DVF Awards to acknowledge female leaders and is a prominent member of Vital Voices, Hillary Clinton's charity that aims to honour women who make a difference in the world.
And while she's not exactly the media archetype of a feminist (a word that, for a younger, freer, more entitled generation, has become a slightly embarrassing anachronism), she is very happy to take on that mantle.
"Women in power: this is something that I care about. It's not a dirty word to me at all: I am a feminist - but it's become a little obsolete. To empower women is not necessarily to be a feminist; it's really to give women confidence about being able to realise their full potential - or what they think is their full potential, or what they want it to be. It's under no rule, except their own."
This is, in other words, about female confidence, and if wearing a great lipstick or a Diane Von Furstenberg frock makes a woman feel more confident then that's a very happy coincidence indeed. Well, maybe not a coincidence; let's call it a fortuitous synchronicity.
Her role at the CFDA allows her to exercise women's interests directly: she has been a staunch advocate of the promotion of healthy standards for fashion models, and now she is in a role with the power to influence the industry.
"Clearly you can imagine I always promote health," she says. "Good health is important to me, and there's no way that you can say that you want to empower women and then that you want them to be slaves in terms of weight - or even in terms of shoes. I don't want women to be slaves ever, or victims."
Certainly these are serious issues, but the glossy grooming, lithe figure, urbane New York manner and aloof sunglasses don't quite hide the fact that this is still a woman who conducts her life with every bit of energy she can master. At 63, she could be forgiven for pulling back from the constant travel, publicity and hard graft required to keep pushing the brand forward - for the launch of her Dubai shop, she has put in the hours with several events, dinners and so on to ensure everyone knows she's there - but in spite of having recently named a new creative director, Yvan Mispelaere (replacing Nathan Jenden), she remains very much the active face of DVF. And she looks extremely relaxed about it all.
"Relaxing is not..." she hesitates. "You know, my husband and I have a beautiful boat, so earlier this year when I was in the Gulf we were on the boat, and I sailed from Oman to Abu Dhabi. So I read, I swim, I hike, I have time to myself. But I have fun all the time. This is fun," she continues, waving around at the university campus. "I mean this is a great privilege, because you travel and you're not just a tourist; you also have a way to connect, and this was interesting to go inside a girls' university in the Middle East - it was madly interesting. And then when I finish my day I'm going to run to the gold market."
There's a lot still to fit in for Diane Von Furstenberg, and she's holding tightly, unstoppable to that schedule. It's probably wisest not to stand in her path.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.
Tour de France 2017: Stage 5
Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km
It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Results
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MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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