The Lebanese design duo of Azzi & Osta has showcased its autumn/winter 2021 collection and it's surprisingly upbeat and almost summery for a winter wardrobe.
Filled with sugary pink, grey, pistachio green and plenty of white, the new line's uplifting feel is even more surprising given the hardships the designers faced in 2020. Not only did founders George Azzi and Assaad Osta attempt to run a global fashion business amid a worldwide pandemic, but they also had to contend with the ongoing financial crisis in Lebanon.
Against that kind of backdrop, anyone would be forgiven for presenting a more sombre, gloomy collection, yet Azzi & Osta's collection is fresh, light and youthful.
Inspired by the 1990s, the designers chose to look back in time, to their teenage and carefree years, when the pair decided that a future in fashion beckoned.
The collection, called Collection 6, sees '90s-inspired shapes appear as button-front dresses, hanging to mid calf and in tones of pale pink and putty, with clever details around the neck (think collars stretching out to become a storm shield across the back and nifty twisted halter necks), which act as a tidy reminder of the cutting skills of the brand.
Masculine suits are given a glamorous makeover, arriving oversized in dark berry sequins and tightly clasped at the ankle, or as a severe long grey wool skirt, slashed to the hip with a corseted jacket and a deeply scooped neckline.
More masculine touches arrive as olive green wide-legged trousers, now with a very feminine ripple of cloth running down one leg, or as sharply tailored jackets shortened into peplumed corsets, or as part of a bridal trouser suit, wrapped in white satin.
Sculptural forms can be seen as deep folds run across the hips of a dark red dress, and as a black satin bow ingeniously widened into a bandeau top. More stiffened folds frame the neckline of a cream sheath dress, while pink velvet became a simple top, with clever inverted funnel shaped sleeves. Mixed with fitted grey stovepipe trousers, it is a sleek, almost resort, option.
For those who prefer their dresses filled with volume, the designers offer full-length tulle overdresses in olive green, a pretty, full-skirted evening gown in shimmer midnight blue and even a charming day swing dress in ice cream pink.
Perhaps mindful of the difficulties in Lebanon at the moment, the pair decided to shoot this campaign in Los Angeles. Working with photographer Amanda Charchian, the images carry a playfulness that is engaging and will certainly appeal to an international audience.
While the pandemic was trying for any fashion label, Azzi & Osta used the time to open its own e-commerce platform, shifting away from the brand's reliance on a physical space and allowing them to connect directly with clients.
It was a move well received by customers, perhaps proving to the designers there is still a real demand for their collections across the world.
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
%3Cp%3EYears%3A%20October%202015%20-%20June%202024%3Cbr%3ETotal%20games%3A%20491%3Cbr%3EWin%20percentage%3A%2060.9%25%3Cbr%3EMajor%20trophies%3A%206%20(Premier%20League%20x%201%2C%20Champions%20League%20x%201%2C%20FA%20Cup%20x%201%2C%20League%20Cup%20x%202%2C%20Fifa%20Club%20World%20Cup%20x1)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
