It is possible that I'm alone in this, but the fashion at the 2021 Golden Globes left me a little ... unenthused.
It was a night that held much promise, almost a return to normality. Yes, much of it was taking place in the stars' living rooms via Zoom, but there was also a flock of A-list names attending ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City. We had something akin to a red carpet for the first time in almost a year.
But what we were served was a series of sub-par prom dresses, some of which looked like they were plucked from a 1999 sale rack, not the finest haute couture created for Hollywood's A-list, in my humble opinion.
There was a saving grace, however – the men. Boy, oh boy, did the boys bring it, style-wise.
Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy was a ray of sunshine in yellow Valentino. Styled by Erica Cloud, we had texture, colour blocking and sparkle, care of his sequins and metallic shoes. Ever the professional, Levy, a vision in chartreuse, set up a photoshoot backdrop in his home for the ceremony.
Golden Globes ambassador Jackson Lee, the son of director Spike Lee, wore Gucci to walk the NYC red carpet. The statement look consisted of a double breasted robe-like jacket, decorated with the brand's Grottesco jacquard, a satin lapel and a Time's Up badge.
As with Levy's look, there was plenty of texture to enjoy, as it was styled over a wool mohair vest. It managed to feel timeless and vintage, but incredibly modern all at once.
Also in Gucci was Jared Leto, who is known for a far-from-conventional approach to red-carpet dressing. Appearing from home, the Oscar winner wore a camel-coloured suit, complemented with an orchid brooch and grey shirt.
The oversized flower brooch and flared trousers could have veered into clown territory on many, but Leto's indubitable sartorial confidence ensured he pulled it off without looking like a court jester.
Josh O'Connor, who plays a young Prince Charles in The Crown, also brought some fun and games to the ceremony with a striking custom Loewe look, designed by Jonathan Anderson.
O'Connor seems to be attending the Harry Styles School of Red Carpet Fashion, and I am delighted to see it. With a cravat, statement collar and wide-fit trousers, the look is a debonair departure from a top-to-toe black tux.
That is not to say that all-black is always boring, as Sacha Baron Cohen proved. The award winner was styled by Ilaria Urbinati, wearing a custom three-piece suit with a black shirt by Dolce & Gabbana.
Keeping it similarly sharp but simple, Justin Theroux wore his trademark skinny-fit trousers and Chelsea boots, paired with a velvet tuxedo jacket to attend the awards in person from New York.
We were treated to colour from One Night in Miami ... and Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr, who threw the rulebook out the window with a list of contrasting shades. Somehow he made a chocolate brown Valentino suit, neon-green turtleneck and pale pink shirt work effortlessly.
There were numerous stars sat at home whose full looks we did not get a chance to see, sadly.
Four guys who would have been looking sharp from head to toe are Daniel Kaluuya, John Boyega, Eugene Levy and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, all of whom were only seen sitting.
Winning Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Kaluuya was sat in front of a bookshelf, wearing a navy jacket with contrast stitching, but his bottom half was left a mystery. Best Supporting Actor in a TV role winner Boyega wore cream colour-blocked Givenchy up top and Abdul-Mateen II looked sharp in a powder-blue Paul Smith jacket. Levy kept it characteristically sharp in a well-tailored grey suit and shirt.
My style MVP on the night had to be Riz Ahmed. The Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama-nominated actor had the balance between at-home slouch wear and sharp tailoring perfected, care of a relaxed, pinstriped Celine suit, styled with bright white high-tops.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Summer special
MATCH INFO
Championship play-offs, second legs:
Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0
(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)
Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')
Derby County 0
(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Final
Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
