The past few years in fashion have given us a lust, bordering on obsession, for all things maximalist.
Be it at Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Moschino or Philipp Plein, decadent layering, opulent finishes and an abundance of bling have dominated the runway, fuelling our insatiable need for "more".
But that was before the arrival of the coronavirus. With industries laid waste, countries shuttered and hundreds of thousands of lives lost, the world we all knew has dramatically altered and as we begin cautiously to re-emerge after self-imposed isolation, we are all seeking markers of reassurance, comfort and stability.
Moving forward, will we crave a return to the decadent hedonism of maximalism? It may be gaudy, indulgent and over the top, but it is ultimately about celebration, about joy and embracing the sheer expressiveness of fashion.
It can be expressed in many ways. Who hasn’t felt the thrill of pulling on a new dress, or unearthing a gilded find at a thrift shop? Who hasn’t longed for something from our grandmother's wardrobe or looked forward to the day we can borrow our mother's vintage boots? And such giddy longing does not make one greedy. Far from it. The thrill of the chase, taking joy and enjoying a moment, are all vital parts of the human condition.
Singers Lady Gaga and Harry Styles, actor Jared Leto and Madonna have all dedicated themselves to being modern-day Lounge Lizards, in preposterous make-up, high-waisted flares and velvet capes, embracing the sheer joy of being alive.
But even before Covid-19, the ever-faster fashion merry-go-round was drawing complaints that it moved too quickly, burning too fast through designers and precious resources.
In a recent interview with Vogue, Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele said: "I hope we will never go back to that 'normal'. Because the life we lived before has been fearfully unsustainable. So, yes, we will go back to life. But, I hope, to a different life."
When we finally emerge from our cocoons, will we yearn for the spartan purity of pared-back designers such as Jil Sander and Helmut Lang, whose severity of line better fits the present mood? Or will we want to celebrate, indulge, and announce that we are one of the lucky survivors?
The autumn / winter 2020 collections, which were unveiled just as Covid-19 was starting to spread its full, destructive power, were filled with clothes that spoke of practicality, of utility, of "hunkering down" instead of excess and exhibitionism.
Balenciaga, for example, gave us clothes for an apocalypse, shown on a flooded runway and under an end-of-days sky, while Marine Serre continued what she had begun so joltingly for spring / summer 2020 (that took place in September 2019) with face masks in what now feels like chilling foresight.
Or how about Prada, with its belted practicality? Simple garb – almost nun like in its simplicity – in stoic grey and tightly held with thick leather belts. Or Alexander McQueen who looked to the folklore of ancient Wales to create clothes for modern warrior women.
Even Louis Vuitton looked back in time, to deliver a collection of space-age history, mixing ruffles of old with technical fabrics.
At Gucci, it, too, was about less. More fancy ruffles were heaped into skirts, but then added to sparse tops, and Puritan hats, that gave it all an air of restraint.
Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and it is fascinating to reflect on collections unveiled so recently with new perspective, and see that the signs were already there.
We were already beginning to turn away from the glory days of the maximum, shift away from the endless "new", and instead, turn towards a sense of "make do" and 're-wear'. It was already happening. It just took a pandemic for us to see it.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
More on Quran memorisation:
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
