Lily Allen wears Taller Marmo. Photo Getty
Lily Allen wears Taller Marmo. Photo Getty
Lily Allen wears Taller Marmo. Photo Getty
Lily Allen wears Taller Marmo. Photo Getty

Lifestyle

Fashion

Lily Allen steps out in UAE label Taller Marmo

To celebrate her West End debut, the actress chose a dress from the label founded in Dubai

Sarah Maisey

September 11, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Singer, writer and now actress Lily Allen has just cemented her fashion chops by stepping out in a gown by UAE label Taller Marmo.

For the recent opening night of her West End debut, acting in Danny Robins’s play, 2:22 A Ghost Story, Allen wore the black "Ubud" dress, one-shoulder gown trimmed with ostrich feathers.

Allen has long had a reputation for dressing with style. From her earliest days during the release of 2006's album Alright, Still, when she brought her own slant to things by wearing 1950s prom dresses with trainers, Allen has favoured looks that are unexpected.

Her individual take even caught the eye of Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld, who was as famous for spotting talent as he was at creating clothes. In 2009, when Allen announced she was quitting music after only two albums, declaring she was "struggling and feeling old", Lagerfeld promptly signed her as the face of the new Coco Cocoon bags.

Now Allen is trying her hand at acting, starring in the supernatural thriller, which is showing at the Noel Coward Theatre in London until Saturday, October 16.

Founded in Dubai in 2013, Taller Marmo is the brainchild of duo Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea, from Italy and Argentina respectively. Having met in Milan while studying, the pair set up their brand in the UAE after falling in love with Dubai on a holiday. The clothes are all made in Italy, with a focus on craftsmanship and the know-how of Italian artisans.

Adept at creating flowing, fluid pieces, Taller Marmo is aimed at women who prefer things beyond the norm. Tunic tops, kick flare trousers and kaftans are just some of the pieces the house specialises in, and often come in luxe fabrics, bold colours or trimmed with feathers.






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 PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

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1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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Updated: September 11, 2021, 2:15 PM
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