As well as championing British designers during a three-day tour of Boston with Prince William, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, also rented a designer dress instead of buying one for the occasion, to keep her choice sustainable.
In Boston for The Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, the Princess of Wales donned a lime green Sabrina dress from Solace London as she stepped out at MGM Music Hall at Fenway.
The dress was hired from Hurr, a UK rental platform, at a cost of only £74 ($91) per night according to People magazine.
The Princess of Wales paired the dress with a diamond and emerald necklace that previously belonged to Princess Diana.
As well as helping to reduce fabric waste in landfills, renting an outfit is a great way to save money, especially if you’re the type of person that doesn’t like to re-wear the same thing too many times. Renting dresses also doesn’t require a lot of long-term storage space.
As the festive season and its myriad occasions approach, following in the royal's footsteps and renting your celebratory outfit might be something worth considering. Here’s five places where you can rent a designer outfit in the UAE, for a fraction of the retail price.
D24
Specialising in luxury fashion, D24 offers dresses, accessories, bags and more on rent. Fashionistas can make an appointment to visit the showroom in JLT for complimentary advice from a stylist who will guide you to pick outfits suited to the desired style, budget and occasion. There's also an online service where you can choose what you want to rent after browsing the products on the website.
All rentals come with a free delivery services, insurance and dry cleaning.
Best Kept Shared
Sophie Kjoller and Kelly Power are the founders of Best Kept Shared, a peer-to-peer luxury fashion rental platform in Dubai that is launching with the aim to become the “Airbnb of designer fashion”.
The “social style of shopping” will feature women’s designer clothing, handbags and accessories from members’ closets, with garments rentable by all verified members in the platform's community. A concierge service will wait outside a renter’s home once items are delivered, so that they can be tried on, as per the brand’s “fit guarantee”.
The company will also allow rentals directly from a curated selection of local and regional designers with the likes of Emirati couturiers Gaffe Studios, as well as contemporary womenswear designers Riyeka Studios, which has already signed up to join the platform that is launching soon.
Rent Your Wardrobe
Rent Your Wardrobe, a clothes rental platform in Dubai offers monthly, quarterly and annual clothes subscription packages, which offer customers a choice of apparel to suit their requirements, free cleaning and sanitisation services, as well as free pick-up and drop services. It offers a womenswear collection, including casual wear, party wear and formals. The Dubai business also helps people sell their pre-loved clothes, thereby promoting circular fashion.
SW One Fashion
Dubai fashion-for-hire platform SW One Fashion, founded by Sawsan Waleed, stocks couture and ready-to-wear gowns by brands such as Gucci, Valentino and Zuhair Murad (including gowns and clutches that are one-off pieces), sourced from the world’s fashion capitals.
While many of the outfits are available in one size only, SW One also offers alteration services for the ultimate “red carpet” styling experience.
And if you are a soon-to-be-bride working within a budget, the company also has an entire section of ready-made bridal dresses as well as rental gowns.
The Hour Dress
Offering glamorous evening dresses and a wide range of accessories, The House Dress is the place to go when you want to something special.
Located in Dubai's City Walk, the company has a variety of designer wear for rent, including Versace, Maison Geyanna and Mohammad Murad. Prices range from about Dh200 to hire sparkling hair jewels to more than Dh9,000 for a periwinkle Zuhair Murad gown that costs Dh182,000 to buy new.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
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.
Results:
First Test: New Zealand 30 British & Irish Lions 15
Second Test: New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
Third Test: New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
