Haute couture can be a difficult concept to grasp.
Aimed at a monied few (and it really is just a few hundred women worldwide), the question I am so often asked is, why is couture such a big deal? If it is totally out of the reach for almost everyone, what, pray tell, is the point?
The answer to that is very simple. Couture is important – I would even say vital – because it is on these storied runways, during this privileged, pampered week, the great fashion houses get to unleash pure, unsullied creativity. Unfettered by cost, production supply chains or even trends, the creative designers can indulge whim and imagination, and utilise the astonishing skill at their disposal within the atelier.
As with all skills, they must be used, or they wither and die, and couture is no exception. With so much of everyday life now churned out by machines, there is something quaintly reassuring about the notion of hand made; of a person actually taking the time to sit and make something, from start to finish.
As the very antithesis of fast fashion, couture instead is languidly slow, with each piece taking months to create, and is made to last a lifetime. As we grapple with issues of pollution and unwanted shop stock ending up in landfills, there is something incredible heartening about the whole process that proves, in a plastic-choked age, quality really is important.
Givenchy
Clare Waight Keller has been at Givenchy for two years now, and with each collection seems to be shrugging off more of the pressure and history that comes with the job. Judging by the label's latest couture show, she has relaxed into the process and let her imagination fly. Called Noblesse Radicale (literally radical nobility), the collection was loose and confident, and spoke of luxury that was slightly undone, from the exposed demi-crinolines to the ribbon-trailing ruching (threatening to loose at any moment.) Kaia Gerber was almost hidden under a cloud of feathers, while the gothic lace and brides (both of them) added an unmistakable air of Dickens's ill fated Miss Haversham.
Armani Prive
As a master of cutting, no Armani show is complete without the signature waisted, cropped jackets, worn with loose trousers. While these were much in evidence for the faithful, Armani then detoured into romantic, pastel gowns that were a delight, and felt more spring-like than wintry. With a lightness and barely there quality that was captivating, it was clearly aimed at clients who prefer living in perpetual summer.
Chanel
Of course all eyes were on Chanel, for the first couture outing of new designer Virginie Viard. Staged inside a giant library, Viard called upon her 30 years of experience as Karl Lagerfeld's right hand, pored the Chanel archives and delivered a show that was as classic as it was refreshing. Yes, the Lagerfeld codes of rounded shoulders and exact proportion were there, as too the no-nonsense practicality of Coco herself. On top of this, Viard layered her own vision – of something softer and more wearable – and while ultimately absolutely Chanel, it was Chanel created by a woman, for women, once again.
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Read more:
Arab designers rule the runway at Paris's Haute Couture Week – in pictures
Paris Haute Couture: Dior, Iris Van Herpen & Giambattista Valli – in pictures
Priyanka Chopra wears Saudi designer Honayda to Sophie Turner’s wedding weekend
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
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Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
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“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
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Rating: 4/5
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New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
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A foster couple or family must:
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- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
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- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
