Forget dresses, the all-in-one suit is the new look



Join the queue. Stand in line. Has there ever been a more fashionable reason to be doing just this? What a week it's been for designer/high-street collaborations, or as the Americans call it, "high-lows"?

If you didn't make it to a global Gap store launch for the hotly anticipated Valentino for Gap, did you race to H&M to pick up Lanvin at once-in-a-lifetime prices?

If you came away from either potential fashion splurge empty-handed, did you ask yourself why? Perhaps you came to the conclusion that maybe you are simply not a "dress" sort of girl.

Don't panic. You are not alone. Karen Bonser, the head of design at Topshop, told me at the Arcadia spring/summer 2011 preview that Topshop is currently selling as many, if not more, options aimed at customers who are "not into pretty pretty" than the ubiquitous frothy or frilly frock.

"There's a huge feel for separates," said Bonser, "from leather shorts to ladylike blouses with our fashion-forward customers."

To give Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli (the designers behind the Valentino label) credit, the unlikely blend of gloriously feminine signature and Gap's no-nonsense ethos worked remarkably well, even when forged into combat-like trousers with ruffles.

H&M's Lanvin debut was reassuringly infused with ritzy Gallic glamour, but didn't include what's emerging as the unlikely star of the holiday season. Given the backdrop of all the dramatic offerings around, from feathered jackets to sheer gothic lace and leather, not to mention all the colour and texture, its easy to miss the best, and certainly the best-selling alternative to the dress: the all-in-one.

Even the search engine giant Google failed to spot this blast from the past in its fabulous new fashion site, Boutiques.com, which uses fancy image-recognition technology and promises to revolutionise the way we will shop online, preferring instead to do such features as tried-and-tested celebrity get-the-looks starring Carey Mulligan and her lovely party frock.

By next summer, Bonser believes the playsuit, the shorter, strappier version of the long-sleeved all in one, will have entirely replaced the dress in our affections.

Better get some practice in, I hear you say. Part of the reason the onesie (as it's also referred to) is popular, according to the Wallis design director Clive Reeve, is because "a lot of women want to invest in something they can get a lot of use out of right now".

True, that Lanvin red net tutu is a scene-stealer but how many times could you wear it? One could also say the all-in-one is a no-brainer when it comes to working out how or what to wear to where. You don't need Google's team of fashion insiders to pull this one off, or technology to check out if you've got the right sort of figure (anyone can wear this).

You don't even have to worry about your arms (like this season's one-shouldered hit) because they are covered. As the name suggests, this is a one or perhaps two-stop fashion look.

Step one: put on. Step two: choose no more than three accessories. Heels, preferably strappy gold sandals or black courts; bag, something tiny but showy like a Judith Leiber; jewel (note the singular), such as a vintage scarab brooch pinned to a lapel, Solange Azagury-Partridge ruby-encrusted lips ring or one dangly earring (yes that trend is back). And you are good to go. As in go anywhere.

Like so many 1970s fashions - the maxi, fringed leather jackets, retro knits, hippie flares, platforms - on the surface they might look rock'n'roll, but on closer inspection, with the exception of platforms, they are about being casual, comfortable, louche and relaxed.

The onesie in its latest guise has been drained of colour and Elvis-like embellishment. It follows the clean lines favoured by Celine, and wide-leg shape Yves Saint Laurent deployed in his version of it. All in all, it scrubs up like new.

It might not be pretty as such, but it's glamorous, which isn't always the case in a dress. Even a Lanvin dress.

"Right now we are having a Jerry-and-Bianca moment," Clive Reeve told me. "Ask yourself: would Jerry and Bianca have worn it to boogie at Studio 54?"

The answer is, of course, yes. Perhaps the question Reeve should ask is: will real women too? But we know the answer to that already, don't we?

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
Where to buy art books in the UAE

There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.

In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show. 

In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.

In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
How to invest in gold

Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.

Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”

Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”

Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”

By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.

You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.

You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Richard Jewell

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley

Two-and-a-half out of five stars 

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

The biog

Name: Greg Heinricks

From: Alberta, western Canada

Record fish: 56kg sailfish

Member of: International Game Fish Association

Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters

The specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: nine-speed

Power: 542bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh848,000

On sale: now

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Company profile

Name: Oulo.com

Founder: Kamal Nazha

Based: Dubai

Founded: 2020

Number of employees: 5

Sector: Technology

Funding: $450,000

Results

5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby

7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

UAE v IRELAND

All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi

1st ODI, Friday, January 8

2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10

3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12

4th ODI, Thursday, January 14

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THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

Abu Dhabi traffic facts

Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road

The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.

Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.

The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.

The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.

Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019

 

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THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now