Day one of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week was as dazzling as anticipated.
A mixture of digital and physical presentations, the houses marked the slow return to normality by offering clothes that spoke of dressing-up today. Gone, largely, were flamboyant gowns, as red carpet events have all but vanished, replaced instead with pieces that were quieter and more daytime, but no less beautiful.
By shifting the focus away from headline-grabbing gowns, shows highlighted instead the handiwork, craftsmanship and astonishing skills that create couture.
Dior
At Dior, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri focused mainly on daywear, made from hand-woven fabrics. Soft grey tweeds arrived as coats and simple separates, and dresses were worn under cashmere coats.
The gowns came with molten metallic origami folds, or gossamer layers of chiffon in shades of taupe. Best of all was a delicate gown with lattice work, made by weaving threads into a loose mesh, to complete a collection that was as elegant as it was discreet.
Giambattista Valli
At Giambattista Valli, meanwhile, it was all about joy, with great frothy gowns in shades of pink and white. Pieces came in Valli's trademark densely-layered frills, and finished with bouncing feathers and satin bows.
There were men's looks too – a first for the label – with sharp suits for both genders, worn with great capes. Interestingly, in a firm nod to this region, he also offered a loose cut kandura with a collar.
Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli offered beautifully strange looks, as fitting a house founded in surrealism. Jackets with puffed sleeves were patch-worked from different fabrics and over-embroidered with golden roses, figure-hugging dresses were topped with puffs of pink and orange taffeta, or scrunched silver plastic.
There was an almost round cut dress, completely edged in pink roses, and a startlingly beautiful, fitted column dress, with a golden breastplate of bronchi, the internal structure of lungs.
Georges Hobeika
Georges Hobeika looked back to the mod movement of the 1960s for inspiration behind his collection, which delivered short mini-dresses and beaded tunics over trousers. In tones of pale blue, raspberry and lilac, it felt upbeat and optimistic.
That a Beirut house would prefer to look back to the halcyon days of the past, rather than the immense difficulties of the present , is hardly surprising , and Hobeika manages to retain a sense of happiness throughout.
Read more
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Behind the scenes: Dior puts finishing touches to haute couture ahead of fashion week show
Iris van Herpen
Iris van Herpen, always obsessed with movement, took couture to dizzying new heights, by creating a look for the female world champion skydiver, Domitille Kiger, to wear as she leapt from a plane. Created after months of testing in a wind tunnel, the result is a gossamer mix of strength (able to withstand speeds of 200 kilometres per hour) and fragility.
The rest of the collection is about capturing fabric mid-movement, with arcs of chiffon suspended in space thanks to skilful boning. Even the second skin looks felt like they were moving, with cut-out panels and shifting surfaces. In an important shift for couture, van Herpen also teamed up with Parley for the Oceans to create looks from recycled ocean plastic.
Maison Rabih Kayrouz
Maison Rabih Karouz showed a succinct collection of just six pieces, that while brief, still managed to convey a notion of concise beauty, almost as a visual diary of "buy less, but buy better".
He offered a boxy tuxedo a flared pant-suit with lavish fringing, and a floor-grazing trench coat scattered with gold-dipped shells. A transparent dress, with matching trousers, came in powder-blue chiffon, with real flowers caught between the layers.
Maison Alaia
Pieter Muller showed his debut ready-to-wear collection for Alaia, and as a sign of the high regard in which the house is held, he was invited to show it during couture week.
With clear references to the founder, Muller continued the house codes of second-skin dresses, cowled hoods and wicker weave details that were a delight. Sheer dresses came with integrated modesty panels, as waists were cinched with wide, triple-buckled belts.
Rami Al Ali
While not part of the official calendar, designer Rami Al Ali, who lives in Dubai, showed his couture collection in the French capital.
Filled with scrolling, gold rococo patterning, picked out in rich gold on white, the collection had a light, dreamy quality, somehow mixed with urgency, with edges left raw and unfinished and lace panels not fully attached.
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
