Chanel and Armani Prive were among the latest maisons to unveil their collections on day two of Haute Couture Week in Paris.
The couture, which was showcased at runway displays on Tuesday, spoke of the skill of the atelier as much as the vision of designers.
Offering a masterclass in the true meaning of couture, the day gave a glimpse of the attention to detail that was truly breathtaking.
Here are the highlights from day two:
Chanel
At Chanel, Virginie Viard revealed a gently romantic collection in soft tones of pinks and greys, filled with astounding detail. While tricky to grasp virtually, the great beauty of couture comes into its own at close proximity, and here, Viard called on the skill of her atelier to transform sequins, feathers and embroidery into surfaces that echoed Impressionist art.
The urgent brushwork of van Gogh, for example, was translated into darkly gleaming sequins that swirled and eddied like his The Starry Night sky, while the watery marks of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies arrived as hand-painted flower petals, scattered across an empire-line dress.
A dress in the palest blue had a tiered skirt of barely-there feathers, each one coloured and applied by hand, while its halterneck top was made of fragile pompoms of downy fluff, surrounded by lines of silvery sequins.
Elsewhere, a floor-length skirt was teamed with a boxy jacket that at first glance looked to be covered in loose stitches, but turned out to be a flower pattern made of feathers, so delicate it took 2,000 hours to make. If the nobility of couture needed to be summed up in one item, this jacket might just be it.
Armani Prive
Over at Armani Prive, meanwhile, the couture side of Giorgio’s fashion empire, the designer, 86, sent out an impossibly chic collection.
Staged in front of a real-life audience, many looks were based around a metallic material so fluid it seemed to be almost liquid, creating a high iridescent sheen that was captivating to watch. In steely grey, it was cut into an elegant gown, with a light ruff of beaded gauze around the shoulders. In Armani's sure hand, though, this was kept from being overly pretty with a blunt-cut hem, sliced through at the ankle.
In apricot pink, the same material was carved into a column dress topped with a beaded bodice, while in dark rose, it also appeared as a fitted dress overlaid with organza, beaded to resemble the dashes of an artist's pencil.
There was also a series of looks made of sheer tulle skirts worn with cigarette trousers underneath, teamed with Armani's perfectly tailored, bracelet-sleeve jackets. Unfussy and stripped of adornment, many looks were beautifully simple, making those with beading feel even more precious. With florals a favourite pattern of Armani, here they arrived as light washes of colour, seemingly hand-painted on to organza in great sweeping strokes.
Stephane Rolland
Stephane Rolland, meanwhile, played with opposites for his couture collection. With exaggerated silhouettes, in sunshine yellow, fiery red, black and aged gold, Rolland tipped the flowing fabric against large-scale beading in unexpected materials.
A voluminous gown in sunflower yellow had oversized sleeves and beading of Bakelite and crystal, as a tunic dress in antique gold had the entire front decorated with beads of marble, amber and citrin.
One look seemed to have stepped straight out of a fairy tale, as if Little Red Riding Hood had suddenly taken to wearing couture to meet her grandmother. Here, Rolland mixed the drama of red satin yardage – with a hood that ended somewhere around the waist – with a stiff bodice, completely covered in marble, red coral and crystal.
A strapless gown in inky black silk faille, meanwhile, had a "spine" of ruffles that stretched from shoulder to floor, and balanced the tight bodice covered in a mosaic of marble and Bakelite.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):
Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
Edinson Cavani, PSG, Ligue 1, 24 goals, 48 points
Ciro Immobile, Lazio, Serie A, 23 goals, 46 points
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
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.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
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
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Company%20profile
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Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Killing of Qassem Suleimani