It may have been unveiled in Paris, but Zuhair Murad's latest couture collection harked back to the lavish days of 16th-century Renaissance Italy.
Models wore delicate, crystal-adorned masks, inspired by Venice's carnival history, as they presented the Lebanese designer's imaginings for autumn/winter 2021-2022 in the romantic courtyard of the Lycee Louis-le-Grand.
Marking his return to the couture catwalk after more than a year's absence, Ras Baalbek-born Murad presented an array of suitably lavish looks during Wednesday's show, each offering a welcome dose of pure, sartorial escapism.
With fashion shows largely switching to online formats since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the label was one of a select group of brands that returned to the physical runway for Paris Haute Couture Week.
Just eight designers, including Chanel and Christian Dior, were scheduled to hold in-person showcases, with Murad the only label representing the Arab region.
For autumn/winter, Murad paid tribute to the masquerading traditions of Italian's famous canal-strewn city, telling fashion website WWD: "I’ve visited Venice a lot in the past few years, and I’ve fallen in love with the city."
That inspiration translated into a parade of unabashed glamour; trailing, floor-length gowns in jewel tones, hand-stitched with the most delicate of embroidery and laced with the tiniest of shimmering crystals. Silhouettes toed the line between dramatically voluminous and sleekly tailored, creating a theatrical fluidity when showcased on the runway.
Taffeta capes, almost Gothic beadwork and dashes of ethereal, sheer, glimmering tulle – a hallmark of the label – were scattered across the red-carpet-ready collection at large.
After more than a year of Covid-19 essentially shifting the fashion industry into the virtual realm, it was important to hold an in-person show, presented in front of a small, curated audience, Murad told US Vogue.
“I wanted to show it in a physical format as a celebration of renewal and hope,” the designer, who has dressed Jennifer Lopez, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Celine Dion, said. “My clients almost demanded it. They want to enjoy life, go out again, buy new pieces and look beautiful, resuming a sense of luxe fastueux [sumptuousness].”
Murad pulled out of January's digital Haute Couture Week, announcing the label would postpone the showcase to a “near and peaceful future”.
“In light of the devastation caused by the pandemic and the drastic restrictions taken worldwide, the safety of our community and especially the well-being of our employees, who have participated in spreading beauty through various collections, remains our top priority,” he said at the time.
The label, which suffered widespread damage to its Beirut atelier in the August 4, 2020 port blast, last presented couture collection in Paris in January 2020.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
TRAP
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The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
