Haute couture is, at its heart, a celebration of excellence. It sits at the very pinnacle of fashion, ensuring that age-old skills and generational knowledge are not only kept alive, but continue to evolve and remain relevant in a contemporary context.
Only a select number of fashion houses can produce haute couture, in adherence with strict guidelines set out by Paris’s Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. It is reserved for a discerning few, but the industry employs hundreds of people, preserving dressmaking techniques that have been passed down through the ages.
The history of haute couture (and its Italian equivalent, alta moda, spearheaded by Dolce & Gabbana) is littered with colourful characters and revolutionary concepts, from Gabrielle Chanel attempting to free women from the restrictive fashions of the day, to Cristobal Balenciaga inventing new ways to drape fabric over the female form and Elsa Schiaparelli bridging the worlds of fashion and art.
Today, a new generation of trailblazers continue to push the ideals of haute couture ever forward, from the discreet, reductionist approach displayed by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior’s spring/summer 2022 collection, to Pierpaolo Piccioli’s most recent offering for Valentino, Anatomy of Couture, which saw the designer eschew standard-sized mannequins and instead craft his couture creations around real bodies of varying shapes, sizes and ages.
“Creativity, as life itself, is possible only in a non-homogenous environment, where beauty can manifest itself, free and fierce,” he wrote in his show notes, displaying once again how in tune he is with the nuances of our times.
1858
While it is now synonymous with France, the earliest concept of couture can be credited to a now largely forgotten Englishman, Charles Frederick Worth, who opens his boutique, The House of Worth, in Paris in 1858. In an early precursor to the industry we know today, he sews labels with his name on them into the gowns he creates, a move that earns him the moniker “father of haute couture".
1868
The Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, des Confectionneurs et des Tailleurs pour Dame is set up in Paris, setting guidelines that dressmakers must follow. Since 2017, it has been known as the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.
1891
Jeanne Paquin becomes one of the first female couturiers. She dresses actresses in her gowns and sends her collections on tour to the US to capitalise on new American wealth. She is a trendsetter who paves the way for Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel a few years later. She is selected to head the first showing of couture at the Paris Expo in 1900 and is elected president of Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 1917.
1903
Having worked for Doucet and Worth, Paul Poiret opens his own salon, as well as a perfume shop and a decorative arts space, creating the first “total lifestyle’’ brand. Eager to liberate women from petticoats and corsets, in 1906 he incorporates the fluid lines of kimonos and kaftans into Western dress.
1910
Chanel opens a millinery studio in Paris and in 1913 begins offering chic, comfortable, masculine-inspired clothing that frees women from the restrictive fashions of the time.
1912
Madeleine Vionnet begins experimenting with a new way of cutting that does away with cumbersome clothes. Cut on the diagonal, or bias, the resulting slip dresses will inspire the dress codes of the 1930s and, many years later, the work of John Galliano.
1918
Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga opens his atelier in San Sebastian in Spain, and begins experimenting with silhouettes. Oscar de la Renta, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin and Emanuel Ungaro will all work in his atelier over the coming decades.
1927
Elsa Schiaparelli opens her atelier, encouraged by Poiret. Combining fashion with surrealism, via friends such as Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali and Man Ray, Schiap, as she is popularly known, injects sharp modernism into women’s clothing.
1939
Chanel retires and closes her couture house after the outbreak of the Second World War. She will return in 1954, to counterbalance the restrictive clothing championed at Dior.
1947
Christian Dior unveils his Corelle collection, which includes a tightly tailored jacket teamed with a full skirt, worn over copious petticoats. Dubbed the “New Look” by Carmel Snow at Harper's Bazaar, it marks a return to opulence and femininity after wartime rationing.
1952
French aristocrat Hubert de Givenchy opens his couture house. He will meet his muse, the actress Audrey Hepburn, two years later and will dress her for the remainder of her life.
1957
Following the untimely death of Christian Dior, his protege, Yves Saint Laurent, who is 21 at the time, is named as his successor. He opens his own atelier in 1962.
1961
Givenchy dresses Audrey Hepburn in the famous black column dress for the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
1968
Balenciaga retires, shuttering his couture house.
1972
Balenciaga dies and industry journal WWD declares: “The king is dead.” He has previously been described by Chanel as “the only couturier in the truest sense of the word. The others are simply fashion designers.”
1981
An 18-year-old Elie Saab opens his couture atelier in Beirut, joining the ranks of haute couture in 2000.
1983
Karl Lagerfeld joins Chanel, making his debut with haute couture.
1996
John Galliano is appointed as creative director of Christian Dior, and will bring his flamboyant flair to haute couture. The same year, Alexander McQueen takes over at Givenchy, mixing sculptural forms with the brand's DNA.
2001
To collect her Oscar for Erin Brockovich, actress Julia Roberts dons a vintage Valentino couture gown.
2002
Yves Saint Laurent retires, closing his haute couture atelier.
2005
Giorgio Armani launches his couture line, Armani Prive.
2012
Dolce & Gabbana launches its answer to haute couture, Alta Moda for women and Alta Sartoria for men.
2014
Ralph & Russo is invited to join Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, making it the first true British couture house in more than a century. Christian Dior becomes the first house to stage a show in Shanghai, China.
2015
Under creative director Hedi Slimane, the Saint Laurent couture atelier is relaunched.
2020
Creative director Demna Gvasalia resurrects couture at Balenciaga, after a gap of 53 years.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
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.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
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Scores in brief:
Day 1
New Zealand (1st innings) 153 all out (66.3 overs) - Williamson 63, Nicholls 28, Yasir 3-54, Haris 2-11, Abbas 2-13, Hasan 2-38
Pakistan (1st innings) 59-2 (23 overs)
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Manchester City transfers:
OUTS
Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Willy Caballero and Jesus Navas (all released)
INS
Ederson (Benfica) £34.7m, Bernardo Silva (Monaco) £43m
ON THEIR WAY OUT?
Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Nolito and Kelechi Iheanacho
ON THEIR WAY IN?
Dani Alves (Juventus), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
EXPATS
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Company%20profile
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
World%20Food%20Day%20
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