Dior unveiled its Cruise 2023 collection with a visual spectacle inspired by flamenco in Seville, Spain, on Thursday night.
Influenced by famous Spanish flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya, the entire show unfolded as a homage to her, the dance form and the culture of the city in which it was staged.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of Dior, wrote on Instagram Amaya could "combine strength and fragility" through the gesture of dance.
"She is capable of depicting the soul of Spain and interpreting a conscious feminine idea that is feminism,” she wrote.
Staged in the Plaza de Espana, a large public space fronted by a magnificent curved building in the heart of the Andulcian city, Grazia Chiuri delivered a 110-look collection themed around the codes of southern Spain and its rich, varied and, at times, dark history.
Flanked by two flamenco dancers and a cajon box drum, the first models arrived in simple tops and trousers in black and white, paired with ponchos, waistcoats and jackets featuring delicate embroidery.
Shirts gave way to lacework, plain skirts became full and covered in intricate patterning as masculine tailoring softened into a more feminine silhouette.
Looks featured nods to equestrianism, with models clutching riding crops and wearing flat-brimmed gaucho hats, and what started as an all-black affair slowly gave way to embroidery, with palettes becoming richer and more golden, until the flamboyant traje de luces-inspired suits made an appearance on the runway.
The monochrome gave way to red, first as military-style jackets and slashed sleeve capes, before shifting to patterned skirting, ruched off-the-shoulder dresses and a beautiful laser-cut leather dress in deep oxblood. In another nod to horse riding, dark denim arrived as cowboy-esque jackets, chaps covered with the Dior monogram, and riding coats with wide Driza-Bone collars.
As colours shifted through black and white, cream to gold and finally into rich taffeta gowns of peony, purple and red, Grazia Chiuri acknowledged one of the darkest periods of Seville history.
One beautiful, flame-licked gown arrived with the word "fuego," or fire, on its waistband, a stark reminder of the terrible auto-da-fes that once burned within the city walls.
This rich and complicated history is the ideal incubator for Grazia Chiuri, who has sifted through centuries to pull off something extraordinary. In referencing Amaya, Grazia Chiuri mixed high fashion with flamenco, a dance once seen as deviant within Spain for it links to the Gypsy community.
Both an academic and designer, Grazia Chiuri once again drew parallels between women and artforms who have been sidelined and repressed, and with every new collection, she continues to redraw the lines of history.
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
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
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
