Emma Stone’s Elie Saab Oscars gown to be auctioned off in aid of Beirut


Selina Denman
  • English
  • Arabic

An Elie Saab gown worn by Emma Stone on the 2015 Oscars red carpet and the sequinned outfit donned by Geri Halliwell in the video for the Spice Girls hit Wannabe are among the star lots at the upcoming To Beirut With Love auction.

Running from Monday, December 7 to Tuesday, December 15, the auction is organised by Sotheby’s, in partnership with Creatives for Lebanon and Art for Beirut, two non-profit organisations established by the Lebanese diaspora in the wake of the August 4 blast.

Proceeds from the auction will be shared among five charities: Nusaned, Beit El Baraka and Baytna Baytak, which focus on offering shelter to displaced families and rehabilitating residential homes and local business; Al Fanar, which provides support for social entrepreneurs and small businesses; and House of Christmas, which is dedicated to preserving and protecting Lebanon’s heritage.

“Lebanon is home to an artistic community whose contributions to the cultural landscape cannot be overstated," says Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s chairman for the Middle East.

Lebanon is home to an artistic community whose contributions to the cultural landscape cannot be overstated

"The explosion in the Port of Beirut this summer sent shockwaves through the city and the world, impacting every sector of society in Lebanon with countless tales of loss, damage and displacement. Sotheby’s has come together with our partners to host the auction To Beirut with Love, to provide much-needed relief and funds to aid the healing process."

From Giambattista Valli to Ralph & Russo, and Azzedine Alaia to Prada, the auction is a treasure trove of archive pieces by the world’s most influential fashion houses.

Lebanon’s designers are also well represented. Leading the march is the custom-made long-sleeve beaded chartreuse Elie Saab gown worn by Stone to attend the 2015 Oscars. Embroidered with guipure and sequins, and featuring an open back and a thigh-high slit, the dress is estimated to fetch £20,000-£30,000 ($26,500-$39,800).

Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran's matador-inspired costume for Madonna is also on the auction block, as are dresses worn by Middle Eastern stars, including a silk haute couture gown designed by Egyptian actress Sherihan to wear in her Thousand and One Nights Fawazeer show in 1987, which has been signed by the star for the auction and is estimated to sell for £18,000-£25,000.

Also among the lots if a sky-blue embellished dress from the collection of beloved Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi, which is predicted to fetch £8,000-£10,000. There is also Mick Jagger’s jacket from his 2017 European tour and a guitar signed by Pete Townshend on offer.

Those looking to round off their perfect outfit, meanwhile, may want to avail of the opportunity to create a custom-made pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.

A woven yellow gold My Dior cuff, with diamonds and coloured gemstones, has an estimate of £30,000-£50,000. Courtesy Sotheby's
A woven yellow gold My Dior cuff, with diamonds and coloured gemstones, has an estimate of £30,000-£50,000. Courtesy Sotheby's

A number of covetable jewellery pieces will also appear in the auction, including a woven yellow gold My Dior cuff with an estimate of £30,000-£50,000. Designed by Victoire de Castellane, artistic director of Dior Joaillerie, the bracelet is a riot of colourful gemstones, from diamonds and sapphires to spinels, amethysts, aquamarines and tourmalines.

Damien Hirst's gold Pill bracelet with diamond skull (estimate: £8,000-£12,000), created in a limited edition of 50 in 2013, as well as the artist's For the Love of God, a sculpture consisting of an 18th-century human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, are also set to attract attention.

And in another example of fashion and art intertwining, supermodel Naomi Campbell has donated one of her favourite portraits to the auction, shot by photographers Rocco Lapasta and Charles DeCaro, which is estimated to raise £3,000-£5,000.

Other artists represented with works in the sale include filmmakers Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige and photographer Fouad Elkoury, alongside French product designer Herve Van der Straeten.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make

When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.

“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.

This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).

Age

$250 a month

$500 a month

$1,000 a month

25

$640,829

$1,281,657

$2,563,315

35

$303,219

$606,439

$1,212,877

45

$131,596

$263,191

$526,382

55

$44,351

$88,702

$177,403

 

RESULT

Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)

Kolkata win by 25 runs

Next match

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm

The five stages of early child’s play

From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:

1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.

2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.

3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.

4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.

5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience

by David Gilmour

Allen Lane

Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,600hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.4seconds

0-200kph in 5.8 seconds

0-300kph in 12.1 seconds

Top speed: 440kph

Price: Dh13,200,000

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,500hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.3 seconds

0-200kph in 5.5 seconds

0-300kph in 11.8 seconds

Top speed: 350kph

Price: Dh13,600,000

FIGHT CARD

From 5.30pm in the following order:

Featherweight

Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 90kg

Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)

Welterweight

Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)

Flyweight (women)

Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)

Catchweight 100kg

Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)

Featherweight

James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)

Welterweight

Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)

Middleweight 

Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)

Bantamweight:

Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)

Welterweight

Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)

Bantamweight

Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)

Lightweight

Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)

Middleweight

Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)

Lightweight

Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)

Marathon results

Men:

 1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13 

2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50 

3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25 

4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46 

5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48  

Women:

1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30 

2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01 

3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30 

4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43 

5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01  

Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421,  Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The First Monday in May
Director:
Andrew Rossi
Starring: Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, John Paul Gaultier, Rihanna
Three stars

Results

United States beat UAE by three wickets

United States beat Scotland by 35 runs

UAE v Scotland – no result

United States beat UAE by 98 runs

Scotland beat United States by four wickets

Fixtures

Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland

Admission is free

Roll of honour 2019-2020

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Hurricanes

Runners up: Bahrain

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Bahrain

Runners up: UAE Premiership

 

UAE Premiership

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes

 

UAE Division One

Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens

Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II

 

UAE Division Two

Winners: Barrelhouse

Runners up: RAK Rugby