If they're lucky, front-row guests at fashion week shows will walk away with all kinds of branded memorabilia. In the case of Christian Dior's autumn/winter 2017 haute couture show this summer, front-row VIPs like Celine Dion, Kirsten Dunst, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence and Chiara Ferragni were treated to traditional folding fans, stamped with the words Dior Couture Fall 2017. Many were pictured using the stylish giveaway over the course of the rest of the week, since it provided a fashionable way to seek relief from the heat, while also attracting picture-hungry street-style snappers.
This isn’t the first time that a fashion house has appropriated the age-old, hand-held fan. A season earlier, for spring/summer 2017, Gucci’s Alessandro Michele styled his male and female models with Japanese-inspired iterations. Crafted from bamboo and silk, his Gucci fans were emblazoned with a red flower and bordered with the name of the Italian fashion house in a bold, gothic text. Those who wrote the fans off as runway gimmicks may have been surprised to see them in-store, where they retailed for Dh1,515 each. Beyoncé proudly displayed hers at an NBA All-Stars basketball game in New York.
Rihanna’s Fenty line for sportswear label Puma also included a fan for spring/summer 2016. Hers was a folding, accordion-style version, and featured the word Puma spelt out in pink lace, layered over lighter pink lace with scalloped edges.
These modern, designer-made fans offer a more sophisticated way to cool down – but while it may have now cemented its status as practical handbag essential for concerts, sports games and the crowded front rows of fashion weeks, the accessory has been dipping in and out of the limelight for years.
Though they may be associated with Spanish flamenco dances or Japanese geisha performances, fans were first used for more fundamental purposes. Historians believe that rudimentary renderings of fans were utilised in prehistoric times to swat away insects or direct air towards a flame to keep a fire going. But portable, hand-held fans as we know them, originated in East Asia. The two main types are pleated or foldable fans, and the rigid variety – Rihanna's Puma Fenty design is an example of the former, while Gucci's popular style is a recreation of the latter. It remains uncertain whether the fan was invented in China or Japan, since both countries claim ownership of the idea. The foldable version was originally created from strips of bamboo, and was used by members of the middle class, who weren't fortunate enough to have hired help to fan them – a luxury enjoyed by the upper class.
In the 1500s, they were introduced to Europe by the Portuguese, who had discovered fans in China and exported them for trade. The fan quickly became a trend, with its use peaking during the Elizabethan period – in her many portraits, Queen Elizabeth I is often depicted with a lavish fan in hand. Designs two generations later would be adorned with gold, silks, feathers and gemstones. Special varieties were created for funerals and widows, and these usually featured black lace.
Previously reserved for royalty and aristocrats, fans became accessible to the bourgeois when printing became popular in the 18th century. Formerly decorated with Biblical illustrations, new fans were printed with lighthearted riddles, fortunetelling games, maps and greetings.
Although they went out of fashion for a while, in 1827, Jean-Pierre Duvelleroy launched his fan house in Paris, eager for his couture creations to inspire a rebirth of the trend. The notion of a “fan language” was born. According to Duvelleroy, if a woman fans slowly, it signifies that she is married, and if her fanning is fast, it means she is engaged. If she carries it in her right hand in front of her face, it means “follow me”, and if she twirls it in her left hand, it means “we’re being watched”.
By the 20th century, fans became a fundamental form of branding and advertising, and were often used for promotional purposes. These mass designs, sometimes fashioned from plastic as opposed to wood, lacked the couture touch and intricate artwork of their predecessors, and were used to present menus, catalogues and recital programmes.
Now, in 2017, hand-held fans are back in vogue, and promotion is yet again at the heart of the movement. After all, fans that feature covetable designer logos are hardly purchased for their practicality. If you’re going to wave your hand with a flourish to expose the inner secrets of your fan, what would you rather show the world – or your social-media followers? A picturesque cherry blossom pattern, or the name of a world-famous fashion house?
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
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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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
SPEC%20SHEET
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Pakistanis%20at%20the%20ILT20%20
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now