Rumours abound that Fergie, the vocalist from the hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas and her new husband, Josh Duhamel, the actor, dropped into Dubai at the start of their honeymoon. The couple, who were married on Jan 10, left Los Angeles International Airport on their way to the emirate before jetting to an undisclosed island, according to reports in E! Online. The 33-year-old singer, whose real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, married Duhamel, 36, who starred in the movie Transformers and the long-running television show Las Vegas, at a ceremony in Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California. Wedding guests included James Caan and Molly Sims, who also star in Las Vegas, and Kate Hudson, who stars with Fergie in the forthcoming film Nine.
Shoppers in Dubai would have been excused for looking twice after a tailor hired a team of dwarfs to parade outside his store, promoting the fact that he can make clothes for all sizes. About a dozen dwarfs dressed in kanduras mingled with bemused pedestrians in the Oud Metha district of the city as part of the campaign to publicise the sartorial expertise of Deluxe Arabian Gents Tailors, located close to Lamcy Plaza. "It was one of the most unusual things I saw all day," said Matt James, who drove past the promotion last week. "I wouldn't go in but if I knew of someone who was an odd shape or size, I'd send them in that direction."
A taste of London has landed in the UAE with the arrival of the Covent Garden Market Dubai. The market, at Jumeirah Beach Residence near Dubai Marina, is open every Friday and Saturday from 10am to 8pm until April, and aims to become as popular as its British namesake - but without the Cockney accents. The market will feature about 50 stalls offering a wide range of handmade trinkets, jewellery and ornaments, which organisers hope will give it a similar flavour to its London namesake. It also aims to become a venue where Dubai's aspiring artists and artisans can show their work. Street performers, including magicians, drummers and even acrobats, will also be on hand to wow the crowds and keep youngsters amused.
A new range of handbags made from recycled sweet wrappers and fizzy drinks labels have gone on sale - just the thing for the environmentally conscious fashionista. The Nahui Ollin collection of bags and accessories are each handcrafted, with some featuring up to 4,000 laboriously folded plastic wrappers. The bags and accessories, some of which can take up to four days to complete, are on sale in branches of Bauhaus in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Prices start from Dh195 (US$53) with the most elaborate designs costing Dh1,095.
Manufacturers use factory-reject sweet wrappers that have never actually been sold. "These same materials were certain to be sent to a landfill or rubbish dump, only to pollute the earth more," said a spokeswoman for Bauhaus. "Not only does the process sustain the environmentally friendly practice of recycling, it also yields creatively fresh, long-lasting and innovative products."
* The National
