What are the colours of optimism? Gold and sparkling silver, of course. On the third day of London Fashion Week, designers sent out pleasantly pretty clothes on the catwalks, punctuating every two or three outfits by something shiny and metallic.
At times, the sheer volume of gold resembled one of those dream sequences in a Busby Berkeley Broadway movie, where costumes are fashioned from supersized coins.
Certain designers handled the new bling better than others. Matthew Williamson, for instance, who recently opened a boutique in Dubai, began his show with a spectacular parade of polished gold tailored separates and ended with a finale that featured clothes with shards of mirrors appliquéd on everything from a swimsuit to a full-length evening gown.
There was liquid gold organza trims on quilted vests and hems of shorts at Louise Goldin, BacoFoil-type shift dresses at Betty Jackson and silver leather bomber jackets at Jasper Conran.
But nowhere did clothes shine brighter or more golden than at Qasimi, the label designed by Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi.
Al Qasimi showed his fourth womenswear collection in the Fashion Factory, a vast industrial space that was once the largest postal sorting office in central London and is currently considered the coolest show venue of London Fashion Week.
This show was as light as his one in March was dark. Although, it must be said, this was equally dramatic.
"It's based on Byzantine women who have been woken up from a crypt and hauled on to the catwalk," the designer explained backstage before the event kicked off.
Fittingly, on the first day of Eid, he was in a celebratory mood. Having finished his collection in his Dalston studio two days earlier ("I am always organised"), he was able to greet the profusion of well-wishers backstage, who included a CNN crew doing a 15-minute documentary on him (coming out Friday).
It also gave him a chance to polish up the six languages he speaks fluently (just for the record: Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese and English) with editors, buyers and models.
Before the house lights dimmed and the show began, he talked me through the range. Was there enough gold here? Let's just say I had to wear my sunglasses.
"I wanted to create something optimistic to lift us from all the financial doom and gloom," said Al Qasimi, who originally hails from Sharjah and has lived in London since he was nine ("but I still miss the food and smell of the salty air").
He seemed pretty happy, and for good reason. Since his February 2008 catwalk debut in London, Al Qasimi has rebranded his womenswear, aiming it at a younger market and succeeding. Nicola Formichetti, the creative director of the trendy magazine Dazed and Confused, has picked up on it and dressed the fashion icon Lady Gaga in Qasimi for her new video. He is also working with the Glasto rock chick Florence Welch, from Florence and the Machine, on a new look.
In July, he launched a menswear collection in Paris and he is currently in talks with leading department stores to produce a capsule eveningwear line aimed at Middle Eastern women.
"Two days after my last show, I went to see the Byzantium exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts (in London) and it just blew me away," he says. "The sheer energy was amazing. From that moment, I knew where my next women's collection would come from for my ready to wear."
Starting at the shoulder - handily, the current erogenous zone of fashion - he then moved on to consider colour and shape.
"Because we are talking about goddess-like women, shoulders had to be strong and make a statement. I also used Byzantine shades like dark petrol blue and tomato red, which look striking with gold."
Al Qasimi originally trained in architectural design, which comes across in his geometric detailing and precision pattern cutting. Close-up, the workmanship is breathtaking.
When models (wearing gold leaf eyeshadow) began to snake around the room at floor level, the effect was not lost. In fact, considering this was inspired by an ancient era, the clothes looked very modern.
Panels of gold brocade were sliced in layers like an armadillo's shell in jackets with buckled fastenings worn over short, tight, slim tube dresses, or - another trend emerging in London - Lady Gaga "pants".
Highlights included wafting floor-length maxis in nude chiffon, sometimes broken up with a white patent gilet; gold harem pants in varying lengths; and a short, sharp, red laser-cut suede shift dress that gave a nod to Gianni Versace in his heyday.
For such a young and relatively inexperienced designer, Al Qasimi ticked all the boxes regarding emerging trends for spring/summer 2010, which is really more about a mood than one particular silhouette or colour.
Individual pieces such as his jodhpurs and leather jackets hinted at his now signature demi-couture luxury but also could be translated into a customer-friendly line, whenever he is ready.
Considering his opulent theme, he also exercised restraint with accessorising, using only a few statement pieces on the 26 outfits, from a new collaboration with the British jewellery star Scott Wilson, based on the Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian.
One lucky model - flown in especially from America for his show - got to wear a stunning jagged-edge brass and quartz necklace that looked like a museum piece.
Meanwhile, pale suede shoes with giant buckles got a nod of approval from the man who matters in such matters, Jimmy Choo, who was in the audience.
"It's spectacular. I want everything," rasped the Pakistani actress Sofia Hayat, who sat in the front row. "How often do you see something so pretty and so strong?"
"What an assault on the senses," said the celebrity milliner Louis Mariette. "I liked the way he's not afraid to express himself without losing sight of his market. It was full of what I'd call wearable show pieces."
Post show, Al Qasimi was congratulated by all, including his twin sister and his six-year-old niece, Mariam - his only critic, it seemed.
"Oh dear. My little niece thinks there should have been more pink."
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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- 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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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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Match statistics
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 36 Bahrain 32
Harlequins
Tries: Penalty 2, Stevenson, Teasdale, Semple
Cons: Stevenson 2
Pens: Stevenson
Bahrain
Tries: Wallace 2, Heath, Evans, Behan
Cons: Radley 2
Pen: Radley
Man of the match: Craig Nutt (Harlequins)
FIVE%20TRENDS%20THAT%20WILL%20SHAPE%20UAE%20BANKING
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20digitisation%20of%20financial%20services%20will%20continue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Managing%20and%20using%20data%20effectively%20will%20become%20a%20competitive%20advantage%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digitisation%20will%20require%20continued%20adjustment%20of%20operating%20models%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banks%20will%20expand%20their%20role%20in%20the%20customer%20life%20through%20ecosystems%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20structure%20of%20the%20sector%20will%20change%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
