Giambattista Valli, the haute-couture star known for dressing some of the world’s most glamorous women, unveiled a new, more affordable line of “playful” womenswear for next spring and summer at Milan Fashion Week.
The new collection, called “Giamba”, is aimed at women in their 20s and early 30s and will be priced at 30 to 40 per cent below the designer’s ready-to-wear collection.
“This is the other side of my personality. Giamba is my nickname, the one that is used by my very close friends. So this is the other side of the coin, my playful side,” said Valli.
The designer, who made the much commented-upon pink dress that Jessica Biel wore for her 2012 wedding to Justin Timberlake, has produced a 250-piece collection that is heavily dominated by very short miniskirts and dresses, and the kind of shorts that few women other than catwalk models would attempt to get away with.
But Valli insists the new range has something for everyone.
“What is beauty right now?” he asked backstage after Giamba’s debut show in a Milan palazzo. “I love much more spontaneity and being balanced with yourself and your femininity.
“Even if you have big legs or short legs, if you feel good, just do it. This is the freedom.”
Valli says the woman he had in mind when he put together the collection could be just married or about to have children.
“Of course, she has more formal, luxury wear for special occasions. This is for when she wants something more pretty, less precious.”
The collection also contains a series of dizzyingly high platform shoes that were at odds with the trend towards flats seen in New York and London and, to a lesser extent, in Milan. “I love to be out of trends – in fact if there was one word I could cancel that would be it – trends,” Valli added.
As with his ready-to-wear collection, Giamba will be marketed through high-end retailers, but the Rome-born designer, who owns all of his businesses outright, has not ruled out establishing his own network of shops should the new line take off.
“We will see. At the moment it is just born and now it has to grow. But the reaction so far has been – everybody has really loved it.
“But I didn’t really do it for business reasons. Every time I do a new project it comes from my own impulse. I hate to be sitting still.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
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Best African Player: Walter Dos Santos (Angola)
Best Oceanian Player: Lee Ting (Australia)
Best South American Player: Gabriel De Sousa (Brazil)
Best Asian Federation: Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation
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