Fashion talk: Any time is now the right time to bring the bling



What better excuse than a lavish summer event to disply the family diamonds? What's that you say? You don't own any? Or is it more a case of you won't be going to any fancy ball in the near future, so won't be needing any? Well, listen up: fine jewellery is the latest crucial fashion accessory. You no longer need to be going anywhere in particular to wear it, but wear it you must.

Ever since the US Vogue editor Anna Wintour showed us in The September Issue that wearing a Dh75,000 HStern necklace to the office every day was a no-brainer (i.e. one less thing to stress about), real jewellery has bounced back on the radar. Jewels have officially taken over from "It" bags and "Superheels" as the talking point. The red carpet and TV talent shows are responsible for generating interest among younger audiences in particular. Amanda Holden's OTT giant baubles, worn with her Ralph & Russo evening gowns throughout the recent Britain's Got Talent have apparently kick-started a trend for teenagers wearing glitzy, in some cases, real jewellery, to school proms.

There's also been a huge increase in the number of fashion-forward brands and both established and cutting-edge fashion houses producing ranges (Burberry Prosum, Lanvin and Marni to name but three) for the kind of customers who would be teaming their prized possessions with luxe ready-to-wear clothing pieces. This August, Vanity Fair has produced a jewellery magazine sold with their regular issue that could stand on its own. It is that trend-setting.

The actress Kristen Scott Thomas appears on the front wearing diamond and gold earrings and a necklace by Chanel. What follows is pages and pages devoted to all things sparkly, along with several exciting features on the new wave of jewellery designers everyone is talking about. No, not just the likes of Shaun Leane, the radical fine jeweller who cut his teeth (and precious stones) collaborating with Alexander McQueen. New names in jewels include Sharon Stone, Ivanka Trump, Eva Herzigova and Maxim, the dreadlocked MC of the rock group Prodigy.

Bored, perhaps, with creating perfumes or coming up with fashion lines, the latest phenomenon in fashion is the celebrity jewellery line. In most cases it actually makes sense. Historically, glamorous actresses have always had a penchant for jewels. Elizabeth Taylor and, more recently, Sharon Stone always made it clear that if their Hollywood mansions were on fire and the options were to save clothes, husbands or jewels, it would be the latter.

Naomi Campbell's love of diamonds is a matter we should pass on, but if you were ever to look backstage pre-show you'd see models crooning and comparing their rocks. Models are insanely competitive about the jewellery they have collected over the years. It's good to see newer brands throwing their cap into the bling ring. Just recently I have noticed far more such labels creeping into prominence. Names such as Tous, which features transition-type price levels for women who perhaps can't stretch to HStern but want to invest in something special they can wear daily, is one to watch.

And Monica Vinader's limited edition range has just arrived at Harrods in London. One of her best-selling styles is a bib necklace featuring hand-cut multi-faceted amethyst, labradorite, moonstone, smoky quartz and lemon quartz, that costs around Dh7,810. Solange Azagury-Partridge, whose cocktail rings can cost the same as a small city apartment, is typical of a growing band of jewellers who offer more affordable pieces that reflect trends. Another option when considering jewellery is vintage, which can cost considerably less. The vintage e-boutique Atelier-Mayer.com has some wonderful Chanel and Dior costume pieces starting from Dh840.

A tip to remember if you are going to wear real jewellery is to big it up. Wear neutrals on top to allow the natural stone to shine. Avoid prints and fussy necklines. Big is best. Go for chokers, bibs and "body jewellery" often actually sewn on to leather, along with bold cuffs, supersized cocktail rings and talking-point brooches in the shape of insect, reptile, bird or beast. And lastly, forget what your grandmother might have told you about not letting a necklace compete with fancy earrings. This is razzle-dazzle jewellery. Wear it in the spirit you once did "Superheels" and "It" bags. If someone calls you a show-off, take it as a compliment.

South Africa squad

: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8

Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Price: from Dh850,000

On sale: now

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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. 

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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Ipaf in numbers

Established: 2008

Prize money:  $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

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

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman

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Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
​​​​​​​Penguin 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

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Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

Three stars

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes 

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