DUBAI: During the second day of Arab Fashion Week taking place at the Meydan Hotel & Grandstand in Dubai, Italian fashion house Laura Mancini and one of America’s hottest designers Laquan Smith closed the shows with their stunning Ready-Couture collections.
Favored by many A-list international celebrities, Smith presented a quirky collection featuring his signature PVC catsuits, corseted dresses, python knits and over-the-knee boots. His design motto to create outfits for an “unapologetically glamorous” woman was reflected on the catwalk as models showcased a selection of outfits for every occasion. Amongst some of the celebrities supporting the designer at the FROW were American rapper Yo Gotti and reality star Cardi B.
In contrast, Mancini’s collection paid tribute to Maria Callas and featured classic evening gowns, tailored capes and dresses in the shades of pastel pink, black and gold. Some of the looks took inspiration from ancient Egypt with heavy embellishments and crown pieces. The show was opened by the world’s first Emirati model Rafeea Alhajsi as she elegantly glided on the catwalk in a full-length embellished look that resonated with an ancient Egyptian queen.
Ilse Jara, one of the upcoming designers from Paraguay, presented a Ready-Couture collection that merges technological innovations with natural materials and traditional embroidery techniques.
The spotlight was also on the regional designers including Saudi-based premium denim brand Jeans Couture that was founded by mother-and daughter duo Suzan Farhoud and Leen Al-Shieshakly. Their collection included signature treated denim pieces in dark red and black with floral details and statement accessories.
As part of the Arab Fashion Council’s mission to support regional emerging talent, design students from the College of Fine Arts and Design at American University in the Emirates were given an opportunity to present their work at a catwalk show for the “Next Generation” project with Arab Fashion Week. Their designs were inspired by 3-D patterns and geometrical prints which they created for this assignment.
Quirky designs, ancient Egypt dominate Day 2 of Arab Fashion Week
Quirky designs, ancient Egypt dominate Day 2 of Arab Fashion Week
Fans bid farewell to Japan’s only pandas
TOKYO: Panda lovers in Tokyo said goodbye on Sunday to a hugely popular pair of the bears that are set to return to China, leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century.
Loaned out as part of China’s “panda diplomacy” program, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symbolized friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1972.
Some visitors at Ueno Zoological Gardens were left teary-eyed as they watched Japan’s only two pandas Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao munch on bamboo.
The animals are expected to leave for China on Tuesday following a souring of relations between Asia’s two largest economies.
“I feel like seeing pandas can help create a connection with China too, so in that sense I really would like pandas to come back to Japan again,” said Gen Takahashi, 39, a Tokyo resident who visited the zoo with his wife and their two-year-old daughter.
“Kids love pandas as well, so if we could see them with our own eyes in Japan, I’d definitely want to go.”
The pandas’ abrupt return was announced last month after Japan’s conservative premier Sanae Takaichi hinted Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.
Her comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the island as its own territory.
The 4,400 lucky winners of an online lottery took turns viewing the four-year-old twins at Ueno zoo while others gathered nearby, many sporting panda-themed shirts, bags and dolls to celebrate the moment.
Mayuko Sumida traveled several hours from the central Aichi region in the hope of seeing them despite not winning the lottery.
“Even though it’s so big, its movements are really funny-sometimes it even acts kind of like a person,” she said, adding that she was “totally hooked.”
“Japan’s going to be left with zero pandas. It feels kind of sad,” she said.
Their departure might not be politically motivated, but if pandas return to Japan in the future it would symbolize warming relations, said Masaki Ienaga, a professor at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University and expert in East Asian international relations.
“In the future...if there are intentions of improving bilateral ties on both sides, it’s possible that (the return of) pandas will be on the table,” he told AFP.
