Chinese singer Victoria Song wears Zuhair Murad

Victoria Song wore a dress featuring a velvet bodice. (Getty Images)
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Updated 04 November 2023
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Chinese singer Victoria Song wears Zuhair Murad

DUBAI: Chinese singer and dancer Victoria Song stepped out this week in a voluminous head-turning Zuhair Murad gown at the 2023 Elle Style Awards in Hangzhou, China.

The star, who has more than 3.2 million followers on Instagram, wore a dress featuring a velvet bodice and a voluminous, organza fil coupe skirt from the Ras Baalbek-born designer’s fall-winter 2023 collection.

The music sensation, who is famous for her hits “Up To Me,” “Blame On You” and “Star Tears” had her hair in a high bun and kept her makeup soft and minimal.

She accessorized her look with long tulle opera gloves and a glitzy diamond ring that she wore on her index finger.

Song, who is also an actress, model, host and author known for her work as the leader of South Korean girl group f(x), was not the only artist who championed an Arab designer at the event.

Actress Liu Shishi, best known for her roles in “Chinese Paladin 3” and “The Imperial Doctress,” opted for a beige heavily embellished gown by renowned Lebanese designer Elie Saab.




Liu Shishi opted for a beige heavy-embellished gown. (Getty Images) 

The dress was from Saab’s spring 2023 couture collection.

Actress Zhang Yuqi, also known as Kitty Zhang, championed Italian-Lebanese designer Tony Ward.

Yuqi, who is best known for her role as Mrs. Yuen in the 2008 film “CJ7” — which brought her media attention and kick-started her acting career, wore a one-shouldered black and gold dress that featured a thigh-high slit.

Murad has been in the spotlight this week on more than one occasion.

He shared a picture of US German model Heidi Klum’s newly unveiled sculpture at Madame Tussauds Berlin. The wax figure was wearing a colorful gown by the designer-to-the-stars. It was a blurred blue embellished mini-dress with cutout detailing at the chest.

Superstar Jennifer Lopez was also spotted wearing an ivory midi-dress featuring heart-shaped appliques from Murad’s pre-fall 2023 collection to an event that celebrated her partnership with Italian brand Intimissimi.

Lopez previously said of Murad in an interview with event entrepreneur Rabih Mokbel: “I love Zuhair, he’s probably my favorite.”

Murad’s clientele includes A-list celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Emily Blunt, Becky G, Jessica Chastain and Chrissy Teigen.


Review: ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ is an oddball comedy worthy of Westeros

Updated 19 January 2026
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Review: ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ is an oddball comedy worthy of Westeros

DUBAI: At a time when the sprawling saga of “Game of Thrones” and its prequel “House of the Dragon” have come to define modern fantasy television, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” emerges as an unexpected offering.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas, the six-episode HBO series — created and spearheaded by showrunner Ira Parker alongside Martin — gives viewers a story that is not about dragons or imperial politics, but about two unlikely companions navigating a treacherous and unforgiving world from its humbler margins.

From the opening moments of the premiere, where the familiar “Game of Thrones” theme music is undercut in a moment of shocking levity, the show makes clear that we are far away from the grand halls of Casterly Rock, the Red Keep or even Winterfell. Grounded and whimsical, this is Westeros viewed from muddy inns, dusty roads and makeshift jousting camps.

Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall is the beating heart of the series. Claffey imbues Dunk with an endearing earnestness — a towering, awkward figure, constantly walking into doors, whose moral compass is as unwavering as his endless appetite.

His chemistry with Dexter Sol Ansell’s young squire, Egg, who has deep secrets of his own, is warm and organic, creating a duo that is as compelling as any knight and squire of fantasy lore. Their dynamic gives the story a cozy, almost heartfelt buddy-adventure quality.

What makes “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” so captivating isn’t its lack of spectacle. It has plenty of Westerosi trappings and there’s a sizeable helping of Targaryens and Baratheons and who have you. But its choice to focus on everyday courage, loyalty and the messy, funny, sometimes mundane reality of being a hedge knight truly makes this a worthy addition to the “Game of Thrones” screen universe. We hope there’s more where that came from.