The Ones To Watch: What We’ll Be Shopping This September 2022
Coveted collabs, the runway-approved tank, a brand comeback, and the boots you didn’t know you needed… introducing what everyone will be buying, listening to or talking about next
Arm Yourselves
Just when we thought nothing was left in the tank, Prada goes and revitalises the humble top. Ribbed, tight – and with the signature triangular logo front and centre – there’s every chance this simple yet effective staple will sell out this season.
Let It Rain
Thigh-high Chanel-embossed rain boots, you say? We don’t think we’ve ever seen a chicer Wellington boot, and we’re here for it come rain or shine.
Dhs8,260, Chanel
Preppy Meets Punk
Dior x Birkenstock, Gucci x Adidas and Fendace are just a handful of the hottest collaborations we have seen so far this year, and there’s no sign of these luxury alliances slowing down. Next up is Richard Quinn’s partnership with Tommy Hilfiger. The British print designer reimagines Tommy’s American preppy style codes and creates a gender-fluid collection that encapsulates Richard’s energy, noise and excitement.
Haute Hotel
Smack bang in the Marina, the new W Dubai Mina Seyahi – the third W hotel to open in the UAE – has been in soft launch since April. The highlights of this super-sleek boutique-style hotel are a stunning infinity pool with sunset views over the Arabian Gulf, a promising new rooftop bar and restaurant, Attiko launching in November, and a lobby that feels like an art gallery with magic carpet installations and snakeskin-style mosaic flooring. The new W and other talked-about venues nearby such as L’Amo and Canary Club are bringing the spotlight back to this corner of Dubai.
Back On The Beach
As the rest of the world packs away its summer suitcases and gears up for sweater weather, here in the Middle East we’re just getting started with our warm-climate closets. Enter Villa Yasmine, the all-year-round resort-wear boutique stocking a plethora of unheard of brands sourced from around the globe.
Italians Do It Better
There’s nothing like Assouline’s iconic and vibrant travel coffee table books to ignite our wanderlust. This time, they’re offering us unprecedented access to Costa Smeralda, a spectacular corner of Sardinia that we predict will be filling our feeds come 2023.
Diesel Powered
“The really great thing about this brand is that we’re quite individual in the industry,” said Glenn Marten, Creative Director of Diesel. “We’re never going to be luxury, and we’re not claiming to be luxury. We’re the alternative to it.” Funny that, because even if it’s not in the plan, the Italian brand known for its denim is currently pipping the luxury brands to the post. The distinctive 1DR micro bag – debuted at Diesel’s AW22 runway show – has leapfrogged Balenciaga’s Le Cagole bag on the lust-list and trumped a whole load of other It-bags in the meantime to become the most in-demand bag in the world right now. But it’s not just the Y2K bag that’s got everyone talking, the RTW collection of denim, featuring bra tops paired with distressed jeans (as seen on Dua Lipa) and floorsweeping trench coats also has the industry agog.
Ahead Of The Curve
A modern equivalent of the mini ’00s hobo has arrived in all its curvaceous glory. Look to Fendi, Marine Serre, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu and Bottega Veneta for various retakes of this nostalgic noughties comeback.
Pregnant Protagonists
In the past 12 months Rihanna has singlehandedly ripped up the pregnancy-style rule book with her wearing low-slung jeans, belly-baring crop tops and bump jewellery, paving the way for designers to send models down the runway in less-than-expected maternity wear. Nensi Dojaka, for example, winner of the 2021 LVMH award, presented a pregnant model in a body-exposing, flesh-coloured gown at her AW22 show that neither hides or accommodates the baby bump but instead uses it as an accessory of unabashed beauty. We suspect we are entering an entirely new era of bold mat-wear that will ultimately – we hope – lead to more female empowerment and body confidence.
Blondes Have More Fun
The hotly anticipated film Blonde is a fictionalised biopic of Marilyn Monroe’s life based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, and is set to land on Netflix on September 28. It stars the sensational Ana de Armas who we last saw teaming up with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in another Netflix film, The Gray Man.
By Jade Chilton for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s September 2022 issue.