Racil Chalhoub on designing tuxedos for the female staff of Annabel's

Le Smoking, a tuxedo-inspired suit for women, was famously introduced by Yves Saint Laurent in 1966. The androgynous outfit, which challenged societal norms at the time, was deemed unacceptable for fine-dining occasions, and women turning up in suits would often be prohibited from entering high-end restaurants.

The restaurant managers of the 1960s who took such pride in their rigid dress codes would probably be aghast to learn that, half a century later, ripped jeans and tennis shoes are acceptable eating-out attire – our recent story about the evolution of tracksuits suggests that some millennials may even opt for sweatpants, albeit paired with heels, for formal dinners.

Dress codes are constantly evolving, and fashion has taken a largely casual turn, with an increasing number of labels adopting a genderless, normcore approach. But while some posh eateries have become lax in terms of what customers can and cannot wear, Annabel's, a private members' club and restaurant in Mayfair, London, still forbids female guests from wearing T-shirts, sportswear, office wear and trainers. A recent amendment to the dress code allows them to wear jeans, but only if they are dark in tone and tailored.

And, while tuxedos were a taboo for women 50 years ago, the new female uniforms at Annabel's will be heavily inspired by the menswear staple. The club is reopening in a larger, four-storey space in Berkeley Square this November, and Lebanese fashion designer Racil Chalhoub, who lives between Beirut, Dubai and London, was recruited to help lead the style direction and design uniforms for female staff.

She joins a group of talented creatives: known for its impeccable tailoring, the British label Casely-Hayford was enlisted to create bespoke suits for the male staff, and photographer Mario Testino and make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury have been recruited as creative consultants.

Chalhoub was born in Beirut and raised in Paris. She studied fashion design and marketing in London, and in 2006, returned to Beirut, where she founded a fashion concept store and organic cafe in the city's Gemmayze district. After being the store's fashion buyer for eight years, she moved back to London, where she launched her own brand, Racil. Her first and foremost inspiration? The tuxedo.

"I love the clean lines and sharp lapels," she says of the iconic silhouette. "I love how timeless and elegant it is, as well as versatile."

So, it comes as no surprise that her designs for Annabel's are inspired by tuxedos. "Every position will be wearing a different look and will have a different silhouette, but the entire team will look like one beautiful collection; they are all part of one family," she says.

While the new uniforms have yet to be unveiled, the designer hints that they will share elements with her own label's autumn/winter 2017 collection – which, incidentally, was shot at Annabel's, and features wine-coloured velvets, plaid patterns, emerald-green suits and oversized brooches and bow ties.

Chalhoub's aesthetic is markedly modest, but even though modesty may be trending internationally at the moment, the designer says that it isn't something she consciously strives for. "I don't necessarily think about it when I design, but most of my designs will end up quite modest," she says.

She stresses that tuxedos, whether worn as uniforms or formal wear, can be both flattering and feminine. Femininity is an attitude, above all, she says. "You can wear a tuxedo and still be very feminine – a nice way to emphasise this is to add some red lipstick and big earrings."

The designer believes that today's social trends don't leave much room for super-strict dress codes. "There are so many places to go to nowadays that people do not want to feel constrained; they may simply go elsewhere," she says. "Having said that, I also firmly believe that there is a time and place for everything. You have to respect your surroundings and where you are going, and dress accordingly."

Often, it is the attire of employees at a venue that sets the benchmark for its visitors. Chalhoub believes her tuxedo-inspired outfits will give staff uniforms a bold and fashion-forward feel, making sure wearers look at home in the club's interiors, which combine framed art pieces with busy patterns on upholstery, drapes and carpets, for a vibe that's both electric and aristocratic.

"You have to think about what the customer wants to see, what works visually and what fits within the concept, but you also want to keep in mind that the person wearing it is actually working," Chalhoub says. "She needs to look sharp yet be very comfortable – so you have to think about practicality as much as aesthetics.

Many fancy establishments opt for provocative outfits for their female staff. By choosing a designer such as Chalhoub, who is known for creating clothing that is heavily influenced by menswear, Annabel's is shattering stereotypes of stuffy London clubs, and Chalhoub is reinventing a silhouette that society once deemed so unacceptable.

Esmod Dubai launches make-up service for women working in d3

Why do women carry such large handbags to work? Often, it's because these handbags contain bulky cosmetics pouches with perfume, mascara, eyeliner and powder compact for make-up touch-ups required throughout the day, whether its before you enter the office, right before an important meeting or when you're leaving work and heading straight to an evening event.

Tapping into this niche beauty need, Esmod Dubai has launched its SOS Make-up service in Dubai Design District (d3). In October, the French fashion school opened its new branch in d3, which will also offer fashion business masterclasses during the day, and short courses in the evening.

The SOS make-up service gives women working in d3 a speedy and accessible version of a neighbourhood beauty parlour.

Good Morning Make-up includes the highlighter, mascara, one coloured eyeshadow and lipstick, and costs Dh50.

Before Meeting Make-up includes the morning offers, plus eyeliner and a second eyeshadow shade, and costs Dh75.

And Ladies Evening Make-up includes all of this, plus foundation, and costs Dh150. The services are available on weekdays from 8:30am to 10am, and 6pm to 7:30pm.

Upcoming courses at the d3 branch of Esmod Dubai include Fashion Marketing, which starts on October 8; Luxury Brand Management, which starts on November 29; and Professional Fashion Make-up, which is held in partnership with NYX Make-up, and starts on November 29.

The branded-watch culture in the UAE can be bewildering

I'm hunting for a new watch online. I like the idea of the face being of a slim rectangular shape, perhaps with Roman numerals decorating the dial.

A white or mother-of-pearl dial would be nice, but I'm not too picky – as long as it fits nicely, costs under Dh800 and has a vintage-inspired aesthetic.

After a quick search on Amazon.com, I find the perfect watch. The brand is one I've never heard of – Bulova – but I don't mind, I add the timepiece to my cart and a week later, it's on my wrist.

I've since discovered that my method of watch-shopping is somewhat unconventional – at least to many other UAE residents. While I prefer to buy affordable designs, so that I can match different styles to my outfits on a daily basis, others, I've learned, take the selection of their timepieces far more seriously.

It's said that you can tell a lot about a man by his watches, and his wheels, and men in the UAE are particularly in tune to the world of timepieces. Women too, are fond of splurging on watches; Emiratis especially are keen to flaunt their brand-name buys, since, it's one of the few jewellery pieces that is displayed while robed in an abaya.

For many, a new watch is given as a token that marks a new milestone. It's a popular gift for those graduating school or getting married. And while I'd settle for a spur-of-the-moment Swatch design equipped with a transparent PVC strap while browsing a shopping mall kiosk, others spend months researching their dream wrist designs. For them, brands like Omega, Cartier, Bvlgari and Rolex even, are household names.

Being a lifestyle journalist, I have to remain somewhat versed in what the latest watch trends are. Still, there are very few timepieces that have stopped me in my tracks.

The Poetic Complications by Van Cleef & Arpels, which show a transformation in scenery or situation as time ticks away, are real treasures, and space-inspired timepieces by MB&F are impressively avant-garde.

But I've never really considered splurging on a designer watch for myself – perhaps because the exorbitant prices are so drastically outside of my budget, but also because I've never been attracted to the grandiose, in-your-face designs.

When I find myself as an exclusive watch-unveiling event in Dubai, I realise how ignorant I am about their inner workings. A presentation is projected on a wall of the boutique, featuring the specs of two new watches, produced exclusively for the Middle East market.

As journalists ooh and aah I stare on, helplessly confused, wondering what all the fuss is about. I see nothing special about yet another gold or stainless steel watch, with a round dial and see-though case exterior, showcasing the movement, which featuring intricacies beyond my level of comprehension.

It's not long before members of the media line up to try on the watch and snap photos of their wrists, before sharing them promptly on Instagram and Snapchat.

I skip this part, and instead make my way over to the live demonstration, where a watchmaker is assembling key components of the timepiece. It's when I observe his painstaking precision, coupled with an utter lack of emotion and overall absorption into his craft, that I realise there's a whole lot more to watch-making than the fancy exteriors.

The brand director tells me customers usually buy a watch just as they'd buy a rare painting, and that it's this inherent appreciation of art, that's at the core of watch-buying.

Still, the fact that consumers are willing to drop thousands and hundreds of thousands of dirhams on a watch that they'll have to manually wind, blows my mind.

And although there is a breadth of skill and technique that goes into producing one of these luxury timepieces, I remain sceptical about buyers' intentions. Are they paying for the craftsmanship, or for the valuable gemstones, or, alas, for the designer name stamped on it?

The most expensive watch in the world was sold at a Christie's auction in Dubai earlier this year, for more than Dh1.8 million. It was a 1981 Patek Philippe design, that at first, second, and third glance, doesn't look all that extraordinary.

Whether they're bought as prized collectors' items to be stored away, or, worn every day, the region's deep-rooted watch culture remains lost on me.

When it comes to fashion, there are few things more functional than a watch – yet the watches often seen in the UAE are anything but practical.

Set with countless diamonds, some are real blinders – and others are just so ostentatious that you have to wonder if their wearers even use them to serve their fundamental purpose – to tell the time.

FEMAIL rounds up the fashions that got our attention this week

When it comes to fashion, we are all inspired by what we see; whether it be a well-dressed celebrity, a blow-your-mind catwalk presentation or even a super stylish every-day passerby.

As fashion editors, we're moved by all of the above, and then some. We're exposed to under-the-radar labels; we get a first-hand look at collections months before they hit stores; we're tapped into brands with chic-yet-cheap offerings and we shop - a lot.

To share our knowledge, FEMAIL brings you Style Swoon, a weekly series of the latest, greatest and on the verge. We hope this Friday series will serve as a buying guide and point of inspiration for the clotheshorses and fashion fanatics alike.

DASCHA'S PARIS FASHION WEEK DIARY

As one of the stars of Netflix's hit show 'Orange is the New Black', you would think Dascha Polanco would have designers begging her to wear their designs.

Unfortunately this isn't always the case for the  34-year-old. In the past, the actress has been outspoken about designers not wanting to dress her curvier shape.

Thankfully this all changed when she attended Paris Fashion Week for the first time, last week. 'In Paris, the unexpected happened, after having in-person conversations with the designers, I saw their enthusiastic willingness to dress my body type,' said Dascha.

'It caught me off guard and gave me moments of reassurance. I finally felt like my love for being involved in fashion was not impossible but achievable.'

With the fashion industry's approval, Dascha made sure to make a statement as she sat front row at the runway shows of Rahul Mishra and Nobi Talai.

When it came to choosing outfits, the actress said 'Paris Fashion Week brought out the inspiration of romanticism, feminism and military influence, igniting the use of rich, bold colors and textures.'

And with that, she turned the streets of Paris into her very own catwalk. 'Being confident, courageous and taking risks have opened the doors for women of all shapes, and sizes,' she said.

'Curves have become the leading focus in fashion because it represents the majority. It allows room for more creativity, new techniques to dress all these different body shapes and embrace them as opposed to excluding them. It goes to prove that art has no limits and no boundaries. Style and fashion is for all.'

BELLA'S FAVORITE UNDERGARMENTS

Over the past few weeks, Bella Hadid has showed off her incredible off-duty style while traveling the world during Fashion Month.

But there was one unusual brand that we kept noticing in her stylish ensembles - intimates line Commando.

Whether the 20-year-old was rocking their 'Ballet Body One-Shoulder Bodysuit' under a Dolce & Gabbana leopard print suit, wearing their 'Ballet Body Sleeveless Bodysuit' with a trench coat or layering their 'Classic Control Short' under a plaid Claudia Li blazer, Bella kept her Commando underpinnings on full display.

Get the look and shop Bella's exact pieces below. The best part? They all retail for under $100!

Tyra Banks, 43, looked like the ultimate 'Girl Boss' last week, as she spoke at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Shop.org Digital Retail Conference.

The supermodel/mogul chose a simple yet stylish pairing of a black long-sleeved sheath dress and power pumps to speak to the crowd of over 1,000 attendees about her strengthens as a business woman and how her life has evolved so much through the years.