Before turning the colours of the flag for UAE National Day next month, this weekend the country is painted green and pink for the release of Wicked: For Good; the second part of the cinema adaptation of the Broadway musical, Wicked (itself adapted from a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, in turn based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). Still with me? Predicted to take over Dh735 million globally during its opening weekend, setting a record for stage-to-screen musical adaptations, Wicked: For Good picks up the tale of the protagonists Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Cynthia Evrio, and Glinda the Good, Ariana Grande. While the lines of good versus evil, effect versus intent, are blurred and morality is questioned, there is no such ambiguity in the costume department. Green-skinned Elphaba sticks to fashion-editor funeral black, while Grande's Glinda is effervescent in a palette of pastels orbiting a sugary pink that semaphores popular blonde. As Oscar-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell says,“Colours confirm who is good, and who is wicked.” Read a bit deeper, though, and Tazewell notes,“Elphaba is intelligent, compassionate, misunderstood. Glinda isn't always kind. I wasn't designing stereotypes, I was designing questions.” Just as good and evil are rarely black and white – green and pink in this instance – answers can often be found in the middle ground. And so, the unexpected colour combination of Elphaba's emerald green and Glinda's glittering pink make for a magical mix this party season. As Glinda would say, let us rejoicify!

NOT DOROTHY'S SLIPPERS

Leave the ruby slippers to Dorothy. I'm clicking my heels three times and wishing for a pair of shoes in this season's most eye-catching colourway. Dubai-based brand 1001 Stories takes the traditional Wizard of Oz ballet flat and updates it in vibrant emerald with a metallic fuchsia bow. And because the yellow brick road to Oz can be gruelling, the interior is padded with memory foam. Or, if you want some height, without resorting to a broomstick, Sophia Webster's official Wicked collection lets you pick sides. Pretty in pink with chiffon flower rosettes for Team Glinda, bewitchingly seductive with wings and crystals for Team Elphaba. Repeat after me, there's no place like home.

WEST END GIRL

She might be the Wicked Witch of the West, but Elphaba is an advocate for animal rights in Wicked, so she'd proudly wear a vegan leather blazer by Dubai-based Mrs Keepa. Afterall, who needs a cape when you've got the 'Olympia' shimmer dress in deepest green by Australian designer L'idée to swish dramatically? Or, take your inspiration from actor Cynthia Erivo's red carpet style and keep everyone guessing behind Balenciaga's oversized 'Mask' sunglasses.

PEOPLE'S PRINCESS

Beyond the tulle and glitter, Glinda the Good's fairytale take on an Audrey Hepburn silhouette is a masterclass in elegant event dressing. There's more than a hint of Gwyneth Paltrow making a teary Oscar acceptance speech about this 'Avallon' gown by Solace London, echoing Glinda's transformation into the people's princess. With lines this simple, you can afford to razz up the accessories, and no wizard that there is or was could conjure shoes more sparkling than Jimmy Choo's dégradé crystal pumps. When not making literal box office magic, Ariana Grande is the face of Swarovski and Dulcis pair of bangles prove that, in the words of Glinda (not the grammar of Elphaba),“Pink goes good with green.”

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