DRESS

Diana Ross returned to the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night for the first of two weekend concerts — her fifth engagement at the hillside amphitheater since 2013 and her second gig in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles in less than a year (following her performance at last August’s old-school Fool in Love festival). In other words, it’s not exactly hard to catch the 81-year-old pop legend onstage these days — which isn’t to say that it’s not worth doing. Here are nine moments that made me glad I showed up Friday:

1. After coming out to — what else? — “I’m Coming Out,” Ross zipped through a frisky Motown medley linking some of the 12 No. 1 hits she and the Supremes scored in the 1960s. Would I have liked to have heard full versions of “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love”? Sure. But hearing these all-timers stacked up in rapid succession was a thrill of its own — a reminder of the blend of efficiency and ingenuity attained on a daily basis at Hitsville, U.S.A.

2. Ross was backed by more than a dozen musicians at the Bowl, including four horn players and four backing vocalists, and they were cooking from the get-go: crisply propulsive in the Motown stuff; tight and gliding in “Upside Down”; lush yet down-home in Ross’ take on Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” from her 1972 Holiday biopic “Lady Sings the Blues.”

3. Two wardrobe changes meant that we beheld three glittering gowns in all, beginning with the fluffy canary-yellow number she emerged in. About halfway through the show, Ross slipped into a pipe-and-drape dressing room at the rear of the stage then slipped back out wearing bedazzled ruby red; later, she changed into a shimmering gold look. Each dress came accompanied by a matching shawl that Ross would eventually toss to the stage to be retrieved by a waiting assistant who seemed to know precisely when it would happen.

4. Each dress also came with a bulky mic pack that — in an endearingly peculiar costuming choice — Ross opted to wear on her waist instead of hiding it around back.

5. “I have an album out, a current album — the title of the album is called ‘Thank You,’” Ross told the crowd as she began to introduce a tune from her not-bad 2021 LP. Then she turned her head stage-left toward a sound engineer in the wings: “Who’s talking in the mic? I can hear a mic.” She returned to the audience. “Anyway, the title of the album is called ‘Thank You.’ Each song was specially written so that I could say ‘thank you’ to you for all the wonderful years, all the…” Another glance left. “Somebody’s talking in the microphone.” Another turn back. “We’re gonna start with this one — ‘Tomorrow,’ OK? We’ll start that if I can out-talk whoever’s talking over here.”

6. Ross’ daughter Rhonda joined her mom to sing another new-ish tune, “Count on Me” — “She’s been practicing,” Diana said proudly (if somewhat shadily) — then stuck around to do a mini-set of her own self-help-ish soul-folk songs, one of which beseeched us all to “stop gaslighting ourselves.”

7. Half a century after “The Wiz” debuted on Broadway in 1975, Ross sang her two big numbers from the Black retelling of the “The Wizard of Oz,” which she helped cement as a cultural landmark with her role as Dorothy in a fondly remembered movie adaptation. Here, “Home” was wistful yet determined, while “Ease on Down the Road” got even the high-rollers in the Bowl’s box seats moving.

8. During “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” Ross led the crowd in a call-and-response recitation of what she called “my mantra”: ”I’m so grateful / For all the blessings in my life / For there are many / All is well / I’m resilient / Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

9. More of Ross’ children appeared onstage at the end of the show to join her for a rowdy “I Will Survive” — and to plug their latest commercial endeavors. “Can I say one thing?” Tracee Ellis Ross asked. “‘Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross’ on Roku streams today, so check out the show.” Diana Ross reclaimed the microphone and gestured toward her son Ross Naess. “This is my son — he’s doing a line of caviar called Arne Reserve.” She looked around. “Chudney, what’s happening with you?”

FASHION fans have been racing to pick up Marks & Spencer’s new summer dress that hides lumps and bumps.

The linen mini dress that shoppers have been describing as “perfect” has become an instant bestseller.

M&S Linen Blend Button Through Mini Dress, £45

M&S’ Linen Blend Mini Dress has a shift silhouette that’s flattering on all body shapes, with a stylish button-down design.

The sleeveless cut is perfect for holidays and the warmer weather, while the mini length will pair well with just about any footwear.

It has a versatile design that can be dressed up or down for any occasion, so it could be teamed with sandals for an effortless daytime look, and dressed up with heels and chunky jewellery for evening occasions.

The white colourway has already sold out, but it’s still available to shop in black.

Some M&S shoppers are already raving about the linen dress.

One reviewer wrote: “I got this in store, tried it on at home and it’s stunning with a perfect fit, even my partner said it looks lovely, can’t wait for my holiday to wear it. 

It’s the perfect fit and doesn’t pull around the bust, well done M&S.”

Another added: “I’ve been trying very hard to get this dress ever since I noticed it online, but I was lucky enough to find it in-store and it’s fab. 

You can wear it through the day or it would look great for summer evenings.”

Linen dresses are perfect for summer as they’re light and airy to wear in the heat – making them a comfortable for choice holidays and days in the office.

Marks & Spencer’s £32.50 Linen Rich Shift Dress is also trending, featuring a relaxed cut and a flattering V-neck.

M&S Linen Rich V-Neck Mini Shift Dress, £32.50

It’s available in black and cream shades, while the blue version has already sold out.

One reviewer said: “A lovely, lightweight dress for the summer that’s easy to style and won’t cling in the heat. 

It’s a nice length and my favourite summer colour, I can’t wait to wear it.”

The high-street is full of stylish summer pieces right now, including New Look’s £30 summer dress that shoppers say flatters chunky arms and “looks expensive”.

Flattering swimwear has also been trending in recent months, and fashion fans have also been racing to pick up New Look’s tummy control £31 swimsuit.

Marks & Spencer also has its own version, and shoppers have been calling the £35 scallop one-piece “the most flattering ever”.

The high-street Linen Midi Dress has already sold out in several sizes, so if you’re on the hunt for the perfect holiday dress, it could be worth adding to your basket soon.

Six weeks ago in Munich, Paris Saint-Germain overwhelmed one of Europe’s top teams in the UEFA Champions League final, earning a trophy and recognition as the world’s best club team.

On Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J., PSG handed that mantle to Chelsea, which routed the exhausted Parisians 3-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup final, PSG’s worst loss in nearly two years.

So ended the first expanded Club World Cup, a tournament manufactured mainly to monetize the sport while lengthening the season six weeks for some teams — both PSG and Chelsea were playing for the 65th time in 48 weeks — and further congesting an already crowded schedule for others. And though it attracted more than 2.4 million fans overall, more than a quarter of the games drew fewer than 17,000 people, four got less than 9,000 and the competition overall averaged about the same attendance as the top 25 summer friendlies played in the U.S. last summer.

That’s after FIFA, the event’s organizer, drastically reduced ticket prices and, in some cases, let people in for free. So why did we play this tournament at all?

Well, the best answer is the Club World Cup served as a dress rehearsal for the real World Cup, which will be played at the same time and in some of the same stadiums next year. And if what FIFA learned from the club tournament doesn’t force it back to the drawing board to make some major changes for next summer — especially to kickoff times — it will be an education wasted.

The biggest takeaway was the weather. It was way too hot (and humid and stormy and just generally yucky).

Chelsea played three of its seven games in temperatures described by local weather authorities as “extreme,” meaning people were told to avoid strenuous physical activity or, in some cases, to even avoid going outdoors. (Sunday’s final kicked off in 81-degree temperatures and 69% humidity, conditions that necessitated two hydration breaks.)

“The heat is incredible,” Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez said in Spanish before the final. “The other day I got a bit dizzy during a play. I had to lie down on the ground because I was dizzy. Playing in this temperature is very dangerous.”

But it’s not just the danger to players FIFA should worry about (although that, clearly, is paramount). The conditions also change the way the game must be played, making it far less attractive to viewers.

“The speed of the game is not the same. Everything becomes very slow,” Fernandez said. “Let’s hope that next year they change the schedule.”

Wydad AC’s Cassius Mailula, center, and Mohamed Moufid try to cool off during a FIFA Club World Cup group match against Al Ain FC in Washington on June 26.

(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)

For the Club World Cup, many games started at midday or in the early afternoon so they could be broadcast in prime time in Europe and Africa. But the conditions on the field were often oppressive as a result.

MetLife Stadium, where Sunday’s final was played, will host eight World Cup matches, including the final, next summer. And while the kickoff times for that tournament won’t be revealed until the World Cup draw in December, BBC Sport said it has learned FIFA plans to start many East Coast games at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time.

FIFA issued a statement earlier this month that suggested it is not taking the problem near seriously enough, touting the hydration breaks, in which matches are halted so players can get a drink, as “significant and progressive measures … being taken to protect the players from the heat.”

FIFPRO, the union representing international soccer players, isn’t being so dismissive.

“From a health and safety perspective, this [extreme heat] is something that must take priority over commercial interests with regards to the safety of the players,” Alexander Bielefeld, the union’s director of policy and strategic relations, said on a conference call. “Heat conditions are not happening in a vacuum. The debate on extreme heat is not happening in a vacuum.

“It’s actually quite foreseeable.”

According to FIFPRO, at least three games at the Club World Cup should have been suspended or postponed because of extreme weather. It was so hot during a group-play game in Cincinnati, in fact, Borussia Dortmund’s bench players stayed in the locker room, watching the first half on TV.

The last World Cup that played in the U.S., in 1994, remains the hottest in history, which is remarkable for a tournament that since been played in Africa and the Middle East. That year Mexico and Ireland faced off in Orlando, Fla., where midday temperatures hit 105 degrees. And it was 100 degrees on the field for the final, which kicked off at noon at the Rose Bowl. (Not surprisingly that game ended in a scoreless draw, as did the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, played at the Rose Bowl under equally as oppressive conditions. Both games were decided in penalty kicks.)

More severe weather is all but certain next year.

“What you’re seeing right now is very typical,” Ben Schott, operations chief with the National Weather Service, told the Athletic. “Next year we may be going through the same thing.

That’s not good since a half-dozen Club World Cup games were delayed or halted by weather this summer, including Chelsea’s round-of-16 win over Benfica in Charlotte, N.C. That match was paused for two hours because of lightning.

“I can understand that for security reasons, you have to suspend the game,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “But if you suspend seven, eight games, that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition.”

FIFA had a chance to protect its most valuable property, the World Cup final, by scheduling it for one of the four roofed stadiums chosen to host games in the U.S. in 2026. Instead it will tempt fate — and the weather gods — by playing the final at open-air MetLife.

If there were a silver lining to these storm clouds — I’m trying to be positive here — it’s that coaches and players are now keenly aware of what awaits them next summer, giving them ample time to get ready.

“We’re going to come prepared next year,” said Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram, a French international. “There’s a lot of players that are doing the Club World Cup that will be doing the World Cup with their countries next year. So I think it’s a good preparation.”

Let’s hope FIFA is preparing as well. Because if the heat was on for the Club World Cup, it will be even warmer for the organizers of the real World Cup next summer.

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.