La Prairie’s Pure Gold Revitalising Essence Is an Opulent Touch of Elevated Skincare

Experience the transformative power of La Prairie’s latest innovation, designed to nourish and revitalise skin affected by hormonal changes.

Renowned for its commitment to scientific innovation and the use of rare, precious ingredients in its formulations, Swiss skincare house La Prairie has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of beauty, which has evolved into the realms of skincare, longevity, and health. Often, the first indication of poor health is reflected through the body’s largest organ: the skin. Caring for your skin is no longer merely a matter of cosmetic maintenance but indeed a necessary hallmark of good health.

As it unveils its latest creation, the Pure Gold Revitalising Essence, La Prairie is not just introducing a new product—it is heralding a new era for its illustrious Pure Gold Collection.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

 

This Luxury Maternity Company is Transforming the Postpartum Care Industry

 

Saint Bella’s groundbreaking care centres are the premiere destinations for parents and baby.

The leading luxury maternity and baby care company Saint Bella has modernised and elevated the very concept of postpartum recovery by creating remarkable retreats for new mothers and babies. Ensuring that the first chapter of a baby’s life is filled with round-the-clock professional care, as well as soothing recovery, warm comfort, and plush pampering for mothers, ancient practices of postpartum care are creatively modernised in novel ways.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

Pet Concerns: 7 Extreme Pampering and Designer Gear for Your Dog. And Cat.

As reported in Women’s Wear Daily, the global market for pet products is projected to hit HK$290 billion (US$36.89 billion) by the year 2025. Pampering your pooch is a lucrative business as the biggest luxury brands have launched their own line of products and accessories catering to pets and pet concerns. Once an exception, almost a footnote in a brand’s portfolio, currently designer pet accessories are all the rage.

Seek and you shall find; well, we found these!  

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

The Party Line: My Column

 

TBT: October 2017, I attended 36 events in and around Hong Kong. This year (not month - this year of our lord 2020), I attended two. Protests slowed down events, covid killed it altogether. Obviously 

But sure had fun back in the day writing about the fabulous lives of local and international celebrities, socialites, the new fangled KOLS - key opinion leaders - bloggers, Instagramers and other social media mavens. It was the The Party Line and had the distinct pleasure of calling out badly done events. Which rarely happened TBH. 

https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk?s=The+Party+Line%3A&type=&category=&sort=

Print matters: What influences luxury purchases in Hong Kong; magazine ads and editorial!

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Preach.

Jimmy Choo: Ready to answer the siren call of China's mall owners

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The origin is unknown, but the quote rings true, "Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life."

Fans are familiar with the legend of Jimmy Choo. He began as bespoke shoemaker in the East End of London in the early 1990s catering to celebrities, including Princess Diana.

Choo opened his first shop in 1996 with Vogue's accessories editor Tamara Mellon. Soon after, his niece Sandra Choi came on board as creative director (a position she still holds). Choo left the company in 2001, and Mellon in 2011, but the company grew selling handbags, small leather goods, scarves, sunglasses, belts, fragrances and men's shoes from 167 stores in 35 countries. Jimmy Choo PLC listed on the London Stock Exchange in October 2014, and is now valued at about £546 million (HK$6.6 billion).

"It is interesting to have an accessory brand recognised and respected in the stock market," says CEO Pierre Denis, who joined in 2012. "It's a recognition of a great British brand, it's a recognition of our success."

But how does the company going public affect the brand? "In basic terms, with an IPO, you need to comply with a lot of rules and regulations, which is good because it forces a company to improve structuring. Our IPO provides us with the capacity to invest more in our brand, and finance our expansion with new stores in China."

Drawing on his seven years working and living in Asia, Denis is focused on building the brand in China. During the past year alone, five stores have opened there, with plans to open 25 more in the next five years.

I felt that Chinese customers needed brands that are a bit more specific, more interesting

PIERRE DENIS, CEO JIMMY CHOO

"When I joined Jimmy Choo, the business had been focusing on the development of the brand in the US and Europe. It would be fair to say that Asia was kept on hold - the thinking was that Asia was complicated, that China was too big, too complex. When I joined the company, it was my intention to develop business in Asia to compliment the strength of Jimmy Choo in the US and in Europe. That has really been one of my priorities.

"We will open 10 to 15 new stores per year, no more than that. But half of them will be in China. When I worked for LVMH here, we could see that China had been really developed with the big brands; it was all about Dior, Chanel, Vuitton. But I felt that Chinese customers needed brands which are a bit more specific, more interesting."

Denis believes what Chinese customers want is diversity in brands; malls can no longer be cookie-cutter models housing the same brands in a market saturated with monogrammed luxury goods. "I've been discussing with landlords in China - they are talking to Jimmy Choo saying, 'I want something different for my client.' This is a good time for us to come in."

"Other brands have been around for centuries. Jimmy Choo's still a young brand, relatively speaking, so we have to inform the new market of our significance," says Denis. "It is most important for me to be consistent with our DNA."

There are several strategies at play: product development, retail, marketing, and expansion into different tiers and zones in the mainland. There is another method that works wonders: a relationship with celebrities.

"In some countries Hollywood celebrities are the biggest stars, while in others the local stars are more important. Asia falls into the second category; they love Chinese film stars and Korean soap and television personalities. These people are far more popular in Asia than Western celebrities. I was at a red carpet event and a Korean TV star was wearing Jimmy Choo shoes and carrying one of our bags. The shoes and that bag have been flying off the shelves ever since. In fact, we had trouble keeping up with the demand."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Riding the Choo shoe train


LIFESTYLE›FASHION & LUXURY
PUBLISHED : Monday, 25 May, 2015, 6:00am
UPDATED : Monday, 25 May, 2015, 6:00am
P. Ramakrishnan

Uncommon threads: Interview with Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani

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Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani's bridal wear and fusion fashion have made him the toast of his homeland, writes P.Ramakrishnan.


The hyperbolic tag of India's "king of couture" precedes anything that designer Tarun Tahiliani does - and with good reason. As the first Mumbai-born designer to showcase in Milan, Paris and Cannes, his name is on the lips of fashionistas in New York as well as in New Delhi, his home.

"Fashion is all about attitude," says Tahiliani. "You see a reflection of society in how people dress. If the economy's doing well, they dress well. If people are looking drab, then I'd worry."

The designer's shimmering ensembles are worn by the rich and famous in India, but they are rarely seen in Bollywood films. He doesn't care.

"That has never been my scene," Tahiliani says from his Delhi studio a few days before a flight  to Hong Kong. "There's a distinction between a costume designer and a fashion designer. The costume designer sources clothes to suit the look of a particular film. But that's not what I do. I design. If I had to sit around catering to the whims of a Bollywood starlet on the set of a film, I'd shoot myself," he says with a chuckle.


....More at scmp.com


NOTES:

So great to finally meet and chat with Tarun - his work is exquisite.  We had an amazing chat, and we spoke about my other fav topic in the world (first being Sri!); Aishwarya Rai! Rama

Back to Basics

Christy Turlington (now with the hyphenate Burns, post nuptials with monotone actor Edward Burns) returns to the house of Calvin Klein with a stunning women’s Fall 2013 Calvin Klein Underwear global advertising campaign.

Shot by photographer Mario Sorrenti on location in Vieques, Puerto Rico, Turlington's comeback campaign is a resplendent one, reflective of some of the most iconic images that reeled through the late '80s and early '90s.

One of the few and original supermodels, Turlington has a long-standing relationship with the house; beginning with her first runway show for Calvin Klein for the Fall 1987. In 1988, Irving Penn photographed Turlington for her first Calvin Klein Collection advertising campaign and that same year, she became the face of Calvin Klein’s scent, ETERNITY, captured by Bruce Weber. Even as I type these words a montage of black and white and sepia toned images with Turlington's scintillating beauty and her perfect nose and profile are seeping through... If Elle Macpherson was 'the body', surely Christy Turlington was 'the face'!

Turlington continued to work with legendary photographers Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, Peter Lindbergh and Jurgen Teller, for several more advertising campaigns for the Calvin Klein and its various subsidiaries (the jeans, the swimwear, the casuals, the formals...etc). While leading an illustrious career in modeling, Turlington has gone on to direct and produce No Woman, No Cry – a documentary film about the global state of maternal health. Following the release of her film in 2010, she founded Every Mother Counts (EMC), a campaign to improve the health and well-being of girls and women worldwide. The organization’s mission is to end preventable deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth around the world. Beauty with a purpose indeed.

EDITORIAL CREDIT: Calvin Klein Underwear
IMAGE CREDIT – BEHIND THE SCENES IMAGE: Courtesy of Calvin Klein, Inc.

Behind the label: Palmiero

Who started it? jeweller Carlo Palmiero (left) set up his eponymous company in Valenza, Italy, in 1979, working with other companies to create stunning pieces while building his own reputation as a craftsman. As a child, Palmiero was surrounded by experts who taught him the art of jewellery-making as he was growing up in this small municipality in Piedmont, where most of the population was involved in the business of bling. Fame and fortune in the competitive world of luxury jewellery came slowly but surely for Palmiero, and, in 2000, he launched Palmiero Jewellery Design, to focus on his own creative designs.

Why we love it: for the art of its artefacts. Palmiero's latest, animal-inspired collection resembles bejewelled sculptures. Peacocks, spider webs and an array of other items encrusted in coloured diamonds and other precious stones blend the stunning with the sumptuous. The cuteness factor of the baby animal pendants is off the charts, but we prefer the more mature, nature-inspired pieces.

What we'd pick: the gold and diamond-studded Giullari pendant, and the artful peacock ring and pendant (both right; prices on request). Motifs of the colourful pea fowl have used as symbols of royalty and beauty, and these pieces stand out with complex designs and artful arrays of coloured stones. The Giullari pendant could stand alone as an objet d'art - a satirical, irreverent piece that's bound to bemuse and amuse.

Where can you get it? Palmiero is available at Masterpiece by King Fook, Central Building, 1 Pedder Street, Central, tel: 2822 8524.

The Most Beautiful Bling

It may look like a movie prop; the kind of over-the-top, multi-diamond studded watch that might be stolen in The Pink Panther in order to be recovered by bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. But at 160 carats, this is no chunk of costume paste, it's the real thing.

The exorbitantly expensive Kallania timepiece arrived in Hong Kong this month. Studded with 186 emerald-cut diamonds, Vacheron Constantin, one of the world's oldest watchmakers, has created it as a worthy successor to the renowned Kallista ("most beautiful" in Greek), which was designed in 1977 by artist Raymond Moretti and featured 118 diamonds, weighing 130 carats, with a US$9 million price tag.
Thirty-plus years later comes Kallania, the long-awaited sequel. This dazzling dilettante has already made waves in the watchmaking world and retail price this time around is HK$76.8m.

But is it a watch or a jewel? A shiny bracelet that tells time? It's debatable, especially since it won the Best Jewellery Watch award at the Vogue Jewels Awards 2009 in Madrid, Spain. The Kallania made its debut in January 2009 at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) exhibition, crafted entirely from 18-carat white gold and set with 32 emerald-cut diamonds. The bracelet alone is 18-carat white gold, set with 136 emerald-cut diamonds.

For all its glamour and aesthetic appeal, this timepiece is technically exquisite as well. Water-resistant and mechanical, the manual-winding watch establishes a new world benchmark in the number of carats that have been perfectly aligned and facets meticulously polished to achieve a maximum clarity of reflected light. Apart from the bling factor, this piece is also driven by the world's thinnest mechanical movement, the 1003 calibre, developed by Vacheron Constantin, and stamped with the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva.

By P.Ramakrishnan
(ramakrishnanp@hotmail.com)

An Open Secret: Carlotta Danti's exclusive interview in Hong Kong: Italian lingerie brand Rosamosario

Carlotta Danti unveils sensual luxury for women with all the right curves, writes P.Ramakrishnan.


With the tacit approval of Kate Moss, Lucinda Chambers, Natalia Vodianova, Vanessa Paradis and other fashionable femmes, the Italian lingerie brand Rosamosario, with its signature rosette motif, answers the oft-asked question: what lies beneath?

Petticoats, culottes, bustiers, night robes, corsets, virginal white laces, bold shades of blood-red ribbons, coquettish contours covered in diaphanous damasks that just barely hold the girls in. Rosamosario isn't just haute, it's hot.

"I want to bring to the world the historical heritage of Italian craftsmanship, where hands move to develop the most unthinkable and desirable luxury," says founder Carlotta Danti.

Rosamosario is made in central Milan, where the doors to its boutique and workshop are open daily to customers, "So they can breathe the air of hand-making, like in the old times," Danti says. "Silks and cottons come from Italy, bought rough and hand washed. The lace that is key to our product range is imported from Calais in France, from the main couture houses."

Danti says she likes sensual women, and created Rosamosario for them. Years after Madonna famously brought underwear out, Rosamosario has honed the conical bra concept to a sophisticated sheen. When asked how it came about that her six-year-old brand has enraptured women around the world, she replies: "Being at the right place, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York where we kicked off back in 2005. Having the right product: elegant lingerie and 'lightwear', with just the right girls."

And what girls they are. Their official website can satiate any idoliser of models, with pixel after pixel of near-nude supermodels shot by photographers such as Bruce Weber, Juergen Teller, Paolo Roversi and Mario Testino.

"I remember the day of the shoot with Bruce Weber. He shot just before the sun rose, and then again when the sun went down," says Danti. "His best works are influenced by his great sensibility for natural light. He has this incredible connection with nature, so he shows nudity in a gentle, natural way. I think his pictures can be considered a page of history, and the portraits he made with Kate [Moss] and other supermodels, are an important page of my life."

Inside the company's brochure, there are layers of tulle curved as petals for a bouquet made of fabric. It's centred on a lacy panty worn by Moss. There's another striking image of her in a black lace ensemble next to a ballgown. There's a distinctly cheeky corset, and a topless Moss in a red lace rosette-patterned undergarment, wearing nothing more than patent red leather stilettos and a smile.

Yet amid the fragile beauty and flashes of flesh, there's a distinct lack of vulgarity. "The philosophy behind my lingerie and what I call a 'lightwear' collection of dresses was developed unconsciously from my family, my attention to beauty, female bodies and their movements," says Danti. "I think of the curves of my beautiful young mother, and I always remember her as an Italian Ursula Andress. I wanted to dress women with independent dreams, full of courage and with huge personalities."

In an industry that otherwise pays obeisance to reed-thin girls and teenage whims, Danti looks to real women with curves. Women like a particular Italian actress. "Monica Bellucci has never interpreted the passage of time, her ageing, as a case of abandoning her beauty," Danti says. "Instead, her strong seductive point is her maturing beauty. Italian women are famous for being beautiful as they mature. Women like Monica Bellucci, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren."

Rosamosario's rose-print shoes will be worn by Bellucci in the film Manual Of Love 3, where she stars opposite Robert De Niro, and the screen siren has commissioned Rosamosario to make her lingerie outfits for her seductress role.

"What I like about Monica Bellucci is her interpretation of freedom. She understands that a woman can be sensual and seduce, rather than just being seduced." Danti tried to interpret Bellucci's curves for the shoes. "I created my first ever high-heeled sandals with printed chiffon and satin silks. Since then we have begun looking into shoes and have partnered with our Sicilian partners to create a new page in the history of Italian shoes."

On July 16, Rosamosario opened the doors of its new Hong Kong boutique - its first in Asia. As the brand steps into the East, Danti has been keeping a watchful eye on the region. "The powders, the colours, the flowers, petals and lightness of our materials conceived in our products embody the fragile beauty and purity of Asian women," she says.

If it's all too clear what lies beneath, the inevitable question is, what lies ahead? "We will be launching an exclusive, made-to-measure service for lingerie, for weddings and special occasions, which I will personally oversee," says Danti.

"Ladies will also be able to personalise and custom-make their look, head to toe, from their lingerie to their shoes. Rosamosario is a world, not just a product."

Rosamosario

UG/F, Manrich Court,
33 St Francis Street, Wan Chai

Christian Dior in Mumbai

Images from the opening of Christian Dior in Mumbai (Nov 2010), an extravagant, star-studded night that will remain etched in my brain for years to come. I can foretell that I'll annoy generations with anecdotes from that night, what I saw, what I heard, what I felt.

Pics from the night from my crappy cam. Everything was a blur - let's pretend the camera was getting progressively drunk as the images go from clear to intoxicatedly fuzzy as you scroll down.

Of the few clearly shot pics, special thanks to the gorgeous, gorgeous Anaita Shroff Adajania, stylist and Goddess-in-my-eye, for being so kind and lovely. Was feeling way too ridiculously shy to get a snap with Deepika Padukone, who sort of took my breath away, but the lovely Anaita saw how blubbery I was and said, 'Would you like me to take the pic?' With a grateful heave and sigh of relief, gave her my cam and she snapped away. Need I say I lurv her?!

Pics of actress (and Big Brother winner) Shilpa Shetty, Amrita Arora (the younger sister of the much hotter Malaika Arora, who was also there and looking crazy hot as always but couldn't get a pic of her as she was mingling), the amazonian and ridiculously beautiful Deepika Padukone (who was also very sweet in person), the lovely Madhoo (Roja fame and niece of B'wood Dream Girl Hema Malini), ravishing Raveena Tandon (who was so funny in person and looks naturally beautiful), Indian designer to the stars Narendra Kumar Ahmed (who's a friend and the best freakin' designer in all of Asia), former Miss Universe turned actress Sushmita Sen (sen-sational indeed), model turned actor Dino Morea (one of the best dressed guys of the night - and we think he was wearing Narendra Kumar Ahmed suit), actor Sanjay Kapoor, newcomer and former supermodel Monikangana Dutta (who made her first guest appearance in the critically acclaimed flop Guzaarish)... Oh 'twas a starry, starry night...



My feature. TBC.




















As reported by the Indian Press:
Bombay Times

Making a Point

Until you or your friends have children, the world of children's clothing is a mysterious realm of miniature pleasures that you may not have discovered. With the opening of Bonpoint, the luxury brand dedicated to creating beautiful garments for children, the Parisian fashion house is trying to establish a home in Hong Kong.




PS: What I forgot to mention, good gravy kids clothes are expensive! My jeans don't cost as much as one of the Ts at Bonpoint. But then that says more about me than I care to share...

The Write Angle

Does it matter which pen William Faulkner used to write the words that led him to win the Nobel Prize for literature? John Steinbeck, for one, used pencils, a stack of which he sharpened each morning before he hand wrote his intense sagas. And whatever happened to the quill that Shakespeare dipped into his copious inkwell? Would the quality of writing have been any different?

CEO Series: Simon Murray, CBE & David Tan, OBE

Simon Murray, CBE, Founder and chairman of Simon Murray and associates, CEO of GEMS.
David Tang, OBE, Founder and Director of Tangs Department Stores, CEO of DWC Tang Development Ltd



For this special Hong Kong themed edition of The Peninsula, it was a difficult decision to choose between the most talked about and the most written about CEOs in town. Do we pick up the well-read and the popular or the adventurous and the unstoppable? Why pick one when we can double the pleasure for good measure?

Presenting the inimitable David Tang and the incredible Simon Murray, men of power, vision, style and savvy, as heads of their respective companies, every year they add a paragraph to their lengthy list of achievements. Both good friends and a Dictaphone's delight, we sent them the same list of questions only to get disparate responses, indicative of the distinctive personalities who made it big in Hong Kong.

It's an achievement of sorts when you've got an entry and web page in Wikipedia and spurious as it may be, but Leicester-born Simon Murray, 66, certainly does. Mostly because his achievements could indeed fill a page in an encyclopedia but let's dispel some myths fabricated online. For the record, he is the writer of Legionnaire: An Englishman in the French Foreign Legion, an account of the five years he spent in the parachute regiment of the French Foreign Legion. He does head GEMS but it has nothing to do with jewels or diamonds; it's a Hong Kong-based private equity investment arm and an acronym for General Enterprise Management Services Limited. In 2004, at the age of 63, he became the oldest man to reach the South Pole unsupported. Founder and chairman of Simon Murray & Associates, his corporate success sometimes seem incidental, compared to the array of accomplishments he has achieved outside his office.

Perhaps one of the most famous Hong Kong exports and one of the brightest sparks in the international social circuit, David Tang O.B.E., 52, always seems ahead of the curve. Whether it's dressing Whoopi Goldberg for a television show with his brand of high fashion, or discussing world politics with Margaret Thatcher and the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Pattern, or heading to an island resort with his wife and their good friend supermodel Kate Moss and co, Tang has done it all with panache, style and remarkable wit. For a man deeply grounded in Hong Kong, a city he calls home despite his extensive travels, his posh British baritone seems like an antithesis. Just like his title of being a "Taipan Anglophile", a "a philosopher socialite" and other labels that the media has slapped him with - none of which he takes seriously, he assures. A man of many seeming contradictions, he's also a journalist's dream; full of bon mots and quotables. He was on a flight when he sent responses to this Q&A via his new best friend; his blackberry.



P.Ramakrishnan: As the head of your companies, what qualities do you think a leader should preternaturally possess-and what are the ones that you learn with experience and time?

Simon Murray: I don't know what preternaturally means, but the key quality a leader needs is to be able to choose good people (support comes from below, very seldom from above) and also to remember that people follow those in whom they trust.

David Tang: A leader must always have the confidence and conviction of his staff. They must also believe you know best. And it's best to be able to explain your decisions in simple and convincing terms.

How would you best describe yourself? "I am a ..."

SM: I am a hunter - but I like the chase more than the kill - and I love the excitement of life and am interested in all of it, from the morning mist as the sun comes up to the night stars - from dancing to deals - from history, to predicting the future - boredom is a sin.

DT: I am always, as a businessman, looking for niches. Anything I choose to do should be exceptional. All good business should be based on a single idea which then needs to be focused, focused and focused more on.

What is the source of pride and joy in your company? Which particular achievement stands out?

SM: We created something of value and the operative words are "created" as in "birth" and "we" - as in a team.

DT: Any business that matures and becomes profitable for 10 years is a good foundation. And any business which sustains profitability, more or less, for 20 years, is a good achievement.

During troubling times - fiscally, during SARS, the rise and fall of the stock market/trade and such - where do you find the strength to continue?

SM: There are many sources of energy from where we get our inner strength. Hate and love are great sources of energy - as are greed and fear - but the greatest source is hope.

DT: The strength comes from the knowledge that the business are not geared or leveraged or under-capitalised.

Who was the great influence in your professional career?

SM:The greatest influence in my professional career was Li Ka-Shing because he taught me much and gave me more. The role models for life were those I read about in the school library in my young days - Livingstone, Nelson, Burton, Scott, Nansen, Cook, Drake, Churchill and Al Capone.

DT: Anton Rupert for his vision, and Warren Buffett for his valuation of building a business with products and services.

What is one thing/person that can have you racing out of the office as soon as the clock hits 7:00pm?

SM: It's confidential - and it isn't "Dallas".

DT: When someone you don't know very well, or not at all, telephones you and asks whether he could pick your brain and "explore opportunities".

The adage is, the secret of success is doing what you love to do. Was there any job in the past that you did just because it paid the bills?

SM: At eighteen I worked in an iron foundry in Manchester, because it was a job (and they were hard to come by in the 50s) and yes, it paid the bills. It was not dissimilar to working down a coal mine in Victorian England except the coal mine would have been less polluted. I hated it so much I ran away to join the Foreign Legion in Algeria for five years.

DT: More important than doing a job that pays the bills is the notion of preoccupation. I was a floor assistant, kitchen washer-up and cashier when I was young, having to look for pocket money. But whilst I was doing all these jobs, I didn't not stop thinking about other things, and I spent a lot of time reading.

As new graduates hit the market and go job hunting, what would you say to them? When it comes to hiring people, what key qualities do you look for in a person?

SM: I am old-fashioned. I look for honesty, integrity, loyalty and passion combined with modesty and some achievement already accomplished. They must have done something, and having a sense of humour is also a great asset.

DT: Anyone coming for an interview with me most show that they have done some homework on the companies for which they are applying for a job. For them to say that they are committed and will work hard and believe that they have talent is simply not good enough - and boring. I like those young people who know what they want to start doing and get on with it before thinking about higher ambitions.

If you could turn back the clock, what would you do again differently?

SM: Nothing. We do not regret the things we do, we regret the things we left undone though the opportunity was presented.

DT: In business, I wish I was more aggressive and more thick-skinned and more ruthless in personnel.

What is the ultimate goal for your company? What can we expect from you in the future?

SM: Not much. I am three years off 70 in the year of the Pig. It's nearly time to hand over the keys of the front door and time to start coming in by the side door. The company belongs not to me, but the team, and they will take it on up the hill.

DT: Sustainability is the only goal I wish to achieve for all my businesses. If they are still going strong when I was dead, that is what I would call success.

Top Tier: Interview with Crown Jeweller David Thomas: "The British Monarchy Returning the Kohinoor to India is..."

The term priceless is so overused and more often than not falsely stated. In fact, the word has virtually lost all value - except when David Thomas, the Crown Jeweller, says it. P.Ramakrishnan meets a true blue connoisseur of the finer things in life. 

Portrait by Hyvis Tong.

Every year, a long missive requesting the return of the Kohinoor ('Mountain of Light' in Persian) diamond to Indian authorities is sent from some nether office in New Delhi to Buckingham palace. Originating from India, the 105 carat (21.6g) rock is one of the largest diamonds in the world that historically belonged to Indian and Persian rulers for the past five centuries. When Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877, the sizeable rock made its way into the crown jewels but since the country's independence, certain parliament minds in post-colonial India think that the spoils of war need be returned. The Queen, however, is not amused. As David Thomas, the Crown Jeweller says, "I think the letter is sent every month but the chances of returning the diamond from the crown jewels does seem..."

Preposterous? Laughable?

"Er...unlikely," he says with utmost decorum, in the polished English accent that he has surely acquired from his close proximity to the Royal family. The Queen herself in fact. Seated in the bejewelled enclave of Lane Crawford at Hong Kong's ifc mall, where the majestic gems and jewellery of Garrard are on display, during his first visit to the SAR, the man who has handed and maintained the priceless bounty of the UK Royals is fully aware of the history and value of all the individual pieces of jewellery that the family owns. Correction, that the family has access to - as the Crown Jewels belong to no one, but the Sovereign State.


Like many legendary jewels, the Kohinoor that sits on the crown has a fantastic myth orbiting around it; reputed to bring misfortune and death to any male who wears or owns it. However, conversely, it is supposed to bring good luck to its female owners and, all the long living, long-reigning sovereigns of United Kingdom are aware, there's something to be said for the legend.


Well, the Queen is 81 now and rarely travels, and certainly never with the Crown. "The Crown Jewels in the Tower are not allowed to leave the country," explains Thomas. "Because many, many years ago, they did roam about and the kings and queens of those days were not trustworthy and the jewels wouldn't necessarily come back. In 1911, when George V and Queen Mary went to India to be crowned Emperor and Empress, he needed a crown. But the crown in the Tower couldn't possibly cross borders so another one had to be made. All the coloured stones were sent over from nobility of India, diamonds were supplied by Garrard and it was in December 1911 when they made another crown on foreign soil, and it came back. And it has been worn once and once only. Now it rests in the Tower.

One wonders, should any crafty thief decide to try to get their hands on any of the sizeable bounty in the Tower of London (as many a Bollywood hero has done in Hindi films; stealing the crown as in the plot of the latest Indian blockbuster, Dhoom 2) what the repercussions would be. Do the guards circumnavigating the tower stay on high alert for burglars?

"They are always on high alert but, for me, it's really not a major concern as the last time anyone tried to steal the Crown Jewels was in 1671 and they didn't get very far. They barely got to the east gate of the Tower of London," says the Crown Jeweller, encyclopedic with dates and details. "You know, everybody thinks it was a put up job by the then King to get money, but the person who did it, Kernel Blood, was pardoned and given land in Ireland and told not to come back. Everyone who did something wrong was sent off to Ireland - don't ask me why."

David Thomas joined Garrard in 1986 and was invited to apprentice with the Crown Jeweller, with the idea of succeeding the man who held the position before him. "It was a position to consider when my predecessor retired. I trained alongside him for five years and it wasn't foregone conclusion that I would get the job - as the appointment is conferred by the Sovereign and only the Sovereign, that is the Queen herself. The first Crown Jeweller was appointed in 1843, and its succession has gone on and it is now an Act of Parliament. Someone has to be there to take care of and maintain the Crown Jewels. Ten Crowns, numerous dishes, bracelets, rings and cups - in addition to the private collection of the Queen, are collectively designated as the Crown Jewels. After Queen Victoria and Queen Mary's time, there was such large collection that it required someone to watch over it all. Many of the private pieces are not kept in the Tower but in Buckingham Palace itself, as the Queen likes to wear them. Well, she has to wear something, the poor woman!"

As the largest reigning royal figure on the planet and one of the wealthiest, Queen Elizabeth II is the sole figure who can authorise where and to whom any of the jewels may be bestowed upon. "When Queen Mary died and then Queen Victoria, these are the pieces that Her Majesty inherited. They're given to the nation and can't be sold (despite some people having tried many years ago). They belong to the people really and have to be handed down. When the Prince of Wales was married to Diana, there were heritage pieces that were given to her by the Queen that originally belonged to Queen Mary and she knew, tragically killed or not, at the end of her day, they would have to go back."

The late Diana did toy with the jewels given, well, loaned to her. Remember the bandana she made with some notable pearls? "Yes, well, she didn't deliberately set out to do anything controversial then. Little known fact, she was sun-burnt in Australia and it pained her to wear them around her neck so they became a bandana." Since her death, the piece does now rest within the aegis of Thomas. "Heritage pieces travel generations. I guess it will go to Prince William when he gets married. I say 'guess' because it's entirely up to the Sovereign."

With a slight pause and sip of water, he continues in a slightly hushed tone, "I am not privileged to all the information of what the Queen has planned, but I have some idea."

Like the caves mentioned in Ali Baba, the sheer size and breadth of the Monarch's collection one imagines would make one spoilt for choice, but as the confidante to the Queen says, she always returns to classics. "The Queen always wears her pearls. Always, always, always. Three or four strands of pearls, her diamond earrings, and her engagement ring. The ring is never off her finger. She's absolutely devoted to The Duke of Edinburgh, despite whatever reports you read in the paper. You try and it get if off her finger just to get it cleaned and she says, 'Well, it is coming back in five minutes isn't it? Five minutes.' And then she walks around impatiently until it comes back."

Tabloid rumours of gauging Her Majesty's mood according to what jewels she's wearing is pure conjecture, assures the man who likes to clear up common misconceptions of the most written-about family in Europe. "She will pick and choose her own items. There really isn't a correlation between what she gives to the family and how fond she is of the person, and it's cruel and speculative of the media to suggest this. It's not unlike people assuming she's unhappy because she has her blue brooch on. It's entirely a wardrobe choice. Sapphires with blue outfits, rubies with red, and so on."

With a sudden spotlight on rubies in the press, again, it is incredible that there are thousands of websites, hundreds of books, films and TV shows dedicated to the Monarchy and its possessions. "Everyone's interested in royal jewels not just because they are big and beautiful artefacts, but because of a genuine fascination of history and knowing where these pieces come from. The Duchess of Cornwall was wearing this staggering ruby necklace in the US last month and people tried to find out where she got it from, but no one knows the secret of how it was acquired in history."

"It is easy to spot the inaccuracies published," he continues. "There are one or two inaccuracies in the books on royal jewels (which author Suzy Menkes is aware of too). And I constantly read wrong descriptions; something is described as a sapphire diamond brooch and I know it's a diamond brooch, or that it was given by a certain person when I know it wasn't. The press tend to look up their archives in a rushed manner instead of going through the right channels. They just want the photograph out quick and to be the first with the story and not necessarily be accurate and, as the British press does, puts in an apology or a correction the following day in a little square somewhere."

Apologies that should have been printed when online scribes wrote that Garrard was "duplicating" designs from the vaults of the Queen's collection? The company is doing no such thing as Thomas clears up immediately, "You cannot replicate the insignia of the Royal emblem, but the pieces are inspired by the curves, colours and stones that are in the royal collection. That's all. We wouldn't pass off anything and say this is one exactly like what's in the Queen's armoire. The curves of the Royal sceptre have influenced the curves in an earring for example. These are very high end piece where the focus is entirely on quality. The "Wings" collection has been, pardon the pun, flying off the shelves, and people can't get enough of it. All the pieces have been made with the finest stones. As the official jeweller for the Royal family, one does have standards to maintain."

But of course.

Rich Pickings: Discount VIP cards in Hong Kong

Discount cards might be about saving money, but for the wealthy they're also about being a member of an elite club, writes, P.Ramakrishnan.

It's an everyday scene in Hong Kong's high-end boutiques full of high-end shoppers, Mrs Tai Tai, soaked in designer perfume, steps into a luxury store and picks up a logo-embossed bag without looking twice at the multiple-digit price tag.

At the counter she opens this seasons's wallet and her manicured index finger searches among a fan of plastic cards for the gilt-edged discount card. She pours them out and asks the ever-smiling girl at the counter to pick the card that will shave the most off the price. The $6,500 she just saved for her troubles means designer gloves to go with that swish satchel.

"Everyone loves a discount, especially the minted rich," says Elaine Young, chief executive of Shama boutique serviced apartments. "Just the simple thrill of saving $500, even if you've just spent $50,000. It's the upper echelons in particular who get an even bigger kick out of it.

"It is very Hong Kong, or perhaps an Asian trend where you go right up and ask for a discount. This would never happen in Italy or Paris where the super rich wouldn't dream of asking for a better price. But trying to save some money, even when you're at Cartier, is the done thing here."

The spendthrift lifestyle of the ladies-who-lunch isn't without its obvious perkss: the best hotels, designer brands, luxury stores, clubs and spas go out of their way to make guests and big spenders feel more privileged thaan the great unwashed.

Olivia Davies, columnist for Talkies magazine and one of Hong Kong's most recognisable socialites, says she has so many luxury discount cards that she needs another purse to carry them. "Lane Crawford, Kova, Dior, Gucci... I don't know how many I have. My husband also has some for hotels so if we're out, we're only paying for one lunch instead of two, depending on the hotel. Some of the discounts may not be much, but it all adds up nicely."

These cards were conceived during the economic boom of the late 1980s and early 90s. It was the prestige factor, not the monetary benefits, that made them popular. Which also explains why, although we're in an economic downturn - and despite Sars-related sales at many fashion outlets - there hasn't been a surge in customers using their money-saving cards.

It was a clever marketing gimmick that took on a life of its own. Most hotels and up-market designer stores introduced them in the early 90s-around the time Asia Miles and other airline points-based reward schemes began.

In a similar vein, even the more affordable department stores such as China Products, U2, Mango and even supermarkets such as CitySuper and Kalms gift card shops started rewarding regular customers.

I expect to see Davies with a multi-pocketed, voluminous wallet to house all these glittering cards, but she exclaims,"Of course I don't carry them around with me all the time. They recognise me at my favourite stores and I know I'm on the list."

Some of the biggest labels, such as Chanel, Fendi and Prada, don't have tangible discount cards. But there is an A-list database available to sales people that gives the privileged "special prices."

So who's on that list? None of the major brands approached revealed the names - or even the number of names that are carefully logged on their screens. The list does not guarantee fiduciary benefits, but offers ego massages such as first dibs on the season's latest accessories or home-delivered, laminated catalogues of the new season line.

A discreet spokesman from Fendi assures us they don't have a privilege card, but invitations to high-profile launches and champagne lunches are available to "friends of Fendi."

Young knows only too well about the list and how alluring a discount card can be. Her shama apartments (in Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay), are luxuriously furnished and the residency comes with a no-additional-cost gravy boat. As they settle in, tenants at shama receive a card called "shama no boundaries."

The card comes with an inch-thick, palm-sized folder with a guide to the best restaurants, hair-dressers, clubs and florists - all with a raft of discounts. The card also gives automatic membership to some of the hippest places in town. About 80 participating business in Hong Kong are linked to the card, for the 100-odd shama residents. When residents leave shama, they have to leave their card and its multitudinous perks behind.

"Our lists change with fads and so do our constantly growing benefits. It may be a free bottle of wine at some place or a table at a popular restaurant secured on a busy night," says Young. "We've just added access to the popular hot-spots such as Backroom and Dragon-i to our list of benefits. We've dropped a few non-happening places too, but it wouldn't be fair to mention those."


The network is big and getting bigger, but when asked if there were any other privilege cards to compete with shama, without hesitation Young says: "We don't have the global network of the American Express Centurion card. That's a card I can swear by. I was going on a trip to Europe where I wanted to see a paricular opera on its opening night - impossible right? But Centurion made it happen, right down to the limo ride."

But forget green, gold or platinum, the elusive black American Express card can only be obtained by invitation. Looking at credit history, spending habits and the longevity of a customer's relationship with American Express, the Centurion may well be the mother of all privilege cards. In addition to travel and entertainment benefits, within the confines of law and logic, Centurion takes its role in providing the near-impossible to their well-heeled customers, very seriously.

"We had a customer who forgot to pack his alarm clock while travelling around the world. Our offices did wake-up calls for him at every destination," says Zow Lau Yuet-ting, head of payment and financial services at American Express bank. "But that wasn't our strangest request. A customer wanted Chinese lion-dancing to be done at the opening of a shop in Sicilly. We found a kung fu master in Rome, trained him in the dance and he performed in this little village. The cost of hiring the person and getting him there was incurred by the customer but for our service, there was no charge. It's part and parcel of the deal when you sign up for the card."

Unlike other vards - which are offered to customers purely based on their spending habits - these cards have an annual fee ranging from $400 for the basic Green American Express card to $9,800 for the Centurion. The Centurion also comes with supplementary cards for business and private use, spouses and other relatives.

Tickets to the Oscars, getting your favourite chef across the planet to cook something for your companion when you're on holiday in Barbados - the list of "can-dos" by Centurion is mind-boggling.

The final word goes to Nisha Parmanand, Hari Harilela's grand-daughter who has been offered almost every card created. "No one really wants to be the common man on the street," she says. "To be the chosen one, to be singled out as someone of value... well who wouldn't want that? The card gives you a superficial reassurance, but it's still something."

Pulling out a card that gives her access to the Kee Club and a little red number that gives her 20 per cent off drinks at Post 97, she say, "Well, I was approached to join and I did. After the initial excitement of getting the card, well, as with everything else, it wears off."