The Jakarta Post, Fri, 12/31/2010
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| Local villagers in Saddang, North Toraja, South Sulawesi, take part in a traditional burial procession called Mabadong, which involves animal sacrifice. (Antara/Sahrul Manda Tikupadang |
Friday, December 31, 2010
For the dead
Au Revoir 2010
This year has seemed to have flown by! From staying alone in Warsaw last year, unable to be close to any friends and family...to this year living my dream and snagging a party to watch the ball drop live in NYC... I must say words cannot properly express my elation over the past few months.
I think we're raised to be synical...dream big, but don't get your hopes up because all too often things are not what they seem. Normally this tactic works, as it shelters us from a whole array of disappointing outcomes, but every once and a while you will find yourself pleasantly surprised with sheer happiness. New York has been my surprise, since the days of dress up in my mother's high heels I have dreamed of being a New Yorker. I couldn't wait to prance across town hailing cabs and climbing career ladders... all in the highest of styles of course ;)
This city certainly hazes anyone who dares try to live here, but once you make it in, its absolutely fabulous. So this New Year's I have a bounty of greatness to celebrate. Dreams come true, home sweet home established, and new adventures to embark upon. My favorite thing about New Year's is the look back of the last year, and how many incredible changes can happen in just 365 days. I am sure 2011 will bring about some changes of its own and personally cannot wait set out on the next 365 adventure!
I think we're raised to be synical...dream big, but don't get your hopes up because all too often things are not what they seem. Normally this tactic works, as it shelters us from a whole array of disappointing outcomes, but every once and a while you will find yourself pleasantly surprised with sheer happiness. New York has been my surprise, since the days of dress up in my mother's high heels I have dreamed of being a New Yorker. I couldn't wait to prance across town hailing cabs and climbing career ladders... all in the highest of styles of course ;)
This city certainly hazes anyone who dares try to live here, but once you make it in, its absolutely fabulous. So this New Year's I have a bounty of greatness to celebrate. Dreams come true, home sweet home established, and new adventures to embark upon. My favorite thing about New Year's is the look back of the last year, and how many incredible changes can happen in just 365 days. I am sure 2011 will bring about some changes of its own and personally cannot wait set out on the next 365 adventure!
Here is my recap of 2010... what is yours darlings?
{merci weheartit for the photo love}
Rang in the New Year in a new country!
Traveled to 4 new countries!
Fell in love in a romantic city!
Life long goal realized!
Not bad. No pressure 2011...
RI to launch ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ to lure tourists
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/31/2010
Indonesia will launch the new branding “Wonderful Indonesia” as part of its tourism campaign to attract up to 7.7 million foreign tourists next year.
Speaking at a yearend briefing in Jakarta Thursday, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said that with the new campaign brand, which would replace the previous “Visit Indonesia Year”, the target could be achieved.
The new catchphrase, he said, was much stronger than the previous one as it reflected the country’s beautiful nature, unique culture, varied food, hospitable people and price competitiveness in various kinds of services.
About 7 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia last year, an increase from 6.4 million in 2009.
“We expect each tourist will spend around US$1,100 and with an optimistic target of 7.7 million arrivals, we will get $8.3 billion,” he said, adding that 50 percent of the revenue would be generated from about 600 meetings, conventions and exhibitions that were expected to take place in various places throughout the country next year.
Wacik further explained that his ministry would also promote the country’s attractions under the eco-cultural banner.
“We picked this theme to cope with the trend that foreign tourists will choose eco-friendly tourist sites, hotels and services. All
tourism stakeholders, then, are expected to upkeep their environment,” he said.
Wacik pointed out that the Komodo National Park in West Nusa Tenggara, one of 28 finalists of the New Seven Wonders of Nature competition, as one of 15 prime tourist destinations to be promoted by the ministry next year.
“We’ll also continue our Visit Museum Year campaign. We’ll build a number of museums and revitalize existing museums,” he said without explaining further.
The director general for tourism destination development, Firmansyah Rahim, said his ministry planned to improve infrastructure facilities, mainly airports.
“We will widen runways at a number of airports to accommodate large aircraft,” he said.
Among the airports are Selangit in North Sumatra, Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi and Toraja in South Sulawesi.
He also said his ministry would develop about 560 tourism villages across the archipelago, adding to the current 200 sites and contributing to the 2,000 targeted by 2014.
The director of marketing development, Syamsul Lussa, said that to reach the targeted number of foreign tourists, his ministry still had to solve problems, such as aircraft capacity and immigration services.
Currently, airlines have 14.7 million aircraft seats for domestic as well as international tourists.
“Seventy percent of foreign tourists use air services to travel. We need an additional 1.7 million seats to carry 7.7 million tourists,” he said.
“We also lack counters for visa-on-arrival services because the planning of airports is not in line with the development of needs,” he added. (lnd)
Related Article:
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sahid Resort brings oasis of luxury into heart of Kuta
Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Kuta | Thu, 12/30/2010
An “oasis” will soon emerge in Bali’s most crowded tourist area offering holidaymakers a luxury hotel and lavish shopping paradise overlooking the pristine Kuta Beach.
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| World famous: Bali’s Kuta Beach, pictured here, is a favorite spot for holidaymakers around the world: Courtesy PT Indonesia Paradise Island / Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort |
“This will be a perfect blend of contemporary and traditional, translated into a world-class hotel and shopping mall,” explained Hariyadi B. Sukamdani, president of PT Indonesian Paradise Island (IPI).
The planned project is expected to be completed mid 2011. IPI invested Rp 600 billion (US$70 million) into the Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort. Haryadi, however, was quick to add the amount of capital invested might change depending on the project design.
“We are still altering some of the designs here and there and these could affect the amount of capital invested,” he said.
Some might wonder whether the already crowded and often traffic congested Kuta really needs another multi-billion project. People will certainly be curious about the project’s structure and design especially when it comes to ecological issues brought about by the rapid growth of tourist-related development projects and the increasing number of visitors besieging Kuta.
Sukamdani Sahid Gitosardjono, the patriarch of the Sahid family, said his old property, the Sahid Hotel, was one of the pioneer hotels in the area.
“In the past, Kuta was quiet and beautiful. Only a few small guesthouses and hotels were operating, catering for local and foreign tourists,” Sukamdani said.
“In the past, the development of any five-star hotel was allowed provided developers applied designs in line with the island’s nature,” he said.
His son Hariyadi decided to follow this philosophy by developing an eco-friendly resort on the 5.2 hectares of land on the former site of the old Sahid Hotel.
“My plan is to revitalize the Kuta area into a green and people-friendly area by constructing an-integrated luxury resort, office complex and high-end shopping complex using an eco-friendly architectural concept.”
The buildings have been designed with world-class architectural standard using as much local materials as possible.
Spacious and lust gardens, water ponds and hanging gardens will surround the buildings, which will be lined with wide sidewalks to enable visitors to enjoy their promenade. Nowadays, it is still difficult for people to walk along the narrow streets of Kuta because of the limited pedestrian facilities.
The planned hotel will consist of 200 lavish rooms facing the great waves of Kuta Beach and will be operated under the brand Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort.
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| A new oasis: PT Indonesian Paradise Island is planning to build a multi-billion rupiah hotel project, currently designed to look like this picture, called the Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort. The resort will be completed mid 2011. Courtesy PT Indonesia Paradise Island/Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort |
The shopping arcades, called the Beach Walk, will be designed in the Balinese traditional architectural style, adding a few touches to remind visitors of the daily lives of the Balinese agricultural society.
The project has been designed by architectural firm PT Enviro Tec Indonesia, according to Indonesia Design.
The Beach Walk will resemble the island’s rural landscape with its beautiful terraced contours and open-air walkways. It will house 200 top-notch boutiques and stores, restaurants, children playgrounds, music and dance stages.
“We will not cut any existing trees on this site and will use recycled wood and materials for the project,” said Hariyadi.
The company’s director of development, Patrick Rendradjaja, added that the company was also concerned about the existing traffic problems in Kuta.
“We have already incorporated a comprehensive parking site to ease traffic congestion,” Rendradjaja said.
Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort will have a two-level parking basement which can accommodate up to 1,000 vehicles at a time. The Sahid Kuta Lifestyle Resort will be next to the Harris Hotel, which also belongs to the Sahid family.
“They will complement each other. The Sheraton will cater to the high-end market, while the four-star Harris will continue to retain its own clientele,” Hariyadi said.
“I really expect the project will benefit hotels and businesses in this area as it will rejuvenate the area into a green and beautiful one,” he added.
Those eager to stay at this luxury and tranquil hotel in the hustle-bustle Kuta will have to wait until its completion, sometime in 2011.
Happy Holidays.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Indonesian Jews fondly remember tropical home
Scholars, ex-members meet in Haifa to discuss a now-extinct Southeast Asian community.
The Jerusalem Post, By GIL SHEFLER , 12/29/2010
In 1938, as Nazi Germany absorbed Austria and anti- Semitic violence worsened, the situation of Jews in Europe became desperate. Lines of would-be émigrés formed outside embassies hoping to get permits that would allow them to escape.
Most were turned away.
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Once upon a time in the Dutch East Indies (Photo by: Dr. Ely Dwek) |
The Lehrers of Vienna were among the lucky ones. They boarded a boat that took them halfway across the world to Indonesia, where a relative who had been working as a physician had helped obtain permits for them.
Shoshana Lehrer, who was then four years old, recalled arriving in the Dutch East Indies and her encounter with the small but vibrant Jewish community.
“It was very hard, we were like olim,” Lehrer, who lives in Haifa’s bayside suburbs, said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. “I never wanted to speak German so I had to speak Dutch with the other kids, which wasn’t easy. We were very poor, living together with other refugees in houses rented out for us by the Jewish community. It was a hard life,” Lehrer said.
“In Vienna I had a room and in Indonesia I had nothing but my bear. But although we had a very hard time there I loved it, it’s a beautiful place. It really felt like it was my country.”
The history of the Jews in Indonesia was the subject of a two-day symposium at the University of Haifa that ended on Monday. The gathering included many firsthand accounts by former community members like Lehrer, who spoke about what it was like being part of a tiny Jewish minority in what is now the most populous Muslim country in the world.
Prof. Rotem Kowner of the university’s Department of Asian Studies, who organized the event, said there was an unusual revival of interest in the remote and largely forgotten Jewish community.
“This is an interesting story of a community which was reformed in Israel after it had fallen apart,” Kowner said. “Seven years ago, the community members here decided to officially form an organization and sought funding but were largely ignored. The Dutch weren’t interested and the Indonesians certainly weren’t. Up until then not a word had been written about them.”
Lehrer is the head of Tempo Dulu, the association of Indonesian Jews in Israel, whose name means “former times” in Indonesian. She said the idea for members of the community to meet regularly emerged in 1995, when a Dutch film crew interviewed several of its members for a documentary.
“We meet in kibbutzim once or twice a year and at least 50 people come,” Lehrer said of the get-togethers, where participants often share spicy homecooked Indonesian food. “It’s not just members of the community but their children and grandchildren sometimes come, although they’re not as interested.”
Jews first arrived in the islands of Southeast Asia from the Netherlands when they were being colonized by the Dutch East India Company in the 19th century. These Jewish merchants and plantation owners were later joined by Jewish Iraqi businessmen, who had created a network of trading posts covering most of Asia from Mumbai to Shanghai.
Finally, the community was bolstered by refugees like the Lehrers fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe.
The Indonesian Jewish community was never big. At its peak shortly before outbreak of World War II, it numbered 3,000 people, based mostly in Surabaya, the island of Java’s second largest city; Batavia, later renamed Jakarta; and a few other smaller cities and towns.
With the exception of the refugees, life for members of the community during those years was one of privilege. Old photos reveal festive banquets held in large mansions, sports competitions and many religious ceremonies.
“We had a sports car which my father would drive around the island,” said Dr. Ely Dwek, who was born in Indonesia to Iraqi Jews but has lived in Israel most his life.
The Jews of Indonesia did not, however, escape the horrors of WWII. When Japan invaded the Dutch colony in 1942, most Jews were put together with other non-Asians in internment camps where conditions were extremely harsh. Many died of malnutrition, disease and violence inflicted by the Japanese and their allies.
Shoshana Lehrer was separated from her father and put in an internment camp with her mother for three years before the allies liberated them.
“My mother always said it was bad, but it was still better than what would have happened had we stayed in Europe,” she said.
After the war the community found itself in a precarious position, caught between the nationalists, who demanded independence, and the Dutch, who sought a return to the status quo before the war.
When the nationalists finally gained the upper hand in the fighting in 1949 it became increasingly difficult for Jews as well as for other non-Asians to remain. The Lehrers left for the Netherlands in 1952, never to return. Others moved to the UK, US, Israel and Australia. By 1965 there were only a few dozen Jews in Indonesia.
Nowadays an estimated 20 Jews live there. Judaism is not a recognized religion in the country and in 2009 the old synagogue in Surabaya, which seats 200 people, was forced to close under pressure from Islamists because of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Asked if she would like visit her childhood home, Lehrer, who has fond memories of the country, said she had mixed feelings.
“I would like to go back, but it has changed quite a lot so I’m not sure what I’ll see,” Lehrer said. “It is a place of 18,000 islands, a really beautiful place.”
But despite the community’s exodus the story of Jews in Indonesia may not be over yet.
Dr. Giora Eliraz of the Hebrew University referred on Monday to a recent New York Times article on a newly formed Jewish community in Manado, a city in a largely Christian part of the island of Sulawesi.
According to the article, pro- Jewish sentiment is widespread in the region. A giant menorah was recently erected on a mountain top and several families who claim Jewish ancestry are reconnecting with Judaism and even opened a small synagogue.
“The Jewish origin of these individuals is ambiguous,” Eliraz said. “There seems to be some Christian evangelical influence at work. Nonetheless, this may mean the curtain might not have set on Jews in Indonesia yet.”
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“Those who love and care for Israel,” writes contributor Starhawk, “need to stand with her true interests now, by demanding an end to the occupation, an end to the siege of Gaza, the dismantling of the settlements, restitution, and real justice. These are the preconditions that will lead to true security and peace.”
The ultra-Orthodox make up 10 percent of Israel’s population of 7.5 million, but are increasing rapidly amid a growing backlash to the privileges and subsidies long granted to the ultra-religious. (Rina Castelnuovo for The New York Times)
Press Council: 25 violence against journalist cases in 2010
Antara News, Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Press Council (Dewan Pers) has recorded 25 cases of violence against journalists during 2010, a spokesman said.
The violence occurred in the form of acts of intimidation, destruction of reporting equipment, vandalization of media offices, acts of sabotage , confinement, physical maltreatment and murder, Agus Sudibyo, head of the Press Council`s unit for complaints and ethics enforcement, said here Wednesday.
"The number of cases of violence against journalists has increased and according to the Legal Aid Institute for Media it is even the worst on record," he said.
Agus, who was accompanied by Press Council Chief Bagir Manan and Vice Chief Bambang Harymurty said data obtained by the Council showed the perpetrators were people of different backgrounds and included public figures like artists, government office staff, ordinary citizens and hoodlums.
But the Council had also noted that in some cases, the violence occurred after provocation by press workers who had violated professional principles and the journalistic code of ethics.
According to Agus, the causes of the violence varied but in general it had happened because press freedom and journalists` safety were not yet being protected optimally.
Bagir Manan said the violence against media workers had happened because of the arbitrariness of people in power and because of people`s resentment at having their affairs exposed to the public.
"From the journalistic viewpoint, it is all a consequence of the practice of press freedom. On the one hand, the freedom enables journalists to publish information with a minimum of restrictions but on the other there are people who can`t accept such freedom," Bagir said.
The Council opined that the risks to journalists` safety were still a serious problem in Indonesia and the government should pay greater attention to the increasing phenomenon of violence and criminal acts against the media and its workers.
The Council called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to show more serious concern about abuse against journalists.
"It`s the government`s duty to make sure that the principles of press freedom are truly enforced and the safety of media workers is ensured," Agus said.
Agus said the law enforcing agencies should prove their commitment to respect for press freedom by investigating the crimes that had been committed against Indonesian journalists because the agencies` firmness could inform society that violence against media workers was unlawful.
Nevertheless, Agus added, the cases of violence should also motivate media companies to show their responsibility by providing their journalists with comprehensive understanding about journalistic professionalism and ethics.
Related Articles:
Wakatobi district head wins Tourism Award 2010
Antara News, Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Wakatobi district head Hugua has received a Tourism Award 2010 from the Culture and Tourism Ministry in Jakarta.
"I received the highest award for tourism from Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik during a Visit Indonesia Year 2010 Appreciation Night at Sahid Jaya Hotel on Monday night," Hugua said over his cellular phone from Jakarta on Wednesday.
Hugua said he got the award because he was considered to have achieved outstanding results in developing Wakatobi as a tourist destination and in promoting it internationally.
"Based on an evaluation from the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Wakatobi tourism has made outstanding progress during the year 2010 and attracted foreign tourists from many countries," Hugua said.
According to him, he also got a similar award in 2009 along with 12 district heads and mayors.
"The award is an appreciation from the central government through the Culture and Tourism Ministry to the district heads and mayors who have successfully developed and promoted the tourism sector in their respective regions to attract both domestic and foreign tourists," Hugua said.
He said that in 2009 only around 5,000 tourists visited Wakatobi but in 2010 the number sharply increased to around 20,000, especially from European countries such as England, France, and Switzerland.
Besides Hugua, Lombok Barat district head Zaini Arony also got a similar award from the Culture and Tourism Ministry because his district was a favorite tourist destination in 2010.
"The West Nusa Tenggara governor and I got the award from the Culture and Tourism Ministry two weeks ago in Jakarta," Lombok Barat district head Zaini Arony said in Giri Menang on Monday.
Zaini Arnoy said he also received the same award in 2009.
He said Lombok Barat district received a similar award in 2009 in the category of best tourism destination in Indonesia.
The award, according to him, was not only of national but also of international significance because it was given based on assessments made by domestic and foreign tourists who had visited various tourist objects in Lombok Barat district.
With those two awards, Zaini said, the Lombok Barat district government would continue to improve the tourism sector in the area to attract even more tourists.
Related Articles:
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Highest Number of Tourists in Yogyakarta are Dutch
Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 28 December, 2010
TEMPO Interactive, Yogyakarta:The highest number of tourists visiting Yogyakarta are from the Netherlands, Setiawan K.E., chief of Yogyakarta Tourism Board announced Monday.
From January to September this year the number of Dutch tourists visiting the area totaled 23,766 people. “Last year, that number increased to 20,366. That means so far the number has increased by 3,400 people or by 16.7 percent,” he said.
The second-highest number of visitors were from Japan (14,650) and France (13,411). The number of Malaysian tourists has dropped to 12,550, from 12,673 people last year. According to Setiawan, more tourists are visiting Yogyakarta to see disaster-affected areas.
ANANG ZAKARIA
Related Article:
RI attracted seven million plus foreign tourists in 2010
Antara News, Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia was in 2010 visited by a total of about seven million foreign tourists who spent more than US$ 7 billion in the country, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said.
"The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) has recorded seven million foreign tourist arrivals or more than the target figure for 2010. More detailed information on this matter will be given in early 2011," the minister said when attending a Visit Indonesia Year (VIY) 2010 appraisal night here Monday (Dec 27).
Jero said the seven million foreign tourist arrivals constituted a new record because in 2009 the target figure was about 6.45 million.
"In my contract with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, I promised to attract 6.75 million tourists. But it turned out to be more than 7 million," Jero said.
Jero also stated tourism in Indonesia during 2010 was hampered by several natural disasters like the Mt. Merapi eruptions in October to November.
"I was worried when 14 airlines canceled their flights to Jakarta and Yogyakarta last November. But it did not last long because I met the managements of the airlines," Jero said.
The normalization of airline flights had a salutary effect on the target`s achievement which was 9.3 percent up from 6.45 million in 2009 , said the minister.
Snow Day
Did you get any magical flurries your way darlings?
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5
Dear Disney Channel Rocks,
You suck. Majorly. You guys can't sing, you can't dance, you can't really do anything that remotely resembles decent. I don't know what it is about this show that makes my blood boil: it could be the awful lyrics, the awful music, the dated dance moves, the ridiculously high volume during the performance, the selfish "its all about me" mannerism and nature, the conceited attitude, the constant missing of notes you didn't need to hit in the first place, or just the overall fact that in a Hollywood theme park, instead of looking to reach classic musicals like Grease, Chicago, Mary Poppins, we reach out to a distorted grouping of songs the performers call "greatest ever" and use this instead. I would greatly appreciate if you stop doing this show immediately and go back to do doing something else...anything else...anything, just not this. I am pretty sure one year from now, Cheetah Girls, Camp Rock and High School Musical will be an extremely distant memory.
But stop. Please. Honestly.
Sincerely,
Disney Fan.
P.S. Did I already mention your show sucks?
2010's Defining Moments
As 2010 draws to a close, it's time to reflect on the past 12 months and the fashion moments that have defined a year in style. (via style.com)
From Tom Ford’s return to womenswear and Lanvin’s collection for H&M to Giles Deacon's appointment at Ungaro, this has been a year of newsworthy highs and tragic lows - Alexander McQueen died in February and Corinne Day passed away in August.
The Lowdown On Valentino's Incredible Roman Extravaganza
"Make it beautiful." That was all Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti told Patrick Kinmonth and Antonio Monfreda when they hired them to design an exhibition marking 45 years of the designer's work. Everyone connected with the anniversary celebrations in There were four main way stations: Friday's exhibition opening at the Meier-designed Ara Pacis Museum followed by a dinner at the Temple of Venus
"Nothing looks old," a bedazzled Elizabeth Saltzman Walker declared, speaking for everyone at the Ara Pacis. To prove the point, Dr. Lisa Airan was wearing a dress from the archive that was designed 40 years ago but could have been from Saturday's show. "Valentino made one of my wedding dresses," Astrid Muñoz said cryptically. "It was red."
"Nothing looks old," a bedazzled Elizabeth Saltzman Walker declared, speaking for everyone at the Ara Pacis. To prove the point, Dr. Lisa Airan was wearing a dress from the archive that was designed 40 years ago but could have been from Saturday's show. "Valentino made one of my wedding dresses," Astrid Muñoz said cryptically. "It was red."
Milan Fashion Week: Dolce & Gabbana’s 25th anniversary celebrates silhouette, Sicily
Domenico Dolce and
Their 50th Dolce & Gabbana collection was a romantic and poetic salute to their heritage of clothes for the sensual woman, both dressed and undressed.
The show was staged in the old Metropole Theatre, where Maria Callas once sang, which is now a Dolce & Gabbana headquarters.
A total of 75 models, wearing variations on tailored black jackets over black satin and lace corsetry, formed a dramatic visual encapsulation of the brand's tradition, walking against a backdrop of black-and-white footage of the work done in the studio to bring the collection to fruition.
The collection was as much a romantic homage to the duo's strong feminine ideal, as it was about a shared, enduring passion for designing beautiful clothes.
Called 'Sartorialita, Sicilianita, Sensualita', the collection, for next autumn/winter, revisited the brand's signatures of tailoring, corsetry, leopard and rose-print, and the age-old black garb of the Sicilian woman, updated in knits, lightweight silks and stretch fabrics.
The news that Alexander McQueen has killed himself is particularly devastating because it always felt to me like he’d be the last man standing. He was restless, but so pragmatic with it I assumed he had what it took to endure the extreme situations he placed himself in. He was also an arch romantic with a pessimistic streak. It produced some of the most beautiful, shocking images in the history of fashion, but it’s a state of mind that can lead to endless disappointments. The death of McQueen’s mother last week would have validated his pessimism. It would undoubtedly have taken away his most vital support. It’s awful to imagine him trying—and failing—to cope, and one can only hope that, if he was looking for peace, he found it. For everyone left behind, there will eventually be consolation, however scant right now, in a body of work whose power will never die.
Alexander McQueen’s Last Collection – A week after McQueen’s death, PPR - the company that owns the Alexander McQueen brand – confirmed that the collection that the designer had been working on would be shown during Paris Fashion Week, at an invitation only private salon presentation. The following month, a select group of editors gathered at the PPR headquarters to see a moving tribute to McQueen’s great talent. To the backdrop of classical music and gilt-edged mirrors, 15 exquisite looks, inspired by religious iconography, were shown in a moment of profound poignancy.
Fashion’s Night In – After the phenomenal success of Fashion’s Night Out, this November VOGUE.COM brought all the fun inside and online for the first ever Fashion’s Night In. From exclusive product launches and one-off designer collaborations to competitions and live fashion advice, it was one big online fashion party. And all for a good cause too – a portion of the night’s sales was donated to the children’s charity KidsCo.
Fashion For Relief – Naomi Campbell staged her Fashion For Relief catwalk show at Somerset House just a few days after Alexander McQueen's death. In tribute to the designer, Kate Moss and McQueen’s muse Annabelle Neilson took to the catwalk with Naomi in pieces from his last collection.
Fashion Kisses – After the moving catwalk tribute paid to McQueen’s memory by Naomi, Kate and Annabelle, the mood was lifted when comedians David Walliams (who was engaged to Vogue cover girl Lara Stone at the time and - married her in May), and James Corden camped it up spectacularly down the catwalk before snogging for the cameras.
Fashion’s Night Out –The international, global celebration of fashion and shopping was back again for 2010 and even more fun than last year - with Bugsy Malone-themed dance lessons in Rupert Sanderson, cookery lessons in Browns, customising classes at Harvey Nicks (from Erdem, Christopher Kane and Jonathan Saunders), make-up lessons in Chanel and live music in the windows of Matthew Williamson and Burberry.
Lanvin for H&M – In September, after much speculation about which label would be the next to collaborate with H&M, it was announced that Lanvin would be joining forces with the high street brand for a collection. “What intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public,” said Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz of the collaboration.
Riccardo Tisci Autumn/Winter 2010-11 Couture Show for Givenchy – Presented in the 18th Century Hotel D’Evreaux – which was given to Madame de Pompadour by King Louis XV- the fashion world was left abuzz after Tisci’s small but perfectly formed couture show, which was based on the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration and Frida Kahlo’s three great passions: religion, anatomy and sensuality. “What’s amazing with his couture is that he manages to make it modern while infusing it with all the gravitas and impact of couture and you really get to see the detail of it,” said Vogue’s fashion director Kate Phelan.
The Death of Corinne Day – After a long struggle with brain cancer, fashion photographer Corinne Day passed away on August 27. Her lens had captured some of the most iconic images and famous faces - including Kate Moss - of the past two decades and her talent was charted across the pages and covers of Vogue.
And finally, my dear Fellow Fashionistas – FM is coming back!
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