Our friends at Midori will be keeping us informed of some great cocktails for the northern summer here at Lucire—and we’ll be sharing some recipes during the next few weeks.
   Here’s one for starters, from the advertisement itself:

1 oz Midori melon liqueur
2 oz Cabo Wabo tequila
1 oz margarita mix
Blend with crushed ice and pour into margarita glass. Garnish with lime wheel.

   More to follow! Enjoy your summer.

The swinging ’60s, birthplace of the miniskirt, kinky boots, the Beatles, Mini Cooper and Twiggy, has been voted the decade that gave Europeans the most timeless styles, according to a survey conducted by LG Electronics, which commissioned the survey to coincide with the launch of its new third Black Label Series handset, the LG Secret.
   Of the 1,000 people from the UK who participated in the pan-European (Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden) survey, 23 per cent agreed that the ’60s delivered the most lasting and impactful fashion trends that are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago, when compared to all other decades. It is a decade that brought many great ?rsts: the ?rst man on the moon, the touch-tone phone, Arpanet (the prototype internet) and colour TVs.
   UK males were among the strongest advocates of the ’60s style, with 28 per cent rating the ?amboyance and libertine attitudes of this decade the most in?uential. However, UK females disagreed. The 1950s, which saw the rise of rock ’n’ roll, Brylcreem and iconic stars such as Marilyn Monroe, were recognized by 20 per cent of UK females as the quintessential trend-setting decade.

Oscar-winning ?lm director Sydney Pollack, 73, has passed away in Los Angeles, according to his publicist, Leslee Dart. He had been suffering from cancer.
   Pollack was best known for directing They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, with Jane Fonda; Tootsie, with Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange; and Out of Africa, with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. He won his Oscar for Out of Africa.
   He often appeared in front of the camera and was a familiar face to moviegoers, most recently appearing in Made of Honor as star Patrick Dempsey’s screen father. On the small screen he had guest-starred on Will & Grace.
   Actor George Clooney issued a statement, saying, ‘Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act.’
   Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Pollack—the son of ?rst-generation Russian–Americans—began an acting career in New York and was a contemporary of Martin Landau, who also issued a tribute.
   By the early 1960s, Pollack began directing television programmes, including episodes of Ben Casey.
   He was also a proli?c producer, often working with Anthony Minghella. Pollack’s hits included Presumed Innocent, the Sabrina remake and The Talented Mr Ripley.
   Pollack is survived by his wife Claire, daughters Rebecca and Rachel, his brother Bernie and six grandchildren.

Renault has launched its new Laguna 3 Coupé—and in one fell swoop, it has turned an odd-looking sedan into a sexy sports car. And as proof that cars are becoming fashion items, the company has launched it at the Festival de Cannes, the Cannes Film Festival, driven to a première by its boss, Carlos Ghosn. We love the look of the new car, and it looks fantastic in motion—we’ve managed to get some additional footage of the Laguna going through its paces on a track (sadly without sound). It certainly has the glamour quotient sorted. Available in France shortly.

Puma supported the ?rst screening of the ?lm The Day after Peace, a documentary by ?lmmaker and Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley during the 61st Cannes Film Festival. Featuring football player David Beckham and actors Jude Law and Jonny Lee Miller, the movie aims at promoting World Peace Day (September 21) in countries like Afghanistan. Puma and Peace One Day (POD) launched One Day One Goal in 2008 when they hosted the ?rst of the Puma–POD football matches in Ghana to promote world peace through football matches. Our video features Puma CEO Jochen Zeitz, ?lmmaker Jeremy Gilley and actor Jude Law at the press conference at the Majestic Hotel in Cannes.

It’s another case of ‘She said / She said’ in the fashion world, and Trelise Cooper’s name has come up again.
   This time, footwear designer Sarah Riley is accusing Trelise Cooper Ltd. of not paying in full for supplied stock.
   On Riley’s side, there might be some hope out there that people remember Trelise Cooper Ltd. for its lawsuit against Tamsin Cooper, and that the media are prepared to align the latest case with this. That time, there was arguably more “underdog” support for the smaller Tamsin Cooper label, with the exception of a TV One news item that went off-topic by questioning Tamsin Cooper’s materials.
   The case is, after all, still talked about in the media—not always in the most glowing terms for the larger design company.
   However, after Trelise Cooper Ltd. itself became a potential defendant facing similar accusations from a company marketing its products under the Treliske trade mark, some might believe that karma has followed its natural path and the slate has been wiped clean.
   So what are the arguments?
   Riley says that Cooper owes NZ$23,000. The release, from Mint Condition Ltd., says Riley ‘has fallen victim to the foibles of designer and retailer Trelise Cooper.’
   It has affected Riley so much that her winter 2008 and summer 2009 collections have had to be cancelled, says the release.
   This time around, Trelise Cooper Ltd. has employed a publicist, perhaps one lesson learned from the Tamsin Cooper case.
   The company, through its general manager Alex Brandon, dismisses Riley’s accusations, saying that the supplied goods were faulty.
   ‘TCL [Trelise Cooper Ltd.] received a delivery from Sarah Riley in September 2007. After only two days on the shop ?oor TCL were alerted by customers and staff to numerous quality issues.’
   Riley, in her defence, has had one retailer, Mei Mei in Ponsonby, Auckland, attest to the quality of her products. ‘Eight years in the business, I’ve had more problems with returns on Jimmy Choo heels!’ says Mei Mei’s Jo Pearson.
   Trelise Cooper Ltd. attempted to return the stock but it was not accepted by Riley—on this point the parties agree.
   Brandon says Trelise Cooper Ltd. paid Riley ‘on delivery of the shoes $23,838 [up front] of a total invoice of $47,677.’
   This is a more routine commercial case, so the “bullying” aspect that Tamsin Cooper supporters saw in 2005–7 isn’t as apparent. One company is bigger than the other, but in our view the sympathy heartstrings are harder to pull, especially as the ?rst stone has been cast in the media by the smaller one.
   There are useful precedents over the quality and sale of goods in the courts already, as well as many governing part-payment. These cases that tend to be less fascinating than those surrounding intellectual property—or brands.
   At the end of the day, both sides have a varying idea over the quality of the product, and this is what any case will rest on.
   Did Sarah Riley supply shoes of a merchantable quality to Trelise Cooper Ltd.? Were there clauses in the sale of goods’ contract governing quality and payment?
   The story has not yet broken in the mainstream media but we expect it will be more an arm’s-length commercial battle rather than David v. Goliath when it does.
   We at Lucire hope the parties can settle their differences without resorting to the courts.

There’s a part of us that’s slightly cynical about the corporate involvement in this video, but it’s no different from sponsorships from fashion designers or fabric companies at polytechnic level. General Motors teamed up with the International Academy of Design & Technology and provided five cars from which students could be inspired. They had to design for categories such as avant-garde and eveningwear. Chosen entries were showcased at an event called Imagine 2008.
   General Motors gets an insight into young people’s thinking and how fashion influences its products, while the students learn about processes and how the Zeitgeist fuses product and clothing design together.

Despite the shock of 9-11, which happened in New Zealand on September 12, 2001 thanks to the time difference (why don’t we insist on calling it 12-9?), I still had to attend the breakfast for the ?rst day of the Wellington Fashion Festival for Lucire. And, that morning, I had to pay for car parking on Brandon Street, near the venue at Kirkcaldie & Stain’s.
   I had used this parking ticket to write on—the back has a note to my father—and when he lent me a suit to wear to the funeral of one of the great Chinese New Zealanders of the 20th century, Dan Chan, today, I found this item.
   It brought back a lot of memories and a lot of worries that morning—a friend of mine working for Verizon used to get off at the WTC stop on the subway. I rushed back to the of?ce to see if I could get through to New York, found out everyone was alive, then hung up so other services could use the phone. Then I had to write my 9-11 op-ed.
   I watched a lot of plans go up in smoke that day—I had intended to return to NYC in October 2001, funnily enough with one intention of checking out the World Trade Center’s observation deck.