The Serpentine Gallery summer party yesterday, hosted by L’Wren Scott at Hyde Park, London, featured numerous A-list celebrities, including supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, actor couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, HRH Princess Beatrice, Bip Ling, Eva Herzigova, Karen Elson, Jessie Ware, Nadja Swarovski, Alice Eve (Star Trek: Into Darkness), Tracey Emin, Donna Air and James Middleton, Daisy Lowe, Ewan McGregor and Eve Mavrakis, Damien Hirst, Jeremy Irons, Joanne Froggatt and James Franco. Jake Bugg and Findlay performed live music at the event.
   Parker wore a flapper dress and recalled the 1920s, while Moss wore a leopard-print black dress.
   Scott was accompanied by partner Mick Jagger, and his daughters Jade and Georgia May. Bianca Jagger, Jade’s mother, also attended.
   The pavilion was an angular, geometric design this year, designed by Sou Fujimoto.

Scandinavian fashion designers have undoubtedly crossed the global threshold of the industry in the past several years. And, although it may typically be an understood minimal æsthetic showcased, minimalism certainly does not have to be dull.
   Some may believe that simplicity automatically inherits a less than avant-garde flare but, for Norwegian shoe designer Helene Westbye, it’s quite the opposite! With her spring–summer 2013 collection, she proves that with sleek style, there’s an unforgettable edge for all women to enjoy—one that resonates with a diverse age range globally, anywhere from 20 to 50 years old.
   Founded in 2010, Westbye’s eponymous shoe label took off soon after its beginning. This allowed her to focus on the needs of her local clientèle in Norway before considering expansion. Fortunately, the initial collection was well received by locals and in high demand, thus temporarily trading in fjord passages for big city-streets.
   It was Westbye’s recent first-rate collaborative project that showcased her footwear in partnership with (fashion designer) Nina Skarra’s autumn–winter 2013–14 runway show at New York Fashion Week that gave her international acclaim.
   ‘I think the best philosophy behind a good shoe is that I design something that I like to wear. I am never going to be a designer that does pink or yellow, but in my new collection there is a strong purple colour, which I love! My style is kind of rock and roll with a feminine twist, strong expression, and pure lines. I like to think outside of the box, so I would like people to think that they would look back and find a product which they have not seen anywhere else, and keep in their closets for years,’ Westbye said.
   Well, the footwear collection speaks for itself: a fairly uncomplicated colour palette with eye-grabbing details like corset hooks and zippers, both used as embellishment to accompany crisp silhouettes. In her latest collection, you will find styles inspired by her travels as well as a nod to lingerie. Specifically, an actual girdle, is one of Westbye’s favourite designs to date. Other styles throughout the line like the Cut-Out heel keeps the emphasis on a forward-looking silhouette whilst the Organza Bonanza flat sandal combine playful and delicate elements of silk and floral.
   ‘I love fish leather … I kind of like working a lot with the creative materials before starting a new collection,’ Westbye confessed, regarding design process.
   But, being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean that everything comes as easy as it may seem. ‘Today it’s impossible to start out well if you don’t have some kind of business skills. Designing a collection is so much more than just the collection,’ Westbye said.
   There seems to be much in store for the emerging designer in 2013. For now, you can expect to see Westbye’s shoes hit global catwalks, as designers pay just as much attention to their sole dressing as well as the garments being showcased. Westbye is also currently collaborating with a Norwegian recording artist, expanding to a New York showroom, and plans to show the next spring–summer collection in København. Watch out for her upcoming fall–winter collection, available in August.
   For more information visit www.helenewestbye.com.—Tamara Madison

It’s hard to believe that four years have passed since the passings of pop superstar Michael Jackson and actress Farrah Fawcett.
   Commemorating the event, Madame Tussauds has released archive footage of Jackson dancing for its sculptors.
   The footage is in slow motion and not in good condition.
   Madame Tussauds will launch three new figures of Michael Jackson at the Lyric Theatre where Thriller Live, a two-and-half-hour concert in tribute to Jackson and the Jackson Five, is being staged.
   The waxworks will then be moved to Madame Tussauds, where they will be on display till September.
   Fawcett, meanwhile, does not appear to have a similar celebration of her life. The iconic actress, who died of cancer earlier on the same day as Jackson, is in the news presently over an Andy Warhol portrait of her, which is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit.
   The University of Texas has been suing Fawcett’s partner, Ryan O’Neal, over the alleged theft of the silkscreen, valued at US$30 million, for some years. The University was bequeathed Fawcett’s art collection, and a similar painting appeared at O’Neal’s home in a reality TV show. O’Neal is being accused of delaying the trial.

Olivia Palermo, the face of Spanish luxury jewellery brand Carrera y Carrera, has modelled its latest range, called Tesoros del Imperio.
   The range is inspired by the Spanish empire and the era’s jewellery art, with four individual lines within, called Reina, Velazquez, Isabel and Cervantes.
   Reina mixes white and yellow gold with diamonds, or white gold and blue topaz, and features rings, earrings and pendants that recall neck ruffs and crowns. Veláquez is inspired by embroidery, fabrics and colours from the era, with voluminous and ornate jewellery that is often a hallmark of Carrera y Carrera. Isabel features white or yellow gold with diamonds and is described as a ‘romantic collection’, while Cervantes, also recalling the neck ruffs, is described as voluminous and serpentine, and features rings, earrings and pendants in yellow or white gold with diamonds.
   This is Palermo’s third year modelling for the brand. She was mentioned in Sarah MacKenzie’s story on social influencers in Lucire issue 28.

James Braund

Top Returning home for Swan Lake, Australian Ballet principal artist Ty King-Wall. Above Australian Ballet principal artist Amber Scott.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet has released details of four of its international guest artists for the Vodafone season of Swan Lake, which begins in Wellington on July 18.
   Previewed in Lucire last year, Swan Lake has had considerable buzz among followers of the company, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
   Guest artists include Ty King-Wall, a New Zealander newly appointed as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet. The Royal New Zealand Ballet notes that he found his calling in its 1996 production of Swan Lake.
   King-Wall will dance the lead male role of Prince Siegfried, partnering with Amber Scott, also a principal artist at the Australian Ballet, in the role of Odette/Odile.
   ‘One of the first ballets I ever saw was the Royal New Zealand Ballet performing this very production of Swan Lake, when I was seven years old,’ says King-Wall. ‘Ou Lu was dancing the role of Prince Siegfried and I can remember thinking, “When I grow up I want to be up on stage doing that!” To be coming home and dancing Prince Siegfried in the same ballet, where it all began, will be very special for me.’
   Joining King-Wall and Scott are two more famed international performers, Carla Körbes and Karel Cruz from the Pacific Northwest Ballet. They have both stated that they are looking forward to visiting New Zealand and working with the RNZB’s artistic director, Ethan Stiefel.
   Körbes and Cruz had previously been paired as Odette/Odile and Siegfried.
   The première of the Vodafone season of Swan Lake is at the St James Theatre on July 18, and tours to seven other centres, including Dunedin, Christchurch, Invercargill, Takapuna, Auckland, Palmerston North and Napier.

Ross Martin

Above left Karel Cruz. Above right Carla Körbes.

Miss Connecticut USA, Erin Brady, has been crowned Miss USA 2013, in a telecast from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
   First runner-up was Miss Alabama, Mary Margaret McCord, with second-runner up, Miss Illinois, Stacie Juris.
   Following Juris were Marissa Powell (Miss Utah), Ali Nugent (Miss Texas), Megan Pinckney (Miss South Carolina), Kristin Smith (Miss Ohio), Kristen Girault (Miss Louisiana), Ashley Love-Mills (Miss North Carolina), Chelsea Caswell (Miss Nevada), Jessica Billings (Miss Pennsylvania), Sarah Kid (Miss Massachusetts), Mabelynn Capeluj (Miss California), Chelsea Welch (Miss West Virginia), and Kasey Staniszewski (Miss Maryland).
   Brady is 25, based in East Hampton, Conn., and works for Prudential Retirement in Hartford as a financial accountant. She holds a finance degree with a minor in criminal justice.
   The judges were Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser), designer Betsey Johnson, NeNe Leakes (Glee), Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland), Jessica Robertson (Duck Dynasty), American footballer Larry Fitzgerald, Nikki Bella (Total Divas), Mo Rocca (Sunday Morning), and singer Christina Milian.
   The Jonas Brothers and DJ Pauly D DelVecchio performed. Fans were able to vote for their favourite contestant using Twitter, and chose Miss Texas USA, Ali Nugent, with the voting provided by Optx Rhode Island.
   Organizers believe the total viewing audience was over 250 million.
   Other prize-winners were Marissa Powell (Miss Utah), Miss Photogenic; Gabrielle Neilan (Miss Oregon), and Miss Congenality.
   The after-party was sponsored by High 5 Games with cocktails by Russian Standard Vodka.
   Her prizes included, according to the press release, ‘a custom diamond tiara and jewellery designed by Diamond Nexus; a one-year scholarship (including housing) from the New York Film Academy; a year’s worth of hair-care products and tools from Farouk Systems; an assortment of high fashion bracelets made in Rwanda by women of the Same Sky Trade Initiative; an eveningwear wardrobe by Sherri Hill; a swimwear wardrobe by ViX Paula Hermanny; a shoe wardrobe from Chinese Laundry; a year’s supply of make-up from Rain Cosmetics; a year’s worth of products from Image Skin Care; a year’s supply of nail care products from OPI Products, Inc.; luxury accommodations in a New York City apartment for the duration of her reign, including living expenses; a year-long salary as Miss USA; personal services including membership to Gravity Fitness and hair services from John Barrett Salon; modelling portfolio by leading fashion photographer Fadil Berisha; dermatology and skin care services provided by Dr Cheryl Thellman-Karcher; professional health and nutrition consultation by Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD and dental services by Dr Jan Linhart, DDS; casting opportunities and professional representation by the Miss Universe Organization; extensive travel opportunities representing sponsors and charitable partners; access to various New York City events including movie premières and screenings, Broadway shows and launch parties; year-long consultation with Miss Universe Organization’s Official Fashion Consultant, Alisha Crutchfield and access to a personal appearance wardrobe; professional media–public relations training and representation by Rubenstein Public Relations in New York City and the opportunity to represent the USA at the 2013 Miss Universe pageant at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia.’
   Last year’s winner, Olivia Culpo, went on to become Miss Universe.

A Lucire special promotion

V-Energy has a humorous campaign breaking today that blends our wired, social media-savvy culture with the real world—and not necessarily with the right consequences.
   It’s very well timed. The campaign breaks soon after Facebook announced it would begin supporting hashtags, the six-year-old invention that began on Twitter that purported to categorize messages. The hashtag has since been misused, almost to indicate one’s inner thoughts.
   V-Energy’s campaign takes that to a new level, with people venting with hashtags, internet slang (the word pwned is uttered), and trolling—the behaviour of netizens, usually with anonymity, to provoke disagreement. The comments have come from real-life references, including online gaming, Twitter, and YouTube—where plenty of trolling can be found.
   The actors in the new commercial troll, as online behaviours seep in to the real world. V-Energy’s pitch is to ‘silence the trolls’, with the shush-kitten, an online troll antithesis.
   Users are invited to check in to V-Hab, a new website where there are “treatments” for trolling, in the hope that that dark energy can turn into something brighter in real life. V-Hab is what the company describes as an ‘online troll rehabilitation clinic … to diagnose and treat different kinds of online trollisms.’
   The site is actually quite sophisticated: there’s a comment converter built around the film, which can convert negative trolling comments into positive statements. Programmers used Python to build the converter over six weeks and V-Energy believes it could contain ‘the largest database of profanity known to mankind’. It could be an interesting test for all those who have gone to swear words first when receiving a foreign-language dictionary.
   There’s a ‘diagnostic room’ to analyse what kind of troll one is dealing with, while V-Hab also offers a De-troll Your Life browser extension, which uses the comment converter and applies them to other parts of the internet, ‘to help avoid a relapse.’ V-Hab’s ‘troll intervention’ features a Facebook app on which netizens can silence their trolling friends.
   Check out V-Energy’s humorous video below, and check into V-Hab here.

Sponsored by V-Energy

Bertrand Rindoff Petroff

Piaget celebrated its first Rose Day on Thursday, June 13, with a private concert featuring Melody Gardot and Irwin Hall in l’Orangerie Ephémère at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.
   Gardot sang ‘La vie en rose’ in a new arrangement, especially for the event.
   Piaget CEO Philippe Leopold-Metzger and his wife Catherine hosted Rose Day, with guests Bar Refaeli (in Dolce & Gabbana), Raul Ramos and Kira Miro, Vanille Clerc, Olivier Perruchot, Catherine Salvador, Laurence Ferrari, Renaud Capucon, Sarah Stern, Annabelle Belmondo, Muriel Coulin, Flore Bonaventura, Axel Ganz, Béatrice Rosen, Julie de Bona, Marie Le Cam, Axelle Laffont, Ariel Wizman and Osnath Assayag, Hélèna Soubeyrand, Gwendoline Hamon, Frédéric Diefenthal and Florence Darel, Bertrand and Francisca Matteoli, Denise Fabre and Francis Vandenhende, Anat Tal, Audrey Dana, Anne Parillaud, Alexandra Roth and Misha Capnist, and Yves Piaget himself.
   The day before, at her concert in Genève, Gardot had sampled the Piaget Rose pendant and ring in yellow gold with opal and diamonds.
   Both Gardot and Refaeli are ambassadors for the brand.
   Piaget says that roses have always marked the life of Yves Piaget, one of the descendants of the founders, who even has a rose named in his honour.
   In the 1960s, the pink pattern of the rose informed his watch and jewellery collections at the family firm. In 1976, Yves Piaget became a member of the jury of the Roses Nouvelles de Genève, an international competition.

Bertrand Rindoff Petroff