Peter Ashworth/www.ashworth-photos.com

Above Milliner Stephen Jones in 2008 (image from the Victoria & Albert Museum).

The Queensland Art Gallery will present an exclusive-to-Australia exhibition, Hats: an Anthology by Stephen Jones, a collaboration between the Victoria & Albert Museum and milliner Stephen Jones, from March 27 to June 27, 2010.
   The exhibition features over 250 hats and headpieces. The Gallery notes there will be ‘a twelfth-century Egyptian fez, a wide-brimmed black silk tulle hat from Christian Dior’s first collection in 1948, Mary Quant’s c. 1968 navy blue béret, and Stephen Jones’s Wash and Go hat from spring 1993.
   ‘It also features hats worn by historical and cultural icons:­ Elsa Schiaparelli’s black felt beret worn by Marlene Dietrich in Witness for the Prosecution in 1957, Philip Treacy’s bridal headpiece created for Camilla Parker-Bowles’s marriage to the Prince of Wales in 2005, and Jones’s own creations such as Mick Jagger’s hat worn for the Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang World Tour and Kylie Minogue’s visor headdress on her Showgirl tour.’

MAC has unveiled its latest Viva Glam campaign, featuring Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper. Proceeds from the sale of its Viva Glam VII lipsticks will benefit the MAC Aids Fund.
   The spring 2010 edition sees two new lipstick shades, with a light coral red lustre bearing Lauper’s name and a light blue–pink lustre with Lady Gaga’s.
   The collection hits counters on March 1, retailing at NZ$40.
   The MAC Aids Fund will announce $2·5 million in new donations to fund model programmes that address the vulnerabilities and inequities that place women at increased risk for HIV and Aids, says the company.
   To date, the MAC Aids Fund has already raised over $150 million to combat HIV and Aids.
   ‘I think it’s absolutely insane that some people have fewer rights than others, and I’m grateful that MAC has decided to focus on women while I’m a Viva Glam spokesperson. I have so much to say and so much to share, and I’m going to let my lips and lipstick do the talking!’ says Lauper in a release.
   ‘I’ve been familiar with the campaign and have been wearing MAC since I was 10 years old. To be joining the likes of iconic former Viva Glam spokespeople is an honour. My new Viva Glam lipstick colour is amazing. It’s very me—a bluish pink, great for every day, a little bit ’80s. I hope that women buy this lipstick, and honour themselves and honour the cause,’ says Lady Gaga.

We have already tried the Volvo XC60 with collision avoidance—and in good Swedish tradition, the new Volvo S60 takes the safety idea a step further.
   Newly announced today, with its world première at the Salon de Genève on March 2, the S60’s pedestrian detection, using a camera and radar, has a full automatic brake. It can detect pedestrians who walk into the road in front of the car, warn the driver, and automatically apply full braking power if the driver does not respond in time.
   The car can avoid hitting a pedestrian at under 35 km/h. Over this speed, the car will reduce speed as much as possible to help minimize injuries to the pedestrian. The system will detect children over 80 cm tall.
   The new chassis includes new stability control and traction control measures. Below are videos of the S60 in motion and a full explanation of its party trick.

Who can resist the possibility of time-travel into the intrigue and splendour of this legendary yearly celebration? Visions of masked, caped gentlemen and ladies drifting down mysterious, shadowy, lamp-lit and cobbled passageways of La Serenissima, in search of elegant salons and romantic assignations. Opulent late Renaissance costumes of incredible finery. Minuets and baroque melodies, counterposed with the traditional delicacies unique to the setting. For the truly impulsive, here’s a superior last-minute package deal which might just deliver such a magical and memorable feast for the senses. It’s a chance to get out of your iPhone and email, and head back to another era, into a world of decadence and splendour, set among the canals and palazzos.
   Next weekend experience the near-mythological, through a special promotion at the Luna Hotel Baglioni Venice. On Friday, February 12 you can be part of the ‘Ball of the Baglioni Counts’ and on Saturday the 13th attend the Great Carnival Ball, during a minimum two-night stay, which includes masked ball, buffet breakfast and an entry for two to the Casinò di Venezia overlooking the Canal Grande. The Marco Polo Salon, with its massive School of Tiepolo murals, has got to be the ideal setting for dinner and desserts, followed by a live performance of Puccini’s La bohème, sung by a troupe from La Fenice. Dance away the rest of the night to the sounds of a cool DJ. There’s even the possibility of modelling some vintage costumes, with cloak and mask. Or steal away to the casino and try your luck at cards or love.
   The Luna is perhaps my favourite hotel in Europe, ideally located just around the corner from Piazza San Marco. It boasts a classical and intimate atmosphere, superb canal view rooms and faultless service. It has the best concierge in the world, Antonio Massari. This special promotion has prices starting from €280 per night, an incredible offering, and one which could deliver some of those fantastical memories we cherish for a lifetime, the kind of thing we tell our grandchildren about. For more information, see www.baglionihotels.com.—Stanley Moss

If you haven’t helped already, or would like to again, please do what you can for the victims of the Haïti earthquake. Mia Farrow appears in this latest PSA for UNICEF with some sober reminders of the situation.

Tickets have just gone on sale for Naomi Campbell’s Fashion for Relief fashion show, to take place during the fall 2010 collections at New York Fashion Week.
   Taking place on February 12 at 7 p.m., tickets cost between $100 and $150 and are available via Ticketmaster.com.
   The runway show will be hosted by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and will feature internationally recognized designers, celebrities and VIPs. All the donated garments will be auctioned online at Net-a-Porter starting February 15. The donation is tax deductible and 100 per cent of the event ticket sales will benefit CARE.

Left Jean-Luc Colonna d’Istria of Merci. Right Medinge director and MIP dean Pierre d’Huy translates for Dominique Benoît of Pictet et Cie. Below The Brands with a Conscience certificate, designed by UffindellWest.

The Medinge Group had a slightly smaller Brands with a Conscience ceremony today at the Management Institute of Paris, reflecting the international nature of the winners. Many were scattered around the globe and unable to attend the ceremony, though two of the European winners made it to the French capital to collect their awards in person: Jean-Luc Colonna d’Istria of Merci and Pictet et Cie.’s Dominique Benoît.
   Stanley Moss, CEO of the Medinge Group, noted that it was remarkable that in a year of financial crises, there were two winners from that sector that were doing good. Apart from Pictet, the Co-op Bank received a Brands with a Conscience award.
   The seventh annual awards’ programme also honoured Alibaba Group, Marks & Spencer (for its Plan A initiative), SAP and Selco Solar Pvt. Ltd. Muna Abu Sulayman won the Colin Morley Award and a letter from her was read out in absentia by Medinge member Simon Nicholls.
   Medinge founder Thomas Gad noted that the Awards had become so successful that they had spawned at least one imitator.

Afingo (www.afingo.com) says its new website, newly launched this month, will connect fashion designers directly to their audiences in a social network.
   ‘For consumers, Afingo.com will give exclusive access to learn about the latest fashion trends directly from their favourite designers. Designers and retailers can share behind-the-scenes industry information with customers in exchange for immediate consumer reviews and opinions,’ says its release today.
   ‘The multi-functional fashion portal allows consumers to offer input directly to designers and retailers about their collections, provides designers with necessary information to give consumers exactly what they want, assists retailers by selling products directly to consumers and helps “in the biz” suppliers to develop a thriving business.’
   Consumers will be able to rate designs from their profile pages, while designers can post look books and give information on when new products become available to the public.
   The site will also connect retailers, providing store location information and contact with designers.
   Basic membership is free, with VIP access for consumers beginning at US$49 per annum. Designers and retailers can expect a fee of US$29·99 per month or US$299 per annum beginning in February.
   The site has been founded by Canadian-born Liza Deyrmenjian. Moe Somani serves as COO.