In Lucire readership terms, this won’t net us as much attention as when Gemma Arterton went to Harrods to open its 2011 summer sale, but, for those in London for the 2013 edition’s opening, they were in for a real treat.
The 2013 sale saw 100 dancers take to a space outside the Kensington store for what Harrods calls a ‘Green Man Flash Dance’, paying tribute to its iconic green men. Flashdance probably has a different meaning since we first saw the term in the early 1980s—what Harrods meant is, of course, a flash-mob presentation, although those there might not have been too surprised that something was about to happen given that the dance area had barriers erected. And the first green man looked suspiciously fitter than the ones usually at the doors at Harrods.
However, it turned out that the security personnel, the paparazzi and even some of the customers were part of the performance, as they launched the sale with ‘twirls, leaps and chasses,’ says Harrods.
Fifty of the dancers wore replica green-man outfits. The dance ended with confetti raining down on the crowd as the sale opened at 9 a.m.
The sale began on June 15 and runs till July 7. Brands available include Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Givenchy, DKNY, and Alexander McQueen.
Highlights include: Salvatore Ferragamo blue snakeskin flat shoes (was £365, now £259); McQ razor-blade scarf (was £135, now £79·95); Victoria printed organza layered dress (was £975, now £499); Balmain leather biker jacket, exclusive to Harrods (was £3,575, now £1,750); Sony 42-inch Smart 3D LED TV (was £1,249, now £949); and a Bollinger 1999 magnum of champagne (was £340, now £255).
The Swedish tabloid press has tracked down HRH Princess Madeleine and her new husband, Chris O’Neill, who are honeymooning after a grand Royal Wedding in Stockholm on Saturday.
The Royal Court, wishing to guard the newlyweds’ privacy, had remained silent on their travel plans, but Expressen has published photos taken via a long lens of the couple in the Seychelles.
They are at a private villa which retails for Kr 50,000 per night, says the newspaper. It is also reported that Mr O’Neill kept the destination a secret from his wife, and it was initially known only to him, the King and Queen, and a few select friends.
The venue had been chosen before by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and David and Victoria Beckham.
Today, the Princess’s official Facebook page requested privacy after expressing disappointment that photographs had been published.
Writing from her perspective, the message read, ‘We continue to thank everyone for their loving warmth and well wishes regarding our marriage. Sadly, the Swedish tabloid press have taken it upon themselves to destroy our privacy and place private photographs of us in their publications today. The one thing we wish is that, if only for these few days, our privacy can now be respected.’ The photograph above of the couple was published on the page, while supporters continued to wish them well.
The honeymoon destination for HRH Princess Madeleine and her new husband, Anglo-American financier Chris O’Neill, remains a mystery.
The royal couple, who were married in Stockholm on Saturday in a very public, televised ceremony, held a reception that went into the small hours of Sunday, according to sources.
HM King Carl XVI Gustaf, HRH Crown Princess Victoria, HRH Prince Carl Philip, and the groom gave speeches during the reception.
Reports indicate the reception continued till 5 a.m. and that the couple left in secrecy from Drottningholm for the airport.
It is believed that the first stop was the UK, but no one knows where they have gone since. The Royal Court has refused to comment, but one royal-watcher believes they have gone to the Caribbean for their honeymoon.
Both Princess Madeleine and Mr O’Neill are well connected, and could have been lent a home for their use.
Ewa-Marie Rundquist/Kungl. Hovstaterna/the Royal Court
Official photographs (above and below) from the Royal Wedding have been posted by the Swedish Royal Court. Lucire followed yesterday’s nuptials between HRH Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill with photos and videos as they happened, along with details of the bride’s Valentino gown.
The Swedish state broadcaster, SVT, now has the entire five-hour programme available (linked below), though if you prefer quick clips, yesterday’s article has a series, from the arrival of the guests at the Royal Chapel, to the final arrival of the couple after their post-wedding cruise around Stockholm.
Princess Madeleine wore a Valentino off-the-shoulder lace-detailed gown. The dress was designed by Valentino Garavani, with a long train. It is made of pleated silk organza, with ivory Chantilly lace. The train, connected to her tiara, is 4 m long. The tiara has sprigs of orange flowers.
The Palace has also released images of Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta’s crown from 1778, which stood to the left of the altar during the wedding ceremony, and the Nordstjärneorden, the Order of the Polar Star, of which Mr O’Neill has been made a commander by HM King Carl XVI Gustaf on June 6.
The wedding also saw a magnificent rainbow appear over Stockholm—an extra-romantic touch—after the couple returned from their cruise around the harbour to Drottningholm, for the royal banquet.
The honeymoon destination remains a secret, but the couple will return to New York, where Princess Madeleine works for a non-profit, the World Childhood Foundation, and Mr O’Neill has his own business.
The full video
Ewa-Marie Rundquist/Kungl. Hovstaterna/the Royal Court
Updated with videos on June 8, 2013, at 6.24 a.m. GMT
This weekend’s Royal Wedding in Stockholm, of HRH Princess Madeleine to Anglo-American financier Chris O’Neill, is expected to be a more casual, lower-key affair than the 2010 wedding of her sister, HRH Crown Princess Victoria.
The fashionable Princess Madeleine, fourth in line to the throne, will wear Valentino, according to sources, which had also been chosen by the present Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. It is a departure from her sister’s choice of a Swedish designer, Pär Engsheden, though Princess Madeleine has worn Engsheden on many formal occasions before.
It is expected that, in line with her tastes, Princess Madeleine has chosen a design that is more “fairy-tale” and flamboyant.
It is unclear whether Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, 81-year-old founder of the label, has had a part to play in the design, or whether it has been left to Maria Grazia Chiuri or Pier Paolo Piccioli.
The partying begins tonight in the Grand Hotel Winter Garden. It is a tradition of the Royal Family, and the same thing occurred prior to Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling’s wedding, and that of HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath (who had chosen Christian Dior when she married the King).
However, the do is more youthful, with many of the monarchs not attending. Representing Norway are Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Princess Martha Louise and her husband Ari Behn. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie attend from Denmark, the Earl and Countess of Wessex are representing the UK, and Princess Takamado will attend from Japan.
Guests to the ceremony include Caroline Winberg, Anders Bagge, and Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt. Swedish state television (SVT) will carry the ceremony live, though when we asked some expatriate Swedes whether they will tune in, the reception was not as positive as in 2010. However, Lucire will be following the Royal Wedding, and we like to think that we’ll cast an even closer eye, since Princess Madeleine has been a style icon in Sweden for years.
SVT’s coverage commences at 3 p.m. local time, with the wedding at 4 p.m. The ceremony will end at 4.45 p.m., after which the couple will be presented to the public. The cannons at Skeppsholmen will fire a royal salute.
The route the 350 m cortège will take heads along toward Strömbron bridge, down Strömgatan, and into Gamla Stan via the Norrbro bridge. It will then head to Myntgatan, then the couple will head to Drottningholm by boat.
Almost 15 months ago, I reported in Lucire that a white taxi, numbered 8010, had delivered me a classic Parisian rip-off on a ride into town from Charles de Gaulle, Terminal 2G. In the same article, I reported that the Paris Taxi Commission telephone help line was inoperative and that their website did not function for an online complaint. So I wrote to the snail-mail address given on the web page, including a copy of the Lucire article posted. I promised to write you if there was ever any word. I waited and waited. You have surely long forgotten this item.
This morning, June 5, 2013, I received by email the following:
Monsieur,
Par lettre du 15 mars 2012, vous avez appelé mon attention sur le comportement d’un conducteur de taxi.
Je vous informe que ce conducteur a été convoqué devant la commission de discipline de sa profession. Il a fait l’objet d’une sanction administrative.
En outre, votre plainte sera conservée dans son dossier professionnel.
Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
L’adjointe au chef du bureau des taxis
et transports publics
and the letter closes with the writer’s name. Translated:
Sir,
In your letter of March 15, 2012, you brought my attention to the behaviour of a taxi driver.
I inform you that this driver was summoned before his profession’s disciplinary committee. He has been the subject of an administrative penalty.
In addition, your complaint will be kept in his professional record.
Yours faithfully,
The Deputy Head of the Office of Taxis and Public Transport
I thank the Office of Taxis and Public Transport for their fine follow-up and resolution of this, a demonstration of—well, reach your own conclusions. But remember white cab number 8010 in Paris, and don’t accept any aggressive driver, especially one who feigns taking a wrong turn in the dark and insists that you pay for his mis-navigation. Always wait for the friendly cabbie who knows your destination. If you’re disappointed in any way, I now have proof you can rest assured that eventually someone will hear your complaint.—Stanley Moss, Travel Editor
Above, from top Alena Šeredová. Max Laudadio. Below Massimiliano Rosolino. Anna Valle.
Basta!, a passionate photo exhibition by Livio Moiana, is a compelling cry for all the victims of violence in Italy. One hundred famous actors, TV personalities, art critics and commentators take action by “screaming” in portraits pleading for a ‘Stop!’ to the lingering Italian legislative vacuum. The portraits were created in solidarity with those who have suffered violence: girls, women, boys and entire families. It’s still a utopian dream, since Italy and Greece are the only two remaining nations in Europe demonstrating a complete indifference towards the victims of violence. Moiana’s exhibition can be viewed through September in Vicenza at TheArtsBox, a private exhibition space, Contra’ San Paolo, 23, 36100 Vicenza, Italy. Visit www.theartsbox.org.—Stanley Moss, Travel Editor
Mini has been present at the Life Ball in Wien for many years, but this is the first time its donated car has been the larger Paceman, a new model that’s essentially a coupé crossover version of the iconic British car.
The Paceman, the three-door sporting version of the Countryman tested by Lucire last year, takes some Mini cues, but reinterprets them at a much larger (and not that mini) size.
This year’s Mini on the magenta carpet has been customized by Roberto Cavalli himself, who unveiled the car at the Rathausplatz. Cavalli follows in the footsteps of other designers who have worked with Mini on the Life Ball, inter alia Kenneth Cole, Francisco Costa, Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared², Renzo Rosso for Diesel, and Diane von Furstenberg. The car has gold elements inside and out, iridescent paintwork, and (of course) animal prints.
Cavalli, and his wife Eva in the passenger seat, drove the Mini Paceman to the event.
The car had been auctioned earlier for a record €150,000 during the Aids Solidarity gala, with the entire proceeds going to projects combatting HIV–Aids.
The event featured numerous celebrities, including Sir Elton John, Hilary Swank, Melanie Griffith, Barbara Eden, Carmen Electra, former US president Bill Clinton, Anna Netrebko, Erwin Schrott and Fergie.
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