I know there is still poverty and hardship in Mumbai, but there is also a richer, modern side that Stanley Moss got to see when he had an extended stay in India. The Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, already open, but going fully online in September, shows that the Indians can do luxury city hotels as […]
And now, presenting the twenty-first century
[Cross-posted] Remember Xanadu? It’s become somewhat of a cult hit even though in 1980 it was considered Olivia Newton-John’s mega-turkey. Stylistically, it sits uncomfortably between the 1970s and 1980s, as though there was a vacuum in between the decades. In one scene, Michael Beck insists to Gene Kelly that ‘It’s the ’80s’, but you know […]
Keira Knightley need not feel inadequate: she is a good model to follow
Keira Knightley says that she feels inadequate alongside better qualified actors because she didn’t go to university, according to next month’s Tatler. This is despite Miss Knightley, as Forbes revealed, being the second most highly paid actress in Hollywood. But that feeling of needing a little more is a refreshing one among the highest-profile members […]
The timeless aspects of Patrick Lichfield’s work
One image that wasn’t mentioned in Monica Waldron’s report from the May–June exhibition of Patrick Lichfield’s work was the above shot of Mick and Bianca Jagger on their wedding day in St Tropez. This was taken right after the Jaggers’ wedding on May 12, 1971, and was indeed part of the exhibition, and is […]
I didn’t spend years at the University of Denver to be called Ms
While the New Zealand media did not say much about the visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the time—too much time spent on the Barack Obama world tour, perhaps—the fashion industry can at least be happy with TV One’s prime-time report that she indulged in shopping for Kiwi clothing while here, with […]
New Zealand builds up to the Olympics
Who really is this human Kiwi that can climb the world’s highest rock, run the world’s fastest mile, win the Victoria Cross twice, create the second top-grossing Academy Award-winning ?lm, and split the atom in an act that would forever transform our world? New Zealanders are a people that have proven themselves as warriors in […]
Despite foreign-owned press, Miss New Zealand Samantha Powell’s well on her way
Samantha Powell’s “controversial” pose at Miss Universe I knew it was too good to be true: a Miss New Zealand competition that can pass without a foreign-owned newspaper getting on her case. This time, it’s our Irish friends at The New Zealand Herald who have decided to put a bit of stress Sam’s way, […]
Send Sam positive vibes as Miss Universe 2008 kicks into high gear
Preliminaries for Miss Universe began Sunday, where the contestants model in their bikinis; and the interviews on Monday are three minutes long, with three judges. This surprises me, because we interviewed the contestants in New Zealand over a minimum of 10 minutes with ?ve judges—and I dare say, though I never timed the sessions, […]
Kylie Minogue receives her OBE at Buckingham Palace
As reported earlier, Kylie Minogue has been to Buckingham Palace to collect her OBE, which was presented by HRH Prince Charles. Minogue arrived in a chauffeured limousine and had chatted and joked with the Prince during the investiture. She wore a cream dress with gold high heels. Attending in support of the Australian-born singer […]
Why it still can be the American century
[Cross-posted] In the spirit of July 4, I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of the United States retaining its in?uence in the 21st century. What many see is dire. Beyond the anti-war types’ opposition to the War on Terror, there are corrupt institutions, political and corporate, impeding progress on so […]
