Luxury Events and Travel

Icons of Design
San Francisco
www.iconsofdesignsf.com

San Francisco philanthropist Ken Paige created the “Icons of Design,” a month-long showcase of interior designs to raise funding for local charities—American Heart Assoc., Juvenile Diabetes, SF Opera, Symphony, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Performing Arts Center—at San Francisco’s newest condo development, Millennium Tower. Twenty-five of San Francisco’s best designers, including Ann Getty, Shelby De Quesada, Hendler Design, Alexandra Owen, Geoffrey de Sousa, Orlando Diaz -Azcuy, David Kensington, Daen Scheiber and Catherine Jacobus, each took a room of the 10,000-plus-square-foot space and transformed the four deluxe condominiums on the 52nd floor into a showcase for the charities. If any of the condos sell during the event, the commission goes to the charity that brings the buyer. Icons of Design is a great opportunity for many worthwhile philanthropic causes, helps the decorators market their talents, and promotes the sales of Millennium Tower—a win-win-win for good causes, decorators, and the developer. The event began on the weekend of October 24, and I was guest of Ken and Dorothy Paige on October 30 when they hosted a reception for their family and friends. Dorothy said, “This has all come together so magically!” Indeed, all the rooms were decorated luxuriously to match the magnificent views from this 60-story building. This $600-million, 419-unit project by Millennium Partners is the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi, designed by architect Glenn Rescalvo from Handel Architects, and the striking glass edifice has become a new shining landmark on the city’s skyline. For information, please visit www.millenniumtowersf.com and mention this column to receive a special discount.

Alzheimer’s Association Fundraiser
Monaco
www.meetingofminds2010.com

Catherine and Michel Pastor hosted an evening of fine dining and entertainment to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease research and promote the 1st International Congress on Alzheimer’s Disease and Advanced Neurotechnologies to be held on February 11 to 13, 2010, in Monaco.

The evening event was at the magnificent Empire Room of Hotel de Paris during the Monaco Yacht Show, taking advantage of the rich and famous crowd that flocked to the Principality of Monaco from September 23 to 27. More than 500 guests attended the formal gala dinner, including former French First Lady Madame Chirac.

The Congress in February will feature topics of diagnosis, early detecting, prevention and treatment. The scientific committee includes Dr. Philip Low (Stanford, Neuro Vigil, MIT), Dr. Sonia Ancoli-Israel (UCSD), Dr. Paul Aisen (ADCS), Dr. Jean-Marc Egly (INSERM), Dr. Luca Finelli (Novartis), Dr. Emmanuel Mignot (Stanford), Dr. Frank Moss (MIT), Dr. Jean Paul Spire (University of Chicago) and Dr. Bruno Vellas (EADC). For information and registration, please email: [email protected]

Ungaro Fashion Show
Paris
www.ungaro.com

The “talk of the town” show at the Fall Paris Fashion Week was not Chanel, Valentino, Dior, or Armani, it was Ungaro. In an effort to reinvent the fading brand, the house of Emanuel Ungaro hired almost unknown Spanish designer Estrella Archs and an “artistic adviser” who is almost too well-known: Lindsay Lohan. To be more precise about how well-known, her name yields more than 28 million results on Google search, more than President Obama!

The controversial Lohan co-designed a line of clothes for Ungaro’s Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2010 Collection, which was unveiled on the Paris runway on October 4. It drew many harsh bashings and a few praises from the media and fashion industry. I was at the show and honestly, the collection is not that bad. And it accomplished what Ungaro management set out to do—attract a wealthy younger clientele through sexier, younger designs with a touch of edginess. Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige explains, “Designer-led fashion is likely not to be enough. It’s a slow process going the traditional route.” Sure enough, the Lindsay Lohan line might look like a disaster from the media reporting, but since the show, the Ungaro name quickly infiltrated all forms of media. People are talking about Ungaro non-stop, digging out old Ungaro dresses and checking out the new collection. I even got on the bandwagon and hosted a vintage Ungaro couture trunk show at my Paris chateau.

Few people know that the owner of the House of Ungaro is our fellow San Franciscan Asim Abdullah and his beautiful wife Isha. Both possess very excellent taste, which is apparent in their home in Atherton and their penthouse in Pacific Heights. Certainly hiring Lindsay Lohan was not a lack of design taste on their part, but perhaps a media stunt that served to bring back memories about how wonderful Ungaro used to be. I think it worked. I have never seen more Ungaro shopping bags on the streets of Paris!

My dinner with Lang Lang
San Francisco

To my surprise and delight, Lang Lang and his mother and a couple of friends decided to have a private dinner with me following the reception, disappointing the 1,400 guests who were at the City Hall for the after-concert party expecting to meet him. To avoid photographers and fans who were waiting for Lang Lang to emerge, we snuck out the back door of Symphony Hall and went to nearby Absinthe. The restaurant was about to close but they stayed open for us. Two of my friends joined us while another, Amy Tan, texted, “I swooned seeing him play Prokofiev.” She, unfortunately, had gone home to Sausalito shortly after the reception and was not able to join us. I was delighted to get to know Lang Lang; the super talented child prodigy had neither hang-ups nor artistic moodiness. He was so delightful, playful, and animated throughout the whole dinner, waving his beautiful long fingers and telling jokes that made all of us laugh. He even sang a few bars of opera with me and we videoed it on my camera. This was truly an unforgettable evening, and was totally unexpected in every way. The following early morning, Lang Lang left San Francisco to open the Symphony seasons in Berlin, Amsterdam, Boston, and Paris. If you attended that San Francisco Opening Night and wondered why Lang Lang disappeared, blame it on me!

Happy Travels,

Olivia Hsu Decker
www.SanFranciscoFineHomes.com
www.FrenchVacation.com
[email protected]