Options: Issue 376

THE WEEK OF JUNE 29, 2009

L I F E • L E I S U R E • L E A R N I N G

A momentous anniversary

Bulgari celebrates 125th year

with exhibition and fundraiser

Pure magicDiscovering Louis Vuitton’s

Tambour Mystérieuse

New balanceA little moderation goes a long

way in Barossa Valley’s wines

In spite of the economic downturn, Club Med is winning market share with its great value proposition, says its president and CEO Caroline Puechoultres

Club FAB

OP2 • THEEDGE SINGAPORE | JUNE 29, 2009

Taking chancesInstead of going all sombre for fall 2009, Kate Spade encourages everyone to wear bold prints and bright colours in her Take A Chance collec-tion. Bags are in shades of bright red and deep turquoise, while clothes have large prints such as dots and zebra stripes. Get into a hap-py mood by viewing the range at all Kate Spade boutiques.

For a truly golden glowSkincare, health and wellness company Bioxil has launched a range of skincare products that uses gold as its main ingredient. Gold has been known, since the days of Cleopatra, to reduce wrinkles and give skin a healthy glow. The range consists of cleaners, toners, moisturisers and sunblock creams. Prices are from $55 to $115. Available at 01-06 VivoCity and at selected Guardian pharmacies.

EDITOR/REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR

Tan Boon Kean ([email protected])

SECTION EDITORAudrey Simon

([email protected])

CONTRIBUTORS Anandhi Gopinath, Jamie Nonis,

Joan Ng, Tony Watts

COPY-EDITING DESK Elaine Lim, Evelyn Tung,

James Chong, Patrick Fong,Chew Ru Ju, Ezanor Kasah

PHOTO EDITORSamuel Isaac Chua

([email protected])

PHOTOJOURNALISTGwyneth Yeo

([email protected])

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Rahayu Mohamad

([email protected])

DESIGN DESKTan Siew Ching, Christine Ong,

Chan Yoke Lin, Jamy Gan

ADVERTISING + MARKETING

REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER | Edward Stanislaus

([email protected])SENIOR MANAGER |

Colin Tan([email protected])

MANAGERS | Cecilia Kay([email protected])

Jeffrey Wong ([email protected])

Windy Tan([email protected])

COORDINATOR | Nor Aisah Bte Asmain

([email protected])MALAYSIA REPRESENTATIVE |

Helen John Corry ([email protected])

CIRCULATION+SUBSCRIPTIONS

REGIONAL SENIOR MANAGER | Suresh Kumar

([email protected])EXECUTIVE |

Cesar Banzuela De Jesus, Jr ([email protected])

ASSISTANTS | Juliana Ibrahim ([email protected])

Iryanti Zainol ([email protected])

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BUY RIGHT

| BY AUDREY SIMON |

CLUB

MED

The ultimate in designThe Calatrava Officer’s timepiece by Patek Philippe offers the best in casemaking skills, with its unique hinge covers protect-ing the case backs. This new version gets a stunning look in 18K yellow-gold on a 38mm case that protects the self-wind-ing calibre 324 SC movement. The opaline dial is further highlighted with an eye-catching sunburst pattern. Avail-able at authorised retailers.

Jewellery timeSwiss watch manufacturer Zenith presents a mar-riage of its expertise in watchmaking and fine jew-ellery with its Zenith Starissime Open Heart, a daz-zling chronograph. An 18K white-gold case is set with 100 baguette diamonds, protected by a curved sapphire glass and transparent sapphire glass case-back. The gorgeous mother-of-pearl dial with gold indexes and heart-shaped opening is set with 95 diamonds, and its chronograph movement is fin-ished in 22K white gold with 153 diamonds. Avail-able at authorised dealers.

A rejuvenated classicKhaki, the fabric and colour, is traditionally used only for safari outfits and military uniforms. Put this humble material in the hands of designers such as Al-bertus Swanepoel, Alexander Wang and Vena Cava’s Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai and you get a fashion-able collection exclusive to Gap. Selected items will be available at all Gap stores islandwide.

Fashionably punctualThe lovely prints on silk scarves that Salva-tore Ferragamo does so well can now be found on the straps of its timepieces. This gives the Gancino Fancy lady’s watch a fun element with its vintage motifs. The dial of the time-piece is made of white mother-of-pearl while diamonds are set in the hour markers. Avail-able at authorised retailers.

About TIME

More good news for watch connoisseurs in Singapore as Omega opens its first flagship store

THE WEEK OF JUNE 29, 2009

L I F E • L E I S U R E • L E A R N I N G

A momentous anniversary

Bulgari celebrates 125th year

with exhibition and fundraiser

Pure magicDiscovering Louis Vuitton’s

Tambour Mystérieuse

New balanceA little moderation goes a long

way in Barossa Valley’s wines

In spite of the economic downturn, Club Med is winning market share with its great value proposition, says its president and CEO Caroline Puechoultres

Club FAB

THEEDGE SINGAPORE | JUNE 29, 2009 • OP3

SPECIAL EVENT

From July 3 to 5, security at the Tent@Orchard Ngee Ann City Civ-ic Plaza will be extremely tight as more than 3,500 breathtaking pieces of jewellery worth a to-

tal of $10 million will be on display at the Around The World Jewellery Show 2009.

The show is organised by Forever Jewels, a major player in the wholesale jewellery business that has plans to make a foray into retail. To do this, the company, founded by husband-and-wife team of Chu Chiu Fai and Marjory Lim in 1995, has already inked a deal to open two retail stores: Cupid at Or-chard Central in August and concept boutique March at Marina Bay Sands at year-end.

But, before the boutiques open, con-sumers can get a taste of the style and craftsmanship of the jewellery at this three-day event, which is free to the public. Sounds too good to be true? Chu offers, “At the end of the day, we just

YourWeekOut

Breathtaking For three days, you will get to feast your eyes on some spectacular jewellery pieces that you can own

From the Out of Africa collection is this Gorilla Ring in 18K black gold with two green garnets (0.27 carat), 850 fancy black diamonds (17.88 carat) and 12 round diamonds (0.31 carat)

The OCTOpearls Ring is part of the UltraMarine collection.

It is made of 18K rose-gold and has nine pearls (16.20g),

two rubies (0.47 carat), 1,118 fancy yellow diamonds (10.97

carat) and 162 fancy black diamonds (1.78 carat).

want to celebrate our success and thank everyone for making it possible. And, we can think of no better way to do it than to show Singaporeans what we can offer, and at reasonable prices.”

So, don’t forget your credit card as all pieces on display are for sale. In line with the Around The World theme, the items are clustered in four categories: Out of Africa, which has jungle animals and their wildlife habitat captured in precious stones; Mystery of the Orient, which showcases the rich cultural heritage of the East; City Lights, which depicts modern living through the sparkling skyline of a metropolis; and UltraMarine, a tribute to underwater creatures.

Should you prefer something under-stated, some 1,000 diamond solitaires are on sale and designers will be on hand to offer you a complimentary bespoke design service.

Mystery of the Orient has a fabu-lous flower pendant made of 18K white gold, one coral (34.44g), two green garnets (0.10 carat), eight fancy yellow marques diamonds (0.96 carat), eight fancy yellow rose-cut diamonds (1.02 carat), 310 round diamonds (2.34 carat) and 276 fancy black diamonds (3.07 carat)

BLING

E

WATCH Duplicity (opens on July 2), starring Julia Rob-erts as a former CIA agent and Clive Owen as an ex-MI6 member who pair up to steal a corporate product formula that will pocket them millions. Also stars Tom Wilkinson (The Full Monty) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways). This comic caper is directed by Tony Gilroy.

JOIN Stephen Hough in a Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto Extravaganza. He performs the less-known Piano Concerto No 2, accompanied by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Yoel Levi, who is principal conductor of the Orchestre National d’Île de France, also leads the orchestra in Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and the popular Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm at Library@Esplanade. July 3, 7.30pm, Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets at $11 to $75 from Sistic*.

ATTEND Serious Belly Banters, a talk on abdominal and colonic health. Four specialists share case studies on the stomach as well as new innovations to prevent and cure abdominal and rectal conditions that reduce pain and involve minimal surgical procedures and faster recovery. July 4, 2pm, Suntec Convention Centre Theatre Level 2. Tickets at $15 ($20 on event day) from Sistic*.

BE thrilled by some fancy twists and turns in the Formula Drift ProAm Series. This two-day event features 28 amateur drift drivers from around the region, including Singaporean Ivan Lim, who trained under Japanese drifting legend Ken Nomura. July 4 and 5, 10.30am to 4pm (Sat), 10.30am to 5pm (Sun), Changi Exhibition Centre. Tickets at $35 (grandstand), $15 (walkabout) from Sistic*.

HAVE a laugh at Roaring Good Times!, a Mandarin cross-talk show featuring famed cross-talk artiste Geng Dian Sheng. The Young People’s Performing Arts Ensemble, a homegrown group, will present new works. July 4 and 5, 8pm (Sat), 3.30pm (Sun), SCO Concert Hall, Singapore Conference Hall. Tickets at $20 and $25 from Sistic*.

CATCH Pulp Stories II: James Rosenquist and Frank Stella, an exhibition of nine large-scale and complex pulp works by the American contemporary art legends. Among the exhibits are Rosenquist’s Time Dust, one of the largest prints ever made, and Stella’s epic print, The Fountain, which showcases his iconic abstract style. Till July 11, 10am to 6pm (Tues to Sat), Singapore Tyler Print Institute Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay. Free admission.

CHECK out Changing Asia, an exhibition of 26 photo-graphs by eight French and Chinese photographers from the collection of the Fonds national d’art contemporain (FNAC), a department of the Centre national d’art contemporain (CNAP). Photographers featured include Bertrand Meunier, Jiang Jian, Xing Danwen and Johann Rousselot, all of whom have documented the changing social and geographical landscape of China and India. Till July 18, 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri), till 5pm (Sat), SG Private Banking Gallery, Alliance Française de Singapour, 1 Sarkies Road. Free admission.

* Sistic hotline: 6348 5555


PEOPLE & PLACES

A momentousFrom left: Gina Lollobrigida with Bulgari’s co-chairman Nicola Bulgari and CEO Fran-cesco Trapani

Nathalie Bulgari and actor Jason Lewis

A ruby and diamond bracelet made from platinum from 1934

A pair of clip brooches set with turquoises, rubies and diamonds, from 1957

A snake bracelet-watch from 1965 made from gold and polychrome

enamel, with a circular dial concealed in the

snake’s mouth

On a warm spring evening last month, Rome’s Pal-azzo delle Esposizioni saw the coming togeth-er of an elite coterie

of A-list stars that included the likes of Gina Lollobrigida, Chloe Sevigny, Jessica Alba, Margher-ita Missoni, Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Lewis. The paparazzi went crazy all night long, adjust-ing long necks and flash bulbs to immortalise on film sirens and icons of the silver screen along-side one of Italy’s most formida-ble business entities — jeweller and luxury retailer Bulgari.

Of Greek birthright and Italian ancestry — Bulgari’s founder Sotirio Boulgaris began as a jewel-ler in Greece but founded Bulgari in Rome — the luxury label, which now dabbles in watches, hand-bags, fragrances, accessories and hotels, was celebrating its 125th anniversary. It was in 1885 that the fi rst Bulgari store opened in Rome’s Via Sistina. The company is still run today by descendants of the Bulgari family — Sotirio’s grandchildren Paolo and Nicola are the company’s chairman and co-chairman respectively, and their nephew Francesco Trapani is CEO.

The family was present in full force for the anniversary celebration at the iconic palazzo, venue for the company’s fi rst-ever retrospective exhibition. Be-tween Eternity and History: 1884 – 2009 is Bulgari’s own history

lesson, tracing the company’s creative spirit and evolution of style right from its opening to the present day.

The exhibition is articulated in eight chronologically organised sections, beginning with a col-lection of works silver-crafted by Sotirio himself — the only existing examples of Bulgari’s production in the early years. A series of Art Decò-inspired diamond pieces from the Twenties and Thirties in the next section are testament to the renewed sense of direction Bulgari was given by Sotirio’s sons, Giorgio and Costantino. However, in terms of style and design, Bulgari remained under the infl uence of French fashion sensibilities, which the creations of the Forties and Fifties will show.

However, Bulgari’s true spirit comes to life in the following gal-lery, which showcases its pieces from the Sixties — the decade that marked a momentous shift in defi ning the brand’s identity. It was during this period that the distinctive features for which Bulgari is now

known fi rst appeared — decisive, stylised forms, soft volumes and unprecedented chromatic com-binations.

The three subsequent galleries host, respectively, the creations of the Seventies, strongly infl uenced by Pop Art; the Eighties, distin-guished by bold and innovative design; and the Nineties. The last section of the exhibition, installed in the main gallery of the majestic palazzo, brings together some of the most magnifi cent creations of the new millennium. If you feel like some shopping is in or-der, there is a €13 million ($26.3

million) diamond

necklace on display that is a must-have — that is, if you can convince Bulgari to part with it.

Within the galleries, Bulgari has created special sections that highlight key

evolutionary moments of its style — for example, its coin

jewellery, the serpent motif, and the masterful reinterpreta-

tion of the BVLGARI logo.Enhancing the beauty of the

jewellery itself is a collection of never-before-seen documents, which include sketches, draw-ings and photographs of artists, aristocrats and celebrities who have appreciated the beauty of Bulgari jewellery. Look out for preparatory drawings for jew-els worn on screen by the most famous actresses of all time, il-lustrating the close ties between Bulgari and the fi lm industry. The real stars of this section are the jewels themselves — spectacular creations worn by the likes of Anna Magnani and Gina Lol-lobrigida, all on display for the very fi rst time.

Another entire room has been reserved for the fabulous per-sonal collection of Elizabeth

Taylor, offering a unique opportunity to admire

some of Bulgari’s most extraordinary creations made for the iconic actress. Especially notewor-thy is the diamond

brooch with an 18-carat central emerald that she received from Richard Burton for their 1962 engagement — the only piece of jewellery she wore for her fi rst wedding with Burton on March 15, 1964. Burton’s famous quote decorates one wall: “I introduced her to beer and she introduced me to Bulgari.”

Bulgari put on a breathtak-ingly picturesque affair with the exhibition, which ends on Sept 13, and coupled it with another exciting presentation: additional funding for Save the Children’s Rewrite the Future campaign, which was created to provide quality education for eight mil-lion children living in war-torn countries.

In the presence of several inter-national representatives of Save the Children, Bulgari unveiled an extraordinary limited-edition collection of 11 couture jewels and seven luxury watches that will be auctioned off at Christie’s New York in December. The total estimated value of the jewellery and watches is €3 million, all of which will be channelled to Rewrite the Future.

What a truly momentous way for Bulgari to commemorate its anniversary — by celebrating the grandeur of the past and creating hope for the future.

Anandhi Gopinath is a writer with the Options desk at The Edge Malaysia

Bulgari celebrates 125th year with fi rst-ever retrospective exhibition and limited-edition collection to raise funds for Save the Children, writes Anandhi Gopinath

E

ANNIVERSARY


BOOKS

Bedroom trysts, eviction, hockey overdose — nanny knows| BY LAURIE MUCHNICK |

If your spouse were having an affair, with trysts in your own bedroom, would your nanny know?

Tasha Blaine’s sharp-eyed, com-passionate new book, Just Like Fam-

ily: Inside the Lives of Nannies, the Par-ents They Work for, and the Children They Love, suggests the answer is yes.

Blaine worked as a nanny after fin-ishing a Master of Fine Arts programme in her early 30s. She planned to do it for a year, thinking it was an easy job that would give her time to write. She lasted only six months, but developed an abid-ing interest in the lives of the women she met on the playground bench.

Her book focuses on three: Claudia, a Caribbean immigrant working for Betsy and James, a two-career couple in Man-hattan; Vivian, a college-educated Bosto-nian who was named Nanny of the Year by the International Nanny Association; and Kim, a live-in known as one of the best nannies in Texas. (All the names in the book have been changed.)

As different as their circumstances are, similarities abound, especially what they see as the difficulties of the job: “Taking care of children was the easy part; walk-ing the line with parents was the chal-lenge. Push too hard and risk angering a parent. Push too little and risk getting less than deserved. Say too much and put parents on the defensive. Say too little and watch a bad family dynamic intensify.”

Sometimes the nannies clash with par-ents over important child-raising issues: Vivian feels slighted that her employers don’t want her advice about choosing a school for their four-year-old twins and thinks the boys’ father is pushing them too hard by making them play hockey three times a week.

A parent may act as if the nanny is blind, or perhaps stupid. Claudia’s first employer disappeared into her bedroom with a man not her husband while the nanny was downstairs with the kids. Re-pelled by her attitude, Claudia left the job soon afterwards.

As the title of the book says, nannies are often “just like family”, but their em-ployer’s home is their workplace and it’s hard to find the line separating business and friendship.

When Claudia’s estranged husband emptied her bank account, leading to an

eviction notice from her landlord, she put off telling Betsy and James until a few days before she was due in housing court. They rode to her rescue, writing cheques and making phone calls. It gave Betsy a stark new understanding of Claudia’s life and their relationship:

“Claudia had no savings, no college ed-ucation and no property to her name. She lived cheque to cheque. Remove one piece of the precarious structure of Claudia’s fi-nancial life and it all fell apart. Betsy and James Hall were Claudia’s only safety net now.” — Bloomberg LP E

Laurie Muchnik. Just Like Family. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 322 pages.

KHL.indd 1 26/06/2009 4:38 AM


THE ASCOTT INTERVIEW

It’s a rare sight indeed to watch the CEO of a multinational com-pany dancing with her ground staff and customers on a beach in Phuket. But Caroline Pue-

choultres is not just any CEO — she’s the president and CEO of Club Med Asia, the Singapore-based branch of a company whose marketing slo-gan is “Where happiness means the world”.

It appears that having fun and being able to spread joy is almost a prerequisite for working at Club Med. Since 1950, the France-based resort operator has been cultivat-ing a culture founded on fun and happiness.

Today, Club Med’s 80 resorts worldwide are referred to as “vil-lages”, each headed by a chef de village (chief of village) and staffed with GOs (gentle organisers), who help create Club Med’s trademark, unique environment with their warm, friendly and gregarious per-sonalities.

In Phuket to meet with media from all over Asia, Puechoultres epitomises the Club Med spirit per-fectly. With short, cropped hair and a ready smile, the youthful CEO is as fun-loving and charismatic as they come. One could almost imagine Puechoultres starting her Club Med career as a GO herself many, many moons ago.

Actually, Puechoultres began her working life in the marketing department of Procter and Gamble. After seven years, she left for French TV Group and then Disney Télévi-sion France. In 2003, she became vice-president, strategic marketing director at Club Med’s head offi ce in Paris.

Puechoultres, whose surname means “beyond the hill” in French, has literally gone far beyond her native soil since then. She arrived in Singapore in 2006 to assume her current position, taking care of 10 villages and 10 offi ces across Asia-Pacifi c. These contribute about 15% of Club Med’s total revenue. She visits at least one resort or country in her charge each year.

“You can be happy alone, but you’re much happier with others,” says Puechoultres, describing Club Med’s unique premise.

The brand was one of the fi rst in the world to offer an all-inclusive holiday concept in which all F&B and activities — such as golf, ar-chery, skiing, fl ying trapeze, sailing and windsurfi ng, complete with the guidance of professional instructors — were incorporated into the pack-age price

As such, there’s a common per-ception that the package ends up being a lot more expensive than a free and easy trip. But Puechoultres says all things considered, one gets great value for the sheer amount of activities one can enjoy. “Luxury is having freedom of choice,” she says.

Incidentally, Club Med also em-barked on a new upscale positioning in 2004. And, despite the economic downturn, it is not cutting back on its plans to develop new properties. It is still looking to launch one property a year. In China, Beijing or Yunnan will welcome a new Club Med by

2012, while plans for a second resort in the Maldives are underway.

In the relaxed atmosphere of the 20ha Club Med Phuket, Puechoultres talks to Options about the relevance of the company’s all-inclusive con-cept, gaining market share in spite of the economic downturn and how the current recession has affected the company from a business per-spective.

Options: Travel is largely about experiencing the local culture of a particular destination. Does this pose any challenges for Club Med, which is anchored on the all-in-clusive concept?Puechoultres: When you have a real personality and real positioning, you can’t tackle all of the world’s population; so we don’t. There are two kinds of vacation — a tour or staying in a place and enjoying it. It’s interesting to see the history of the development of tourism in Asia. It’s developing into staying in an area because people understand they need to relax — the fi rst aim of a vacation is relaxation.

When you do a tour, it’s not re-laxing. It’s refreshing for the mind, but sometimes you come back even more tired. Both are very interesting and people need both. Club Med is not a tour [type of vacation] even though we do excursions. [Instead,] we focus on the best ways to in-corporate local culture inside the resort — from the design to the employees and so on.

For people who don’t necessar-ily need to do all the activities [we offer], the luxury is in the freedom of choice. People may say, “I want to relax and do nothing.” But when they get to Club Med, they realise that they can be enriched by the activities — the circus [fl ying tra-peze], golf, diving and so on. Club Med is really about the freedom of choice.

How do you convert people who do not understand or buy into the Club Med concept?The best way is to sample it; to have them experience it. We try to explain using videos, not just pictures or words, because it’s really a multi-dimensional experience. Explaining the emotion is very diffi cult; that’s why we’ve been trying to have our travel agents and partners talk about Club Med [from their own experi-ence] so that it’s very authentic and personal, and less commercial. Then, we try to rationalise that when you compare [your total trip expendi-ture with staying at] other hotels, Club Med is more accessible and less costly.

Is the Asian traveller much differ-ent from the Western traveller?They are most similar at the social level. We’re talking about vacations for the high-end customer and their needs are quite the same all across the world. Then, the next differ-ence would be whether it’s a family or couple or corporate group. It’s true that Asians are starting to dis-cover leisure and starting to not feel guilty about [enjoying their] spare time, whereas the Europeans and Americans are very used to going on

Club FABIn spite of the economic downturn, Club Med

is winning market share with its great value proposition, president and CEO Caroline Puechoultres

tells Jamie Nonis

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Puechoultres: For people who don’t necessarily need to do all the activities [we offer], the luxury is in the freedom of choice

PICT

URES

: CLU

B M

ED

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vacation. Enrichment is more important for Asians than it is for Europeans. The quantitative difference is that Asians stay only three to four days, whereas Europeans and Americans would stay an average of seven days, so it means there is room for growth [in Asia].

Club Med recently implemented a new, upscale strategy. How is this working out for you in light of the recession?There is obviously a drop in business glo-bally. The Asian zone is one of the zones with big growth — it had been growing steadily over the years. Now, this has started to become fl at.

Interestingly, you’ve said that Club Med is gaining market share in this current economy. Why do you think that is so?We were positioned as the most expensive in the middle range of hotels. So, when there is a crisis, what happens is that you not only lose your customers but some of them downgrade to a lower range of hotel. Now, we are positioned as the most accessible of the upscale hotels; so, in a crisis, the ones who used to go to the up-scale hotels will now downgrade to Club Med. Previously, we suffered because our guests were choosing to downgrade to our competition. But now, we’re ben-efi ting from the new position, thanks to the value proposition. That’s why we’re gaining market share.

How have visitor arrivals been impacted by the downturn?It has been very different from one zone to another. The crisis started to impact the US, then Europe, then Asia. It’s -4% in turnover and -7% in capacity globally.

Have you shelved or postponed plans for the construction of new resorts as a result of the economic downturn?No. During a crisis, banks will lend less or not at all, so we have to spread out our cash and focus on the key priorities. We’ll be cutting the budget for renovation and construction by half, but it’s not re-ally an issue because the renovation of our village portfolio was nearly fi nished [before the crisis].

Have you had to adjust any other plans because of the crisis?We’re working on reducing the cost of operating resorts, of doing marketing and sales — we’re trying to focus on what works. What would be nice to have, we put it aside — not to forget about it but to do it when the crisis is over.

Have you had to let go of staff?We decided not to [do that]. We have 20,000 to 23,000 employees around the world. Obviously, every month, someone quits Club Med for whatever reason. So, the decision was made that we would not replace the person unless it’s a job directly linked to safety or sales, because

we need to push sales. The other measure we’ve taken is that we froze the mobility of our GOs who go from one resort to another when it’s winter. So, we save on the cost of transportation. We didn’t take any additional strong measures because we don’t need to.

When does Club Med believe the econ-omy will rebound?We don’t know. What we know is that somehow, it’ll be more diffi cult than we think. And, the crisis is psychological. We are overloaded by information from the media… People don’t have less money; it’s just that they’re fearful about the future.

What is your greatest achievement since coming on board as president and CEO of Asia-Pacifi c three years ago?The most important thing for me is to work on the team spirit and to make staff feel like part of the team despite the geographical distance from one resort to another, from one country to another. So, I’m most proud that everybody is now aligned and they feel a sense of togetherness — people feel they are part of the team, whatever the level, whatever the country, whatever the resort. We’re sharing the same challenges and despite the differences in nature, culture, personality and so on, we’re all together, fi ghting for the same objectives.

Jamie Nonis is a freelance writer who enjoys the luxury lifestyle

• Visit Phang Nga Bay “It’s a wonderful and magical area.

But don’t go on a speedboat. Take your time in a Chinese junk instead, because it will put you in a relaxed mood.”

• Drop by Phi Phi Island “It’s an obvious place to go, but you

can’t miss it. It’s really amazing,” says Puechoultres, of the island where The Beach, starring Leonardo di Caprio, was filmed.

• Check out James Bond Island This popular tourist attraction was

named after the 1974 Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, starring Roger Moore.

• Go elephant hiking “It’s great for the kids.”

• Explore the local culture “Visit the temples; explore the local

culture, religion, traditions and habits of the Thai people.”

Caroline’s list of must-dos in Phuket

E

Club Med Phuket offers the ultimate in relaxationElephant hiking is one of things to do in Phuket

ad.indd 1 26/06/2009 5:20 PM


STYLE

The watch industry in recent times has reached new levels of sophistication — it is transform-ing into a market that is quite impossible to compete in. Whether it’s an interplay of inno-vative materials or the use of completely lu xu-

rious, over-the-top elements, whether it’s a simple quartz watch or a highly complicated tourbillon — everything has been done before. So, if you want to make a splash and create ripples that will last a long time, you’re going to need the wave of a magician’s wand to make it work.

And, that is what Louis Vuitton has done.The French luxury label’s latest foray into watch-

making has created a timepiece that is a work of art in more levels than one — the best possible horological engineering comes together with a spot of sheer genius and unmatchable aesthetic sensibilities, resulting in the pure magic that is the Tambour Mystérieuse. With the fi nesse of the best of conjurers, the movement of the watch is completely concealed. The watch hands hover magically within the case, causing time to fl oat as if by some other-wordly bewitchment.

As miraculous as the timepiece is, its genius is quite easily explained — the movement is held together by transparent sapphire crystal discs. So simple and ingenious, one wonders why it had never been done before.

“Ah, but it has,” says Louis Vuitton’s special-order manager for watches and watch-product manager Benoit Louis Vuitton. “The idea for the Tambour Mystérieuse came from the clocks that were developed in 1884 by a magician and watchmaker from 19th century France named Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Louis Vuitton has re-interpreted the mechanism and

adapted it to our Tambour line of timepieces.”So, while the mechanism itself is not new,

putting it in a wristwatch is. “The idea was to create a watch that no one else had,” says Be-

noit. “Then, of course, there was the aspect of being able to completely personalise the

watch, from the colour of the gold to the kind of bracelet — this provides very dif-

ferent possibilities.”The strikingly lovely timepiece was

unveiled for the fi rst time in Singa-pore last month. Benoit and the movement designer for the Tambour Mystérieuse, Gildas Le Doussal, es-

tablished a temporary base at the luxurious St Regis hotel to introduce to

the regional media fraternity the brand’s latest mas-terpiece. No one left unimpressed as this was truly a stunning work of art.

Its good looks aside, there is something else to celebrate as well — the Tambour Mystérieuse is a fi rst in Louis Vuitton’s seven-year history of timepieces

as it is entirely created, developed and assembled in the brand’s watchmaking workshops in Switzerland. Perpetuating a tradition of craftsmanship and unmatch-able quality, every part of the watch and movement is handmade. As a tip of the hat to the lucky talis-man that is the number 8, the power reserve stands at eight days and eight hours.

Almost immediately after joining Louis Vuitton’s watch division, Le Doussal was assigned to create the Tambour Mystérieuse, a feat of watchmaking that took two years to research and develop. Five specially treated sapphire crystal discs hold the watch together, including the front and back of the 42.5mm case. A series of simple yet meticulously arranged gears con-nect the crown — that adjusts the time and winds the watch — to the movement via the sapphire discs.

For a watch with an eight-day power reserve, it has to be said that the movement — no bigger than a fi ve-sen coin — is rather tiny. “Normally, if you want to increase the power reserve, you have

Benoit Louis Vuitton is set to have his hands full with the new Tambour Mystérieuse, which allows unprecedented levels of personalisation

The heights of feminine indulgence — the sap-phire crystal back case reveals a diamond-paved movement

Introducing new levels of sophistica-ted luxury, this watch is fitted with a floating Louis Vuitton logo that you can replace with your family insignia or your initials

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MAGICAnandhi Gopinathdiscovers the mystery behind Louis Vuitton’s latest masterpiece, the Tambour Mystérieuse

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HEALTH

Climate change exacting a heavy toll on human health

Of bug-borne illsKILLER HEATand

| BY DEBORAH ZABARENKO |

Tree-munching beetles, malaria-carrying mosquitoes and deer ticks that spread Lyme disease are three living signs that cli-mate change is likely to exact a

heavy toll on human health.These pests and others are expanding

their ranges in a warming world, which means people who never had to worry about them will have to start. And, they are hardly the only health threats from global warming.

The Lancet medical journal declared in a May 16 commentary: “Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.”

Individual threats range from the sim-ple to the very complex, the Lancet said, reporting on a year-long study conducted with University College London.

As the global mean temperature rises, expect more heat waves. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects 25% more heat waves in Chicago by the year 2100; Los Angeles will likely have a four-to-eight-fold increase in the number of heat-wave days by century’s end.

These “direct temperature effects” will hit the most vulnerable people hardest, according to the US Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA), especially those with heart problems and asthma, the elderly, the very young and the homeless.

The EPA has declared that carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, is a danger to human health and welfare, clearing the way for possible regulation of emissions.

At the same time, the US Congress is working on a bill that would cap emis-sions and issue permits that could be traded between companies that spew more than the limit and those that emit less.

Rising seas, sultry airPeople who live within 60 miles (97 km) of a shoreline, or about one-third of the world’s population, could be affected if sea levels rise as expected over the coming decades, possibly more than 3ft (1m) by 2100. Flooded homes and crops could make environmental refugees of a billion people.

As it becomes hotter, the air can hold more moisture, helping certain disease-carriers, such as the ticks that spread Lyme disease, thrive, the EPA says.

A changing climate could increase the risk of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and various viral causes of encephalitis. Algae blooms in water could be more frequent, increasing the risk of diseases like cholera. Respiratory problems may be aggravated by warming-induced increases in smog.

Other less obvious dangers are also potentially devastating.

Pine bark beetles, which devour trees in western North America, will be able to produce more generations each year, instead of subsiding during winter months.

They leave standing dead timber, ideal fuel for wildfi res from Arizona to Alaska, says Paul Epstein of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University.

‘Tremendous’ health costsOther insects are spreading in the US, and while immediate protection is pos-sible, the only real solution is to curb climate change, Epstein says in a tel-ephone interview.

“You can tuck your pants into your socks and be very vigilant, but ulti-mately, if we don’t stabilise the climate, it’s going to continue to increase... infec-tious diseases,” Epstein says.

Carbon dioxide emissions, from coal-fi red power plants, steel mills and pe-troleum-fuelled cars, trucks and boats, among other sources, do more than modify climate, Epstein says. They also stimulate ragweed, some pollen-bearing trees and fungi, extending the spring and fall allergy and asthma seasons.

It is hard to quantify the potential fi nancial cost of US climate change-related health problems, says Dr Chris Portier of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Some costs might actually decline if programmes are put in place to cut greenhouse emissions from fossil fuels, which would also reduce some types of toxic air and water pollution.

Without cuts in carbon dioxide emis-sions, that pollution will remain, and the other unhealthy effects of climate change will continue, including more severe fl oods, droughts, heat waves and storms.

“You’ll get more extreme weather events that will occur more frequently... and so it just piles on in terms of the hu-man health effects,” Portier says. “And, the cost will be tremendous, there’s little doubt of that.” — Reuters

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to increase the diameter of the movement. This was not possible for us, as we needed the space in the watch to have the mysteri-ous effect. So, we developed the movement vertically instead of horizontally,” Le Dous-sal explains. The watch’s oscillating rotor is specially designed so that it can be inlaid with a logo, a family insignia or even the owner’s initials.

“I like the technical aspect of this watch,” Le Doussal adds, as he glances at the draw-ings of the Tambour Mystérieuse. “The most diffi cult part was to put all the components of the movement together — it’s just 18mm and has so many parts. Normally, the case has about eight pieces, but this time, with the discs and the gears, it has about 50 pieces. A single piece of dust will mean it is not perfect any more, so there is a special clean room in our workshops. And, of course, this watch takes 12 months to make, so [you] have to consider this also.”

For the sake of creating a prototype, Louis Vuitton has made three models of the watch using a wide variety of materials. An easy favourite is a resolutely technical creation with clean minimalist lines and a black al-ligator strap holding down a platinum case. The second is all about sophisticated luxury, with a brown leather strap providing the per-fect background for a rose-gold watch case. The third is a supremely feminine creation that radiates an aura of bejewelled artistry — a pink strap in stingray leather holds to-gether a stunning diamond-encrusted bezel and case.

The three models do not refl ect a defi nite silhouette — the true identity of the Tambour Mystérieuse lies only in the minds of its future owners as Louis Vuitton provides a thousand and one ways to personalise this timepiece. Nothing is constant except the ticking of the movement hidden within — future owners of the watch choose the strap, the metal for the case and the stones on the bezel. Diamonds or rubies? Baguette or square cut? Inscribed or left pure? Much like a composer bringing forth a new symphony, the owner of the Tambour Mystérieuse weaves a myriad of choices into a truly original composition.

“We are always looking for something new and something else to do. We are not one to sleep on our successes. The watchmaking division in Louis Vuitton has been doing well and the team is growing, as is the collection. This has given us the encouragement to cre-ate a watch like the Mystérieuse, which is at the top of our bespoke range. The idea of tradition and innovation really comes alive in this watch… this used to be something you cannot see or touch, it is intangible. Not any more.” says Benoit.

As homage to such extraordinary watch-craft, Louis Vuitton has created a case that itself is pure originality: a genuine trunk, created exclusively for the Tambour Mys-térieuse in Louis Vuitton’s historic workshops in Asnières. The chest opens up to reveal a rewinder, a key holder, a travel kit and, in the spirit of mystery, a secret section that contains a small notebook. The chest can be completely personalised to match the watch or even an existing collection of Louis Vuit-ton luggage.

The Tambour Mystérieuse and its trunk come at a fl at price of €200,000 ($404,100). Louis Vuitton sees the price as more than just the cost of one diamond over another — it’s more about the brand working with the customer to create a masterpiece without any concern for what the fi nal tally may be. Visit any Louis Vuitton boutique to place your order, and your watch will be delivered to you in a year.

A long wait? Perhaps, but the magic of the Tambour Mystérieuse is worth it.

Anandhi Gopinath is a writer with the Options desk at The Edge Malaysia

A foggy day in a shanty-town in Lima, Peru

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BEHIND THE BOTTLE

In crisis there is opportunity — some-thing worth remembering in these dif-ficult times. The saying also applies to the Barossa Valley Estate (BVE), a winery that was formed in 1984 by 80

grape growers as a cooperative (it subse-quently became a joint venture with BRL Hardy). It was either that or leave the year’s harvest to wither on the vine.

Talking to BVE’s winemaker, Stuart Bourne, you get the feeling that pride was a big motivation for the establishment of the cooperative. Some of the growers he deals with are the fourth or even fifth generation cultivating the predominantly

Shiraz (Syrah) grapes that end up in the BVE cellars. In the mid-1980s, when the federal government was offering grow-ers subsidies to replace Shiraz vines with Chardonnay, they decided to make their own wine.

Shiraz grapes were first planted in Australia in the 1830s from cuttings tak-en from the Hermitage in France’s Rhone Valley, and while there is some debate as to which are the oldest, there are vines in Australia still producing grapes that date back to the mid-1800s.

This heritage proves to be a challenge for Bourne, though. Encouraging farmers

NewThe Barossa Valley in South Australia is renowned for big wines, but a little moderation goes a long way, says Tony Watts

BALANCE

Bourne: Serve it [sparkling Shiraz] as an aperitif, or with bacon and eggs for brunch

At a retail price of $215, the E&E Black Pepper Shiraz is not a cheap wine, but if you’re interested in seeing just how balanced an Australian Shiraz can be, it makes a great place to start

E

to adopt new methods can be difficult, even though they are rewarded financial-ly for better quality grapes.

Our tasting at Peach Blossoms at the Marina Mandarin hotel started with a 2003 E&E Sparkling Shiraz. “Who else but Aus-tralians would have the audacity to take a big red wine and apply méthode champe-noise techniques to it?” asks Bourne, re-ferring to the way in which champagne is made. He delights in telling a story about attending a wine show in Europe and be-ing asked to leave the stand of an estab-lished champagne house after offering to trade some of his sparkling Shiraz for their product.

It must be said that a flute of chilled red with bubbles is an unusual experience, but it is an interesting wine, offering sweet fruit flavours without being cloying. “The bubbles are unforgiving,” says Bourne. If it has too much tannin this wine would “rip your face off”, he jokes. The wine is barrel-aged for 18 months in 50% Amer-ican and 50% French oak, followed by a year in older French oak.

While the sparkling Shiraz is a like able wine, its unique nature makes it difficult to put into context. What sort of food would you pair it with, I wondered? Bourne, him-self a keen cook, tells me he has served it with a duck risotto, grilled kangaroo fillet and even a blue-cheese-and-chocolate tart. It doesn’t have to be so exotic, though. “Serve it as an aperitif,” he suggests, “or with bacon and eggs for brunch.”

We then moved on to something more familiar — the 2006 E Minor Chardonnay, for which Bourne drew on his experience in making Riesling. “Capturing the fresh-ness of the fruit is the secret,” he says. The wine is lightly oaked, having spent three months in French oak barrels, and does what Bourne intended by display-ing some lovely fresh-fruit characteris-tics in balance with a hint of oak in the background.

While a good amount of New World wine we see currently is of the overtly fruity Sauvignon Blanc variety, I suspect balanced Chardonnays such as this one may mark their return to favour. Certainly, if you have been scared off by big, oakey New World Chardonnays, E Minor is a breath of fresh air.

Yet another familiar varietal was next on the tasting menu — BVE’s 2002 Eben-ezer Cabernet Sauvignon. “This is not a cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Bourne. It is, indeed, a powerful, full-bodied wine. Again, Bourne’s deftness in the cellar shows through — the fruit is still the dominant character, with sub-tle oak undertones and nicely integrated tannins. Bourne describes it as “hands off” winemaking, starting with small fruit from low-yielding vines (less than one ton per acre) and with “no more than five to six days on the skins” to avoid harsh tannins.

But while the Cabernet Sauvignon is a lovely wine, Shiraz is what the Baros-sa Valley is best known for. “Welcome to the Barossa Valley. Have a Shiraz day,” quips Bourne.

We start with the Ebenezer Shiraz, which fits between the E Minor wines and the flagship E&E range. Named for a small town in the north of the Barossa Valley, the majority of fruit used comes from there, with “maybe five growers” contributing fruit for the 2004 vintage, and “maybe 10” for the cooler 2005. The difference is obvious in the wines, with the current release 2004 in particular dis-playing the classic Barossa Valley spice on the nose. Fortunately, Bourne has avoided the traditional Barossa take-your-breath-away tannins and made a remarkably bal-anced wine.

But the highlight of the tasting has to

be the E&E Black Pepper Shiraz, of which we try the current release 2003 vintage and the 2000. This wine is made using the best grapes available, and Bourne admits there have been a couple of years when they nearly didn’t make an E&E label.

Now in its 21st vintage, E&E Black Pep-per Shiraz is a widely respected wine, av-eraging 94 points from Wine Spectator in recent years. The 2000 vintage did even better, with 95 points, and it is easy to see why. It is still a full-bodied wine, but with balanced fruit and oak characteristics and enough integrated tannin for a long finish. Bourne says it is not over-extracted, “it is not meant to be a car crash”, he states, and it is just starting to show some age characteristics.

“Having a four-year-old wine as a mini-mum before release is a luxury,” he says of the 2003. It is a luxury that doesn’t please his financial controller, but if you have minimal cellar space, or are of the drink-it-now school, Bourne has done you a big favour by doing some of the cellaring for you. At a retail price of $215 in Singapore, the E&E Black Pepper Shiraz is not a cheap wine, but if you’re interested in seeing just how balanced an Australian Shiraz can be, it makes a great place to start.

Tony Watts takes a break from car reviews to appreciate fine wines

Rather than replace their Shiraz vines with Chardon-nay and taking the subsidies offered by the federal government, BVE was formed by 80 grape growers


DINE OUT

to start, we recommend the Crab Salad with Orange and Avocado ($22), a light and mildly tangy serving of shredded crab meat and puréed avocado. Or opt for a healthy serving of greens in the Baby Spinach Salad with Gorgon-zola Dressing, Pears, Raisins and Pine Nuts ($18). The gorgonzo-la cheese pairs perfectly with the sharp bite of the spinach and is nicely rounded off by the sweet-ness of the pears and raisins.

Among the well known tra-ditional Italian dishes is Squid Ink Spaghetti. Il Lido’s, served with Calamari and Sweet Peas for $23, is a must-try. The squid ink sauce is silky smooth and gives the spaghetti a light fishy taste and moist, almost buttery texture. The rings of calamari are amaz-ingly soft and flavourful. We are told the chef’s secret is to cook the squid plain, without the typ-ical lemon juice or other season-ings that can destroy taste and texture. Using very fresh squid is, of course, a given.

We also tried the Veal Ravio-li with Mushrooms and Truffle Cream ($24). Each parcel is a mouthful bursting with flavours that sit well on the tongue. The tender veal seems to almost en-velope the mushroom and truf-fle, releasing them across your palate as you bite in.

Of course, no Italian meal is complete without dessert. The Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream ($14) is a work of art, oozing rich, warm choco-

Easy on the pocket,good for the soul

| BY JOAN NG |

It’s chic to be cheap, and il Lido is one place that is do-ing both well. The Italian res-taurant, located by the sea-shore on Sentosa Island, has

launched a new menu with what it calls “recession-friendly” pric-es. Entrées start as low as $19

for Spaghetti Aglio e Olio; and the portion sizes have been in-creased just enough to satisfy, but not bloat. There’s room for wine and dessert, which you can en-joy while soaking in the serene sight and sound of waves tum-bling over each other.

The new menu runs over eight pages with over 40 regional spe-

cialities to choose from, and is a return of sorts to il Lido’s Ital-ian roots. Classic Italian dishes, cooked according to recipes that have been passed down for gen-erations within Italian families, have been lined up alongside old favourites from way back when the restaurant first opened.

If you’re at a loss over where

late from a soft and moist cake. Or, try something more tradition-al, like Panna Cotta with Balsamic Red Berries ($12). It is refreshing that both desserts aren’t overload-ed with sugar. Instead, the vari-ous flavours are left to speak for themselves.

Thankfully, il Lido has held on to its standards of quality. And so, while the new menu won’t blow diners away with bold creations, it does ensure you get the best bites for your buck. This may be just the place to ditch your recession blues. Your wallet will thank you for it; and your tummy too.

IL LIDOSentosa Golf Club27 Bukit Manis RoadTel: 6866 1977Opening hoursLunch: 11.30am to 2.30pmDinner: 6.30pm to 11pm

il Lido, literally translated, means the shore, which you can view from the terrace of the restaurant

The veal ravioli is juicy morsels of flavour and texture

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Welcome to the Middle East!Sit back and unwind in the urban oasis that is Kazbar. It is a feast for the senses with its exotic ambience reminiscent of the legendary Arabian Nights,lavish spread of authentic Middle Eastern food and beautiful belly dancer swaying to rhythmic Arabian music.

Immerse yourself in the 1001 tastes of Kazbar. Now, you get to enjoy double the pleasure with the opening of its second outlet in the revamped Cuppage Terrace. Don’t miss its sundown promotions, which include 1-for-1 selected bottle of beer and 50% off house-pour spirits by the glass from 4pm to 8pm.

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Fulfillingwishes

SPECIAL EVENT

The wishes of 105 children with life-threatening illnesses will now be fulfilled, thanks to the generous support of golfers who pit their skills to raise $235,000 at the Make-

A-Wish Foundation’s 7th Annual Charity Golf Tournament on June 19 at the Tanah Merah Country Club, Garden Course.

A total of 144 golfers turned up to do their bit for charity. They were having so much fun that it didn’t matter no one won the hole-in-one prize of a Maserati or a Bvlgari timepiece. Perhaps they were all too busy wolfing down complimenta-ry Morton’s juicy steak sandwiches and Movenpick ice-cream and washing all that down with Stella Artois beer.

The fun continued over dinner at the club’s ballroom where MediaCorp artiste Kym Ng entertained the golfers, volunteers and children from Make-A-Wish Founda-tion — an organisation that grants children between the ages of three and 18 any wish they desire, such as a Barney theme par-ty — a request made last year by Taufiq, one of the Foundation’s children.

Of the day’s event, CEO of Make-A-

The game of golf is even more meaningful when it’s for a good cause, as in raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Golfers all raring to go: (from left) Gordon Siu, Edmund Siah, Barend Janssens, Lim Cheng Teck

Make-A-Wish volunteers who helped organise and run the event in a celebratory mood

Dr Keith Goh, chairman of Make-A-Wish Foundation (right), is the auction win-

ner of a masterpiece drawn by Wish Kid Din (holding picture)

Now this is what we call teamwork

Back, from left: Richard Yong,

Ashok Melwani and Michael Ng.

Front: Edward Stanislaus

Wish Foundation Debbie Seah says, “It warms our hearts to see so many sup-porters — donors and volunteers alike — taking time out of their schedules to help bring happiness to the kids, and doing so with such joy.”

For more information, log on to www.makeawish.org.sg

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Golfers having fun by using a teammate as a human tee MediaCorp artiste Kym Ng with Wish Kid Taufiq

Options: Issue 376

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Transcript of Options: Issue 376