VIPs Only !

You have to hand it you nightclub entrepreneur Karim Gharbi who rules the roost at Double Bay's Casablanca nightclub. His new VIP venture is a much needed service for Sydney : the concept is a one-stop-shop for anyone that wants the very best this city has to offer. Whether it's a Lear Jet on standby, the best suite at one of this cities luxurious hotels, the best table at our world renowned restaurants or just perhaps the latest Rolls Royce to ferry you from point to point, Gharbi promises to smooth the way. And we love his 5 day cosmetic package that will rejuvenate the most jaded.
How appropriate that Karim should launch his business at the amazing Penthouse at the Top of The Town in Kings Cross.
The above vista is just part of the sensational view from one of Sydney's secret party spots. And yes, the Roller with the open doors greeted us upon arrival. No, the pushbike does not belong to Whispers (we walked) but we can report that magnums of Moet & Chandon flowed for one of Sydney's best parties of the year. Whispers approved. And we aren't even VIPS!. Russian oligarchs should form an orderly queue.

Gold Everywhere

radiant : Sonia Kruger

UK cricketing captain David Gower may think Australian cricket fans are devoid of culture but the Aussie cricketers sure have damned fine luggage. That was evident at this week's 2013 Gold Ball where one of the auction items was a splendorous set of Louis Vuitton luggage created for cricket captain Michael Clarke.
The Louis Vuitton luggage was just one of the many donated items along with Paspaley Pearls and world airline trips that saw around one million dollars being raised for the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick.
The Gold Ball brought out 350 of the good and great including former prime minister Paul Keating and captains of industry including the new slimline 'Aussie John' Symonds and new girlfriend Amber Keating , PM Paul's former daughter-in-law and a newly svelte Joe Hockey MP.
 Also there was Nine Network boss Jeff Browne and partner Rhonda Wyllie. Nine will be hosting the Gold Telethon this Queen's Birthday Holiday and Nicole Kidman, the hospital's patron has kicked in $100,000 to get the ball rolling.

slimmers club : Joe Hockey MP, John Symonds & Amber Kaeting

Glenn & Sarah McGrath

The Tony Assness designed ball room was really quite sensational with what seemed a million candles glittering and with catering by Matt Moran and endless crates of the finest chilled Bollinger. The idea first kicked around by PR gal Skye Leckie and Professor Les White (Chief Paediatrician for NSW Health) 17 years ago has grown to be the must attend social event.

Rhonda Wyllie & Jeff Browne

cute blonde Lea Goodrem &daughter Delta

Professor Les White & Mrs White

Peter Overton & Jessica Rowe

Feathers Ruffled in Snooty Suburb

Double Bay is one of Sydney's snootiest suburbs with it's pleasant tree lined shopping precincts and cafes. Perfect for star spotting on a lazy afternoon. It's often referred to as an Antipodean Rodeo Drive.

Just 2 years ago a small local newspaper called Latte Life sprang into life and took on the big guns of the Eastern Suburbs, like the Fairfax Media owned Wentworth Courier one of the world's most advertising sodden publications.

With a small staff Latte Life has uncovered a major scandal right under the noses of some of Australia's major retailers : a 'pop-up' shop that appeared not long ago and which is brazenly selling a range of counterfeit goods. And who was the intrepid investigator who uncovered this major scandal : a 17 year old junior office staffer.

Read Latte Life here.

First Fiji-Now Kings Cross

SYDNEY GIRL-ABOUT-TOWN SHARON SARGEANT has returned to Sydney after holidaying in Fiji for the past week at the uber Jean-Michel Cousteau Islands Resort, the luxurious hotel that has cabins stretching along it's own palm fringed beach.


 


The Shuttle's local spy disguised as a fallen coconut managed to grab a few shots of the fun loving Shazza on the beach despite the hotel's boast that armed guards roam the grounds to keep prying eyes at bay and celebrities feeling safe to frolic in the sea au naturel, just as Sharon was (we've had to censor the snaps for our family readers).


Our local contact says the only time he spotted Ms Sargeant's escort, the famous private eye Frank Monte was once in the hotel's restaurant deep in conversation over lunch with a large important looking Fijian man who arrived and left with a military escort. What could he be up to?.The mind boggles!.

Kings Cross

But it's Ms Sargeant's activities over the past few days that has spiked the Shuttle's curiosity. Sharon was spotted on Sunday and Monday inspecting a number of vacant business premises in Kings Cross with a local real estate agent in tow. 

Apparently she was dressed far more demurely than usual and carrying a briefcase (albeit..a Louis Vuitton one) of papers, looking very business-like and  jotting down particulars of the properties she was looking at. What on earth is she up to ?. To date, our telephone messages left for Shazza haven't been returned.

Louis Vuitton Goes Down Market

The Shuttle had an invitation to last night’s “glittering VIP” opening party for Louis Vuitton’s magnificent new George Street emporium but had to turn it down due to a prior engagement.

“But how can you miss it” pleaded  a breathless PR operative “when we have an amazing list of top celebrities coming ?”

“like who ?”. 

“Lara Bingle , Erica Heynatz, Melissa Doyle, Miranda Kerr !”

“anyone we may not have run into last week ?”

“Cate Blanchett, she’s cutting the ribbon ?

“look we love Cate but she’s a tad over exposed in Sydney at present . Who else?”

“ Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones?”

“Love Ronnie but I'm seeing him at a private party this Sunday. We’ll send our photographer to get a few snaps"

“terrific, I’ll make sure he has a good spot on the black carpet”

“you mean a carpet with one of those boards with your name plastered all over it ?”

“Yes”

“No thanks. The whole idea is to have shots that are different to the paparazzi pics-you know maybe with the product inside the store and so on”.

Ronnie & Jo Woods at LV

And so it went and driving that night at 6.30pm over the Harbour Bridge our cynicism was confirmed. Opening anything on a Friday is verboten in this town mainly because you miss the Thursday deadline for Sunday’s society pages. 

But hearing  LVHM overlord Phillip Corne being interviewed on 2GB (nighttime audience-Long Bay Jail, nursing homes, the deranged etc) tell the befuddled listeners they could save for years to buy a Louis Vuitton piece which could be handed down through their family, or of the two South American peasants who saved a lifetime to purchase a LV suitcase (presumably with no money left to travel ) the madness of the modern world was confirmed.

They did get one thing right-using top party designer David Grant. A veteran of many Olympic Games events and the legendary Cointreau Balls, there is none better.

On Wednesday we had a long conversation with one of Australia’s top movie PRs who has promoted some of the biggest stars in the world and we both agreed about the new breed of publicists armed with a "communications degree” who can do everything but communicate.

The opening of Louis Vuitton was reminiscent of  the opening of the Martin Place Armani store a few years ago.

The Shuttle phoned the PR firm (new in town) to politely inform them we would be attending.

“Oh we can't have media inside” was the snooty reply “we have VIPs coming. You can stand outside the marquee” Miss Bossy Boots said.

“Who ?” we asked. 

“Lady Sonia McMahon, Boy George and Julian Clary”

“Well the reason I’m ringing is because Lady Sonia asked me to escort her” I replied “and Boy George told me today that Armani can ‘f"ck orf” unless they gave him a few outfits and Julian Clary will be in Brisbane. Well that's what he said at lunch two days ago".

We went with Sonia in the end and it was usual suspects (without Lara Bingle as she hadn’t become one yet). No Boy George and no Julian Clary.

                                               **************************

Cate with LV head honcho Philip Corne

Cutting the ribbon for the opening of a new store seemed an odd job for one of the world's top movie stars but Cate Blanchett had a good reason to last night (apart from the set of new LV luggage delivered to her a few days ago)

Now that Giorgio Armani has dropped out as a sponsor for the Sydney Theatre Company-step forward Louis Vuitton. And the brand comes with it's own champagne label, Moët & Chandon, perfect for those all important patron   parties.

Floral Drama in Double Bay

It's been gossip amongst the coffee shops of smart Double Bay for the past few days now.
 The tale of the well dressed lady who arrived in the afternoon at the uber smart restaurant Pink Salt and made off with a gorgeous bunch of flowers delivered earlier that day for the evening dining session.

Pink Salt owner Evan Hansimikali who first found foodie fame in the reality TV show My Restaurant Rules had been promising exposure of the Bouquet Bandit as she has been dubbed. It duly appeared today when Hansimikali provided security footage to the Daily Telegraph which you can also watch here. The Telegraph speculates that our light fingered BMW driver sports a Louis Vuitton handbag.

Our favourite Oligarch returns !

Another fleeting visit from our favourite Russian oligarch-although to the Moscow crowd of his contemporaries he's considered a 'baby oligarch' with just a small fortune by comparison-$2.9B.

Rustam Tariko is a vodka merchant with a taste for fine art and an eye for beautiful women. The 44-year-old is the owner of Russian Standard Vodka and a bank, the sources of his wealth. With his rapidly growing empire he is fast becoming one of Russia's most successful entrepreneurs.

Tariko hit the headlines in early May when he was outed as the buyer of Pablo Picasso's Dora Maar with Cat. He paid more than $150 million for the canvas.

He was in London for the Russian Economic Forum earlier this year, when he spoke on the theme of luxury as a Russian national idea. He should know. His dog, Dow Jones, wears a Louis Vuitton collar, goes on holiday with him to Sardinia, and has its own "nanny".

On Tuesday evening he hosted a vodka shindig at Ivy in the city. As with his visit earlier this year Miss Russia accompanied him and like last time, Rustam left straight after the party for the airport where his jet was waiting. Presumably Dow Jones was also waiting onboard.

We like Rustam's parties. There's always a generous gift bag with a selection of vodkas.

When Louis Vuitton attacks !

It was on August 1st- American rap singer T-Pain arrived at Sydney airport with an entourage of 23.

2 lone paparazzi photographers were there and by all accounts, well away from the celebrity group when suddenly a man, believed to be a bodyguard from T-Pain's party hurled himself onto a hapless snapper named Kirk Bolt, a regular on the Sydney red carpet scene.

T-Pain

Here is the tale as featured in the Daily Telegraph the following day.

Bolt and man crashed to the floor and were soon pulled apart by police. (now  more on the ball since a Hell's Angel was beaten to death at the same airport less than a year ago by a rival biker gang)

 What we want to know is-who owns the gorgeous pair of Louis Vuitton suitcases being wielded by the burly bodyguard. T-Pain or the menacing minder ?