Vale Carla

Born in 1942 in the small Italian village of Lovero, Aussie fashion design supremo Carla Zampatti has passed away after succumbing to injuries from a fall at the Opera in the Botanical Gardens just days ago. Zampatti's decades of timeless, elegant fashion has been much loved over the years from well heeled female corporate executives to visiting celebrities who swore a Zampatti designed outfit was the peak of elegance.

Pictured: Bianca Spender, Carla Zampatti and John Bush

Whispers often encountered Carla at Sydney and Melbourne soirees whether it was the launch of a new small design shop, a charity event, fashion parade or an Art Gallery grand dinner for the late Opera star Luccianno Pavrotti (Zampatti was always at the head table). We'd often see her tootling around Sydney's Eaatern Surburbs in her classic green Rolls Royce Corniche.

Launching her first fashion collection in 1965, success followed success and she opened her first boutique in Surry Hills in 1972. Her fashions have a variety of fans from Princess Mary of Denmark to popster Danii Minouge. Numerous Aussie celebs have featured her designs at some stage including Nicole Kidman. Legendary actress Angela Lansbury once went on shopping spree at Zampatti's Double Bay boutique and Ros Packer is a regular.

Carla's designs are now featured in department store around the country and the world. In 2004 she was awarded the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic along with Australian honours and in 2005 Carla was featured on a stamp, the ultimate in recognition . Zampatti leaves behind three children, designer Bianca Spender, son Alex Schuman, and Allegra Spender who managers the Zampatti design business. She married politcian John Spender in 1975 and they amicably divorced in 2010.

Exclusive: Win your very own Picasso for just a few $$$

 A few years ago Whispers attended an exhibition of paintings by the legendary Pablo Picasso at the Art Gallery of NSW. What struck us at the time was so many of the more famous ones were actually quite small.

Who owns a Picasso in Sydney.? Well the late famed Sydney architect Harry Seidler (right)  had one on the wall  just outside his bathroom at his amazing apartment at Kirribilli overlooking Luna Park as Whispers discovered at a party there many moons ago. (That was a small one as well.)

Now you too can own a Picasso by buying a ticket for 100 Euros or approx $A163 in this ambitious lottery. 

And it's all for charity by   who will use funds raised to build and rehabilitate wells, washing facilities and toilets in villages and schools in Cameroon, Madagascar and Morocco. 

# Or you could just donate to the charity but remember- 
You Have To Be In It To Win It !!

Below: some snaps from the Picasso exhibition at the NSW Art Gallery including Ros Packer with MP Simon Crean.

### Pablo Picasso's  Nude, Green Leaves and Bust  (right) sold for a mere  $106.5Million in 2010.

To buy a ticket to win your own Picasso go here:

https://1picasso100euros.com/pages/painting

# Whispers has been unwell but has crawled back from death and defeated The Devil (or was it God?) and thus has sadly disappointed so many of our 1000s of readers especially in Russia and the USA with our intermittent reports on Sydney Society (intermittent itself at the best of times)  

But we are back with a vengeance !

Melbourne & Across The Sea

Milliner Phillip Treacy locks lips with singer Grace Jones at the Battersea Power Station

 Perhaps it's the way of future- an extended series of Mother's Day celebrations. Last week we had the launch of the Murdoch Children's Research Foundation garden party in Elizabeth Bay at the Boomerang mansion which will become an annual charity fundraiser and which hopes to inspire numerous similar events around the country,
The following Friday Crown Casino in Melbourne hosted a Mum's Day event with some of the same guests, namely rival media names- the Packers. Attending were Francesca Barham with her grandmother Ros Packer, widow of the late Kerry Packer. Barham is the daughter of James Packer's sister Gretel Packer and British banker Nick Barham (James owns Crown)

At Crown :  Nicole Trunfio         Rebecca Judd              Sherri Biggs             Nadia Bartel       Jesinta Campbel

Meanwhile in London the iconic Battersea Power Station is soon to be turned into apartments- and what a location that will be -they threw their annual party and we have an exclusive video of the night's entertainment- rock royalty Elton John.

Went To A Garden Party

Pictured in our snap is TV personality Deborah Hutton attending the elegant garden party at Boomerang, that  much sought after mansion in Elizabeth Bay. The Shuttle has attended numerous parties there over the years with invites from at least 3 owners during it's long life. Guests can come from all areas of society. We've encountered Prince Frederick and Princess Mary of Denmark, Tom Cruise during the filming of Mission Impossible 2 and the recently released Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks chatting to the NSW Governor Marie Bashir.

The Governor also attended Friday's event, the launch of an expected yearly Mother’s Day garden party in support of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute which honours the Institutes founder, the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch. Amongst those attending - Sarah Murdoch, Ros Packer, Alex Perry and Lady Primrose Potter with treats dished up by chef Darren Taylor.

Below is Ricky Nelson's wonderful 1985 hit "Went To A Garden Party".

 

Earth To Sydney Confidential

The old Darlinghust Gaol built in 1840 must have been a foreboding thought for those sentenced to be housed there by the nearby Darlinghurst Criminal Court where the more sensational murder cases are still conducted today.
Being banged up in the tiny and claustrophobic cells for life (for those who avoided the gallows) would have been a mind destroying experience.

These days the Gaol hosts a variety of schools in the arts and catering fields and  it's a lively place of learning.
Last week the National Art School housed there held a fundraiser attended by a number of leading artists including this year's Archibald winner Tim Storrier and, as Rupert Murdoch's top selling Daily Telegraph put it : "revered artist John Olsen".
Accompanying the story is the above photo with the caption " Ros Packer and Tim Storrier."
For the record : this is artist Tim Storrier ( the artist above is John Olsen) at the right :

..and at left  is Ros Packer (at the Bulgari party 2 weeks ago). Both feature often in the Shuttle. (they should read us more often as some leading UK newspapers do to source their stories)
 Rumours are flying thick and fast that a major staff crunch is coming at News Ltd in September and the fear and loathing at the Holt Street HQ is palpable. Perhaps they may re-think the notion of out-sourcing their sub-editing.

"Invasion Of The Super Yachts"

The UK's Daily Mail has published a  feature on the many fabulous gin palaces that have invaded the Thames & London for the Olympics. It's deja vu time and just like a re-run of the Sydney 2000 Olympics when basically the same boats arrived in Sydney and lined up at the wharf in Blackwattle Bay, the only place large enough to host a billion dollars worth of luxury boating.

Hopefully those flogging luxury goods in London will not make the same mistake as several did at Blackwattle and set up stores nearby. A 3 star restaurant opened hoping to cater to yacht owners and several luxury goods purveyors like the South Australian Pearl jeweler who flew in a million dollars worth of gems and built a small boutique from the ground up for the  2 weeks of games. All went broke after the fortnight. Most of the boat owners flew in and stayed at hotels while the only people onboard their boats were staff.

Illona at Canary Wharf

the Murdochs at the Lowy dinner

Frank Lowy

One luxury ship in London is Frank Lowy's  Ilona that is moored at Canary Wharf, not far from his good friend Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.HQ. Lowy owns the giant Westfield Shopping Centres. Rupert & Wendi Murdoch flew to Sydney from New York in 2008 to attend a dinner in honour of Lowy at the Royal Randwick Racecourse as the Shuttle's exclusive pic shows.

Lowy fled Czechoslavakia to France in 1946 but was arrested by British troops and incarcerated at a detention camp in Cyprus, eventually making it to Israel and joining the Haganah. He arrived in Australia in 1953 and partnered with Hungarian immigrant John Saunders to create Westfield, now the largest shopping centre owners in the world. The Shuttle attended a breakfast at the Regent Hotel in Sydney for Henry Kissinger (see pic below with Ros Packer) in 1998. When Kissinger left the stage he was mobbed by the many politicians there but brushed them aside, making his way to Lowy's table where the 2 remained in deep conversation.

Bulgari's Art Award.....

It will rate as one of the best bashes of the year- the dinner at the Art Gallery of NSW to celebrate the Bulgari Art Award which goes to Michael Zavros, a Brisbane-based graduate from the Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts. Zavros has exhibited widely within Australia and his work is held in numerous private and public collections including: The National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, University of Queensland Art Museum and Tasmanian Museum and Gallery. His prize is a worth $80,000 and includes a residency in Italy.

Philip Bacon & Ros Packer

always elegant : Alexandra Joel & Philip Mason

With a magnificent long table in the main gallery and catering by Matt Moran's Aria , guests first had drinks and took in an exhibition of some of Australia's most renowned artists including Rupert Bunny, George W.Lambert, Russell Drysdale, Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton amongst others. This is an exhibition now open to the public and includes numerous works that haven't been on display for many years. Do not miss it !
And full marks to the sponsors of the show, the wonderful Bulgari brand that was born in Rome in 1884 with family members still managing the elegant label that is now diversifying into hotels and resorts.

Stephen Ormandy & Louise Olsen

Michael Zavros with Melanie & Eddie Listorti

Table art...

George Lambert's portrait of Thea Proctor 1916

 And some art :

Two winning Archibald portraits of Margaret Olley : Ben Quilty in 2011 & William Dobell's -1948

James Angus : 'Bugatti type 35' 2006

Artemis,Packer, Picasso and Obama

Shanthini Naidoo & Ros Packer at the Picasso show

She was at the Art Gallery of NSW last Friday taking in the Picasso exhibition- Ros Packer, the widow of the late media mogul Kerry Packer who passed away in 2008. On the same day a remarkable sculpture was being loaded on a ship bound for Australia where it will arrive on December 27^th.

A report has emerged claiming Ros may have been the purchaser of the giant bronze sculpture by British artist Nic Fiddian-Green which has recently been on display at Goodwood Racecourse.

Titled Artemis after the Greek god, its name has now reverted to the original name given it by the artist: ‘I Look Beyond for a Distant Land’.

The Midhurst & Petworth Observer newspaper says the 40ft high piece is on its way to Australia where it has been “bought by the widow of an Australian media mogul who had strong links with the equine world. She has collected work by Mr Fiddian-Green for the past 15 years.”

Kerry’s grave is at his beloved property Ellerston in the Hunter Valley where there is already some of the artist’s work and it's believed the sculpture will overlook his resting place.

Artemis

Nic Fiddian-Green

Son James Packer who inherited Kerry’s $6B fortune and was recently entertaining Tiger Woods, Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley at his Crown Casino in Melbourne has undertaken extensive renovations at Ellerston including installing a new Olympic size swimming pool, upgrading the private Polo field , building several guest cottages and landscaping the gardens.

Meanwhile Ros Packer will be in Canberra today to attend a reception for the US president Barack Obama.