Fab car but it was sold

 Seda Star danced for joy when she spotted the new Lamborghini

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 



Tony Graziana ( right) throws some pretty swell parties at his Woolloomooloo auto showroom Scuderi Graziana and the launch of the new 2017 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster 50th Anniversary model was a must to attend.

 This set of wheels costs over One Million $$ and it had been sold already. Tony wasn't saying who to but he did say he would be happy to order another one if we were interested. We'll think about it.
One nice aspect of Tony's showroom is the first floor. Here you will find some gorgeous cars that previous owners have purchased and kindly "run in" for you. Among some of the most luxurious brand names cars to be had: Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes and even the famous "James Bond"Aston Martin DB5. But not one, two are there for sale..

A Day at The Races

A perfect Autumn day in Sydney and the races at the Royal Randwick Racecourse is as good as a Saturday gets in this city.

Here is a roundup of some of the folk and fashions spotted on the day.

No outfit is too outrageous and indeed it's encouraged. It's all good fun and the excitement is palpable as a race reaches it's climax.

There are thrilled shouts as a backed winner romps home and any tears of disappointment at a lost wager are soon forgotten once you hit the Champagne Bar in the magnificent Queen Elizabeth 11 Grandstand.    

And when it's time to leave so many of Sydney's inner city pubs and clubs now ensure the party continues (take a taxi !).

We even spotted a chap (right) wearing the latest in Rayban sunglasses - well that's what our pal said.

What Joan Collins did Today

Whispers was invited to one of Dame Joan Collin's birthday parties many moons ago. The invite came via a telegram, those funny old things of yesterday before email. The party was at the Rainbow Room that deliriously gorgeous penthouse room in Kensington High Street. Outside as pink flamingos wandered in a sumptuous park, we all toasted Joan's 5? birthday.
We digress, Dame Joan today launched a fab new dinghy called Joie de Vivre for the firm Uniworld. We have the picture. Nice.

Pic by Lee Tulloch  http://www.leetulloch.com

David Jones Winter Collection

Whispers as always selflessly attended the David Jones fashion spectacular last night so we could drink many glasses of French Champagne bring the latest winter fashions to you which you simply must have this year. As you can see there was a Media Wall -  a must have at every event, even the opening of a small coffee shop so readers can see yet another blatant advert know exactly where they are. Photographers of course hate love these media walls as they basically date their snaps. When picture editors surf through photographic files for a pic of a certain celebrity they tend to by-pass media wall snaps as they date the pic. Enough bitching. Whispers takes it's job as Nibbles & Fine Wine Inspector at social events very seriously. You know who all these slebs are or you should. They were at the last event. OK Lara Bingle wasn't so among our fabulous snaps you will find her, against that media wall. And the fashions? It's up to you to zip into your nearest DJs and pursue what's on offer. You won't be disappointed

Editor's note : corrected for spelling etc and hack severely reprimanded for supply copy at 2 am after consuming numerous refreshments
Below: Celebrities against the Media Wall!

 Below: models & fashion..a requirement at fashion shows

Friends in High Places

Michael and Judy McMahon are stalwarts of the Sydney restaurant scene and their harbourside eatery Catalina in Rose Bay is right at the top of the very best spots for a bite to eat in the Eastern Suburbs. It even has it's own tame pelicans to charm diners and next door is the base for the quaint flying boats that deliver passengers to ritzy Palm Beach.

Judy has just turned 60 so that's as good a reason as any to hold a shindig so she gathered some old pals at Catalina for lunch which included our esteemed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his lovely wife Lucy as our snap shows with birthday girl Judy. And the menu? : glazed Toothfish and braised octopus with couscous to start with followed by roast lamb with roasted baby beetroots washed down with Pommery Rosé Champagne. We reckon Malcolm needed a spot of relaxation. For Tuesday & The Census was just around the corner.

Register Now !

There are still some spots left for the amazing A Moveable Feast which will happen on Saturday 30th July at The Carriageworks. A MOVEABLE FEAST is an original and unique series of large scale experiential dining events, one for each season at a different location, with playful dress up styles, curated menus by renowned guest chefs, performances and installations. Gather up your friends and plan for a fantastic evening of food and good wines. Go to their website here.

Saturday : another great day of fun, fashion and racing at Royal Randwick

For more information go to the Australian Turf Club website here

exclusive: Eternity for Martin Sharp

The late Martin Sharp is to get his own museum dedicated to his life and works. Whispers has been told by a relative of Sharp's that his remaining family members are working hard behind the scenes to set up a museum to house his extensive works, re-create his studio and house his collection of toys (he loved vintage Mickey Mouse memorabilia)

They are also hoping to get government assistance much in the same way Wendy Whiteley received a $4M grant from the NSW government to buy the late Brett Whiteley's Surry Hills' studio which is open to the public and is popular with school groups.

A Martin Sharp museum is bound to be a tourist attraction with his worldwide fame and his pop art paintings. During his life Sharp also revived interest in the legendary Arthur Stace, an illiterate former soldier and alcoholic who found religion and wandered Sydney's streets as the first great graffiti artist, penning Eternity in white chalk & beautiful script on footpaths. A new East Sydney theatre has now been named Eternity and Sharp's version of the word featured on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the famous New Year's Eve celebrations.

The family also scotched the odd rumour that has appeared in some media stories that Martin had left his Bellevue Hill mansion, part of his estimated $11M estate, to Cranbrook School which he attended. The house backs onto Cranbrook's playing fields and although the estate is still in probate, our family source confirmed that his house had been left in trust via friends and family and according to Sharp he wished the house to become an art's centre and possibly the ideal location for a museum dedicated to him. In fact there has been hostility for sometime between Sharp and Cranbrook.
Martin was also obsessed with Tiny Tim, bringing him out for tours of Australia and producing a still unfinished film of his life.
( Whispers interviewed Tiny Tim in his tiny Times Square apartment many moons ago. The flat was almost empty of furniture and had threadbare carpets but when he opened a wardrobe there must have been nearly 100 bottles of French champagne stored there !

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.

Growing Up

It doesn't seem that long ago when the 'scandal' erupted in Australia that billionaire Dick Pratt had fathered a daughter with the vivacious socialite and lawyer Shari Lea Hitchcock.

Now 17 years old, Paula Sarah Hitchcock was spotted out on the town this week with mum Shari-Lea and a school chum at the launch of Karim Gharbi's VIP venture hosted at the swish Penthouse at the Top of The Town in Darlinghurst.

Polish born Pratt who died in 2009 left a tidy sum to Paula that includes over $22M, a $7M Watsons Bay house on Sydney's harbour and a country property. Paula, who looks  like her late dad, is set to become a fixture on the Sydney circuit.

Winners are Grinners

Meet Sarah Salmon (pictured right) who last night picked up the Veuve Clicquot 2015 Business Woman  Award in the New Generation section (those under 40 years of age)

Sarah along with her mum Jan Slater from Swan Hill in Victoria have spent nine years building up their business, Simply Rose Petals. 
Together with a small staff they freeze dry the petals and ship them around the world to customers for all sorts of occasions. Rose petals are popular for weddings and being biodegradable they won't ruin or stain a bride's dress or leave any mess for an aging vicar to sweep up. They've even supplied petals for the opening of a US  department store.
 We think Sarah deserves her award- she wins a trip to France. And guests at the awards party in East Sydney got to toast Sarah with Veuve Clicquot Rosé (naturally) and vintage champagnes and that is  a very good thing.   Check out the Simply Rose Petals' website here.

Couture Calamity

A blogging war has broken out over a Sun Herald report last week about Chinese born Sydney fashion designer Bowie Wong. The highly likable Wong has been on a fashion promotion world tour, thrilling fans with a Facebook diary penned from some of the world's ritziest hotels like Hong Kong's Peninsular and the Hotel Georges V in Paris where he is currently ensconced.
The Sun Herald reported under the title Fashion's new immortal :"Sydney's Bowie Wong has been confirmed as the first Australian-based designer to join fashion's most exclusive club: Paris haute couture. Speaking to S from Paris, Wong revealed he'll be showing his collection, Immortality, at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in July, alongside great names such as Chanel, Dior, Valentino and Gaultier."

Alas, all is not what it seems according to fashion expert journalist Patty Huntington writing on the influential Frockwriter website : Bowie Wong is showing during Paris haute couture week -Or how to try to sneak into fashion's most exclusive club.

 Commenting on Wong's invitation (pictured right) Huntington says :

"Just to clarify - lest anyone assume there may be some direct connection here to the world's biggest luxury brand, whose name happens to be highlighted in bold on the invitation - the Louis Vuitton Building is indeed the location of the LV flagship. But it's a large building that is also home to a variety of other totally unrelated companies, including at least one real estate agency. Level 5, coincidentally the location of Wong's show, is home to a company called Servcorp, that specialises in short-term and virtual office rentals."

Huntington has also contacted the prestige  Chambre Syndicale who zealously guard the term 'haute coutoure' much like the word Champagne is rigorously regulated by the French. The head of communications, Jimmy Pihet, has responded : "We never heard about this designer before your email and he didn't visit us at the Fédération".

Zut alors ! Where will it all end ?. The Shuttle hasn't known such excitement in the giddy world of dressmaking since a snooty social writer in London buttonholed us at a Harper's Bazaar party three years ago and said : "it really annoys me the way you Australians call gowns, 'frocks' "

Read the full story at Frockwriter.com  and watch a video of Bowie's fashion show (presumably several floors above Louis Vuitton) on Agence France-Press. And is that top UK fashion journalist Suzy Menkes taking notes ?

 

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Our exclusive pic ( left) shows Double Bay society hairdresser Joh Bailey with a new customer - Oscar winning legendary actress Jane Fonda who checked into town for a flying visit yesterday to open a Fitness First exercise centre in the city at the ungodly hour of 6am.   Fonda did the round of Morning TV shows before fleeing the country, missing the excitement at the Gold Coast's Broadbeach Fitness First the same day where a brawl broke out with one unfortunate participant ending up in hospital with an almost severed hand.

 

Justin Under Attack

While the compact Kings Cross club Beach Haus celebrated the opening of their Moet & Chandon bar (above) Australia's most successful night club entrepreneur Justin Hemmes has come under sustained attacks that bear all the hall marks of the infamous Australian "tall poppy syndrome".

Justin Hemmes

No-one has invested as much money as the young mogul in providing chic and luxurious premises for Sydney-siders to party in. To date an estimated $200M. Hemmes employs around 2000 staff and is regarded by those who work for him as a firm but fair and generous boss. There is a waiting list of hundreds of young hopefuls wishing to be employed by Justin's Merivale Group.

Starting with 2 hotels in the city, Hemmes bucked the trend and turned old style pubs into stylish and modern bars aided by his sister Bettina who is responsible for decorating all his premises.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman partied at his Slip Inn while the Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederick met his future bride Mary Donaldson there during the 2000 Olympics.

When he opened the elegant Establishment in lower George Street in a beautiful colonial Georgian building he introduced the city to a style not seen before.

Huge marbled floored bars that become packed after office hours, an award winning restaurant Est run by top chef Peter Doyle (picking up '3 Hats' again last week at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide launch) and a series of function rooms constantly in use with a nightclub Hemmesphere that became the place to relax for visiting international stars from Beyonce to Bono to actor Simon Callow.

In any other world class city Hemmes would probably be given a gold key to the city having almost solely revived central Sydney' dormant nightlife.

A party at the Ivy pool

Instead he has faced a raft of opposition from local police over exaggerated incidents that pale into insignificance when one considers he hosts tens of thousands of patrons every week.

Hemmes also came under the gaze of  Lord Mayor Clover Moore who donned a new hat as the head of the Anti-Fun Police and attempted to enforce strict drinking hours reminiscent of the dreaded 1950s "six o'clock swill" when pubs slammed their doors shut at 6pm each evening. Fortunately the outcry was deafening particularly as Hemmes had invested his family fortune in his city nightclubs

Hemmisphere

Three months ago Hemmes was held up at gunpoint in his recently purchased Surry Hill's pub . Outside a police car with 2 officers calmly watched as the armed raiders made their get away in a stolen BMW crashing into another car in the process.

A fortnight ago it is alleged his doormen bashed a patron in the cellar at Hemme's Ivy complex and mis-lead police whilst cleaners washed away bloodstains.

A few nights ago Hemmes distinctive black Rolls Royce Phantom was pulled over in Redfern and the driver was charged with drug possession. Yesterday a man claimed he had been assaulted by Hemmes at Ivy. Hemmes denies the charge and says CCTV footage backs him up.

Sydney once had the most corrupt police in the Southern hemisphere, routed out at great personal sacrifice by an imported British police commander who, for his efforts and success was forced from the country by a series of cowardly and false attacks from shock jocks and politicians.

It comes as no surprise Justin Hemmes has been spotted in New York City in recent months checking out premises. His talents would be snapped up in the USA. They would roll out the welcome mat.
It would serve the good burghers of Sydney right if they forced the man who has done more to brighten Sydney life to flee abroad to a city that would appreciate his talents.