Princess Dr Becky Leogardo in Michael Ong Couture and Tracy Ong Pearl Tiara with Jane Leong, ex-honcho of Prestige Group.
Princess Dr Becky Leogardo with Melvin Ang, publisher of Hubert Burda Media, the new German owner of Prestige.
PRESTIGE MAGAZINE SINGAPORE CELEBRATED ITS 11th BIRTHDAY IN ITS USUAL STYLE IN THE USUAL HIGH CLASS VENUE, THE GRAND BALLROOM OF THE RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL, ONE OF SINGAPORE'S FINEST HOTELS.
Kee Hua Chee and Princess Dr Becky Leogardo and Prestige publisher Melvin Ang looking spectacular'
Princess Becky looking like a Beauty Queen as she owns BML Skincare, Jane Leong looking very Korean and Kee Hua Chee like a matador and don't say he is all bull...
Princess Dr Becky Leogardo and Suguna, one of Singapore's most acclaimed beauties and purveyor of luxury goods, from Vertu to Steinway-Lyngdorf sound systems.
Considering it was Prestige magazine's 11th anniversary and this year being 2011, I would have thought it would be toasting its anniversary on 11.11.11 rather than 9.9.11 but maybe they prefer the 911 syndrome which was 2 days later but 9.9.11 is not exactly the same as 9.11 is it?
But since I was not paying the bill nor the flight from Kuala Lumpur nor the 5-star hotel nor the hotel limousine, I was not complaining.
Princess Dr Becky Leogardo wore Michael Ong couture, tiara by Tracy Ong and jewels by John Glajz of Mal Maison and Kee Hua Chee in Melvin Lam Couture jacket and pants and bowtie and cummerband by Keith Kee Kouture KKK.
Prestige the group has been bought over by Burda Germany, a powerful publishing house with over 300 titles and annual turnover of 2 billion euros which is more than my annual income I must admit, so this year's annual bash was extra special.
Of course I never get into bed for less than US$ 10,000 and it takes another US$ 10,000 for me to get out of bed just like the supermodels so paying for my own flight to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur and back was out of the question. The lowest fare on Malaysia Airlines was RM 758 and a room at Mandarin Orchard was RM 780 so that would be RM 1,538 and transport from my palatial condo to KLIA and from Changi to Singapore city and back would be another RM 180! The total would be RM 1,718 minimum for a free albeit 5-star dinner and I am on a diet on top of that.
Full length glory just in case you are interested...
At the Prestige Wall
Luckily Princess Dr Becky Leogardo was going too and she kindly decided to bring not only me but her hair and make-up artist too! So the three of us flew Malaysia Airlines to Singapore and checked into 2 connecting rooms at Mandarin Orchard. We also stayed there for Prestige Singapore's 10th anniversary ball which was the last thrown by Jane Leong the publisher and founder and majority shareholder.
Princess Becky and I are partial towards Mandarin Chicken Rice which I insist is the best in the observable universe. Last year it cost S$ 22 (RM 56 including taxes!) and this year my eyes stood out on stalks as it is now S$ 27! An increase of S$5 and nothing's changed! At RM 74 per plate compared to RM 5 a plate in KL's hawker's stall, it really takes the breath away. But of course it was worth every cent, more so when I was not paying. Princess Becky and I ate the Mandarin Chicken Rice twice at Chatterbox and she must be the only customer who requested and got the kitchen to fry the Hainanese chicken! At first the waitress also fainted from shock at this sacrilege but of course we know Chef Liew Tian Heong who consented to this unusual request.
Staying at Mandarin Orchard meant we could just walk down to Chatterbox and back to our rooms to dress up. Princess Becky does everything in grand style and class as I don't know of any Mak Datin or Puan Sri who bring their hair and make-up artist along with a companion like me. I told her it would be cheaper to fix her hair in Singapore but she reminded me I have a tendency to gorge at Chatterbox as we always eat before attending a ball so we can enjoy ourselves mingling without suffering pangs of hunger as dinner tends to start at 9pm by the time everyone is seated and speeches disposed of!
Yes, yes I did get a full frontal view of Caureen Too's ample assets
I love the way the end of my hair curled up on my shoulders!
Many guests told me they thought Princess Becky and I deserved to win Most Stylishly Dressed Couple of the evening as no other couples bothered to match their garments!
This Singaporean couple looked great and she was one of the Top 10 Best Dressed of course.
Glam pair; the lady in frothy white gown also was one of the Best Dressed
To me, these 4 stunners each deserved to win as they were a vision!
They were doubtless also in the running for Most Stylish Couple
Jimmy Tay and wife Caureen Too could not be considered as they were one of the sponsors. This couple run Carrera & Carrera the most famous jewels from Spain
Bruce Lee, CEO of Revolution magazine and wife Patricia could not be considered for Most Stylish Couple as Burda Media is also planning to take the franchise for Revolution which is Asia's
top watch magazine and The Rake but don't quote me!
I was overwhelmed by the inordinate number of very tall women who towered over me and I ain't no midget! They also flaunted impossible-to-miss assets
Lim Meng Hong of Christie's Malaysia, Amy Chong who was Miss Malaysia 1976 and Mary of Waterhouse Hotel in Shanghai
An Egyptian Pharaoh and editor of Prestige Singapore Low Yit Leng
Mrs Lim, Princess Dr Becky Leogardo and Jimmy Lim of Drew & Napier
Diamond princess with 2 silver ladies
Ok so they could acually see...more or less
They did their thing, the guests did their thing
Silver statues
The floor at Ritz-Carlton is super clean
Two's company
Each to their own
The great leg show
Off they went to conquer new territories
Now it is her turn! Notice how the floor checker board squares matched Princess Becky's black and white gown!
Her Chanel bag matched the feathers so well too
The Silver Ladies in action. Princess Becky and I were given Table #1 with frontal view
The toast headed by Fabrizio D'Angelo and Melvin Ang
Princess Dr Becky Leogardo, Lim Meng Hong, Mr and Mrs Jimmy Tay of Carrera & Carrera
Kee Hua Chee in Melvin Lam Couture and Keith Kee Kouture showing the world's biggest gecko ring to Caureen Too
Poached Seafood Carta Fata
Very Cirque Du Soleil
What an optical illusion---they seemed to be flying or floating just by standing on one leg
The handsome hunk from The Leading Men
Handsome to a fault
Princess Dr Becky Leogardo, Jeroen, his wife Suguna and Meng Hong
Spires of sweets
Dessert was served in the ballroom foyer
Dramatic lighting, architecture, decor and Prestige guests!
The Prestige Ball served the same champagne as the one enjoyed by wedding guests of Prince Albert of Monaco!
The curvy sculpture was not edible, being made of bronze
Sweets for the sweet
True enough, by the time we finished our Mandarin Chicken Rice, it was 6pm and the ball was 7pm! Of course we had planned our strategy with military precision so there was no panic. I jumped inside the shower and was dressed in Keith Kee Kouture bowtie and cummerband and Melvin Lam Couture jacket and pants by 6.45pm.
Princess Becky beat me by 2 minutes and that included her RM 200,000 pearl tiara by Tracy Ong of Elegance Club, Bangsar Shopping Centre! Fixing your tiara on your head really requires a stylist to ensure it doesn't slip all night long while ensuring the pins are invisible and the hair beautifully coiffed. "I am a fast dresser as obviously I had decided which gown to wear," she explains. She wore a stunning black and white gown by Michael Ong the top couturier and diamonds by Mondial by John Glazj and Tracy Ong. My jewels were made to my design by Arm of Bangkok.
We arrived in good time and was greeted by publisher of Prestige and Burda Singapore Melvin Ang who had lost weight like me and looked divine. He explained, "I lost kilos due to stress". I guess he must be telling the truth as a change in ownership is always taxing and he had to handle the ball as the person in charge had left.
I was particularly impressed by the silver ladies slinking and slunking about all garbed in silvery bodysuits that covered every inch of their bodies, including their faces! Last year they had women walking around in 18th century costumes with a table with rollers attached to their bodies! This year was just as fun since the silvery ladies posed, preened and pirouetted like modern versions of Pirates of the Caribbean with their antics.
Among the first things I checked was the champagne as you can always tell the quality of the party by the bubblies. Some self-proclaimed highclass events serve chanpagne but refuse to reveal the brand of the champers but Prestige served only Perrier-Jouet, the same champagne served at the wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco to Princess Charlene Wittstock! I wrote a story on Perrier-Jouet in an earlier posting so check that out.
I must have drank half a dozen flutes by the time the doors opened. We were seated at Table #1 right up front and the exact same table as last year. How nice of Prestige Singapore to put Princess Becky Leogardo and I in the front row with maximum vantage view of the stage. Considering we were mere tourists in Singapore, we could hardly complain had we been placed at the back next to the exits but of course we would have left and taken the last flight back to KL, tiara and all.
There was a welcome speech by Fabrizio D'Angelo the Managing Director of Hubert Burda Media who is based in Munchen, Germany. Earlier, Jane Leong had introduced him to me and I demanded to know how he managed to sweet talk Jane Leong into selling her shares to him when attempts by Princess Becky had failed. He grinned, "Well, she does not come from a publishing background and Burda is very established as a media group in Europe. I think Jane caved in when we showed her our game plan to take Prestige into Europe and even South America. We had been trying to persuade her to sell to us for the last few years, mind you. Prestige is her baby and obviously she wanted it to literally go places and she believes Burda can do the job faster than she could."
Prestige now has 6 editions and talk is rife there will be 10 very soon with Philippines hot on the cooking stove. The 2 emcees were, what a sweet surprise, Malaysian Paula Malai Ali and Darrell Dave, an Indian proficient in Mandarin. Darrell thanked the 600 guests who consisted of the cream of Singapore's high society and explained the decor was inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
Said the affable Fabrizio D'Angelo, "Well, in that case I am an oversized Alice! This is the first ball under Burda and I am glad Jane shares our vision of taking Asian brands into Europe, combining Asian luxury and prestige with an European company."
The first award was DBS Spirit of Vision award which went to Tien Goh the founder of Asian Food Channel (AFC on our ASTRO) which has been a phenomenal success in just 6 short years. Then came dinner. We feasted on scented tuna, poached seafood Carta Fata (sounds like Magna Carta or some bodily ejection of gas), portobello mushroom and smoked Chicken Ballotine. The food was divine and almost made me forget I had already eaten Mandarin Chicken Rice earlier. Desserts as per usual from last year was served in the foyer outside so guests could mingle. There was even an outdoor patio with bar where smokers could enjoy complimentary cigars, chocolate, coffee, cognac, champagne and convivial company! So many 'C's! I must also add what I saw on their bodies; Cartier, Chopard and Chanel. So that makes 9 'C's!
Matching wines were served during each course but i made do with Perrier-Jouet. Entertainment was provided by the silver ladies who changed into catsuits with one side that glowed under ultraviolet ray so they seemed to be dancing with only 1 leg! Or appeared to be floating magically! I love the part when one dancer fell forward and caused a domino effect with the rest seemingly toppling one after another.
This was the highlight and more entertaining than the succeeding act called 'The Leading Men---4 men in tuxedo who had appeared as leading men in Broadway or West End and more likely Aussie shows. None was a household name. The tallest was the most handsome. maybe there should have been 2 Leading Women in sexy gowns and 2 Leading Men!
Then came the 10 Most Stylishly Dressed Ladies and one Most Stylish Couple. Why Princess Dr Becky was not one of the top 10 is a mystery I can never unravel to the day I die and why we were not Couple of the Year I can only put down as because we were not Singaporeans. I had already checked out every male and none was better dressed than me. And no member of the female species was better dressed than Princess Becky and no woman wore any tiara either and Singaporeans are supposed to be loaded. So why lock up their bling as this could be the last ball as the world will end in 2010 as proven by the movie and we all know movies and bloggers never lie? Ya in heaven everyone is given free diamond tiaras but you know what I mean...
Of course we enjoyed Prestige's 11th Anniversary Ball tremendously and can only hope Melvin Ang and Fabrizio D'Angelo remember to invite us for the 12th ball and I will remind them whatever the case.
HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY, PRESTIGE SINGAPORE!
THE END
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