DEBENHAMS OPENS AT STARHILL

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

Superstar of the evening Julien MacDonald, former Creative Director of Givenchy with the High Commissioner of Great Britain His Excellency Mr Simon Featherstone and Her Excellency Mrs Gail Featherstone

Kee Hua Chee with the British High Commissioner and his wife

Top couturier Julien MacDonald with Molly Jackson and friend

Two superstars; Kee Hua Chee and Julien MacDonald

Publicist and singer Dodi and Julien MacDonald

Dodi, Kee Hua Chee and Julien MacDonald

Important guests

Steffanie Chua of Shiatzy Chen and Kee Hua Chee

Julien MacDonald and Khoon Hooi

Kee Hua Chee and Rachelle Ng of Coronar

The handsome Joshua Yeoh with his movie star looks

Joshua Yeoh and Kee Hua Chee who made up for lack of movie star looks with major bling, face on his groin and crocodile skull bag 

Actually we could be twins separated at birth come to think of it

This two also looked like twins but are not; emcee Andrea Fonseka Miss Malaysia Universe 2004 and actor Hans Isaac

Andrew, Julien MacDonald, Joseph Yeoh vice president of YTL alnd and YTL Hotels, Francis Macauley and Eric Woon


DEBENHAMS OPENS IN KUALA LUMPUR...FOR THE THIRD AND HOPEFULLY FINAL TIME!

IT FIRST OPENED IN TIMES SQUARE SOME YEARS AGO AND THEN CLOSED FOR A WHILE. THEN IT SUDDENLY REOPENED AT LOT 10 ONLY TO CLOSE AND WHEN WE THOUGHT DEBENHAMS HAD GONE TO HEAVEN FOR GOOD OR AT LEAST BACK TO LONDON'S OXFORD STREET, WE WERE HIT SMACK GOB WITH ITS THIRD REINCARNATION DOWN THE ROAD FROM LOT 10 TO STARHILL WHICH HAPPENS TO BE OWNED BY YTL GROUP HELMED BY TAN SRI FRANCIS YEOH AND HIS KIDS.

At Times Square Debenhams occupied a whoppoing 50,000 sq ft. At Lot 10 it shrank embarrassingly to 19,000 sq ft which is too small for a definitive department store as my house is already 15,000 sq ft and I can hardly move as it is so small.

Now at Starhill Gallery it is back to a respectable 37,000 sq ft and let's hope it is a case of third time lucky. At Lot 10, Debenhams enjoyed fabulous road frontage but not at Starhill Gallery but Francis MCauley, Debenhams International Director based in Wimpole Street London is nigh pleased with Debenhams prime location at Starhill so all is well.

By a happy coincidence I attended all 3 openings and have the Debenhams mug to prove it! So I hope it will stay put as anchor tenant at Starhill Gallery which is one of SE Asia's top malls renowned for fashion and watches. 

Model and fitness instructor James Ng and Miss Universe finalist

Kee Hua Chee and James Ng

Kee Hua Chee, his crocodile bag and James Ng

Ida Lokhman, Kee Hua Chee and South Korean lady

The girl is Ida Lokhman's daughter with her friend

Listening to the speech by Joseph Yeoh

Emcee Andrea Fonseka in a Julien MacDonald

Joseph Yeoh is not in aJulien MacDonald as he doesnt do menswear

The VIPs

The VIPs led by His Excellency the British High Commissioner Mr Simon Featherstone and Mrs Gail Featherstone

Cosy tete-a-tete

THE FASHION SHOW!




















Three lucky draws were held and 3 winners received RM 1,000, RM 2,500 and RM 5,000 in makeover vouchers but did I, who deserved to win most, win? Curses, no!

Tan Sri Francis Yeoh arrived in the nick of time to join His Excellency Mr Simon Featherstone and wife Gail Featherstone for the ribbon cutting ceremony as he had just flown in from Indonesia just to be with us and witness me not winning anything.

As usual Tan Sri Francis Yeoh who I had known when he was Encik Yeoh like me, came to me and said "Hello Mr Kee, how are you? So nice to see you again." Later he chatted with Julien MacDonald the super star of the evening and the pointed at me and said, "Well, Julien, are you going to design  something like what Kee Hua Chee is wearing? But make sure you have a client base before you embark." I was wearing a t-shirt with pyramidal spikes filled with foam which was a hit with the ladies as they kept squeezing my spikes while murmuring 'Oh so nice and tactile your textile!'

The British designers whose collections are now premiering at Debenhams include Julien MacDonald whose clothes are the best selling and fastest moving garments at Debenhams which explains why they flew him into Kuala Lumpur for the grand opening at great expense.

Julien MacDonald in case there are some ignoramuses among my readers, was the former Creative Director of Givenchy which is a major accomplishment as he was still so young in his late twenties. 

Both his lines 'Star by Julien MacDonalfd' and 'Diamond by Julien MacDonald' are sold at Debenhams Malaysia at prices anyone and everyone can afford---RM 170 to RM 600 max!

So if you are going to buy some nice baju, make sure the label says Julien MacDonald as he designs for Beyonce, Rihanna, Cate  Blanchett and half the princesses in the Middle East.

His Bespoke line starts from a minimum of RM 150,000 at his studio in Elizabeth Street to RM 500,000. His couture range at Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London start from RM 10,000 to RM 300,000! So we are getting a FABULOUS deal here with his RTW line that costs a few hundred ringgit! Of course Julien MacDonald will not be hanging around Starhill Gallery to measure your avoirdupois and you will not be asked to return for a second fitting but what the heck, this is as good as it gets for what you are paying, which is next to nothing!

THE JULIEN MACDONALD COLLECTION!

 

Take a bow, Julien MacDonald---you deserve it as you are the best British designer!

JULIEN MACDONALD

Julien Macdonald, nicknamed the “King of Glamour” grew up in South Wales. Taught to knit by his mother, he was interested in design from a young age.

After completing a fashion textiles degree at Brighton University, he achieved a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in 1996. His work was soon noticed and among his many admirers were Karl Lagerfeld and the late Isabella Blow.

Macdonald has become a key part of British fashion, cementing his status by working alongside designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander McQueen, in addition to landing the role of head designer at Givenchy in 2001. He has received numerous awards for his work as well as an OBE in 2006 for his services to fashion.

Amongst Julien’s achievements are being asked to reinvent the British Airways uniform in 2000 and creating a range of clothing for Barbie. Julien also designed the outfits for Kylie Minogue’s world tour. This assortment of defining moments in his design career have led to him dressing numerous celebrities, including Shirley Bassey and Cheryl Cole who are amongst his many fans.

In 2003, Julien began designing his Star by Julien MacDonald range for Debenhams. This has since been expanded to include women’s occasionwear, accessories and homeware. Star by Julien MacDonald offers glamorous styles that create maximum impact. His signature style provides the collections he designs for the Debenhams range with stunning catwalk inspired pieces.  

In 2001 and 2003, Julien received the British Glamour Designer of the Year award, a further nod to his status as an important member of British fashion. He continues to create stunning pieces for his Debenhams range as well as his couture line.

BIGGER & BETTER

Kuala Lumpur, 18^th May 2012 – Starhill Gallery celebrated the official opening of the brand new Debenhams flagship store on Friday night, the 18^th of May. Ia chic and stylish affair  with 300 celebrities, guests and VIP dressed to the nines. Among the many familiar faces, Andrea Fonseka and Deborah Henry were the definite favorites’ as they were truly the trend setters of the night together with Kee Hua Chee of course. 

Invitees made their way through the architectural marvel and iconic façade of Bintang Walk on to Explore floor where the contemporary and elegant retail space, spread across 37000 square feet, housed the largest “Designers at Debenhams” collections in Asia. Guests were presented with a trendy Debenhams eco tote bag consisting of a specially designed Union Jack themed mug and travel umbrella set each upon registration. 

The evening began with Mr. Francis McAuley, International Director of Debenhams United Kingdom greeting those present as guests enjoyed canapés and sipped champagne. “Starhill Gallery marks another significant milestone today by celebrating the launch of one of Britain’s leading departmental store chains that occupies a total of 37000 square feet. One will discover the largest collection of ‘Designers at Debenhams’ apparels available in Southeast Asia, fine furnishings and home accessories here reaffirming Starhill Gallery’s status as a definitive destination for discerning shoppers”, said Tan Sri Dr. Francis Yeoh.

Models then took to the ramp in the latest designer collections exclusive to Debenhams by renowned British designers. Collections showcased include those from Henry Holland, Jasper Conran, Julien Macdonald, John Rocha, Matthew Williamson and The Principles range by Ben de Lisi among others.

 The finale highlighted cutting edge fashion and glamour through the introduction of the recently launched line by Julien MacDonald, ‘Diamond’. A special touch was added to the fashion presentation when the famous British designer who had flown in to Malaysia from the United Kingdom made an appearance during the finale. 

 Just moments later, the celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony saw Debenhams in Starhill Gallery officiated by His Excellency Simon Featherstone, Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dr Francis Yeoh, Mr. Francis McAuley and Julien Macdonald. Attendees present were among the firsts to step into the magnificent store where they received 20% privileges on all purchases and enjoyed shopping into the night. Their excitement was undoubtedly reflected as they rushed to the racks of clothing and browsed through the latest designer lines such as Ben De Lisi, Edition, FFP Jeff Banks, Maine, Red Herring, St George by Duffer, Ted Baker and Thomas Nash.

In conjunction with the formal opening of the Starhill Gallery flagship store, the first 150 customers on Saturday 19th May 2012, and Sunday 20th May 2012, will receive a free Debenhams eco tote bag and a Union Jack themed travel umbrella with a minimum spend of RM250. While the night will certainly be remembered by many, Debenhams is set to be even bigger and even better.

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