I open my wardrobes – in the plural since my eldest and her love were married three years ago and I’ve inherited hers too – yes, I look inside and think to myself that I really do not want to wear any of those hot-looking clothes. Why do I buy suits with linings, dresses which are too tight for my ample self, tops with collars and shoes with heels which require you to down at least two glasses of red wine before you fling them on? Why do I sometimes purchase clothes in London, when it is freezing cold, forgetting how hot it can be in Malta? I long for winter days when I don’t have to flit from an air-conditioned office to an air-conditioned bedroom from where I do not dare emerge. As a colleague told me the other day: “I wish I could put my cooker in my bedroom as well!” Of course if one can face the bills later, the answer is to put an air-conditioner in the kitchen too. That will happen when I write my bestseller, in the meantime a fan will have to do. Or, a pleasant alternative, get asked out as often as possible and forget about the cooking.
This preamble leads me to the Bailey’s Woman of the Year award which is now entrenched in our social calendar. This year again, it took place at the Valletta Waterfront where the Demajo group have more than a little interest and indeed, outlets as well. I never tire of going there and parking was prearranged on Pinto Wharf, Gate 3. All I had to do was wave my Bailey’s invitation to the parker.
There were some very elegant women on this occasion and down my end I especially remember Giannella Caruana Curran, who wore an upswept hairstyle and a strapless ivory dress, bought in Italy, in which she looked stunning. Lorraine Miceli Demajo looked like Evita Péron, very striking with her blonde hair pulled back and her bun held together by a thick plait. She wore a very striking dress with a black embroidered top and beige skirt.
Mine was an excellent table with plenty of nice girls and two genial men, Martin Borg and Andrea Lattughi of the Corinthia, who did the catering.
The four contestants for this year’s award were Inspector Sharon Tanti, Chiara, Ira and the lawyer Ramona Frendo who is so bright and forthright and should not go on programmes like Xarabank which diminishes her.
Ira won the title and there was much clapping for everyone likes her as she is genial, popular and talented. However, one could sense, before the winner was announced, that there was much sympathy for Sharon Tanti, a woman of calibre who does such excellent work in the Police force. But that is the way people voted so Ira is this year’s Bailey’s Woman of the Year and we wish her luck.
It was also the birthday of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dr Frendo was 51 on that day. He was born on 29 July, 1955 which makes him a Leo.
A highlight of the evening was when Chiara and Ira sang ‘Happy Birthday Minister’, imitating Marilyn Monroe who sang for President Kennedy in Madison Square Garden in May 1962. You may remember that Marilyn’s dress was a sheer nylon slip with 2500 rhinestones sewn into it and the dress was so snug that she had to be sewn into it! She was so late that Peter Lawford introduced her as ‘the late Marilyn Monroe.’ He was not far wrong for in August that year she slipped into a coma following an overdose of sleeping pills and the circumstances of her death remain mysterious with a diary and other things missing. Being close to the Kennedys did not do her much good. They have money and can hide evidence and silence people.
Ira and Chiara rose to the occasion and sang, impromptu, in the same breathless way in which Marilyn had done for Kennedy on one of her last public appearances.
Chairman Anthony Miceli Demajo gave a short and witty speech saying that what started out as a relatively low key lunchtime press affair four years ago, has developed into a major item in Malta’s events calendar. Slovenia, he said, will be this year introducing their own version of the event. Bailey’s brand owners, Diageo, have used the Demajo marketing team’s initiative for the Bailey’s Woman of the Year Award as an example of Best Practice worldwide. Chev. Miceli Demajo stressed that the four contestants possess one thing: charm “which was described by Sir James Barrie as ‘A sort of bloom on a woman. If you have it you don’t heed to have anything else; and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t much matter what else you have.”
A lovely evening. The Demajo’s always do things with style and grace. It must be the influence of their mother who was a Toscana lady. And of course their excellent team.
Another Waterfront evening was the opening of Sterling’s outlet – their 26th – which was followed by two shows of jewellery. I must single out Romina Fenech, the eldest of the three Fenech children, who is now married with a child and still manages to do so much. I loved her jewellery which she wore with a black dress. The verdemar pieces were from the Calgaro range just introduced by Sterling. Beautiful threads slender and airy. Ms Valentina Pistinizi from Calgaro was present for the launch. Graziella Attard Previ, Sterling’s ambassador for the year presented the show in an extravagant dress created by Ron and Charles of Beatrix Couture.
The models, all with their hair scraped back, in the classic way, under the direction of Sue Rossi and Claudia Calleja wore black so that the stunning jewellery could really be appreciated.
The diamond collection was truly beautiful although I cannot imagine where such precious pieces are worn. I am told that yes, there are those who purchase them and wear them. The show ended with a collection by the designer Pasquale Bruni and the girls in evening gowns also created by Beatrix Couture.
All this to the strains of What a wonderful World sung by Ivan Spiteri Lucas, The Girl from Ipanema by the Spiteri Lucas band, appropriately enough Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend by Nadine Axisa followed by Ludwig’s interpretation of Diamonds are forever.
Some 700 people turned up to this event and so there were two sittings for the show which was enthusiastically applauded.