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Yes, fashion does have a price!

Today , at the Mercedes Benz Hap Seng showroom, we saw the sketches of the “Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur” a dress adorned by 751 pieces of diamonds (ranging from 1carat, 1.5carat, 2 carat right up to 3 carats and the piece de resistance will be the mother of a gem, a 70 carat, white brilliantly cut pear-shaped diamond …”which will sit regally against the glamorous silhouette” according to the press release. It is a piece from the Mouawad’s private collection . Mouawad is a well known jeweller with 120 years of history and synonymous with grandiose presence in more ways than one. A brand famously known for designing “fantasy bras” for supermodels namely, Heidi Klum (USD11 million 2003), Tyra Banks (USD10 milion 2004) and Gisele Bundchen (USD12.5million 2005), 2005 a USD2.5 million evening purse for Nicole Kidman and having sold the world’s largest diamond weighing over 218 carats to Macau King of casinos for USD100 million.

The idea of this dress was mooted by Datuk Seri Nancy Yeoh, CEO and President of STYLO, who brought together Mouawad and Jendela KL ’s designer, Faisol Abdullah. According to Faisol Abdullah, Datuk Nancy was the catalyst to this dress the “Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur” because he wanted to design a special dress for her with hand drawn batik for the STYLO event but she instead mooted an idea of using Mouawad’s jewel pieces and showcasing it to “make something more exciting out of it” instead . With expert consultancy by renowned shoe designer, Datuk Jimmy Choo OBE, Kuala Lumpur will now see the unveiling of this dress on the 3rd of April at the STYLO Fashion Cube of Lake Gardens (the hidden gem of Kuala Lumpur). On this night , the sweet sounds of the lyrics from “Rose and Nightingale” will not come from the eloquence of Sufi poet ,Hafiz of Shiraz which will be read by Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina but rather from our imaginations and the swish of 14 meters of sumptuous silk and satin laden with diamonds, each set in “baskets’ and meticulous hand sewn on to specific parts of the dress.

Incidentally, Datin Seri will come not as herself but as her renowned alter ego, Puteri Gunung Ledang; model and entrepreneur Kavita Kaur Sidhu will be the chosen model, who will drape and undrape this bejeweled dress down the runway in a strictly choreographed walk by Faisol. Her every movement will be planned so that each twirl and step, brings out the brilliance of the stones. It promises to be both mysterious and luxurious if perhaps just a little decadently so. Kavita will be wearing shoes made for Datuk Nancy Yeoh, with material and diamonds from the collection. A similar pair can be commissioned later on by anyone who so desires.

The “Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur” however would not remain forever cooped up in Kuala Lumpur, it will travel with the STYLO tour and as Antoine Bakhache, President of Mouawad Asia (nephew of Mouawad founder Robert Mouawad) says, this dress the first ever of such a price tag, is open to the highest bidder at RM110 million price tag. As this dress is really a long drape dress consisting of 14 meters of hand drawn batik with a 6 meter train , where the concentration of diamonds will be , it will be easily converted to an “abaya” or cloak to custom fit the eventual owner which the creators hope to motivate from the Middle-East.

When asked by a Public Relations lady for his thoughts on selling such a high price item for a clothing, Antoine said that people should see this as an investment because despite its hefty price tag , they are really buying the gems at wholesale price and the value of diamonds never goes down. Datuk Seri Nancy Yeoh interjected that although that amount of money can buy a dwindling Second Board business in current economic climes, people should also see this piece of dress as about recording a part of history and commemorate events like the current UMNO general assembly if one desperately desires a reason I guess. By the way, 5 percent of the sales, amounting to about RM5 million will be going to the “Gaza Initiative” which is headed by Raja Seri Azureen.

STYLO looks set to be a BIG bedazzling event as usual and unabashedly so; it will be about glamorous socialites, fashionistas, lavish parties and opulence to celebrate the Formula One lifestyle which world over celebrated by race and fashion enthusiasts. Heikki Kovalainen one of the Maercedes Maclaren drivers is attending one of the parties. One must applaud the determination to “shine’ despite others’ vision of doom and gloom. There is a concerted effort to showcase the local designers , with at least two days of fashion shows dedicated to their creations. 25 established designers will be making their mark at the Designers Grand Prix and 12 young designers from MODA will also be featured. Various shows will also introduce designers from Spain (like Agatha Ruiz de la Prada) and neighboring countries like Indonesia, Singapore and India. A fun filled 7 days leading up to the actual race days on April 4th and 5th. There will also be a Fashion Village Lake Gardens which features young and unknown small fashion trades on the 28th and 29th March, it is opened to the public, so go check it out!