FM October '10 - Issue 148

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OCTOBER 2010. ISSUE 1 4 8. FMLIFES T Y LE.COM

E V O L F F I T terview with the

October ISSUE 148 WELCOME A geographical position which is a real estate agent’s dream and a warmongering history have, over the centuries, given us an inflated sense of self-worth. We think that we are the centre of the universe. And if we had more time – and didn’t spend so much of it pitting our village feast against the neighbouring village’s – we would surely rule the world.

But in reality, Malta is just this tiny rock hanging on to dear life in the middle of an ocean; so tiny in fact that most world maps don’t have a pencil small enough with which to draw it in.

Which explains why, whenever a Maltese person takes on the world and manages to get gold, we all get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

Tiffany Pisani, winner of this year’s edition of Britain’s Next Top Model, certainly did Malta proud. True, that last phrase may be the biggest of clichés, but it is also the truest. Because on that particular Monday night, when Tiffany beat

the tough competition of Londoners Alisha White and Joy McLaren, it was as if Malta was parading down the catwalk, under the gazing eyes of our former colonial masters.

For this issue of FM magazine, Mona Farrugia meets Tiffany just after she had won this year’s edition of Britain’s Next Top Model and learns the true story behind her success. We also shoot Tiffany for the occasion – her photos showcase her beauty and all the qualities that put her on the throne of Britain’s Next Top Model.

In this issue, we get to experience the London Fashion Week in all its high-heeled and glittering glory. We also meet model Chloe Spiteri, discuss style with costume designer, stylist and illustrator Nicole Cuschieri, give Angele Galea a welldeserved makeover, and rest our weary bones in Sri Lanka.

Read on and enjoy.

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COVER CREDITS Photographer: Tonio Lombardi W: www.toniolombardi.com Stylist: Carina Camilleri Hair : Pierre Camille Make-up and nails: Graziella Degiorgio using Revlon Clothes: New Look Model: Tiffany Pisani, winner of Britain’s Next Top Model, wears faux fur jacket by New Look, jewellery by Roberto Cavalli and D&G at SunLab. Editor: Anthony P. Bernard E: anthony@fmlifestyle.com Editorial Consultant: Stanley Borg E: stanley@fmlifestyle.com Design: Jon Calleja E: hello@weareporridge.com Printing: Progress Press

CONTENTS 8. Tiff love

49. Out of the closet

16. Work it

52. Hands up and best feet forward

Mona Farrugia meets Tiffany Pisani, winner of Britain’s Next Top Model and nation’s sweetheart.

FM’s office wear means business.

19. One kid on the block

Are only children really spoiled, selfish brats, asks Daniela Brockdorff.

23. No rest for the fashionably wicked

Creative director Luke Engerer is mum Angele Galea’s little style helper.

FM tricks and treats with the season’s arm and foot candy.

54. Breaking the cold spell 59. This Kandy is a treat

31. Weeks of fashion fortune

FM jet sets to new fashion heights at the New York, Paris, London and Milan fashion weeks.

She may be the little sister to Madrid and Barcelona, but Valencia is still a charmer.

FM sails into its port of call.

44. Style wise

66. Blonde ambition

4 –– FM October 2010

The editor is not responsible for material submitted for consideration.

This winter, Anne Marie Spiteri has the antidote for blotchy skin, chapped lips and dry hair.

Shideh Olafsson manages to get nine hours of sleep in four days. But then, what did you expect from London Fashion Week?

What Nicole Cuschieri knows about style.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without written permission. Opinions expressed in FM are not necessary those of the editor or publisher. All reasonable care is taken to ensure truth and accuracy, but the editor and publishers cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions in articles, advertising, photographs or illustrations.

Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome but cannot be returned without a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Mona Farrugia goes wild for life in Sri Lanka.

64. The young girl and the sea

It’s a woman’s world, especially if the woman looks like Chloe Spiteri.

For any information regarding editorial, promotion or advertising contact Tel: 00 356 2131 8522 00 44 20 3286 6808 Email: fm@madmediainternational.com FM is published by MADMEDIA International, Mezzanine West, Hadfield House, Library Street, Gibraltar and is distributed free with THE SUNDAY TIMES

INTERVIEW

TIFF LOVE Mona Farrugia meets Tiffany Pisani, winner of Britain’s Next Top Model and nation’s sweetheart.

8 –– FM October 2010

A

”

s you read this, Tiffany Pisani will probably be on a plane, tucked up with Dan Brown’s The Symbol which, in her own words, is “perfect flight material” and especially good for when you’re waiting around, the mainstay of the modelling industry.

Opposite - Dress and bracelets on left arm New Look, earrings, pendant, watch and ring by Roberto Cavalli and D&G at Sunlab

An artist friend describes her as “a perfect canvas” and on that plane, unless she comes across a Maltese purser who is sharper than most, nobody will recognise her. In life, she is quiet yet gregarious, taking on the hues of whatever palette she happens to be living in.

Underwear, jacket and boots by New Look

Photography: Tonio Lombardi W: www.toniolombardi.com / Stylist: Carina Camilleri / Hair: Pierre Camille / Make-up: Graziella Degiorgio using Revlon / Clothes: New Look

“

Tiffany’s drive is immediately apparent and all the talk about her staying grounded is wasted on her – she simply is.

October 2010 FM –– 9

INTERVIEW

Tiffany with her sister Joanna

Elle Macpherson at the BNTM’s final

quiet, but I had to develop a way of saying hello and telling them something about myself. I’m normally very chatty but in those situations many clam up – I had to develop a technique to get noticed. Being beautiful or attractive is nowhere near enough – the girls there are all pretty and Milan is tougher than anywhere else.”

Tiffany doesn’t want ‘to model’ in the sense that most other aspirants do, as in, wanting to be another Elle or just somebody who struts their stuff and gets recognised in the street. She wants to ‘model’ meaning to ‘work’. Her drive is immediately apparent and all the talk about her staying grounded is wasted on her – she simply is. She also, absolutely, knows her fashion and makes it a point to be knowledgeable about her clients. She lives and breathes the fashion business.

When I ask her about a campaign she would love to front, she mentions Emporio Armani Jeans, not, I suppose, because of the actual products (she has a big thing for John Galliano and gushes about Burberry and that aviator jacket: “I wish I could afford it”) but because the campaigns are beautiful. How many 18-year olds do you know, models or no models, who can actually tell the difference between campaign and product?

Tiffany is on her way to realising her dream of becoming a worldrecognised model and it is all too easy to forget that she is all of 18 years old. “You give me the impression of having a 32-year-old brain and attitude,” I tell her. “Oh thank you,” she gushes warmly back, taking it as it was meant – a compliment.

The reason Tiffany won Britain’s Next Top Model, in my eyes, is simple – she seems more English than her more supposedly British counterparts in the final. Her ‘blank canvas’ face takes on whichever look the stylists, make-up artists and art directors decide to give her. And she runs with it without griping or moaning. There is nothing Maltese in that face unless Maltese is a product of so many colonisers – she is whatever we, or the client, want her to be.

Throughout the competition, which is where many of us first came across her, Tiffany was nothing if not a consummate professional. There were no fits or tantrums and the only time she gave in and gave a cameraman the finger was when he had been following her for five hours, trying to get a ruse out of her. He did and so did the viewers.

Unlike other teenagers with aspirations to become models, Tiffany actually knows what modelling means. In the months between the BNTM filming, way back in April of this year, and the final, in October, she moved to Milan, accompanied by her mother.

“Go-sees there can contain anything like 200 girls each time. The scene is brutal. They don’t even open your portfolio. You line up and move through the line and they go ‘No. No. No,’ in deadpan tones.

“You need to be really strong and absolutely secure. Otherwise the process really gets to you. I used to be very shy before,

10 –– FM October 2010

“You also need to know yourself, how you photograph and look.

You have to know where the light is, what looks good on you and what doesn’t, which side is better than the other. It’s practice. On the catwalk, the more comfortable you feel the more confident you look. Some models are shy in life but they have an alter ego on the catwalk, in front of the camera.”

She was meant to move to London in a month but had to scarper up quickly due to her winning – Models 1 agency demanded it and it makes sense. So she simply came back to get her stuff together in three days, packed and left. While there, she will be staying at the Models’ House, which tenancy she gets for a year as part of her prize. That just about sorts the issue of where she is going to stay.

“There is no guarantee of work anywhere in this business, as with any other, and I haven’t made any money yet, or seen any.”

Last week she was shooting a spread on Burberry-imitation aviators for Reveal magazine. “Or another magazine – I can’t really remember.” Her life has become a whirlwind of go-sees, shoots, interviews and flights. She wants to “see the world, every country” yet immediately says “Malta, because it has everything” when I ask her which country she’d like to live in if she could have it all there.

Admirably, her boyfriend has just upped sticks to join her. He will be seeking a job for himself in London and his profession allows it. I am almost envious of their amazing youth, their ‘get up and go – it’s now or never’ drive.

On the night of the BNTM final, she never got to sleep.

“I had to do an interview with a Maltese TV programme, another radio interview, the shoot for BNTM itself and continued in the morning with another 10 British media outlets. Sleeping never even featured. Now is the time to work. Modelling is a very short-lived career – I want to get the most out of it while I can, eventually even continuing to study. There will be enough time for that.”

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THE POINT, TIGNE POINT

INTERVIEW

SPECIAL AGENT Tiffany’s local model agent Carina Camilleri has the eye.

Carina is the person who discovered Miss Tiff.

When Tiffany Pisani, now winner of Britain’s Next Top Model, cause celebre and honorary Maltese (for all the usual reasons which smack of a nation desperate for recognition) was 13, Carina was directing her on a Modern Elegance shoot. The story of her discovering Tiffany crying outside the dentist’s is now the stuff of legend and cliché. I wonder how that dentist feels – I mean, what on earth did he do to the current nation’s sweetheart?

Dentists treat teeth, but the one thing Carina has is an eye. And ‘the eye’ cannot be bought, studied or developed. Contrary to popular misconception, she was not Tiffany’s agent before she won BNTM, but became so after the final when Tiffany was advised to have a local agent apart from Models 1, with whom she is now signed up for the next year.

“She did it all by herself, sending in the photo, the whole shebang. She only called me later, when she got stuck in Malaysia – filming was being done during the Norwegian ash cloud,” says Carina.

What Carina was at the time was what every single aspiring model or artist needs – her confidante, her guide, her professional mum. And because she has an eye she was the first one to tell her to chop her hair off.

JUNE 2009 – ISSUE 138

Tiffany with her mother Jill Pisani

“Oh I hated that hair, those extensions,” she smiles. “I begged and badgered her to cut it. I wish I had the guts to do what BNTM did.”

Carina speaks very highly of Tiffany, not because she’s the ass-licking type but because Tiffany’s professionalism is something that agents like Carina are always on the lookout for.

“The girls and boys I accept to represent have personality. That is so important. It counts. There are so many beautiful faces. I just came from another country where I was representing another model and I saw height, beauty, poise, multi-lingualism, superb education. You need all of these to succeed in this industry these days, but you also need character and Tiffany has that.”

FMLIFEST YLE.COM

Carina speaks of the local situation and tries hard – even though I am hassling her to dish the dirt – to not tell me of the general situation, so I will do it instead. We do have a situation where a lot of people think they can be models/artists/singers/dancers of an international calibre and sadly, they find ‘agents’ who, knowing full well that they are nowhere near good enough, still represent them and fill their heads with unachievable dreams. Worse still, some of these ‘agents’ actually believe these models can make it.

Tiffany’s cover shoot for FM June 2009

“When you sign up for BNTM, you declare that you are not being represented by anybody. Yet if she had signed up with me before and an opportunity like this came up, I would never even have dreamt to not release her from any contractual obligations,” Carina is adamant.

Fashion shoot for FM November 2009

12 –– FM October 2010

As is to be expected, she is now inundated with requests for representation. Her website models.com.mt is overflowing with the beautiful people. Nonetheless, she is completely cool and unfazed about the whole thing. This may be the fashion business, but it’s a business – there will always be aspiring models, there will always be people filling their heads with impossible scenarios. And for quite some time, there will be Carina, eyes wide open for the next best thing. FM

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FASHION

Work It

FM’s office wear means business. Give your workwear wardrobe a glam-over in sharp tailored pieces, prints and bold colour. Photography - Tonio Lombardi - www.toniolombardi.com. Styling - Kira Drury

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16 –– FM October 2010

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One kid on the block

FAMILY

Are only children really spoiled, selfish brats, asks Daniela Brockdorff.

“I would usually root for being an only child, leading a tranquil and pestfree life.”

S

ome of my fondest childhood memories are of break times, when in between munching sandwiches and scrambling to the sound of the school bell ringing, we would discuss hot topics such as the pros and cons of having a school uniform, the cutest bloke in Friends and the best fast food joint on the island.

Do not, even for a second, imagine that these were civilised debates conducted by schoolgirls sitting prim and pretty. Rather, we looked like we were auditioning for some Friday night TV talkshow.

Now, among the topics that would spark off such heartfelt dialogue there was one which somehow touched each and every one of us because you either are one or you aren’t – that is, an only child. The singletons among us would often paint a picture of themselves as dejected and alone, having to sit in a corner all day with nothing to do and no one to play with. As for the rest of us who had at least one other

brat to share the spotlight with, we would counter by depicting ourselves as some sort of flesh and blood Cinderella, suffering endlessly at the hands of brothers and sisters.

Being the eldest of three children, I would usually root for being an only child, leading a tranquil and pest-free life. However, now that childhood is only a blurry golden speck in the distance, and now that I have been immersed in the endless stereotypes created by adults, I come to realise that being part of what is known as ‘the only child myth’ might not be all that pleasant. True, singletons are often portrayed as being bratty, spoiled and selfish. Moreover, G. Stanley Hall, considered by many to be the father of child psychology, described being an only child as “a disease in itself ”. All of a sudden, having a brother or two to punch you here and there does not look like such a dreadful prospect at all.

October 2010 FM –– 19

FAMILY

The only child myth For Dr Michael Galea, clinical psychologist and family therapist, it’s upbringing and environment that form a child.

Dr Michael Galea, clinical psychologist and family therapist, points out that there can be three types of singletons – there are those who simply have no brothers or sisters, those who are adopted into families without any other children, and finally those first-borns who for a period of time are the only child in the family.

Dr Galea goes on to explain that having only one child may be the result of financial problems, advanced age, fears of pregnancy, separation, infertility, the death of one of the parents or even because of the parents’ careers as well as physical and emotional health issues. Furthermore, it may simply be a personal preference when planning a family.

“An only child may grow up to be most resourceful and creative with both objects and time.”

Dr Galea acknowledges that the stereotype of the spoiled little brat exists and states that the only child’s environment may help to fuel this belief. However, he maintains that having such a “blanket statement” seems to be a case of “pushing the point too far”.

Personality research concludes that a singleton is often socially dominant, less agreeable, less open to new ideas and highly conscientious. Furthermore, beneath the surface of high self-esteem and the master-of-the-place attitude, there may be an inherent fear of making friends.

An only child grows up under extra pressure. Being the sole child of eager parents, greater expectations are usually thrust upon the child and thus singletons repeatedly prove to be perfectionists.

Dr Galea also maintains that an only child does feel different.

Without the support of any siblings and the negative image transmitted by the stereotype, the child may feel that they are never valued for their own self. Shame of self may thus arise. On the other hand, given that an only child spends quite some time alone, without any other children, the child may grow up to be most resourceful and creative with both objects and time. Moreover, they are often great with pets.

Dr Galea believes that a stereotype does not make an only child; rather it is one’s own upbringing and environment together with one’s personality. He advises parents of only children to let their child roam free and help them feel that a mistake is not the end of the world. A child needs spontaneity and curiosity to blossom and a parent’s overprotection – understandable as it may be – often stands in their way. FM

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20 –– FM October 2010

Freedom fighter As an only child, Kim Dalli feels she is not emotionally dependent on anyone else.

Kim Dalli, a B.A. English University student and actress, is a singleton and yet, despite the myth, she is no spoiled brat. Rather, she is one of the most caring persons you could ever meet.

Over a couple of drinks, Kim tells me that when she was young, she did feel lonely at times and did wish for a brother or a sister with whom to share her childhood.

However, she believes that the upbringing she was given by her devoted parents, combined with the sense of independence that being an only child gave her, made her the fulfilled person she is now.

When she was young, her parents always found the time to play with her. Undoubtedly, there were times when she had to be alone and in those hours she would create her own dolls, read, write scripts, and tape-record herself reading Shakespeare plays – sound effects and all – for her to listen to over and over again.

Furthermore, Kim states that being a singleton has helped her to not be emotionally dependent on anyone else. She finds making friends easy, yet she is capable of comforting herself and picking herself up when she stumbles in her journey through life. Finally I ask her whether she would want an only child herself and surprisingly, even though she wants her children to lead a fulfilling life such as hers, she maintains that she would want her children to have brothers and sisters, believing that since it all hinges on one’s personality, not everyone would be able to cope on their own.

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No rest for the fashionably wicked

FASHION Leah walking at LFW Photo by Carl Leung

Friday, September 17

Shideh Olafsson manages to get nine hours of sleep in four days. But then, what did you expect from London Fashion Week?

Leah and Kristen on the wrong train to the airport

Thursday, September 16

Kristen walking for Amato Couture at LFW Photo by Carl Leung

Kristen, Shideh and Leah after the first show

I wake up in a room that looks like it has been hit by an earthquake. There are clothes and shoes everywhere – with my two models sleeping underneath them.

I

meet models Kristen and Leah, who are booked to walk at London Fashion Week S/S 2011, at the airport. I am wearing flip flops, baggy pants and t-shirt. Kristen and Leah walk into the airport looking like, well, models. High heels, make-up, skinny jeans – they are ready for action and it’s only 5.30am.

We arrive in London and head to our flat in Old Street. We have a one bedroom place for the three of us – actually, make that the three of us plus a combined 24 pairs of shoes and 65kg of clothes.

After grabbing a corner of the flat each, we freshen up and head to the London streets. We have made some appointments with top UK agencies to show them the girls’ portfolios and we have one day to get to all of them. So with flat shoes on our feet and high heels in our bags, we hit the underground.

We spend the day going from one agency, to the tube, to the next putting on the heels in alley ways and street corners, touching up the girls’ lipsticks and hair and walking in as if we woke up like this.

The most important agency we visit is Storm. Walking into the building to see photos of Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Monica Bellucci and Eva Herzigova is just overwhelming. So to even get an appointment to be seen was pretty unreal. After the high of some great agency feedback, we decide to go for dinner.

Today, Leah is walking in her first Fashion Week show. She is nervous and excited and over a traditional English breakfast in Holborn, we all talk about how well she’s going to do. Kristen and I plan our day to go down to Fashion Week and spend the day in the sun networking. We are interrupted by a call from Geoff saying that a designer had changed his mind about today’s show and requires Kristen. And fast. She must bring her appropriate underwear, have a clean face, some heels and plasters – none of which she has on her – and be at Charing Cross in half an hour. In heels.

Running through London at full pace and visiting just about every store possible, we manage to get what we need and the girls arrive on time and fully loaded for their very first Fashion Week shows.

I make my way down to the social area of Fashion Week. It is sunny and people are sitting around in the bar. I recognise a few celebrity faces and meet a friend of mine. She introduces me to more people and I find myself handing out my business card like a robot.

I head to the show venue half an hour earlier than needed. I want to see what the girls look like all done up and to abuse my backstage pass as much as possible. They are both looking like supermodels, ready and waiting for their very first chance on an international catwalk.

Grabbing my goody bag, I am shown to my third row seat. This really isn’t bad as the front and second row is usually for media, buyers and celebrities. The shows start and the girls come out one by one. Once Leah comes out, I feel a surge of adrenalin, excitement and pride go through me. I feel like a mum sitting in a school concert, one hand wrapped around my Blackberry taking photos and the other holding my camera taking video.

The show finishes and as the guests start leaving the hall, I make my way backstage – only to find that my girls are literally being attacked. There are cameras, microphones and little men in suits wanting to speak to them. They take one look at me and pull me into their circle of adoring fans. After organising various photos, onthe-spot interviews, handing out business cards and model cards, we leave to get on our way to the after-party with Geoff Cox and photographer Amy Symons.

We leave around midnight and make our way to Soho to party at a guest-list only bar called LVPO. We walk past a long line of people queuing in the rain and try to avoid eye contact before Geoff gets us in with a small whisper to the bouncer.

We meet UK Show producer Geoff Cox in Soho at a Persian restaurant (I needed to get back to my roots). He wants to run through what to expect at LFW tomorrow with us. Afterwards, we’re all filled with rice and information so we head home.

The place is filled with beautiful people. We speak to a bunch of people – some important and some wanting to be. More cards and model cards are handed out and hours later, we find ourselves on a bus home.

Sleep hours: 3.5

Sleep hours: 3 October 2010 FM –– 23

FASHION

Kristen and Leah with UK show producer Geoff Cox

Saturday, September 18

Kristen being interviewed by Flavour Magazine

We get up and jump online to view any shots of last night’s show and read some reviews. It is all good news, so we start getting ready for another day of it. Squeezing our feet into yet another pair of heels, we go underground again to head back to Charing Cross.

I drop the girls off backstage and head back to Sommerset House to be onsite at Fashion Week. I meet Nada from Insignia magazine and a group of people and they are already on their third bottle of champagne. We sit and talk and somehow I secure some amazing opportunities. She introduces me to a film producer and again I secure more work for our talent in the coming months. The champagne is flowing, the sun is out, the table next to us is filled with the biggest names in fashion and I can’t feel my feet. We are definitely at Fashion Week. We take a walk through the New Generation showroom put on by TopShop. I fall in love with every pair of shoes on display and all I can think of is how to bring these new labels to Malta to put into stores.

Gabriel from Push It magazine meets us at the bar – we spend the afternoon talking about Malta, the beauty of the island, the talent here and the endless ways of getting more Maltese fashion seen in the UK. Then we head to Charing Cross to see Kristen and Leah walk in the shows.

This time, I make it to the show too late to get a goody bag or a seat, which is fine as me and my Blackberry take a nice spot on the floor in the pit of photographers. Usually I would be way too embarrassed to be taking shots on my phone next to 40 guys with giant lenses, but sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. So kneeling down, I start snapping away as my girls come out on to the runway.

Kristen walking at LFW. Photo by Carl Leung Kristen and US Vogue Photographer Nick Ho

Of course, after the show, it is more chaos. Some amazing feedback, some future bookings, more interviews and photos – we don’t leave backstage for two hours.

We head to Soho to the after-parties. There are too many to choose from so we end up at a wine bar in a side street, followed by another party in some crazy underground club. Eventually, we hobble out of the club into the rain. It takes us two hours to find a taxi.

Sleep hours: 2.5 24 –– FM October 2010

FASHION

Photographer Amy Symons, Kristen and Shideh in the taxi to an afterparty

TopShop NewGen Showroom

AUTUMN WINTER 2010

Sunday, September 19 It’s our last day in London. I decide to show the girls what the Fashion Week site is like as they have spent their entire time backstage or walking in shows. So we get all dressed up, heels on again and off we go to LFW. We barely walk into the main area when the girls get jumped on by paparazzi and magazine photographers. A guy comes up to me and says he is from Vogue US and he would like to shoot Kristen. So she poses for him and I grab his card – opportunities like that don’t come along often.

We make our way to the bar area where we spend the day meeting people and walking through exhibitions.

Our flight back is at 8.30pm, so after packing for what seems like an eternity and trying to put that room back to its original state, we leave – on the wrong train – for the airport. Once we finally make it there, Heathrow security takes a liking to Kristen and she is patted down twice – then x-rayed.

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On arrival back to Malta, we find out that Kristen and Leah are both booked to walk again at London Fashion Week A/W 2012 in February which is very exciting. Not only that, but some other big major Fashion Weeks from around the world have taken a liking to them as well.

It looks like we will be back at a Fashion Week, somewhere in the world, blisters and no sleep, sooner than we think. FM Leah and Kristen are represented by Infashion Malta.

26 –– FM October 2010

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SHOES THAT SHINE

The newly refurbished Gauda at Sliema launched the A/W collection to its clients at an opening party held this month. This season’s collection varies from elegant to casual and trendy with so many prices to choose from.

This winter, Gauda at Sliema is also exclusively introducing the glamorous Albano boots. For more information call on T: 2134 6957, 2133 6985.

28 –– FM October 2010

BRING OUT THE CHAMPION IN YOU Launched at Le Meridien St Julians Hotel & Spa, the Davidoff Champion fragrance for men is about the daily ritual of taking the time to build physical and mental strength, becoming a champion. The central pillar of Davidoff Champion’s forte is a flacon design – a chunky dumbbell with stirring blackglass and head and tail silver weights. The launch was successful thanks to Franks, Club Limited who are the distributors of Davidoff in Malta, Le Meridien St Julians Hotel & Spa and International Merchants Co. Ltd, who sponsored the evening with Shark and M-150 energy drinks.

SHE’S A LADY

MOUNTAIN HIGH

NEXT IN GOZO

In the past three years, Joe Borg has participated and helped organise expeditions in Scotland and Italy. The Arctic is another destination that has been haunting him, which is why he will be joining the Bay Radio Arctic Survival Challenge in aid of SPCA. This is an opportunity for Joe to involve himself in the two things that have influenced his life – volunteering and adventure. The Farsons Foundation, Eukanuba, Sataco Ltd., and The Bowline Indoors are already among the sponsors for this challenge. To support this challenge and help the SPCA, contact Joe on E: jo.borg@hotmail.com

Arkadia opened the doors of its newest fashion outlet, Next, to a throng of eager customers. With a keynote speech from Arkadia’s General Manager, Antoine Portelli and encouraging words from the Hon. Giovanna Debono, Minister for Gozo, it is clear that there is joined-up thinking with regards to Gozo being a prime shopping destination. Arkadia continues its commitment to increasing quality, choice, and value to its customers – the new Next outlet reinforces this message through the high quality fashion clothing, shoes and accessories that are available to the whole family. FM

Bain de Nuit collections are discreetly stunning yet elusive in the way they relate that message of chic sophistication.

This year, Bain de Nuit dressed up Malika Menard – this year’s Miss France – for all her promo events in France and around the globe. Bain de Nuit also dress up Eva Longoria and Lindsay Lohan.

Kenjo and Kyoto are proud to represent Bain de Nuit and other brands that are full of vigour and class. Kenjo and Kyoto, in operation for over 25 years, are multi-brand studios representing more than 28 brands, including Miralina by Ann Taylor, Roma Couture, FNY, Sonia K, Jeff Galliano, Terry Savyle, Jean Marc Faust, and Bari Jay. Kenjo & Kyoto are situated in Old Theatre Street, Valletta.

TRENDS Monsoon sarita dress - €280.00

Yohji Yamamoto

FM jet sets to new fashion heights at the New York, Paris, London and Milan fashion weeks.

Marchesa

Monsoon Sergeant military - €280

The New York Fashion Week was positively glittering at its new venue – Damrosch Park at the Lincoln Center.

Proenza Schouler gave us one of the most exciting collections in this edition. Bodyconscious items hugged the models, highlighting their femininity through an emphasis on casual, dishevelled glamour.

It’s straight-out-of-bed meets come hither.

Proenza Schouler

Matthew Ames showcased a simple collection, with clean lines and down to earth patterns worn over flat sandals. It was an eco-friendly look which made a heavy use of natural materials such as linen and focused on an organic palette of muted schemes and earthy colours offset with splashes of colour.

Gwen Stefani closed the New York Fashion Week with her label L.A.M.B. Stefani sent out models in strutting rockstar-chic pieces and mosaic-patterned chiffon dresses.

Patterns were African and Caribbeaninspired while the palette concentrated heavily on primary hues – a strong element, juxtaposed with dainty, ladylike details.

Stefani’s strong point is her accessories design, with funky shoes and bags adding a loud fun element to the collection.

The land that gave us the Why French Women Don’t Get Fat tome celebrated the end of the size-zero model era. As plus-size supermodel Crystal Renn walked down Zac Posen’s catwalk, not only did she herald an era of broader model casting but she also embraced the comments that Posen had made backstage – that he wanted to make clothes for women “who love life, and all the best things in it – sex, friendship, food.”

And that wasn’t all – this year’s Paris Fashion Week not only gave us a plus-size supermodel, but also welcomed the return of veteran models Stella Tennant and Amber Valletta.

Paris Fashion Week prides itself on springing surprises, and this edition was no different. The Balenciaga show fuelled its love affair with shoulders and uncompromising shapes, proposing roundshouldered coats, wide trousers, square cuts and combinations of black and red. Balmain continued with its punk trend, with safety-pinned leather, paintsplashed denim, and graffitied t-shirts while Rick Vandevorst emphasised metallic fabrics, leather waistcoats and bleached denim. Haider Ackermann further developed his A/W 2010 tight slashes trend by taking those slashes and knotting them at the waist.

Nina Ricci went all romantic with flowing dresses, lace and feathers in shades of pink and pastel. Dries Van Noten also emphasised femininity, with models floating down the catwalk in silk, velvet and Asianinspired prints.

Bridging the two sides, Yohji Yamamoto gave us refined Gothic, with womanly bodices, loose silk and fluttery scarves.

October 2010 FM –– 31

Jonathan Saunders

TRENDS

Erdem

Monsoon tunic - €85

Monsoon colour coatigan block - €115

Acne

It’s London baby, and it’s calling the shots on the S/S 2011 collections with an energy that only the Union Jack capital can pump up.

Paul Costelloe opened the catwalk shows with a collection that can be summarised to just one word – fun. Models played around with bubble hem dresses, oversized bows, playsuits in grey, silver and white, and super-short baby dolls.

Christopher Kane

Erdem’s collection was just as fun. Beautifully crafted, it was all about the details, from the peek-a-boo play of skin and lace to delicate flowers painted directly on print dresses. It’s spring in all its blooming glory.

32 –– FM October 2010

A combination of ladylike aesthetics and sexual innuendoes gave Christopher Kane’s collection must-see show credentials. The skirts and dresses were certainly not easy on the eye – garish neons and fluorescent colours battled with Japanese tattoo prints for attention. It’s not shocking love at first sight, but it’s a brave collection that certainly grows on you.

On the other end of the fashion scale, Acne’s collection was a minimalist celebration of clean lines, strong basics, romantic flutters and a 1970s preoccupation with details. Jonathan Saunders followed suit, with lovely patterned dresses that were an ode to elegance.

TRENDS

FASHION BAROMETER Monsoon tunic - €85

WEAR Emilio Pucci

Red leather pants – the season’s walk of fame.

Vivienne Westwood at the Paris Fashion Week – rebel from head to toe.

Those Versace shoes – we love them.

Zac Posen meets the lady and the vamp at Paris Fashion Week.

Dolce & Gabbana

TEAR Black lipstick – stop calling it the new black.

Lady Gaga to launch her own perfume in spring – we hope it doesn’t smell like raw meat.

Versace

Winter weddings – a rainy start to married life.

And we’re back in Milan, a city so stylish and fashion-conscious that even the taxi drivers look like catalogue models.

The main trend for the S/S 2011 collections is colour block. Raf Simons, designer for Jil Sander, took this trend to the max by mixing couture and sporty and colouring it in bright green, yellow, orange and pink. Simons also proposed romantic numbers, including long skirts in bright salmon and floor-grazing dress in rich shades.

Sporty was also on Marni’s agenda, which included items inspired by Victorian bathers in khaki, brown and mustard shades.

No one does sexy better than the Italians – Versace’s cut-outs, geometric shapes and stylish nods at nineties Versace show how much the label understands a woman’s shape.

Florals also bloomed, with Versus proposing tight florals and Dolce & Gabbana putting up a whole garden party where models played and fell in love with romance. The Italian duo also paid tribute to Sicilian white lace, with a glamorous and well-tailored collection of lace combined with flowery silks and light tweed. FM

34 –– FM October 2010

Local telly – we thought it wouldn’t get any worse.

But it did.

BLOGWATCH THE WHO, WHAT, WHY, WEAR OF THE NET

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Nothing to do with Africa – it’s a girl called Kenya in a world called fashion.

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SKY WALKER Photography - Tonio Lombardi www.toniolombardi.com Styling - Luke Engerer Hair - Michelle Galea at Roots T: 2745 4164 Make-up - Nicola Powell M: 9986 5369 Model - Sandrina

Monsoon skirt - €99.00 Mexx top - €32.95 Tally Weijl fur waistcoat - €35.95 Mango bangle - €19.90 Peacocks tights - €4.00 Gauda at Sliema shoes - €29.00 Opposite Esprit dress - €69.95 Mexx leggings - €42.95 Peacocks shoes - €32.50 Carpisa bag - €89.90 You You necklace - €69.38 Accessorize scarf - €23.50

Monsoon skirt - €99.00 Mango shrug - €79.90 Accessorize ring - €18.90 Opposite French Connection dress - €131.00 Peacocks leggings - €8.00 New Look shoes - €32.99 You You necklace - €83.78

New Look top - €25.00 Peacocks tights - €4.00 Fornarina shoes @ You You - €187.20 Opposite Massimo Dutti dress - €195.00 Massimo Dutti coat - €250.00 New Look shoes - €32.99 things* bangle - €10.50

Mexx dress - €109.00 Esprit cardigan - €59.95 Massimo Dutti belt - €24.90 Dune Boots @ Soul shoes - €130.00 Opposite Mango dress - €59.90 Gauda at Sliema boots - €59.00 Fornarina muff @ You You - €44.20 Fornarina stole @ You You - €48.51

STYLE WISE

What I know about style Finding your own style is the closest you will ever get to your own truth, says costume designer, stylist and illustrator Nicole Cuschieri.

44 –– FM October 2010

To me, style is old castles, nostalgia, vintage circuses, words, imagination, unrequited love, goblins, rebellion, desire, and music. Style is books full of ideas, poems and memories. Style is shopping in charity shops. Style is David Bowie – my hero. Style is everything I adore and everything I despise because that is what gives me my identity.

I found my own style by following my instinctive individual expression based on my sentiment, ideas, fears and intuition. I try not to let people’s opinions affect me too much. People help me to grow my thoughts and ideas. They also help me to laugh. However it is detrimental to let other people’s opinions decide for you. Rather, what is crucial is following your own instincts. If you achieve this, then it’s the closest you will ever get to our own truth.

I have organised many different types of events like theatrical literary evenings, video-art exhibitions, fashion shoots, concert performances and theatre productions. The many artistic journeys I have taken over the years have led me to my own artistic style. Despite the events being so different from each other, they all somehow define my style as an artist. I am always trying new techniques such as video, photography, choreography, product design and illustration. Some factors always remain present in my work like my obsession with the past, my memories and my fascination with colour and music. Some of my works are more of a personal discovery whereas other projects are created through my imagination and my warped sense of humour.

Naxxar Road, Birkirkara Phone. +356 2704 0005 Website. www.youyou.com.mt youyou

STYLE WISE

I have always been fascinated by the way people used to entertain themselves in the past. For the past two years I have organised original shows and sketches based on early 20th century burlesque and vaudeville shows. My idea was not to re-enact this kind of entertainment, but to try and transpose it to the 21st century. The late 18th century and early 19th century is an era I particularly love, especially the idea of circuses, mime, corsetry, elixirs and the thrill of discovery and invention. I truly love working creatively with people and plan to focus more energy on organising specialised creative events that people can commission for their own private events. My idea is to offer a service where clients can request cultural entertainment, be it for tourists, for children or even for corporate events and I then design it according to their needs. The entertainment could range from theatre, dance and comedy to music or magic. The most crucial element is that whatever the performance will be, it will be a truly original one.

An ambition I have for 2011 is to write and produce a 30-minute art house film in Maltese. I have always loved film. Despite studying Fashion Design at the University of Westminster in London, I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful lecturer called Zowie, who encouraged me to use film as a means to portray my designs. Then during the second year of my degree, I collaborated with the Film Department and that’s where my love of filmmaking began. After that I made a film for each project. I think my love for film stems from my love for art.

Filmmaking comes the closest to incorporating all of the arts together – performance, music, colour, photography, theatre and collage. This is why film is the closest medium I have found to expressing my own artistic style. FM

Read on. Join our Femme Magazine Facebook page

46 –– FM October 2010

art&concept > z-one creative team

photo > Kamil Strudzinski

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out of the closet Creative director Luke Engerer is mum Angele Galea’s little style helper. Photography - Tonio Lombardi

THE STYLE COUNCIL is ver team keo ma FM’s e director made up of creativ grapher oto Luke Engerer, ph make-up Tonio Lombardi, gory and artist Melanie Gre le hairdresser Michel Galea at Roots Hair Salon.

Every month, creative director Luke Engerer and his makeover team will visit one lucky reader, rummage through her wardrobe and give her a restyle. It’s all treats but no tricks as Luke & Co. only use your own clothes to create a new style for you.

MAKEOVER

THE NOMINEE Our nominee for this month is Angele Galea, a woman of so many talents that her husband Malcolm could not help but sign her up for our makeover.

Last year, Malcolm and Angele became parents to baby Ethan. In his nomination, Malcolm wrote how, “During her pregnancy, Angele didn’t just sit still and take it easy. She took part in two different plays and accompanied me to Edinburgh to help co-direct one of my own plays.

“Now that our son is almost a year old,” he added, “she has taken on some new projects. This means that she has to start focusing on her appearance again, and I’m sure the FM makeover will do the trick.”

ABOUT A GIRL I feel like a renaissance woman. I paint, study and dabble in music composition, act, and am a mother. I have also started presenting on radio – Big Breakfast on XFM. Thank goodness I’m living in this century – otherwise, everybody would think I’m trying to be a man.

My style is as diverse as it can get. I can go from chic to slob in thirty winks.

I love the tailored look but I also like the hobo look. And I have a soft spot for A-line skirts, short skirts, long ones, and pencil. When I go out, I try to wear something distinctly mine, even if it has to be a pinned soft toy or a crazy hat.

BEFORE We meet Angele at her apartment in Zebbug at seven in the evening. She has been up since half past five in the morning, but is still bubbly and excited at the prospect of getting all glammed up. She is wearing black leggings and a grey t-shirt and has baby Ethan on her lap.

Angele shows me her wardrobe and gives me free rein, except for one section for clothes that no longer fit her.

After a couple of minutes rummaging around, I find a lovely bottle green dress – this can really work.

I think my lips are my best physical feature. As for the feature I like least, I’m working on accepting myself as I am. The world needs confident women.

Two summers ago, Malcolm and I went to Edinburgh for the first time.

We went to this shop called Electric Cabaret, which sells gothic ware, and my husband bought me a dress with skulls and roses. It has become my favourite item of clothing – I wore it for my first solo exhibition, together with my divine red cobweb shoes.

Malcolm helps me out when I’m shopping. I’m always in a hurry so I tend to skim through a shop very quickly. Malcolm, on the other hand, takes his time and patiently suggests what I should try.

Before baby Ethan came along, I used to have time for facials and massages. Now my beauty routine is limited to night cream before I sleep and day cream before I leave the house in the morning.

I could not live without my glasses. I hate wearing contact lenses and only wear them on special occasions.

It usually takes me an hour and a half to get ready for a night out. I first have a shower and wash my hair. Then I blow dry my hair – keeping your head down and using a round brush make for great results. Then I moisturise and put on my make-up before I start trying on what I feel is right for the occasion – I usually change my mind a couple of times before I settle for an outfit. Then I say my usual mantra – love yourself – and head out.

Hair

Make-up

“I first washed Angele’s hair then applied mousse and blow-dried it to smooth it out. We decided on an upstyle so we went for a modern version of the beehive. I finished off with some hairspray for hold and some shine spray for radiance.”

“I used a light colour foundation as a base and illuminating powder. Then I chose a shimmer pink blush on Angele’s cheeks and a cream colour for her eyes, as a base. I added a darker shade at the outer corners of her eyelids using a smoky grey. A pair of faux lashes added extra glam. I finished off with a deep red and clear gloss on Angele’s lips.”

Michelle Galea at Roots Hair Salon.

T: 2745 4164, M: 9945 4164

Melanie Gregory, M: 7772 8043

October 2010 FM –– 49

Fabulous Spiced Vanilla Back in store this Autumn

Join us on

Republic Street

Valletta

The Plaza

Sliema

Nature’s way to beautiful.

Islet Promenade

Bugibba

Arkadia

Gozo

MAKEOVER

AFTER “I just love this dress,” says Angele. “Malcolm had chosen it for me, obviously, and convinced me I look good in it. I love the cut, the material, which is silk, and the emerald green, which was my favourite colour when I was five years old.

“This makeover is my Audrey-Hepburn moment. All women should have a makeover – seeing ourselves in a different light and being told that we look beautiful is the greatest cure of all.” FM

YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY If you want to be our lucky makeover girl, drop us an e-mail at model@fmlifestyle.com and tell us why we should choose you. Also, attach two photos of you – one full body and one headshot – with your e-mail.

October 2010 FM –– 51

FASHION

Hands up and best feet forward 1

FM tricks and treats with the season’s arm and foot candy.

4

Photography - Tonio Lombardi www.toniolombardi.com Styling - Kira Drury

3

2

9 1. Carpisa deep red bag - €39.90 2. D une flat black wool line boots - €110.00 3. M ango dark brown lace up boots - €79.90 4. D ebenhams grey worn in lace up boots with buckle - €55.00 7

5. T ally Weijl black boots with black wool lining - €29.95 6. P eacocks plain grey boots - €32.50 7. D une light brown suede lace up boots - €130.00 8N ew Look dark brown boots with wool lining and buckles - €34.99 9. Carpisa brown bag - €39.90

52 –– FM October 2010

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CHEMISTRY

Breaking the cold spell This winter, Anne Marie Spiteri has the antidote for blotchy skin, chapped lips and dry hair.

A

couple of years back, after a winter spent in the embrace of warm polo necks and cold sniffles, I turned up at work one early May morning wearing a short-sleeved navy shrug over a white vest top, teamed with a pretty pendant and a gold headband. Oh, and trousers, of course. During our usual cheery morning banter, one of my colleagues informed me, quite seriously, that the warm season suited me. And suddenly I realised that I agreed with this observation.

more pleasant exercise when your lips are not dry and cracked. To prevent this condition, a moisturising lip balm should be used and licking your lips should be avoided. You can make this part of your routine by investing in multiple lip balms and planting them in various strategic positions, such as the work handbag and bedside table. Also, when choosing lipsticks, it is obviously best to go for the ones with the word ‘moisturising’ making a prominent appearance on the packaging.

In fact, I think that the warm season is generally kind with everyone. Responsible exposure to the sun evens out the skin tone and bestows a healthy glow, while improving skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis. The warm weather allows us to don lighter, more flattering and colourful clothes. In addition, the longer daylight hours encourage people to socialise more and to partake in a diverse range of activities.

When lips do dry up and tiny pieces of dry skin make their unsightly presence known, one possible remedy is exfoliation. Chapped lips can be exfoliated by applying petroleum jelly to them, then gently rubbing them with a soft toothbrush.

Alternatively, a quick, inexpensive scrub can be made using equal parts of olive oil and sugar.

Winter, on the other hand, rings in the return of blotchy skin, dry hair, chapped lips, and with that extra pinch of luck, chilblains. The cold forces us to wear layers upon layers of practical clothes, which are never quite as fun as their summer counterparts, and which are in any case frequently concealed under a bulky jacket. Moreover, people with a nine to five job unfailingly leave work in pitch darkness.

Those are reasons enough to have any regular person chaining themselves to their bed in their pyjamas and staying put right up until the spring equinox bursts through the window.

Unfortunately, after doing the math, most people realise that six months of hibernation will not pay for their summer frolics, or for anything else for that matter. Therefore, the only remaining option is to grin and bear it.

The grinning part can be made easier in many ways. For starters, smiling is a much 54 –– FM October 2010

Cold weather can also damage and dry out the hair, especially the ends, which are often a long way away from the constant supply of protective oils churned out by the scalp.

Applying conditioner is a must all year round – however, an extra special effort should be made in winter. A wide variety of moisturising masks are commercially available and some can be rinsed off a mere 10 minutes after being applied, leaving no place for excuses.

The cold weather is very harsh on the skin too, especially on the face, which is constantly at the mercy of the elements. If your face feels tight and uncomfortable, you might need to switch to a richer moisturiser to see you through the winter months. Even though mostly covered, the rest of the skin also takes a beating during the chilly season. To avoid depleting its moisture content even further, resist the temptation of very hot showers, settling for lukewarm instead. After showering, get into the habit of massaging a creamy,

fragrant moisturiser into the skin, paying special attention to the elbows and knees. This will not only keep dry, flaky skin at bay, but is also guaranteed to leave you feeling great.

Chilblains are yet another annoyance that is warmly ushered in by the damp Maltese winter. They appear as red inflamed areas, mainly on the toes, sometimes on the fingers, and for the privileged few, also on the nose.

They are painful and often maddeningly itchy.

The only way to prevent them is to keep the extremities warm and dry. This can be achieved by avoiding puddles like the plague and by investing in thick woollen socks, gloves, or nose muffs, as applicable. The Arnica montana plant, extracts of which are present in commercially available creams, has been found to be useful in reducing the itchiness caused by chilblains.

In addition to the physical impact of the cold weather, the considerable decrease in daylight hours and the frequently grey skies can often bring on a mild case of the blues. I personally find that the best way to beat this weighty melancholy is to organise events to look forward to. These could include a night at the theatre, an evening at a cosy wine bar, or a long Sunday lunch with friends or family, obviously interspersed with frequent shopping trips to dress up for these occasions.

For those with a short concentration span, small daily treats to look forward to are also a good antidote. These could be anything from a cup of hot chocolate to an episode of your favourite television series, or both combined. In my case, all it takes to get me through the day is the blissful thought of chaining myself to my cosy bed in my heavenly flannel, sheep-pattern pyjamas, right up until my screeching alarm rudely sets me free. FM

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COOL ROOMS

This Kandy is a treat

Mona Farrugia goes wild for life in Sri Lanka.

T

he Black Rajah butterfly lives in low-lying land and in the higher tea hills outside of Kandy, the original capital city of the ancient kingdom of Serendip.

It’s a pretty butterfly, dotted all over like a cubist painting with black, cream, oatmeal, grey and yellow flecks. Yet the Black Rajah is not one of those obviously beautiful butterflies, catching the sunlight with their bright yellows, blues and reds. Rather, its beauty reveals itself gradually. Its tapestry is rich and its colours are so sleek and chic that they seem to have been orchestrated by a European interior designer – all descriptions that could fittingly be attributed to my room at Kandy House.

Well, ‘room’ is not really an adequate description. Sri Lanka, rising out the ashes of 30 years of civil war in the north, a tsunami which hit its south extremely hard, and a general malaise when it came to anything investment- or tourismrelated, does one thing exceptionally well, better, in fact, than I have seen in any other country I have ever visited – boutique hotels. They are usually wonderfully-converted heritage homes and country villas which now carry a few suites within their (sometimes hardly existent, the weather being a constant summer) walls. Instead of trying to get as many beds as possible out of the same space, the owners of these properties convert them into all-suite accommodation where a large bed area, a large bath area, and your very own piece of garden, terrace or private pool, is the norm.

Moreover, now is the time to visit, before the rest of the world discovers this staggeringly beautiful country seemingly untouched by the rampant commercialisation and bitterness of much of the rest of Asia (Bangkok anybody?) and literally blessed (never was a word so appropriate) with everything nature (or man) decided to bestow upon it, from tea plantations, forests, mountains and valleys to never-ending beaches, swathes of Indian Ocean, cinnamon, coconut and banana plantations.

I arrive at Kandy House two days after the infamous Esala Perahera – the festival which transforms Kandy from heaven to heaving as drummers, dancers and elephants compete for aural space – has ended. Just as quickly as they had descended, the tourists, both national and international, had evacuated not only the area but Kandy House itself. I literally had the whole hotel to myself.

Sri Lanka’s heritage homes do service in a particularly distinctive way – staff are very attentive, extremely discreet and almost always male. Staying with them is not about them, but about you. As one of the Kandy House boys brought me chilled passion fruit juice, I settled in one of the huge sofas in their open-air lobby, bedecked with the thick hand-woven fabrics which the country seems to want to keep to itself, and read through the Visitors Book. Every single comment was not only positive, but almost heart-breaking as previous guests lamented their departure.

October 2010 FM –– 59

COOL ROOMS

My room, called the Black Rajah, is one of those rooms which can jolt even the most jaded of international travellers into happy wakefulness. In hot countries, the last thing you want to do is take a bath. However, having come from a five-hour car trip and faced with the gorgeous, modern, yet earthy bath, I just gave in to all the tea-lights surrounding it, upended the entire contents of the salt container and settled in for a few minutes of rest and restoration.

The bed is a four-poster one – the draped mosquito net lends it a colonial-in-the-tropics feel while the mattress is covered with the kind of down feather protection that gives sleeping a sinking sensation.

The shower area is cut off from what is essentially an open-plan layout by two low concrete walls which have been polished until they gleam. The overall effect is like sleeping in a very modern cave, which, on one side, leads to the internal courtyard, and on the other opens up to your very own stretch of landscaped garden overlooking the tea plantations.

It is the use of space that is so surprising. The rooms at Kandy House manage to give the feeling of living in your very own house. They are as far off from standard hotel rooms as you can possibly get. The design is even more surprising when you realise that the house was built more than 200 years ago, originally for local chief Ratwatte Adigar. Its colours – golden hues and black all over my room, and brighter tones in the common areas – are strong yet extremely relaxing. It feels even more like ‘my house’ as I’m the only guest. In fact, there are four times more staff than there are guests. Brilliant.

This means that in the evening I have a fabulous dinner in their garden with just the sounds of the cicadas around me. Kandy House operates on a set-menu basis, yet when I tell the local chef that I really love Sri Lankan rice and curry (essentially an array of seven to ten vegetable and meat curry dishes, accompanied by a mound of rice) he tells me that if I was not shy of spices (which I am not) he would serve me some Thai curries. Of course, it’s a gastronomic happy ending.

I sleep like a baby and wake up the next day to the glorious sunshine streaming in and the quiet murmurs of the tea-pickers from outside my window. The pool at the edge of the garden beckons and so does the huge ‘swing’ which is really a great big swinging bed attached to an ancient tree. The colours outside are beaming, the sounds enticing and Kandy House exactly the kind of place you can return to with much joy at the end of a hard sightseeing day. In fact, it feels exactly like going back home, only with a few more staff than you may be used to.

60 –– FM October 2010

COOL ROOMS

Feel the heat In comparison to Indian curries, Sri Lankan curries are mellower and their heat disperses on the palate. They call them ‘rice and curry’, an easy-going nomenclature which means a lot more than what it represents.

Rice and curry does not come in starters, mains and desserts. Moreover the concept of eating out in Sri Lanka is almost non-existent, with restaurants restricted mostly to large cities or hotel eateries. Owing mostly to their history, where tourism did not feature, Sri Lankans cook at home.

You need to try to stay at Heritage Homes, which provide this ‘family’ food, rather than a watered-down European version. A typical lunch or supper consists of anything up to 12 dishes, many of them vegetables such as bitter gourd, a chopped green leaf with grated coconut, pumpkin and chickpeas.

Protein is restricted to small portions of chicken, lamb or seafood. Different areas of the country feature various forms of protein, so in the south you get more seafood. The flavour is something between Keralan, with its constant inclusion of coconut, and the sour undertones of Thai.

The huge dish of rice accompanying the curries takes pride of place. You will mostly get a short-grain kind of white, grown in Sri Lanka itself, but if you are lucky, red rice will be available – this is unpeeled, takes longer to cook, and is beautifully nutty in flavour. Wine is not part of the culture so opt for a Sri Lankan beer.

The leopard sleeps tonight The Yala National Park operates a bizarre payment system. If you are Sri Lankan, you pay the equivalent of 25 US cents to get in. If you are a non-local, you pay $25. I calculated that, according to Sri Lankan salary standards, this means that you need a minimum of €120,000 per annum in order for this to be justified.

You get a lot of time to think on the Kulu Safari jeeps, which is how I figure all this out.

Mark Forbes, the owner, picks me up from the car park outside the 14,000 hectares that make up the park and we set off. I thought it was odd that there were people on board, armed with their massive zooms and their video cameras. Then I realised I was not just being taken to my camp – I was actually on a safari.

In South Africa safari rides are on the right side of short – two hours at most, more if there is anything particularly exciting going on. In Yala, the rides can go on for hours as you glimpse swathes of birds, crocodiles sneaking around, elephants having a dust bath, and, should you be lucky, the elusive leopard.

The only time I camped out was on a trip to the Greek Islands when I was 20.

‘Camping’ is what you are meant to be doing at Kulu but thankfully theirs is the luxury kind. After a day chugging around in the jeep, you want comfort and they deliver it without tainting it with anything commercial. The food is wonderful and surprising for such restricted facilities. The shower uses a natural system and is housed in a separate camp, the toilet is chemical, you get an outside and inside living area and fabulously, an elevated double bed.

I lay on that bed all through the night, hardly able to sleep, waiting for the leopard.

The night before, it had been prowling outside Mark’s camp and I wondered if it would turn up again. The jungle is loud at night, and the insects take on the co-ordination of an orchestra. In the next camps, other couples snoozed quietly preparing themselves for an early morning start and breakfast by the lazy river. It’s camping, but not as you know it.

Mona Farrugia edits and writes for food, travel and review website www.planetmona.com FM

ONE NIGHT IN

THE YOUNG GIRL

AND THE SEA

She may be the little sister to Madrid and Barcelona, but Valencia is still a charmer.

FM sails into its port of call.

Photos courtesy of Turismo Valencia ©TVCB, Valencia 2008. All rights reserved. www.turisvalencia.es

T

heatre critic Kenneth Tynan once described Valencia as the “world capital of anti-tourism.” Yet four decades later, Spain’s third largest city has come of age. In 2007, the city hosted the America’s Cup and one year later, it started organising the Valencia Formula One grand prix. Even the old quarter has been spruced up, while Calatrava’s Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias has turned Valencia into one of the hottest cultural tourism destinations in the world.

Valencia combines work and play as only a Spanish city knows how to. The economy is booming, as is the throbbing nightlife. Moreover, the city makes best use of its 2.8km of beaches and its wonderful promenade, which is buzzing at all times of the day – in the morning you can enjoy a spot of jogging and sunbathing, while come nightfall, it is the perfect spot for a steaming plate of paella, a glass of wine and a sweet serving of Mediterranean breeze.

STAY Situated close to the historical city centre, the Hospes Palau de la Mar is a seductive boutique hotel with plenty of character. The hotel used to be two historical buildings which have been refurbished as one.

Behind the hotel’s classical 19th century façade is a modern, bold interior that is both comfortable and stylish, complete with sauna and heated swimming pool. Most spaces are dominated by pure white while the furniture is dark and minimalist. The food is firmly rooted in tradition with a healthy nod towards innovation.

64 –– FM October 2010

NIGHTLIFE Valencia’s nightlife is young and bold. First start with some cocktails at the Café Negrito on Plaza Negrito, before moving on to the bars that line the Calle Caballeros. Radio City, on Calle Santa Teresa, is always buzzing with live music. And if you’re in the mood for some capoeira, then the Opera on Avenida Aragon is the best place to show off your moves.

EAT

SEE

Valencia is not just about tapas and paella – it is a city that moves with the culinary times.

One of the most exciting restaurants in the city is Arrop Ricard Camarena, in Calle Almirante.

Housed in the Hotel Palacio Marqués de Caro, the restaurant’s Michelin-starred cuisine is mostly fish- and seafood-based.

One of the more interesting ways to see Valencia is on board a hired Segway. Whizz through the old city, taking in the extravagant cathedral and the imposing palaces. Then it’s off to the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, where you can stop and gawp at the awe-inspiring architecture and visit the planetarium, aquarium and museum.

For a heady dose of tapas, visit the Bodega Casa Montana in Cabañal, the old fishermen’s quarter, while one of the best paella restaurant is the El Rall, situated in the Calle Tundidores.

Then make your way to the food market for some good old nourishment before going credit card crazy with a bout of shopping. Valencia offers both artisanal, especially ceramics, and modern shopping. For the best fashion fix, visit the Mercado de Fuencarral, which houses more than 60 boutiques. Another happening market is set up at the Plaza Redonda. For more upmarket shopping, Valencia has plenty of top international fashion houses and local designer outlets.

Leave some space for the horchata, the traditional drink made from tiger nuts, sugar and crushed ice. It is common knowledge that the Horchatería Santa Catalina on Plaza Santa Catalina makes the best horchata.

LAST WORD

Blonde Blonde ambitioN ambitioN It’s a woman’s world, especially if the woman looks like Chloe Spiteri.

Photography: Johann Cardona Schranz

I first got into modelling when I was spotted by fashion stylist Carina Camilleri – I was dining out with a group of friends to celebrate my 15th birthday. Five days later I was on my first ever fashion shoot for Modern Elegance magazine.

My sister Chelcie also models and has just started getting some magazine work.

However, we don’t suffer any sibling rivalry.

We also share some of our clothes, though most of the time we borrow without telling each other.

During a shoot, the chemistry between the model and the rest of the team is very important. A model has to feel comfortable with the team, particularly the photographer, who has to create a relaxed environment as this will affect the end result.

My fondest shoot is my first one. However, I also enjoy working with photographer Brian Grech.

Modelling has given me the chance to work with some very talented individuals. In return, I always try to achieve the ultimate result.

When I was young, my wardrobe was very girly. I do recall some very embarrassing items, though at the time these must have been at the cutting edge of fashion.

Nowadays, my wardrobe has more little black dresses than I can count. Overall, it is very feminine and classic, with plenty of stiletto heels and clutches.

My lips are my best feature.

Girl aloud Name: Chloe Spiteri Age: 22 Full time occupation: Restaurateur Loves: Travel, animals and business

If I could change anything about my appearance, I would add two more inches to my height.

I look my very best when I’m wearing a black pencil dress and liquid eyeliner.

I wouldn’t be seen dead in anything remotely hippy. FM

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66 –– FM October 2010

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