Paying Amazon's bounty for beauty, life and hope

　　LUIS Garcia is close to tears. For three days, he has guided eight international journalists through a tract of Amazon so thick with wildlife that experts are yet to fully catalogue its riches. At a small Ecuadorean airport, Garcia gives a final, wet-eyed pitch on the threatened Yasuni National Park. Then, as he speaks, they appear: the flashy watches, slick sneakers and logo-stitched chambray shirts of the oil industry.

In Coca, an industrial smudge of a town on the Amazon's western edge, two types of passengers use the airport. One is oil executives - Spanish, Chinese, American and South American corporates extracting, or eager to extract, the heavy crude beneath the emerald forest. The other is eco-tourists: birdwatchers and backpackers sporting expensive waterproofs and zip-off trousers, headed to the biodiversity haven of the Yasuni. Two industries feeding from the Amazon; but only one is likely to prevail.

Ecuador, and the wider international community, faces a quandary in the Yasuni. It is, scientists believe, the most species-rich spot in the western hemisphere. But an almost irresistible resource lies untapped in the park's underbelly: one-fifth of Ecuador's oil. To solve this dilemma, this poor South American nation has come up with a unique idea that, if successful, could change the way the world deals with its most precious places and provide a concrete way to reduce carbon pollution in developing nations.

Cooper brings ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to life

　　While growing up watching Walt Disney’s “tale as old as time,” youngsters in the cast of “Beauty and the Beast” never dreamed they’d be performing one of the stories a few years later.
But here they are, ready to present beloved fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast,” a present day musical, at John Cooper School Nov. 17-20.

 

        The highly regarded Joseph DeMonico is directing.

“It’s a timeless story that fits any generation,” DeMonico said in a press release. “It shares the importance of looking beyond the external to see what’s inside, staying true to who you are.”
As you recall, it’s about a young girl, Belle, caught plucking roses from the garden of a hideous beast who seizes the girl and demands a horrifying promise to spare her his revenge.
The girl remains true to herself by keeping her promise. Gradually, she comes to love the beast for what he is, despite his repugnant countenance. True to the form of most fairy tales, it concludes with a happily-ever-after ending.
Cooper’s cast in this fall musical includes Jesse Bates as Beast; Caitlin Finnie as Belle; and Alessandro Portela as Gaston, a rude, vile character who wishes to take Belle as his wife, based solely upon her beauty. Other students in major roles are David Taylor as Belle’s father, Maurice; and Alec Udell as Gaston’s rascally associate, LeFou.
Others capably take on the tasks of bringing inanimate entities to life, the director said.
Derek Tam plays a French maitre d’ who becomes a candelabra; Annabelle Cousins goes from being Babette to becoming a feather duster; Caroline Davis transforms from Mrs. Potts into a teapot; with Lauren Spearman becoming “Chip,” a teacup; Jeremy Mani turns into a mantle clock, and Jenny Bates becomes a wardrobe.
These roles are particularly challenging because the actors play human beings who are servants before abruptly becoming energetic heretofore lifeless utility pieces.
Other students portray flatware, a dust pail, egg timer, plates, and napkins. They transform themselves into characters who speak, sing, and dance.
A cadre of JCS seniors provides comedy through being Silly Girls, while Jack Kite narrates the story.
A plethora of sparkling dancing and singing of cherished songs is anticipated to please the youngest fans and their parents as well.
A carefully chosen technical crew adds more polish to the production.
“Beauty and the Beast” will be performed Nov. 17-19 at 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Nov. 19-20.
Shows are in the Cooper Performing Arts Center. Tickets cost $15, with students and the elderly paying $10. They are available on line at www.coopertickets.org., according to Deb Spiess, Director of JCS Marketing and Communications. The school can be reached at 281-367-0900.
Another huge Cooper event is the Seventh Annual Signature Authors Series, in the planning stage by The Cooper School Fine Arts Council for close to a year.
The luncheon is at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel Nov. 11, with committee member Lisa Simms coordinating the visiting authors’ segment of the series.
Internationally acclaimed author Candice Bushnell joins luminaries from the past as the keynote speaker. She authored “Sex and the City” stories among other writings.
As in the past, the series highlights local authors in a diversified list from poetry to cookbooks, to chicanery in the world of high finance. There’s also an inspirational personal account from cancer survivor Jan de Chambrier, an Artist Teacher of Opera Studies at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music, and renowned pianist.
Another intriguing book contains photographs and stories of the outdoor sculptures that dot landscapes in The Woodlands’ public places.
Authors will be present to sell and autograph their books.
Luncheon tickets cost $100 each, with proceeds going to several literacy endeavors as well as to special events at the school.
Recently added to the list of local authors who will be present is Lt. Ronald Wizinsky, retired from the Houston Police Department. His nonfiction volume is entitled “Our Sixth Sense — Using Common Police Knowledge to Analyze Crime Data.” He is affiliated with the FBI National Academy, and is a recognized authority on crime analysis.
For more information please contact the Cooper sources cited above.
“A Night with Buddy Jewell and His Trio” comes to downtown Conroe’s Crighton Theatre Saturday eve at 7:30.
It’s pretty impressive that Jewell’s very first album on Columbia Records was certified gold, and earned two back-to-back top five hits.
He’s been nominated for at least three major country music honors, including the Country Music Awards. Call the box office at 936-441-7469 to reserve. Larry Martin Entertainment Group of The Woodlands presents the show. It is sponsored by the law office of L. Clay-Jackson, P.L.L.C., with Joshua Zientek.

Ballerina reveals beauty of surfing to China

(Reuters) - A ballerina "danced across the sea" to introduce professional surfing to China on Wednesday.
Darci Liu received a wildcard for the first event held in her homeland by the Association of Surfing Professionals, and she was swarmed by spectators as she emerged from the water after an opening round defeat by San Diego's Jennifer Smith.
"I feel very grateful and very proud to have had the chance to surf here and to compete against a champion like Jennifer," Liu told Reuters. "She is the best surfer in the world and this is the biggest day of my life.
"I want more people in China to know about surfing and this is the start. It is a graceful and beautiful sport, it is dancing across the sea.
"I have not been surfing very long so I feel like the baby of the event, but the baby is very excited. It's why I have a smile on my face that will last a long time."
Liu studied ballet at the Hubei Provincial Art School before dancing professionally in Guangdong in 2006. It was only the following year that Liu, from Hainan Island, was encouraged by her Californian husband to catch her first wave.
She created a slice of history here by becoming the first Chinese surfer to compete in an ASP event -- the Swatch Girls Pro China is doubling as the women's longboard world championship.
"These surfers will be remembered as pioneers," said Brodie Carr, the Association of Surfing Professionals chief executive. "We thought China was an impossible place for us to enter, but we've done it. We're here and this is just the beginning.
"China is a powerful athletic country, a vast country and marketplace with a potential billion-strong audience for us.
"We want to push boundaries, we want to expand. We've entered a new frontier. This is a landmark day that we'll be looking back on for years to come."
Most competitors, including two-times world champion Smith, were completely unaware China had surf until the venue was announced this year. The opening ceremony was a lavish affair with dancing, singing and fireworks.
Carr said more surfing events for Hainan Island, a lush, palm tree-lined area being promoted as the Hawaii of Asia, were in the pipeline.
The mayor of Wanning said Liu's debut had helped put Hainan Island on the map of world surfing.
"China has open arms to surfing from this day," he said. "We want new tourists to come to beautiful and dynamic Wanning.
"We have a healthy, passionate and dynamic coastal location and we want to popularise surfing in China."

A beauty that never ages

If you’ve spent some time in front of the television set between the late 1980s and during the better part of the 1990s, then you’re no stranger to the disarming smile of one Alice Dixson. With a face that lit up screens and charms that enchanted her audiences, her image is not one to be easily forgotten.
Best remembered for her dazzling role as a fairy princess who fell in love with a human in ‘Okay Ka, Fairy Ko’, Alice has always had that magical look upon her that made her seem too good to be true. As she makes a recent comeback to the local entertainment scene, it appears as though Alice has never broken her stride as she continues to mesmerize audiences with her ageless beauty and grace.
Breaking the scene
As a balik-bayan making her way back to the country having just spent her formative years in New York, Alice broke the scene when she joined a competition in "Eat Bulaga" called ‘Reyna ng Santacruzan’. Although she only took home the second prize in the contest, Alice already caught the attention of talent scouts.
Soon Alice found herself at a screening for the Binibining Pilipinas competition. Young as she was, Alice still qualified to be one of the contestants and ended up winning the Miss Philippines International title that year. “I didn’t have a normal childhood because I was just 16 when I joined Binibining Pilipinas. Looking back on it, I didn’t just win a teen prize; I won one of the major prizes,” Alice recalled.
Her stint as a beauty queen not only changed Alice’s life in terms of status and the fame that came with it; her pursuit in life also took a turn as she began to get exposed to the lifestyle. “It added to the pressure of school because you can’t get pre-med and be a beauty queen at the same time. That’s when I realized that I don’t want to be a doctor and I want to be in communications instead,” Alice explained. “Being a representative of the Philippines, I travelled and I was sort of like a delegate. I thought that I’d rather keep doing this because I enjoyed it,” she added.
After her reign, a promising career in showbiz awaited Alice starting with the role that would make her a household name. “I was 17 when I did ‘Okay Ka, Fairy Ko’. It was my own show and I was a regular. I was playing a fairy and it was so fun. I really enjoyed that time,” Alice revealed. From that point on, Alice never looked back as she basked in the glitz and the glamour of the industry while carving a name for herself as she won awards and accolades for her performances.
All-around woman
As a kid, Alice reveals that she was really exposed to different activities growing up. Her early memories consisted of doing all sorts of stuff together with her father like skateboarding, riding a bike and even fishing. “My dad raised me to be really tomboyish. When I was three, my mom told me that I would run around the house in my diapers wearing boots and a water pistol. Noon palang, boyish na ako and I like to do those things,” Alice recalled.
Her outgoing and active youth also carried over in school where Alice found herself at home with athletics. She was part of the basketball team and the softball team while she attended school at the Notre Dame Academy in Staten Island New York. “In our year book, all of the students had descriptions like ‘Most Likely to Succeed’, ‘Most Popular’, ‘Most Preppy’ and ‘Most Kind and Generous’. Mine said ‘Most Talented’. Because I was so into sports, I was into singing, I was in the band. Madami akong talents,” Alice shared.
Even up to this day, Alice seems to be really comfortable doing anything and everything she can get her hands on. Aside from acting, Alice also busies herself with hobbies that help her express her artistic side. “Right now I’m learning how to sketch and then I want to go back to painting as well. I’m also into photography. My husband gave me a new camera. It’s a hand-me-down because his business in Vancouver is photography, but his hand-me-downs are all professional cameras,” Alice said. “Nahahawa ako sa kanya with his passion for new things and his creative ideas and that’s what I do here. I also find new things to discover. I’m not as high-tech as him but it rubs off a lot,” Alice added.
Alice also maintains her real estate business in Canada, something that she really focuses her efforts on too, and takes time in between her busy showbiz schedule to fulfill. “I still have my business in Canada so I catch up with emails and talk to people. There’s a 16-hour difference so I sort of time my activities so that I can make my calls during the day in Canada. I actually multi-task and make calls when I’m on the set waiting,” Alice explained.
Staying on top of her game
Alice’s physical appearance still shows that of a young woman and she has running to thank for her extremely fit condition. Her time in Canada has really given Alice the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors along with her fitness regimen. “In Canada I prefer running outdoors. We have nature trails there and I really love it. Sometimes I don’t even bring water because you can drink from the stream, that’s how clean it is,” Alice shared. “That’s where I first experienced running and all I hear is the sound of my breath, my footsteps in the gravel and hear twigs break and the birds chirp. It’s so peaceful,” she added.
Alice reveals that despite not keeping a conscious diet program, her running more than compensates for it as it keeps her body toned. Currently, she has a steady exercise program which consists of 15-kilometers worth of running every week and she plans to step it up a notch and get it to 20 kilometers. That means three to four hours of workout, which she spreads out to three visits to the gym weekly.
Aside from that, Alice also has taken to practicing Bikram Yoga, a practice done in hot and humid temperature. “The humidity and heat is very high and it causes you to perspire a lot and then what happens is that your muscles loosen up and you can actually become more flexible,” Alice explained. “It’s not just the flexibility within the poses but each movement activates a certain gland or system, whether it be your circulation, digestion or cardio; each pose will stimulate it so that blood can rush into that organ and flush it out through sweating,” she added.
Alice has come a long way since coming back to the Philippines and being a newcomer in the industry. She also knows that had her choices been different, her life would’ve taken her somewhere else doing something far from what she’s already done. Yet, there are no regrets for Alice and she cherishes the things that she has gone through in her life. “Kung hindi ako umuwi ng Pilipinas at nag-artista, I’m sure I would’ve just gone to college, lived in a dorm, joined a sorority and all that. Looking back I wouldn’t change anything but I know that my life would have been totally different,” Alice shared.
We’re certainly glad she made the choices she did because I for one couldn’t imagine a life without having glimpsed the immaculate smile of one Alice Dixson.
Catch Alice in her upcoming show Glamorosa which will soon air on TV5.

Former Beauty Queen Scammed Thousands, Says FTC

A former beauty queen was part of an operation that allegedly duped half a million people into spending almost $30 million in a pair of fraudulent schemes, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
One scam lured people to pay for help in getting free government grants and another involved misleading claims about weight loss supplements, the FTC claims in a complaint.
Juliette Kimoto, 2006 Mrs. Nevada, owned four companies that offered a “bogus government grants service” and dietary supplements that made false claims about endorsements by Oprah Winfrey and scientific research, the FTC said on Monday. The FTC reached a settlement with Kimoto and another individual involved in the scheme. The settlement was first reported by Daily Finance.
Kimoto seemed to have a picture-perfect life. A mother of six, she had married her high school sweetheart who was named “Husband of the Year” in the same pageant where she won her title. She said she was actively involved in her Mormon church, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Her husband, Kyle Kimoto is serving a federal prison sentence of 29 years, ordered by an Illinois federal judge in September 2008. His telemarketing scam, which is separate from the FTC’s claims about his wife, made over 12 million phone calls to consumers with weak credit histories to sign up for a bogus credit card. Authorities said he victimized over 300,000 people out of $43 million. He was ordered to pay restitution of about $35 million. The FTC said litigation is continuing against him.
His wife hatched her separate scheme while he was undergoing his criminal trial, according to the FTC.
According to memos from the FTC, consumer injury exceeded $29.7 million. The credit line scam impacted over 500,000 consumers and the grant scam victimized over 50,000 people.
As part of a settlement with the FTC, Juliette Kimoto is banned from selling grant-related products or services, credit-related products, or work-at-home business opportunities, and taking consumer payments by pre-authorized electronic funds transfer, among other activities.
The FTC is also banning Kimoto’s companies from making “misleading health claims” related to dietary supplements. She is also required to pay more than $90,000 and to turn over various personal assets worth over $220,000. Those assets include include “jewelry, a piano, and a 1967 Chevy Camaro, along with all the cash and other assets” owned by her companies.

Wearing Lip Gloss

　　Of all the products on the shelves, lip gloss is one of the most foolproof. Slick it on (with or without a mirror) and go. Right? Well … sorta. Makeup artist Taylor Babaian has seen and experienced her share of gloss mishaps, so she’s here to dole out her top seven hard and fast rules for buying and applying it. Break them at your own risk.
Rule #1: Unless you’re going for a patent leather-y bold lip color, always go with a sheer bright or dark gloss hue. Opaque bold glosses are nearly impossible to keep looking neat, and they create a more over-the-top look than most of us are going for. Babaian’s go-to glosses: Lancome Juicy Tubes and L’Oral Paris Colour Juice—the Passion Fruit Squeeze is a mauvy-neutral she swears “looks great on everyone.”
Rule #2: If you buy a gloss that doesn’t seem to mesh well with your skin tone, mix it with clear gloss or petroleum jelly to make it more wearable. “I do this all of the time,” says Babaian.
Rule #3: If you have fine lines around your mouth, choose a gloss shade that’s “close to your skin tone,” says Babaian. This will make any bleeding that occurs with gloss less obvious.
Rule #4: Don’t shy away from thick or sticky formulas. “They are not necessarily bad,” says Babaian adding that thicker formulas give “the highest intensity shine” and last much longer their thinner counterparts. One warning: these are “not kissable, they’re definitely for looks only,” she says.
Rule #5: Don’t get caught with any icky gloss mouth. You know how some people seem to have a gloss/saliva combo collecting in the corners of their mouth and along the inside rim of their lips? We hope you’re nodding. Babaian says this can be prevented by exfoliating lips regularly. She uses the simple “Vaseline with a warm washcloth” trick to get rid of excess skin. If that doesn’t solve the issue, carry Q-Tips with you to swipe the excess gloss/skin/saliva/whatever-it-is off the corners and inner rims of your mouth.
Rule #6: Protect your lips. “Wearing lip gloss is like wearing oil on your body,” says Babaian, so you need to protect your lips with sunscreen. She recommends applying Chapstick Ultra 30 before swiping on gloss to prevent sun damage.
Rule #7: “Don’t rub your lips together,” urges Babaian. “It pushes the lip gloss outward so your lips no longer look finished.”

kristen & todd

Weddings are made of thousands of tiny details and delicate touches. Here are some of our favorite moments from this forest wedding.

1» Hold Fern

Bridesmaids carried bouquets of calla lilies, green hydrangeas, ‘Juliet’ roses, Gloriosa lilies, dusty miller, lamb’s ears, and lady fern.

2» From the Redwood Forest

En route to the aisle, the bride strolled down a trail lined with twig nests and Redwood forest greenery.

3» Ham it Up

Guests were served hors d’oeuvres of jamón and peaches with goat cheese on baguettes.

4» Flowers Online

The toasted almond and banana chocolate cake was decorated with handmade, hand-painted fondant flowers and an abstract, linear design.

5» Pixie Dust

Guests sprinkled aromatic herbs of lavender, chamomile, and rosemary on the newlyweds as they recessed up the aisle.

6» Heirlooms and Blooms

Wrapped in antique lace and fastened with circa 1920s buttons, the bridal bouquet contained ‘Picasso’ and plum calla lilies, green hydrangea, and white roses, accented with maidenhair fern, lady fern, and sword fern.

7» A Nesting Place

Twig nests with green and lavender hydrangeas, roses, sword fern, and hanging amaranthus appeared on the aisle chairs and path to the ceremony.

8» Inside the Box

A moss-filled antique jewelry box holding the rings was passed around to guests for a ring blessing.

9» Pedals and Parasols

Shelter from the sun was provided in the form of parasols presented in a planter resembling a vintage bicycle.

10» Woodland Creatures

Flower girls were dressed as fairies and wore circlets with blush spray roses and mini Echeveria succulents.

11» Safe Arbor

The couple married beneath a wisteria arbor draped in pale green and cantaloupe-colored sheer organza and chiffon. Posts were decorated with ferns, Monstera leaves, hanging amaranthus, woody vines, and strands of crystal.

Don’t Lose Your Cool

Do you tend to sweat the small stuff when things seem to not work your way? Experiencing the out-of-control feeling that blows your top off is never good if you aim for a healthy lifestyle. This psychological stress is harmful to health, leading to heart disease and depression.
Some people are so gifted that it seems being cool and collected is just the normal thing. So how can we be more like them and what things can we learn from these people?
Learning to detach from things that irk us and mastering control can change everything for our benefit. Thankfully, these positive behaviors can be learned.
First, try to clear ones thoughts in stopping these outbursts. Thinking before acting helps you in being “in control”.
So try not to sweat the small stuff and take note of these great ways in keeping your cool:
Looking Glass
Self-awareness brings clarity of the mind and helps you to learn more about yourself. What could be your initial feelings when a friend won’t call back? Instead reacting negatively, take a good look at the situation and you’ll soon realize that it’s not about you at all.
Self-regulation
Trash negative inner dialogue and control your tongue. Speak positively and distracting yourself with positive thoughts about loved ones, a vacation spot or an enjoyable activity. Relaxing methods like deep breathing or meditating can help.
Communicate
Open up and put your ideas on the table. Others will find it interesting and will expect engaging thoughts from you. Aside from speaking up, take time to listen to others as well. Simply flow with the interaction of exchanging ideas and points of view.
Be Proactive
Get to work and find ways and solutions to any problem. Avoid sitting idly and define your problem, remember your goals and think about how to really achieve goals. If tardiness is a problem, then getting up 10 minutes earlier is a sure way to beat it.
The Art of Persuasion
People who are successful in influencing people, think about the situation at hand. Skills of persuasiveness, conflict management and taking a leadership position help them in rising up from any situation, good or bad.
Saying No
Learning to be decisive and saying no is important if you need to assert your needs without collapsing into a pile of mush or stepping on everyone’s toes. Be simple, courteous and directly say no.
Empathize with Others
Putting yourself into the shoes of others can alter your perspective. Being others-centered means acknowledging the fact that everyone has a bad day. Still, in the end, you come to realize that it’s not all about you.

Beauty Stuff That Drives Me Bonkers

There are certain things that are guaranteed to irk me, and I’m in a ranting kind of mood. Read my list of beauty pet peeves, then tell us yours—because sometimes you just have to vent!

#1 D.I.Y. mani-pedis gone awry
Tiny bubbles! Streaks! Gloppiness! Three little reminders that sometimes it’s worth it to pay a pro to get the job done right.
#2 Women doing full-on makeup application on the subway
I can let a quick swipe of lipstick slide, but when I see someone putting on concealer, three different eye shadows, mascara—the works—it really gets under my skin. Call me old fashioned, but men don’t need to know what we ladies really do to look prettier. Let’s keep some of our beauty rituals to ourselves, Ok?
#3 Clipping of fingernails or plucking of eyebrows in public
This is kind of like number two, only grosser. Removal of hair and nails out in the open is just wrong.
#4 Fragrance spritzers at department stores
I know, I know, they’re just doing their jobs. But on a busy sale day they’re in my way when I just want to get to the shoes. Not to mention I don’t want to be stuck wearing a scent that reeks on my skin all day.
#5 Rainy weather on the day of my hair appointment
How does Mother Nature always seem to know when I have a blowout scheduled? And why does she hate me?
#6 Clumpy mascara
It’s frustrating when I get all excited to try a new mascara, only to find that the stuff gives me tarantula lashes. Bummer.
#7 Running out of shampoo before I finish the conditioner
I can’t bring myself to use a mismatched set, so I’ll either dump what’s left of the conditioner into a travel bottle or use it to shave my legs.
#8 Foundation “mask”
It’s that noticeable outline some women get when they’re wearing a makeup shade that doesn’t match their skin tone. If I were their friend, I would gently suggest checking the color in natural light. Instead, I cringe in silence.
#9 Accidentally messing up a nail as I’m walking out of the salon
This is probably more annoying to the manicurist, but it does require sitting under the dryer again for one freakin’ nail.
#10 Pimples
Need I say more?

Makeup Basics: Eyes Basics

Praying for an answer to puffy eyes? Fake eight hours of sleep with wide-awake eye makeup tricks.

• Start with a de-puffing eye gel—a daily dab will make a difference. Apply under the eyes and blend gently. Let it fully absorb and then use a concealer. Be sure to use a shade lighter than your foundation, preferably with a yellow undertone. It will work wonders on purple- and blue-tinted bags.

• Get you curl on! Use an eyelash curler to make your specs open wide. Follow up with two coats of mascara—be sure to wiggle the wand from side to side as you apply. Need to fight the clump? Rub the mascara brush on a tissue before coating lashes. Some eye brightening don’ts: Skip mascara on bottom eyelashes—it will help draw attention away from the bags. And avoid blue and purple eye shadow—they accentuate dark circles.

• Highlight! Use light-colored (think gold or champagne) or shimmery eyeliner in the corner of your eyes closest to your nose to make them appear even wider.

Christian Dior

A profile of the renowned fashion brand Christian Dior. 

Having left the French Army in 1942, 36-year-old Christian Dior entered the fashion house of Lelong where along with Pierre Balmain, he became a principal designer. During the course of World War Two, Dior dressed the spouses of the Nazi officers and French allies. In October 1946, he established his own fashion house. His primary collection was quickly nicknamed the New Look by Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar because Dior's creations were more curvaceous than the conservative shapes of the then wartime styles, inspired by the rations on drapery.
Dior passed away unexpectedly of a coronary in 1957 at the age of 52, and creative control of the label swiftly passed into the hands of his young charge, 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent, who helped to fortify its place in the history books. Saint Laurent was called up for national service in 1960, and fellow countryman Marc Bohan took over and remained in the driving seat until Gianfranco Ferre was appointed to lead the label in 1989. In 1997, British designer John Galliano was chosen as the creative director, a collaboration which has proved highly prosperous and profitable.

What is all the excitement about?

The decade that Christian Dior was at the wheel of the label became known as the peak age of fashion design because he set a new benchmark for high fashion that has almost certainly never been exceeded. A maestro at forming shapes and lines, Dior exhibited corsets and underskirts that made his dresses flare out from the waist, giving his models a very shapely "ballerina" figure. To begin with, women remonstrated because his designs concealed their legs, which they had not been used to as a result of the wartime restrictions on fabric. It wasn't long before women the world over began demanding them. At present under Galliano, Dior has become famed with fantastic magnetism for the stylish yet daring woman.