Having a ball!

Nothing gets KEE HUA CHEE more excited than a high society party, and attending three in a row left him on cloud nine.

Thursday, Sept 7
Opening of a new Louis Vuitton concept store, Starhill Gallery

This being a Louis Vuitton opening, everyone expected it to be the Party of 2006, and so it was! Five years after opening at the Starhill Gallery, the Louis Vuitton store was relocating to a street-front setting.

Only 600 people received the coveted invitations, supply exceeding demand. Tales abound of how some stormed the old store to buy bags by the trolley-load, hoping to get invited. A few desperadoes even rang up to say they would be delighted to come – only to be told their names were not on the list . . . sorry.

Those who turned up got the red-carpet treatment as cameras flashed and camcorders jostled. A minute’s silence was observed in honour of the late Puan Sri Datuk Paduka Rosaline Yeoh, wife of Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, owner of Starhill Gallery.

(Above) Cutting the ribbon are (L-R) Francois Delage, Siti Nurhaliza, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh and Kathy Lam. (Below, from left) Guests Carmen Soo, Shamser Sidhu and Lina Teoh.
Then Francois Delage, head of LV Asia Pacific, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, Kathy Lam of LV Malaysia and Siti Nurhaliza cut the ribbon and opened the 557sq m fashion heaven.

Toasts were made and Veuve Clicquot champagne flowed like there was no tomorrow. The Louis Vuitton group owns Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon and Dom Perignon, so things were kept nice and bubbly.

A 24-year old Canadian violinist provided the music and mime artists from Australia did their thing.

Guests included royalty, celebrities and the seriously rich. Some ladies arrived without handbags, having planned to buy one (at least!) that evening.

Donald Klip from Citigroup Hongkong flew in for the occasion with his friends, and Arthur Tay, owner of Sentosa Cove and touted as Singapore’s youngest and handsomest billionaire, came a-calling too.

After the opening, the guests wondered where the venue of the secret party would be. It turned out on to be the top floor of Starhill, at the posh YTL Home and Platinum Club. The place had been transformed into a posh supper club replete with private enclosures, disco and chill-out areas!

Siti Nurhaliza sang two songs including Aku Sayang Padamu. The buzz and camaraderie were so electrifying that a few wouldn’t leave and had to be evicted at 2am as the “Louis Vuitton Club” closed its doors.

“A superb party dedicated to all Malaysians!” pronounced Delage, who stunned everyone when he bent down to pick up a piece of tissue-paper to throw in the dustbin!

Now, that’s leadership by example!