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Private paradise

the Estates at Pangkor laut:
The ultimate vacation destination

Majestic Malacca
Luxury & Heritage arrive in
Malaysia’s historic city

Bedtime Fantasies

One man attempts to Fly into theeye of our dreams

contents

T H E Y T L L U X U RY M A G A Z I N E

30

Bed Time
Fantasies
Photographer Thierry Bouet
flies into the eye of our
dreams as he documents
the intimate yet unexplored
relationship people share with
their night time sanctuaries.

FEATURES
18

Private Paradise
Opulence, isolation and stellar service.
The Estates at Pangkor Laut could justbe the ultimate luxury destination in
the world.

26 Heaven Sent
Steeped in Malay culture and inspiredby nature, Tanjong Jara Resort is theperfect place to stay as you explore
Malaysia’s fabled East Coast state
during ‘Visit Terengganu 2008’.
002

41

Precious
Encounters
Discover in-depth the inner workingsof premium watch brands, blu andRoger Dubuis, and take a peek atthe Korloff Noir, the world’s largest
black diamond recently exhibited forthe first time here in Malaysia.

YTL
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PRIVATE PARADISE

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K?<LCK@D8K<M8:8K@FE;<JK@E8K@FE

Splendour
Afternoon tea, lots of strawberries,
mossy forests walks and other pastoral
activities; Cameron Highlands revisited
reveals the romance that drew the
British there.

Y

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18-55

MAJESTIC MALACCA

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D8C8PJ@8ËJ?@JKFI@::@KP

BEDTIME FANTASIES

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YTL_COVER_new03-SF.indd 1

3/18/08 3:17:14 PMcover credit

Image of The Estates at Pangkor
Laut Robert Miller

T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

contents

T H E Y T L L U X U RY M A G A Z I N E

STYLE

56

76

56-104STYLE

56 True Romance
High-fashion meets elegant heritageat The Majestic Malacca... you can’t
help but fall in love.

76 In for a Ride
The bicycle coasts into the
fashion spotlight. Four-wheels is solast season.

78 Hide and Sleek
We’re in a right leather over thisseason’s latest offerings.

80 Runway Success‘Tis the season for us sweltering in
the tropics to rejoice as hemlines
get shorter and materials become
more lightweight.
004

83 Individualistic

Creations

Unique products and ideas that say a
lot about who you are.

84 Back to Basics
An IWC outlet opens in Starhill
Gallery, plus caviar facials, celebrity
hairstyling at Etec Salon, solar
shielding and an urban spa retreat
that will have you cooing in pleasure.

100 Natural Beauty
Behold some of Mother Nature’s mostprecious gifts.

104 Time and Space
Where worlds collide. Luxury watches
as you’ve never seen them before.

86 Made to Odour
The ‘Escential’ guide to the season’s
best new fragrances.

87 holistic healing
Generic spa treatments begone!
Take a trip around Malaysia (and Bali
too!) as we sample the signatureindigenous treatments of each andevery one of the world renowned
Spa Villages.

86contents

T H E Y T L L U X U RY M A G A Z I N E

REGULARS
08
10
12
136

Glory Box
Editor’s Note
The Buzz
Viva La Diva!

108

116 DINING
Bespoke automobiles, bespoke
tailoring, bespoke beauty treatments.
Now, YTL Hotels brings the concept of
bespoke dining into its world of luxury.

124

121 Books
Is there really such a thing as
originality? Or is all art merely a sumof what was before?

122 FILM
The independent filmmakermaking difficult morally complex,
offbeat movies is finally enjoying arenaissance among more mainstream
audiences... plus Tartan Videos andinternational film festivals not tobe missed.

124 ART

108-124LIFESTYLE
108 TECHNOLOGYA Second Life means big booming
business on the internet... plus the
BeoCom 2 reviewed and gadgets you
simply must get your paws on.

112

An exhibition on the mighty MekongRiver takes centrestage, plus
passthephoto, Games People Play and
Mind, Body and Soul.

112

DESIGN &ARCHITECTURE
The Phare Tower... plus the Nobody
chair, Anglepoise® returns and therevolutionary One Laptop Per Child.

114

WINE
Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) Francis Yeohdescribes the relationship he has
cultivated with the Chateau MoutonRothschild over the years and how
drinking and collecting fine wines has
become a passion.

006

T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

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L I F EYTLTManagement
Chief Executive Officer Datin Azliza Ahmad Tajuddin
General Manager Loo Kit Choong

Editorial & Art
Managing Editor Aster Lim
Editor Eugene Ng
Sub Editor Yung Ro Han	creative director eireen ooi
	art director ng geok mei
	graphic designer penny chew
chief photographer leon bin yee
Sales
Sales Manager Chee Eng Saan
Account Managers JoJo Wong, Joyce Lee
Production
	Production Manager Gilbert Ho
	Production executive nisha ann
	traffic executive azahari hj. hussain
Contributors
Aziz Abdul Draim, Boey Ping Ping, Choen Lee, Choo Ai Ling, Ellfian Abdul Rahim,
Helen Oon, Jack Choong, Jessie Chong, Jimmy Khoo, Johnny McGeorge,
Loo Kit Choong, Matt Armitage, Stephanie Tan, Zhuan Ni
PUBLISHED BY
YTL Hotels
11th Floor, Yeoh Tiong Lay Plaza, 55, Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
PRODUCED BY
Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd (Company No. 7408-K)
Lot 7, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, Section 13
46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603 7952 7000 Fax: +603 7960 0151
E-mail: ytllife@bluinc.com.my
COLOUR SEPARATION BYMediaLux Sdn Bhd
No. 38-3, Jalan PJU 5/11, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara
47810 Petaling Jaya , Selangor, Malaysia
PRINTED BY
Kum Printer Sdn Bhd
Lot 9, Jln 51A/243,
46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of YTL Corporation. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in YTL LIFE are the writers’ and not necessarily endorsed
by YTL Corporation and/or Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd. They are not responsible or liable in any way for the content in any of the advertisements, articles, photographs or illustrations contained inthis publication. Editorial enquiries and enquiries concerning advertising and circulation should be addressed to Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd. YTL Corporation and Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd accept no
responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations and any other such materials. The Editorial Team reserves the right to edit and/or re-write all materials according to the needsof the publication upon usage. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by suficient return postage.

editor’s note

What an exciting time
it is to be living andworking in Asia today! It
doesn’t matter where one
travels or does businesswithin the region; there
is an overriding sense of
excitement, promise, andpossibility that infuses
every experience andinteraction.
Whether one buys into
the theory of regional
decoupling from theAmerican economy or not,there is exciting evidenceof massive ongoinggrowth and development in this part of theworld. All of which contributes towards an
improved quality of life for those of us whoare privileged enough to be here in thismomentous era.
Together with positive economic change weare seeing an improvement in the lifestyle ofthe people of the region, and a rapid movetowards the demand of luxury products andservices that facilitate and enhance thisemerging way of life.
No longer is the centre of the world of luxury
to be found in Paris, New York or London,
but is now rather in Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong
Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. We arein the midst of a luxury lifestyle revolutionthat is sweeping the region!

well placed to provide a range of experiencesthat complement and add value to thoseseeking a life of luxury.
There is little that gives me greater joy
than seeing our customers and theirfamilies enjoy the many and varied luxury
opportunities within the YTL portfolio.
In this issue of YTL Life, you will read aboutsome of the offerings within the YTL luxury
lifestyle. We introduce you to The Estates
at Pangkor Laut, one of the world’s most
exclusive resorts; we unveil the beauty andintimacy of the Majestic Hotel in Malacca;
and we invite you to experience some
remarkable private dining experiences in avariety of exquisite locations.
There are interviews with a number ofthe participants in the hugely successfulrecent watch fair at Starhill Gallery, and aconversation with Kevin Cape, the Executive
Chef guiding the varied dining experiencesin every one of our world-class restaurants.
All of this contributes in giving you a taste of
the exciting opportunities that are available.
I hope that you will enjoy reading ourmagazine. We have created it especiallyfor you – to provide a window into theluxury lifestyle that is there for the taking…
designed purely for your enjoyment. We
hope you will share it with us.

LOUIS VUITTON PHOTO CHOEN LEE PORTRAIT LEON

Within YTL, we have been preparing for thisrevolution for some years now and we are

ASIA: LIVING LIFE IN THE
FAST LANE

010

T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

the buzz | ytl news

Winning Entries YTL spas continue
to garner international accolades. At the recent
AsiaSpa Awards held in Hong Kong, Spa Village
Kuala Lumpur was named the Urban Spa of theYear while its big sister, Spa Village Pangkor
Laut, bagged the Spa Exterior of the Year Award.
Winners were voted for by 28 independent judges
consisting mainly of spa personalities and writers
who set the benchmarks in the region. “It istruly an honour to be seen as an equal among
our industry colleagues,” says YTL spa division
manager Chik Lai Ping.

TITANS OF TENNIS Two of the greatest
tennis players in living memory came to stay at the
Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur in November last year.
Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, who own 26 Grand
Slam titles between them, were in town to compete
against each other in a sold-out match billed as the‘Clash of Times’. During a meeting with Tan Sri Dato’(Dr.) Francis Yeoh, Sampras claimed that his room“might be the best I’ve ever stayed in!” The Tan Sri,of course, is no slouch on the tennis court himself,
having been Tennis Captain at Victoria Institute in1974. The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur also hosted
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet.

012

AN ISLAND ODYSSEY YTLand Lehman Brothers are set toenter into a joint venture to develop
a five-star hotel and residential
villas in Koh Samui, Thailand. Valued
at RM270 million, this project willcomprise a mix of luxury beachfront
and hillside villas, residential villas
and loft apartments. The site wascarefully chosen to ensure both
exclusivity and convenience: locatedon the northeast coast of Samui, it
is flanked on both sides by private
beaches which allow for optimal sea
views. At the same time it retains a
proximity to the Koh Samui region’s
airport and visitor infrastructure,
which includes a host of shopping,dining and entertainment options.

BRAND VALUES YTL
was recently listed as oneof Malaysia’s Most Valuable
Brands. This was quite anhonour, for the names thatYTL rubbed shoulders withon that list were nothing
short of illustrious: thetop 30 brands included
such heavyweights as
Maybank, Maxis, Genting,Petronas and Astro. YTL
owes much of its branding
success to its focus on
quality and consistency
in all of its enterprises;from providing everyday
infrastructure through its
subsidiary Wessex Water,
to pioneering the conceptof luxury shopping with
Starhill Gallery. The YTL
brand has come far since
its origins as a humble
construction company.
T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

the buzz | events

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017

Private
Paradise
opulence, isolationand stellar service. theestates at Pangkor
Laut C ould just be theultimate luxury holiday
destination in the world
by chuah seong chin

all photos YTL HOTELS

THE Y TL LU XU RY M AGA Z INE

… and the late Luciano Pavarotti – so struckby the place was he – exclaimed, "Howbeautiful God has made this paradise!"

How to get there
Transport to The Estates at Pangkor Lautcomprises of two standard options. The first is a
3-hour limousine ride to the Lumut International
Yacht Club from KL followed by a 45-minutecruise on the 64-foot private yacht, the YTL Lady.
The second more glamorous option would be a 45minute helicopter transfer from KLIA right to theresort’s private helipad. For bookings, call +603-2783
1000, email travelcentre@ytlhotels.com.my or visit
www.pangkorlautresort.com

022

T HE Y T L LU XU RY M AGAZINEA beautiful sunrise
casts a heavenly
glow on Tanjong Jara
Resort's infinity poolin Terengganu

Terengganu
is home to alarge fishingcommunity

Diving off Pulau
Tenggol, one of
Malaysia's bestkept dive secrets

Terengganu is the heartland of
Malay culture where age-old customs
and traditions still prevail

all photos courtesy of ytl hotels

The East Coast of
Malaysia boasts
many picturesquescenes like this one026

T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

Coconut picking, often
using monkeys toscale the tall trees, isa common sight and isa favourite must-see
amongst tourists

Malay-stylearchitecture is ahallmark of the
Tanjong Jara Resort

This bell at the
Tanjong Jara Resort
is sounded when thefishing boats comeback in, signalling for
guests to head down
to the beach to selecttheir fish of choice forthe evening's meal

Attap weaving: a
traditional Malay
craft still widelypractised today

COCONUT PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PEAK MAGAZINE

Batik painting:
Another favourite
tourist attraction

How to get there:
Tanjong Jara Resort is accessible by a 55-minute flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala
Terengganu plus a one-hour transfer from the airport. For reservations, contact YTL Travel
Centre at travelcentre@ytlhotels.com.my or www.tanjongjararesort.com; +603 2783 1000.
For a pre-holiday read on Terengganu, ‘Growing Up In Trengganu’ (sic) by Awang Goneng
is a great choice, giving valuable insight into the simple village lifestyle and the people ofTerengganu as the author recalls his amusing and adventurous experiences growing up in
his village. It is published by Monsoon Books and available in major bookstores in Malaysia(RM39.90) and Singapore.

TH E Y TL LU XU RY M AG AZ I NE

029

BED TIMEFANTASIES
Photographer Thierry Bouet flies into theeye of our dreams as he documents theintimate yet unexplored relationship people
share with their night time sanctuaries
words & photos by Thierry Bouet from Gettyimages.com text edited by yung ro han

The bed of Christian Basquiast,
interior designer, at his homein Paris' 9th arrondissement.
After moving to the top floorof the building he had lived infor a decade on the 2nd floor,
he joined together the maid's
quarters, opened up the roof,
fitted a glass wall and ceiling,
and placed his bed underneath.

The standing babas are men who have takena vow never to sit or lie down for the rest of
their days. They sleep standing, suspended fromharnesses. After about 10 years, their legs are
swollen, enormous and covered in varicose veins.
After that they deflate, becoming just bones
covered by skin.
Most of the rest of us, of course, tend to sleep ina more banal manner; which is to say, we sleep inbeds. And these beds don’t differ all that much fromeach other either: horizontal, rectangular, withsheets, covers and pillows. The lack of variation isenough to put one to sleep. Unsurprisingly, there iseven a statistic which claims that a third of all bedsin the Western world are from Ikea.
Why is there this paucity of imagination wherebeds are concerned? After all, it is usually themost satisfying piece of furniture in the house. It
abolishes weight. We are born and we reproduce in
bed, and the lucky ones even die there. Beds frame
our lives.

So where are the people who make their beds live
up to their dreams?
I decide to go in search of them, these bed
fantasists, and to document them. But they are
an elusive tribe. After all, beds are most foundin the most private of sanctuaries so the task is
a formidable one. I do get a certain pleasure inasking a person I have just met, “What is your bed
like?” The reaction is normally benevolent, butsomehow, I have yet to pick the right person using
this method. As it has turned out, it works muchbetter when I get referrals.
From the very first image, my one condition is that
I insist that the person (or persons) feature by theirbeds, or even better, in them. It is fundamental thatthe bed should be inhabited. It’s the relationshipbetween the two that is key, as when a petowner and his pet begin to resemble each other.
Hotel beds, then, hold no interest for me: their
extravagant covers and sheets are just decorations
and do not involve their occupants.

Raphaele Bianchi, bed-tester, spends her nightin this polycarbonate module on the roof of herapartment home in Paris. It is a prototype of
micro-architecture named 'Post-it' and attracts
interests from museum and galleries, but struggles
against building regulations and permission fromother tenants.

Author Gerard deVilliers' bedroom
emulates a prewar brothel. A
feature of excess,the erotic bluetinted mirrors
make the kingsize bed seem
even bigger.

Architect Gilles Ebersolt
has adapted the 'Ballule'(also known at 'The Zorb'),most commonly used for
hurtling down hills for fun,and transformed it into thisrather quirky floating bed

Michou, a personalityof the Parisian nightlife,
sleeps sitting up while hispartner sleeps flat. The
reason: he refuses to wear
a hairnet or curlers.

Finally, I would have loved to
do a tour of ethnic beds, but itwould have taken me years tocover Africa, Asia, the far North,and the most hidden parts of theworld. I have therefore chosen
to focus on beds which no
climate, culture, or tradition canconstrain to a norm, other than
the fantasies of the person who
owns it.
A subset of bed fantasists maketheir beds the jumping-off point
for philosophising on love andrelationships. Sculptor François
Pascal is a case in point: he has
constructed a bed in the shapeof an open-cage and explainsthat it is a metaphor for theact of love-making. This bed, hesays, represents "the freedomthat we gain and lose" in asexual relationship.

The bed of artist Paolo
Calia, who since working
on Federico Fellini
films in the 1970s, hasretained an excessive
taste for baroque. He
sleeps on one bed andhas another for his
recreational activities.

Then there is Olivier Urman,
an artist, who sleeps on a giant
wo m a n co n st r u c te d o u t ofacrylic fur. Urman spends hisnights between her legs, withhis head between her breasts. It
thus ensures that he never has
to sleep alone. If one does wish
to pass the night with anotherliving human being, then Urman
has a lady friend (who chose not
to be photographed) with a bed
that promises the most intimateof sleeping arrangements. Madewith an arc-shaped frame, thisbed would enable a couple tohold themselves one on top of
the other, face to face, without
experiencing the unpleasantnessof weight.
A less intimate, if more practical,
arrangement is to be found in
the home of Michou. He owns
a n e l e c t r i c b e d w h e re t h emattresses are technologicallyseparate. In other words, theywork like the heating in nice cars,
where each seat can regulate its
own temperature.
THE YTL LUXURY MAGA Z INE

car PHOTO WWW.VENTURI.FR

Sculptor Daniel Hourde's
black granite tomb-inspired
bed at his Paris 5tharrondissement home. His
partner has since relocatedto a different bedroom.

A 3-D reconstruction of
New York vertically above
the bed of designer Pucci
de Rossi, gives a feeling ofvertigo to anyone lying on
the bed and an impressionof hovering over the city

Real estate agent Bruno Ledoux
has an entire room dedicatedto Napolean's field camp bed.
Experts have identified this as
the last bed in which Napolean
slept at Sainte-Helene.

In order not to sleep alone,
Olivier Urman, artiste,created this bed sculptedfrom bultex foam andacrylic fur and named it'Mavellous Mother Nature'

We are born and we reproduce
in bed, and the lucky ones even
die there. Beds frame our lives

PHOTO GETTY IMAGES

Sculptor Francois
Pascal's bed which hebuilt himself represents
the 'freedom that we
gain and lose'. Like theact of love making, it's
the give and take that
leads to orgasm.

A fan of China,
illustrator Hippolyte
Romain brought backthis Mandarin bed
which literally occupies
his whole bedroom.

Fashion stylist Chantal
Thomass uses shadesof pink for her decor,
furniture and lingerie
in order to facilitate
better dreams.

This whimsical bed by interior
designer Jean Royere, was bought
by Chloe Blum at an auction
at Christie's. Chloe's preferredoccupation is 'doing nothing' andshe does so mostly lying down inthis bed as it is the only piece offurniture in her new apartment.

Antiquarian Bill Pallot's
apartment features a different
style in each room. For his
bedroom, he chose the 70s andhis bed with its moulded plastic
base is a product straight fromthat era.

special report

Patrick-Louis Vuitton withhis mobile trunk bed,
invented by his grandfather
Georges, the son of Louis
Vuitton. The bed was firstordered by the explorer
Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
for his bivouacs at the endof the 19th century

We are said to ‘drift off’ when we fall asleep. And
there is a certain group of bed fantasists wholiteralize this concept of travelling into space for
their sleeping spaces. Interior designer ChristianBasquiast, for instance, opened up the roof of hishome in Paris’ 9th arrondissement, fitted a glass
wall and ceiling, and placed his bed underneath.
Every night, the stars are now his bed-mates.
Raphaële Bianchi takes this stratospheric idea
one step further; she spends her nights in apolycarbonate module that is attached onto
the top of the roof of her apartment home. This
structure was designed by Sébastien Rinckel
and is a prototype of micro-architecture named,rather appropriately, ‘Post-it’. Bianchi might havea magnificent view over the whole of Paris, but
her sleeping module struggles against building
regulations and is not very successful in getting
permission from other tenants.
The designer Pucci de Rossi, finally, prefers tocreate the illusion of verticality, rather than actuallysuspend himself in space. On his ceiling is a 3-D
reconstruction of New York which gives a feelingof vertigo to anyone lying on the bed – there is animpression of hovering over the city. The cheeky
part is that Central Park is represented by a mirror.
While some have prioritized the weightlessness of
sleep, others have focused on the limitlessness of
040

dreams. These are the beds
which seek to break down
all boundaries of space andtime, exploring as they dothe exotic and the alien.
H i p p o l y te Ro m a i n , fo r
i n s t a n ce, i m p o r te d a nauthentic Mandarin
bed from China. Thisancient artifact had tobe dismantled at its portof origin, and then wasreconstructed in his presentroom from thousands ofpieces of wood.

Bruno Ledoux, on theother hand, was such a
fan of Napoleon that hemanaged to get hold of the
field camp bed in which theEmperor supposedly diedat Saint Hélène. He has
dedicated a whole room in
his house to it. And he is still working on perfecting
this Napoleon-themed sleeping space of his: since
this photo was taken, he has ordered figures of
those who were present at the famous Frenchsovereign’s final moment from the Grévin museum.
Daniel Hourdé and Chantal Thomass stand as
opposites in terms of their bed fantasies. Hourdé, apainter and sculptor, has chosen to metaphoricallybring his death forward by sleeping on a tombstone.
He has the props to match: there are Christ figuresin the alcoves and heavy curtains draped aroundthe area. Naturally, Hourdé plays dead for thecamera. Thomass, meanwhile, takes her bedroom
decoration as an excuse to revert to girlhood. She
lives in a bed which looks like it is made for a babydoll: the colour pink is simply everywhere.
As for me, the bed I am most charmed by is one that
I would like to take with me, after photographingit. Designed by Patrick-Louis Vuitton, it fits in its
own case when folded. Despite my pleas, offers andpraise, Vuitton won’t even think of giving it to me. A
shame, as this camp bed would have got me out of
my normal bed, in my normal room, in my normalbuilding, in my normal town. I would have slept
everywhere. I would have rented hotel rooms andignored their own beds. As it is, I realise how lucky
I am to have chosen photography, which enables
me to travel.
THE YTL LUXURY MAGA Z INE

Preciousen c o u nte r s

At the recent ‘A Journey ThroughTime 2007’ watch andjewellery fair, YTL Life
got the chance to discoverin depth
the inner workings of
two premium watch
brands, Blu andRoger Dubuis, andto view for the first timein Malaysia the famous
Korloff Noir, the world’s
largest black diamond
THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZ INE

041

Desires of
the Flash

Excalibur Gioia, a racy
number in white gold
is encrusted with 388
diamonds while thediameter with motherof-pearl dial glitterswith another 112.

Flashy and extravagant or elegant andunique: each Roger Dubuis watch is a daring
statement all unto itself HELEN OON
byExcalibur JFK, meaning ‘Just For
Kings’, boasts the world’s first‘co-axial chronograph, singlepusher, central hour, minute,seconds, instant large date andflying tourbillon’

In the world of haute horology, a Roger Dubuis watch caneasily be considered a truly daring fashion statement.
Anyone who has seen either its TooMuch or Follow Me
ranges would easily testify to that. Never understated, theseflamboyant creations of this luxury watch brand are forthose who exude confidence and for those who dare.
But that is just one side of Roger Dubuis. Its othercollections, such as Excalibur, Hommage and S.A.W. exercise
more restraint and practice simple elegance and are covetedby those who enjoy power-dressing. Think David Beckham
first. Now think Bill Clinton and you’ll begin to comprehend
the two extremes Roger Dubuis straddles.
So what makes Roger Dubuis tick? “Quality, design, trendsetting power and exclusivity,” declares Mr Hanspeter Pieth,
the Managing Director of Roger Dubuis Asia during therecent ‘A Journey Through Time’ luxury watch exhibition
at KL’s Starhill Gallery. “What sets Roger Dubuis apart is its
quality and non-conformist approach that give our watches
that extra edge.”

A stunning jewellery
piece from the ‘Follow
Me’ range

All photos Courtesy of Roger Dubuis

Those in the know would immediately recognise a Roger
Dubuis watch with its bold designs that transform a simple
timepiece into a bejewelled work of flair and ostentation.
Others might simply call all that embellishment “bling”.
“We find Asian clients are more flamboyant. They like lots ofbling in their watches,” agrees Pieth, who started life dealing
with fine jewellery but entered the luxury watch industry
with Roger Dubuis in February 2007 and now spearheads all
its Asian branches. “Asians are also very knowledgeable on
this subject.”
The seed of Roger Dubuis was planted, ironically, in theworld of furniture sketching, the first foray into designby the brand’s founder and president, Carlos Dias. As anavid collector of fine watches himself and a devotee ofhorology, he turned from collector to creator in 1995 when
TH E Y TL LU XU RY M AG AZ I NE

he founded a company called SOGEM SA (Societe Genevoisedes Montres). But it wasn’t until 1999 that Dias acquired the‘Manufacture’ label for his budding company, “when I felt it
deserved the title” as he himself has put it.
By 2003, the Roger Dubuis brand name was in a position
to conceive and fine tune its own highly complicated watch
movements and to regulate the mechanisms that drive
them. And by 2007, Dias managed to rack up an impressive
portfolio of 28 different movements, which, for a relative
baby in this highly competitive industry was quite anachievement. Not quite something you can sit on or sleepin, but much better, for a Roger Dubuis is a statement of
individuality and on occasion, pure brazenness.
So in-demand are these timepieces that Dias has limited
production to a mere 28 pieces for all Roger Dubuis goldmodels. This then allows him the chance to offer his
glittering clientele unique models with variable combinationsof movements, dials, cases, gem-settings and straps. “Ourbest selling range is GoldenSquare,” says Pieth. “But thenagain, Excalibur and the Follow Me, TooMuch and MuchMore
watches and jewellery are equally popular.”
The Roger Dubuis brand has rapidly expanded globally andcurrently has boutiques in major cities such as Geneva,
Madrid, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore
and Bangkok. This is no big surprise, though, because Roger
Dubuis watches are quite simply unforgettable. “But most ofall,” says Pieth, “each piece is designed with great passion
by Carlos Dias himself with a touch of glamour and a hint ofprovocation to spice it up.”
All we know is that as far as high-end, luxury watch brands
go, Roger Dubuis is sometimes too hot to handle. And that’s
a good thing.

The Roger Dubuis boutique is located at Starhill Gallery, Jalan
Bukit Bintang, KL; www.rogerdubuis.com
043

A Diamond
is Forever

It isn’t the largest diamond in the world but the 88-carat
Korloff Noir can lay claim to being the largest black diamondknown to exist. Emanating a mysterious glow, the Korloff
Noir’s dark facets catch the light and twinkle like stars in thefirmament, captivating all who set eyes on it.
But no one is more spellbound by its magical power thanDaniel Paillasseur, president of luxury brand Korloff andcustodian of the black diamond. When he speaks of it, hiseyes sparkle just like the Korloff Noir.

And in the case of the Korloff Noir, theworld’s biggest black diamond, it is also the
stuff made of legends HELEN OON“Life is an encounter,” he philosophises. “Thirty years ago,
my partner’s grandfather came to me and asked me to close
my eyes and open my hand. He placed an object on my palm.
When I opened my eyes, I saw this huge black diamond andit was love at first sight.”

by

The Korloff Noir is steeped in history and its origin harks backto Russia during the aftermath of the country’s revolution
in the 1920s. A Russian aristocratic family by the name of
Korloff Sapojnikoff from St. Petersburg fled the country
in fear for their lives and the only thing they managed tosmuggle out was this one very much prized black diamond.
The rest of their journey to Europe is shrouded in mystery
but legend has it that whoever touches the Korloff Noir willbe blessed with good luck, prosperity and happiness.
As for Paillasseur, the Noir’s magic has worked wonders
on him. When he formed his company in 1978, Paillasseur
named it after the Korloff family and the black diamond has
been revered as its talisman and epitomises the very soul ofthe establishment.

analyse trends and to discover new market both in France
and abroad.
The Korloff brand is today synonymous with exquisite
contemporary jewellery. The company works in alliancewith generations of diamond cutters who are constantly
pushing the boundaries to perfectly capture the beauty ofthe diamonds.
This dedication to researching and improving the penetrationof light into the diamond has led to the birth of the 65-facet
Korloff Cut, the secret of its brilliance lying in the 41 facetson the crown and the 24 facets on the pavilion. The company
has also introduced lacquered mother-of-pearl creations
with signature collections bearing romantic names such as‘Miss Paris’ to epitomise Parisian elegance, while ‘Papillon’
denotes a diamond-winged butterfly freed from its chrysalis
to alight on the neck of a woman like a soft kiss.
Daniel Paillasseur’s dream is to craft Korloff into “a veritable
work of art” as he attempts to make life imitate art. His
empire is expanding globally with 47 boutiques in major
cities, each designed like an art gallery. “Once through themagnificent black front door, you will no longer be protectedfrom the Korloff spell,” he laughs.
The legend of the black diamond lives on through Korloff
and Daniel Paillasseur.

Korloff is located at Starhill Gallery, Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL;
www.korloff.fr

All photos Courtesy of Korloff

B o r n i n 1 948 i n Lyo n i n Fra n ce,
Paillasseur has diamonds in his blood.
He has always been fascinated by this
precious stone and over the years, hasestablished himself as a jeweller of thehighest calibre. At 30 years old, theKorloff name has grown into a global
brand that symbolises luxury, quality
and exclusivity with links to manyluminaries from the world of the rich,famous and royal. “We have many
famous clientele, but we are discreet
and our client list is confidential.”
Blessed with a creative talent thatknows no bounds and fired by a passion
and fertile imagination, Paillasseur
creates exquisite and cutting-edge
jewellery, accessories, haute couture
and watch collections with a touch of
Bohemia. He boldly mixes materials
and combines colours that challenge
conventional ideas. He is a visionary
and has the uncanny foresight to
TH E Y TL LU XU RY M AG AZ I NE

Daniel Paillasseur:has diamonds running
through his blood045

The blu Majesty
Tourbillon M3“Most people are ruled by time rather than ruling their own
time,” muses Bernhard Lederer, the main man, brains andtechnical director of blu. Still a relatively unknown in thesepart of the world, blu is the latest and most original luxury
watch brand to arrive on our shores with the recent openingof a new boutique at KL’s prestigious Starhill Gallery.
In the world of blu, technical genius and the nous of aphilosopher appear to have given birth to a range of watches
that sets imaginations alight. A quick glance through blu’s
catalogue of watches (since its inception in 2000) is enoughto tell you that the brand exists well beyond the mainstreamof the prestige timepiece business.

you have a design and a technical department. It becomes afight between the two until they reach a compromise. And
this will never be as strong as the original.”
But the magic of blu appears to be in those “initial ideas”,
essentially a form of mechanical whimsy on Lederer’s part.
Yet the answer to his inspiration is a simple one: “Just life.
To be awake and to walk through this life with open eyes. It’s
just like in nature; when you see a beautiful tree, you can’ttell what the seed it grew from looked like.” As the mysteriesof life and the universe of blu should be.

The new blu boutique is located at Starhill Gallery, Jln Bukit
Bintang, KL.

blu watches evoke visions of planetary systems, almost as
if each watch existed in its own universe. You will find nochronographs, not even a second hand, at blu. And in someinstances, such as the blu Sunset, a conscious decision has
been made to separate the hour from the minute hand. “Thehour hand is embedded deep into the dial while the minutehand is very light. Like a ballerina, she dances on the highroad,” says Lederer with a flourish. “When you ask someone
the time, they will say ‘it’s 20 past’ or ‘10 to’. They don’t tell
you the hour. Why? Because there seems to be a difference
between hour and minute. It’s an indication that you are notguided by time but you are its master.”
Mastering time is a subject that Lederer returns tofrequently. “If you’re really honest nothing is so importantyou need to know the time down to the exact second. In
daily life, unless you’re a scientist you don’t need a watchthat rules you. When you become the master of your own
time, this is the moment that you begin to understand theart of the timepieces we create.”
Lederer has managed to inject this abstract idea into thevery essence of his creations. “Watches are not instruments
to make your life more complicated – you shouldn’t need amanual to understand them. If you have 9, 10 hands on thedial they bring confusion. They put pressure on you, which issomething I don’t think watches should do. They should be
instruments that serve you.”

All photos Courtesy of BLU

byThe bluboutiqueat Starhill
Gallery

Lederer’s journey into the world of horology began out ofpure curiosity to know how things work. “Isn’t it a miracle
that all that fits into a tiny box like the case of a wristwatch?”
was the question that got the ball rolling. It then led him
to an apprenticeship at the restoration department of the
Abeler Museum in Wuppertal, Germany, and now to Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.

The BLU way
Where time and space and imagination
all form parts of the unique vision ofBernhard Lederer, founder, philosopher
and genius behind the amazing bluwatches Matt Armitage

Bernhard Lederer:
founder andbrains behind thewondrous worldof bluLederer is keen to point out that he considers his watches
to be “different from” rather than “superior” to othermarques; but he acknowledges that his reputation as amaster watchmaker coupled with his creative vision set bluapart. “It allows me, when I have the initial idea, to think of
the technicality behind it,” he explains. “In other companies
TH E Y TL LU XU RY M AG AZ I NE

047

Colonial
Splendour

Cameron Highlands
revisited reveals theromance that drew the
British there

photo YTL HOTELS

by Matt Armitage

The architecture of the
Cameron Highlands
Resort echoes theregion's colonial pastT

ea plantations andstrawberries aren’t
uppermost in people’s
minds when they think
about Malaysia. Whites a n d y b e a c h es, a zu reseas and steaming jungles
are the norm, whereashydroponic market gardens
trip a little more slowly into the brain. Yet Cameron
Highlands in the state of Pahang is the leading
source of locally grown vegetables and flowers
for Malaysia and Singapore, and is Malaysia’s sole
producer of strawberries and the country’s maintea growing centre.

photo jimmy khoo

Its location – deep in the mountainous forestland
running along the borders of Pahang and Perakstates – makes the Camerons, which is a collectionof small townships, an unlikely Malaysian holiday
destination. This probably explains why this 1500m
high plateau was only ‘discovered’ during an 1885
mapping operation by British surveyor William
Cameron. Its altitude and climate – rarely exceeding
25˚C in its hottest moments – were deemed suitable

for the growing of tea and the Camerons' became
an important source of what was then considered
one of the British Empire’s major cash crops.
Further development of the area came in the
1920s when the use of cars and vans became morewidespread, and the region became an accessible
bolt hole for colonial Britons seeking to escape thenever-ending humidity of the lowlands. A full day’sbone-cracking and radiator-wearying journey in thecars of the period, the same trip now takes little
more than three hours from the centre of KL.
Taking the fastest route up, we exit the NorthSouth Highway at Simpang Pulai near Ipoh, quickly
leaving behind the sleepy, dusty small towns of
the country’s hinterland, with their chaotic mixof old wooden shophouses, markets and new
developments. In their place, the occasional Malay
longhouse, cut into the hillside, swings into view,
while young orang asli (indigenous people) sell
petai (a highly spicy bean) and other vegetables
collected from the forest at stalls by the roadside.
And while we all prize the sunshine, this is one

The modernist BOH
Plantations tea housejuts and juxtaposes
itself against Cameron's
pastoral surroundings

High above theclouds, a true
Cameron Highlands
experience

Despite being in tropical
Malaysia, the cool hillsof the Camerons areremisniscent of the mossy
forests found in moretemperate climes

journey best attempted when it’s overcast. At acertain point in the climb the road merges with thesky and we experience the otherworldly sensationof driving through the cloud cover. Rolling thewindows down to let the clouds roll into the car
provides a humbling, if rather damp, experience.
Then it is a final climb towards the Kuala Terla
township and the start of the highlands for thethe roads are filled with ageing Land Rovers, theirbattered bodies painted with the letters CH that
limit them to the Highlands and its surroundings,
their bodies almost invisible against the deep green
vegetation coating the coloured hills.
It’s easy to see why the Camerons became socherished by the colonial era’s expatriates. Morethan the temperate climate, it offered a comforting

it might have something to do withthe thinning of the air, but it's hardto feel a sense of urgency here

That it’s lined with hydroponics tents and neatrows of lettuce, cabbage and other vegetables justadds to the oddity of the image. It’s unsettling as
it genuinely feels as though you’ve driven througha hidden portal connecting Asia to Europe. Here052

vista to homesick officials who might not see their
homeland for 10 years at a time. Today it’s one of
the most sought after locations in the country,
where bungalows enjoy sweeping views over acresof tightly clipped tea bushes and where real estate
prices rise daily.
It’s hard not to be infected by the Highlands’
romance: it’s an outdoors kind of place, designed
for long strolls and afternoon tea, and its relaxedpace has made it something of a haven forphotos jimmy khoo

most breathtaking section of the journey. The
climb up the outside face of these vast hills with
their petrifying sheer drops leaves you totally
unprepared for a plateau twice the size of Singapore
to suddenly heave into view around a corner.

T H E Y TL LU XU RY MAGA Z INE

honeymooning couples. It may have something to
do with the altitude and a slight thinning of the air
but it’s hard to feel any sense of urgency here.

an access road that allows you to go up by car), wewere keen to wander through the grotto-like mossy
forest that makes up the latter part of the trek.

Breakfast easily becomes lunch, then afternoon
scones, and then dinner. But whatever lethargy
overwhelms you it’s certainly worth getting out
of bed to watch the sun rise. The stunning 18hole course of the Cameron Highlands Golf andCountry Club in Tanah Rata makes a spectacular
background for the sunrise, as you watch the mist
slowly burning off the holes and the surrounding
forest while the sun grows steadily stronger.

Thanks to its height and the constant moisture ofpassing clouds, the forest is an ideal environment
for dozens of varieties of moss which carpet the
ground. In this serene, picturesque but moist
setting, we quickly regret our lack of wet-weather
gear as, up in the cloud canopy, weather conditions
can change in an instant. Having started withblazing sunshine, the clouds rolled in as we arrived
at the vantage point at the summit and a mist ofrain began to fall, allowing only silhouettes of peaks
to appear in the distance.

The par-71 course is Malaysia’s highest, and certainly
most picturesque, with its mountain backdrop andthe water features that run through its greens andfairways. Of course, if golfing is not your thing you
can do as we did and enjoy the same view with lesseffort by breakfasting on a balcony at the Cameron
Highlands Resort just in front of the club.
Not that we intended on a day of laziness. We had
our hearts set on conquering Mount Brinchang, thehighest peak in the Highlands at around 2000m,
and one of around 30 recognised trails, taking froma couple of hours to several days. But more than justgetting to the top of the tallest mount (there’s also
T H E Y TL LU XU RY MAGAZ INE

However, for something less strenuous, one of themost popular trails – thanks to its relative ease andits dash of mystery – is the Jim Thompson Trail.
A short two-hour trek (with minimal uphill work)that brings you onto the edge of the Golf Club
at Tanah Rata, it follows a similar course to theone supposedly taken by American designer andindustrialist Jim Thompson when he disappeared
without a trace on Easter Sunday 1967. Thompson
was a former US Intelligence officer who iscredited with reviving the Thai silk industry in the
1950s and 1960s.
053

a fine visit – but none of them can compete with
the BOH centre’s ‘tea house’, a modernist rectangle
which juts out from the hillside, offering incredible
views from its balcony and totally at odds with its
pastoral surroundings.

In any case, the rain at the top of Mount Brinchangmade it too slippery for us to take the same pathback, leading to a 7km trek down the accessroad that winds through BOH’s Sungai Palas Tea
Plantation. With the shower over, the sky clears
again and we strolled leisurely to the plantation’svisitor’s centre, watching with keen delight asharvested tea is sent overhead on zip lines totrailers waiting on the road.
There we took a tour through the factory, seeing
the various grading, drying and chopping processes
that turn green leaves into aromatic black teas.
You can tour other plantations in the region – theBharat Tea Plantation, for example, also makes forFresh produce, andin particular tea,
have conrtibuted
to Cameron's fame

And if you aren’t already tired out from the day’s
exertions you can take a ride up to stroll along themain street of Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands’
main town. From its art deco town clock – now withintegrated skateboard park – to the charmingly
run-down taxi station, the town is a visual throwback to the 1950s, complete with a plaquecommemorating the opening of the post office in1956 by Tunku Abdul Rahman, who would become
an independent Malaysia’s first prime minister ayear later. And regally sitting above it all is theVictorian influenced Convent Primary School, aformer military hospital.
But one thing’s for sure, whether you spend
your time sipping cocktails by the fire in theevening, teeing off at dawn or standing at a
precipice on a mountain top, you’ll be able toappreciate what those colonial visitors musthave felt when they first laid eyes on Cameron
Highlands: rounding a corner and effectively
leaving one world for another.

When in Camerons, stay at the :Cameron Highlands Resort
Cameron Highlands Resort has more than a touchof colonial-era glamour: from the liveried staff at
the lobby area to the welcoming reception rooms
with their open fireplaces. The place just oozes
quiet elegance and indulgence.
All of the 48 rooms and 8 suites have commanding
views over the adjacent Cameron Highlands Golf
and Country Club and its surrounding hills. In fact,
breakfast on the balcony is one of the highlights
of any stay here, as your table is piled high witheverything from home-made jams to a gorgeous
waffle and mascarpone combination.
Lounge Photo Jimmy Khoo: Inset Photo ytl hotels

Certainly there was no sign of him when we tried theroute, but then we had been concentrating on the
numerous orchids and pitcher plants that lined theroute. Our guide showed us tracks made by orang
asli hunters as well as pointed us in the directionof an asli burial ground he claimed was always
shrouded in mist (but not accessible to tourists).

Tea-clipping photo YTL Hotels; cameron highlands resort photo jimmy khoo

Inside theluxurious Cameron
Highlands Resort

But pastoral is really what the Highlands are about,and it all comes down to the fresh produce. At thestalls and stores in Brinchang and Tringkap (or at
the Saturday night market in Gunung Brinchang),roses and lilies are sold straight from the fields, as
are the strawberries and speciality hybrid fruits
like the 'buah cinta' that tastes like a cross between
a passion fruit and a mango. Another must-try
delicacy is the deep-fried mushrooms that are soldeverywhere around the Highlands.

needs 24-hours a day. The experience of having
your valet accompany you on day-trips to set-up ahampered picnic lunch is as novel as it is romantic.
After a strenuous day on the golfcourse, the Spa
Village at the Resort can help you to shake theaches from your limbs. With a treatment menu thatdraws on the culture of the local orang asli tribes asmuch as it does on the produce of the local market
gardens, you’ll quite possibly come out smelling of
the region’s locally grown strawberries. Meanwhile,
if it’s strawberries you’re hankering for, look nofurther than the Jim Thompson Tea Room with its
Tiffin Lunches and its famous afternoon teas.

As for the rooms themselves, the white-washedwalls, polished timber floors and hard woods of the
four-poster bed and the other furnishings add tothe colonial glamour, while large flat-screen TVs
bring everything up to date. The bathrooms follow
a similar pattern by juxtaposing luxurious whiteand black marble finishes with high-tech integral‘rain’ showerheads.

To round off the day, guests take part in a Cameron
Highlands Resort ritual: fire-lighting. By the glow of
the fire, and with the setting sun in the background,it’s the perfect opportunity for pre-dinner cocktails
or a game of billiards, or simply a cue to turn inearly. After all, there’s another balconied breakfast
to get up early for.

To add a touch of real colonial atmosphere,
Cameron Highlands Resort can also provide youwith a personal butler, available to meet yourFor bookings and more information, call+603-2783 1000,
email travelcentre@ytlhotels.com.my or log on to www.
cameronhighlandsresort.com

T H E Y TL LU XU RY MAGAZ INE

055

True
Romance
High-Fashion Meets Elegant heritage at The
Majestic Malacca... you can't help but fall in lovephotography CHUAN LOOi styling WEECHEECotton blazer, pants & tie Club Monaco

Leather shoes Fabi

Silk draped dress & bootie Gucci;(On him) Plaid suit & tiled polo shirt Gucci

Irridescent car coat & silk muslin poet blouse
Valentino Roma; 'Lea' satin bag Mulberry;(On him) Cotton blazer Club Monaco

Cashmere striped sweater & cotton drill hot
pants DKNY; (On him) Khaki blazer, plaid
bermuda & cashmere scarf Club MonacoPrinted silk crepe dress Valentino Roma; Fan LoeweAnkle bootie Gucci'Jeanne' python bag Lanvin; Sunglasses Fendi;
Rose gold ring Fabi; 'Thai Silk' bougie candle
Jim Thompson

Printed silk blouse, sarouel &gold tie sandals Loewe

Maillot & cap Stylist's own

Gingham crushed top Gucci; Strass 'node'
earrings Lanvin; Straw hat Stylist's own

hair JESSE CHONG makeup Jack Choong models JULIANA & RAFAEL at ANDREWS Models
shot entirely on location at The Majestic Malacca, Malaysia all clothes (except club monaco) available at Starhill Gallery, KLstyle | trends

in for a

Ride

Luxury fashion
Parisians i n
may not yet beparticular haveat the stage
very quickly hit
where it outfits
on the versatility
cars as blithelyof the bike ina s i n d i v i d u a l s,
conjuring a
by Katzebut it is certainly
range of moods
getting there.
that range from
One might even be tempted to call the recent trend in luxury
romantic dolce vita to gritty street Goth. Nostalgic
bicycles an encouraging half way point. Symbols of youth,
Londoners frock up as Victorians and ride vintage bikes
virility, and insouciance, a Lolita-like nymphet on the cusp
during the New Years’ Day Parade, whereas nonchalantof awareness – the bicycle is as blissfully unaware of its
Amsterdamers, believing that their bikes should be as wellcaptivating charms as the person who rides it.
dressed as themselves, turn these wheeled wonders into
moving canvasses of artistic expression. Their Copenhagen
In the old days, the vision conjured up by bikers was ofsisters up north are so enamoured of their two-wheeledknobbly, sunburnt knees encased in lurid coloured spandex;
vehicles that they started the bike advocacy movement
hardly a vision for the fashion conscious to aspire to. Having
known as Social Documentary in High Heels. And across thegrown beyond mere utility and performance concerns, biking
great ocean divide, photographer Bill Cunningham captured
today is no longer seen as a mere form of transport but aeccentric New Yorkers balancing their Balenciaga bags instatement of individuality and culture.
the bike basket on their way to Bergdorf or Saks for a spotof shopping.

The bicycle coasts into the fashion
spotlight. Four-wheels is so last season

fabrics, far-sighted artisans have laboured to bring thehumble bicycle back, as witnessed in the success of
the Bikes in Film Festivals which started in New Yorkin 2001, and ultra-visionary
hotels such as the Murano
Urban Resort in Paris, whichadorns its entrance witha pair of Elektra bikes
instead of the usual
potted plants.
Heading the green
movement is design
guru Quasar Khanhand his recyclable
bamboo bicycles
that Kate Moss ispurported to be a
fan of, and Donna
Karan, whose brighttangerine bicycles has
besieged the streets of
New York to remind people
that as far as Mother Nature
is concerned, two wheels aredefinitely better than four.
And now leading fashion houses have been unveiling theirversions of this two-wheeled wonder, with Gucci’s 8-8-2008
Limited Edition bicycle, launched in January 2008 with

While designers like Stella McCartney and Gucci lead the
fashion pack with lightweight organic cotton and techno

Quilty pleasure:
Chanel’s CocoCity Bike

its bold red double GG leather details, and Pinel & Pinel,
the Parisian luxury goods manufacturer who created the‘luxcycle’ – available in leather finishes and in 51 colours
which can be folded into a custom monogrammed suitcase.
Chanel’s 2008 Spring/Summer Coco City Bike features a
black lambskin saddle — quilted of course, eight speed
gearing, and thoughtfully incorporates chain guards. Handfinished and tastefully appointed with double C logos, itsclassic lines so besotted Courtney Cox that she bought one
for best friend Jennifer Aniston.
Emporio Armani created the Sportbike in collaboration with
Bianchi, and like Henry Ford, maintains that it comes in any
colour you like, so long as that colour is black. Demonchauxasserts that it makes ‘fashion bikes for fashion people’ by
tailoring each bike to the individual person. Meanwhile, theworld’s most expensive bicycle, the diamond encrusted Trek,
was sold for US$75 000 at a Lance Armstrong gala.

Pretty in Red:
Gucci’s 8-82008 Limited
Edition bicycle

Extending the theme, jewelled pant clips from Chanel havebecome the latest de rigueur accessories for several seasons
now. While for the Youtube & Flicker-hungry generation,
there is the Gorillapod; a flexible camera tripod that fits
over the handlebars.
Combining exercise, leisure and an ethical facet, the bicycle
is now delightfully and compellingly back in fashion. Afterall, it is a supersize century, and the style meisters did saythat accessories were going to get bigger.

076

Victorian secret at
London’s New YearDay parade077

style | leather

Hide andSleek

We’re in a right leather over this season’s latest offerings
by Jennifer Choo

Loewe and behold Spanish label
PUMP IT UP
For the woman
who’s unafraid ofheights, Lanvin’s
patent calfskin andsatin mary-jane hasa fearsome 4.9”
heel. With a chunky
strap and bright hot
pink platforms, theconical heels edge
this pump out of theordinary.Echoing
Jeanne Lanvin’s
visionary attitude,
the Decolette Heels
display a modernity
that also features thedetailed lines of the
1930s. Lanvin, Indulge

Floor, Starhill Gallery,+603-2148 6268

Things done by calf Not content with having
conquered the watch market, Omega are now into leather goods.
Made from supple Italian calfskin leather, the newest addition
to its portfolio comes in black, brown and a striking orange –colours inspired by its Planet Ocean range. Comprising wallets, amessenger bag, an appointment book, watch-storage boxes anda cube-shaped watch winder, every detail has been considered,from the use of the “double-edge folding” technique which
ensures a uniform thickness in each handmade piece to theinnovative design feature of a convenient slot in the wallets which
is now an Omega-registered design. Omega, Indulge Floor, Starhill
Gallery; +603-2144 0035
078

Skin Trade Creative
Director Hakan Rosenius’sophomore ready-to-wearcollection for Asprey Spring/
Summer ’08 harks back to
the lifestyle of the moneyed
enclaves of Capri, Palm Beachand Porto Fino in the 50s, 60s
and 70s. Paying homage to
iconic clothes horses such as
Talitha Getty and CZ Guest,
the accompanying accessories
are appropriately decadent
with a collection in similar
shades of dusty pastels
conceived in luxurious skins.
The oversized unstructured
Portobello bag in a sumptuous
python is a reinvention of a
70s classic while the vintage
frame bag in pastel shagreens
is a new interpretation of a
vintage Asprey evening bag.
Jackie O would have approved.

Attitude Dude Indulge your innerrebel with Mulberry’s rock ‘n’ roll-inspired
Warren collection which features satchelswith three different sizes of chunky pockets– from simple zipped to high fashion multipocketed. ‘Davy’ veers towards the refinedwith simple, wearable shapes crafted fromgrainy hand-rolled leather for a textured
finished, complete with herringbone lining.
Best teamed with a sharp, slim cut suit, thisis a confident look for the ultimate city boy.
Another key look is the ‘Justin’ where navy
and blue hit this season’s nautical trend
on the head. The oversized messenger innavy or white heavy leather is finished with
Mulberry’s signature triple-twist lock inshiny silver or if your tastes run towards themore exotic and flamboyant, the hand held
‘Justin’ holdall is available in white ostrich.
Mulberry, Indulge Floor, Starhill Gallery, KL;+603-2144 8001

Indulge Floor, Starhill Gallery;+603-2142 3523
Finery Here
Having been drawn to beauty from a young age, artist,
designer and businessman Yeslam always knew it
was his destiny to add loveliness to the world. Since
fragrances have always occupied an important place
during his childhood in Saudi Arabia and his student
years in Lebanon, it was fitting that Yeslam’s debut
in the luxury goods business in 2005 was with his
fragrances: Yeslam For Him and For Her.
This early success was cemented by the opening of five Yeslam boutiques
where the designer diversified his repertoire to fine leather goods andluxurious accessories such as sunglasses, cufflinks and silk scarves.
What sets the Yeslam aesthetic apart is his ability to distill the age-old
refinement of the East and combine it with modern, European, state-ofthe-art expertise.
Yeslam has enhanced this universe by inaugurating a workshop dedicatedto luxury watch making, where two expert watchmakers bring thedesigner’s creations to fruition in accordance with the purest watch
making traditions. The result is the Haute Horlogerie collection where
Yeslam once again demonstrates the perfect fusion of Oriental styling withthe great traditions of the Geneva watch masters.
The Yeslam boutique opens in Starhill Gallery on May 9, 2008

Asprey, Indulge Floor, Starhill
Gallery; +603-2148 8000
T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

Loewe might have a history of quietly elegant
collections, but their latest – for Spring
Summer ‘08 – announced itself with asplash of irresistible colour. As its nameimplies, the Fiesta collection is acelebration of all things festive andplayful. Accessories maestro Stuart
Vevers favours rounded shapeswith no metallic parts whichmake for a refreshingly
light handbag. And don’t let
the ultra-saturated colours
fool you; Loewe’s exquisite
craftsmanship is evident inevery piece. Kate Moss also
totes the Fiesta bag overher naked body in theircurrent ad campaign. Loewe,

TH E Y TL LU XU RY M AG AZ I NE

079

style | runway

runwaySuccess

FERRAGAMO: Design of a Decade
Graeme Black exits Salvatore Ferragamo witha graceful collection crafted for the international woman
following the sun as it moves around the world. Accustomed
to luxury yet decidedly free-spirited, Ferragamo offers thisunique woman equally distinctive options of high-waisted andwide-legged trousers, jersey dresses and caftans in the coloursof the sea and sky. For days that melt into the evening, floorgrazing sheer shirt dresses are a seductive option.

‘Tis the season for us sweltering in
the tropics to rejoice as hemlines get
shorter and materials become more
lightweight JENNIFER CHOO
byDKNY: Metro Retro

Key accessory: Onlya bag as exotic as ultrasoft crocodile folded
into origami shapes
will do justice to thiswoman of mystery.

With a theme like New York Art & Design,
it is clear that DKNY’s Spring-Summer
2008 is for men not boys. This is evident
in the strong tailoring (which comes in achoice of suits or city shorts) and shadesof grey in suitably industrial sounding
names like stone, cement, and newsprint.
Also getting in on the act are the silkties featuring graphic blocking which
combines an orange hue incongruously
called “Popsicle” with black or grey for aconstructivist effect.

Key accessory:
Pristine white trainers
in techno fabrics
which are anything
but Jerry Seinfeld.

Donna Karan does
flawless urban chic so wellthat when DKNY women’s
ready-to-wear features a 70s
vibe, you can be sure it’s witha contemporary twist. Longand lean is the order of the
day and one can easily imagine
a modern Bianca Jagger in
the impeccably tailored white
3-piece pantsuit. Fluid jersey
in striking colour-block jersey
gowns and sash-belted silk
dresses are sexy slinky options
while the collection’s icon isunquestionably the jumpsuit
now updated in wool or silk.
080

Key accessory: The T-Bar
platform or sleek envelope
clutch will feed your inner
Disco Diva.

Key accessory: Thisevening wear lace-up in
naturally aged leather easily
makes the transition to
daywear when it comes in
optic white.

TH E Y TL LU XU RY M AG AZ I NE

Although Salvatore Ferragamo is celebrated
for their exuberant colours, designer Massimiliano Giornetti
steered this season’s collection well into the monochromic.
Beginning from the first outfit – an immaculate combination
comprising a white three-piece suit, a white tie, and whitepatent shoes – this minimal palette was maintained
throughout, deepening into silver, grey and black. Deluxeand desirable, this venerable Italian design house defines
the look of elegant deshabillé.
081style | retail

Springtime
Sparkle Just in time

Revolutionary
Revolutions

Reminiscent of Rousseau’s primeval jungle,

Kenzo’s Spring-Summer catwalk wasoverrun with plants and coloured ribbons,video screens displaying wild animals andbirds with extraordinary feathers. Models
clothed in violent and striking colours,
elaborated with foliage and embellishedwith sequins, glided down the podium
like exotic birds in flight. The collection
was anchored by voluminous dresses andconcluded with black ensembles in body
conscious silhouettes.

KENZO: Call of the Wild

Key accessory: Studded belts
in marbled finish or vivid hues
are perfect for the urban jungle.

Romain Jerome reinvents theinterpretation of time through its‘Day & Night’ timepiece. Devoid of
the oh-so-passé concept of hour,
minute and second hand, thisrevolutionary creation divides the
temporal world into two opposing
sections: day and night. Thisis signified by two Tourbillions
working in sequence. The rusty
look of its dial is also unique, madefrom original steel reclaimed fromthe wreck of the Titanic fusedwith new steel. Khronos, Starhill

Gallery; +603-2141 9021

for spring, Van Cleef &Arpels’ latest ad campaign
recaptures the unique spirit ofthis world-renowned French
jeweller. Fronted by stunning
top Canadian model Lisa
Cant, the campaign is a lovely
combination of mysterious
ingénue, glorious landscapesand jewels alight to create adreamlike springtime aura, allcaptured by famed Japanesephotographer Kaz Arahama.
Very much like the sometimes
fantastical but always
sophisticated Van Cleef & Arpels
designs, favoured by youthful,stylish and carefree ladies
across the globe.

Van Cleef & Arpels, Starhill
Gallery; +603-2142 8669

individualistic
creations
Unique products and ideas that say a lot
about who you are ellfian Abdul rahimShowing in what looked like some fantastical greenhouse, thisseason’s menswear was certainly holiday ready. Instead of a
traditional catwalk, the garlanded models slouched aroundunder the hot lights looking like they had just gotten off aplane to paradise. Relaxed silhouettes in cotton and linens
came in hues of whites, browns, blues and beiges; although noby

The Road Home Cosmopolitan

collection would be complete without Kenzo’s famed prints– which stole the show.

Key accessory: Preen yourself in theboardroom with a natty peacock motif tie
or at play with a subtle print hat.

082

Rat-a-tat-tat Rats are usually associated with anumber of distasteful things, not high-end style. Yet with therecent commencement of the Year of the Rat, the rodent
forms the basis of Dunhill’s Year of the Rat Collection. This
idiosyncratic collection of sterling silver rats are inventive
additions to Dunhill’s luxurious range of gifts. From adetailed key fob to attractive and striking cufflinks to amobile phone tag, this is inspiration that will be welcomedby the most discerning of gentlemen. And like the Rat
individual himself, each item in the collection is crafted with
impeccable taste, a sense of humour and an obsession for
detail. Dunhill, Starhill Gallery; +603-2141 9340
TH E Y TL LU XU RY M AG AZ I NE

Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur city
centre has been honoured with the latest
Audemars Piguet creation. The Royal Oak
Offshore Jalan Bukit Bintang Chronograph
Limited Edition timepiece is regarded
as one of the brand’s most prestigious
creations and pays homage to the roadin which the KL boutique is located.
The watch itself weighs 250g and is
14mm high with a 46mm diametercase and decorated with black
PVD screws on the bezel. The icing
on the cake is the phrase ‘Jalan
Bukit Bintang’ engraved on theback case. Each of the 100 pieces
available worldwide comes with two
exchangeable leather straps in royalyellow and black. Audemars Piguet,

Starhill Gallery; +603-2143 1322083

beautystyle& grooming
watchesSunny Disposition With our equatorial climate requiring a strict skin careregimen, the shrewd ones know that not all sunblocks are created equal. In total accord
is MTM’s newly launched dual-purpose sunscreen – the Solar Shield Aqua Fit SPF 25 PA– a satin soft, lightweight texture which efficiently works on moisturising as it protects
the skin from the sun’s rays. Approved by the International Medical Association, its
ingredients include the fortifying ginseng root, and marjoram and thyme extracts which
are anti-oxidant, anti-melanin and encourage DNA damage prevention. The zinc oxide
formulation works via a reflective mirror approach – a physical barrier which scatters andreflects any harmful, broad spectrum ultra-violet rays that would otherwise penetrate theskin. MTM Skincare Center, Pamper Floor, Starhill Gallery; +603-2144 8861

Back
to
BasicsA new wellness centre combines eastern
philosophy with western methodology

IWC integrates its modern surroundings with a specialisationin the area of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The Centre
provides accurate, concise and comprehensive information
about Chinese medicine healthcare options. More than that,it then adapts these practices with the complementaryparts of Western medicine. Today, this wellness centre hasdeveloped a holistic healthcare system blending the art ofancient Chinese medicinal traditions with the technology
and methods of the West.
TCM asserts that processes of the human body areinterrelated and in constant interaction with the environment.
Their practitioners believe that observing these signsof disharmony aid in the understanding, treatment andprevention of diseases. Based on the ‘Five Elements Theory’– which describes the cycles of creation and destruction andits interactions – IWC’s in-house physicians and specialist084

consultations can address any prevailing health issues, or
unearth hidden ones, based on the operative that prevention
is better than cure.

Care-away Caviar In the language of luxury, there are few
Mane Concern London-trained, celebrity
hairstylist Alan Chan is a man who really gets
involved with your hair, so much so that the Etec
Salon director and chief stylist will grill you on
your overall health even before touching a strand
on your head. This all-encompassing attention todetail stems from Alan’s firm belief in grounding
his clients in a proper knowledge of hair scienceand is based on his 22 years of experience in thebusiness. It’s no wonder then that local celebrities
the likes of Gigi Lai, Mallika Sherawat and current
Miss Malaysia Deborah Henry, are firm fans of thesalon. Etec Salon, Starhill Gallery; +603-2145 1218

Three thousand square feet and a small army of specialists
are dedicated to services and products comprising men’s
and women’s wellness, acupuncture, acupressure, sports
injury and paediatrics. A wide area of specialities means thatthe discerning may drop by for specific as well as generalcomplaints, or better still, simply to further protect current
good health.
Bespoke herbal medication is available upon consultation
with the resident Chief herbalist, flown in by IWC to draw
upon the wisdom of 30 years in the field. It is no large jumpof logic to discern that the benefits of raw, natural herbs
with virtually no side effects will trump that of chemicals
and synthesised, mass-produced medicines.
Given such values, those amongst us who appreciate thededication to preserving and honouring the traditional
healing wisdom of Chinese culture can’t help but laud its
timely opening.

IWC at Pamper Floor, Starhill Gallery, Jln Bukit Bintang, KL;+603-2142 0860
T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGAZI NE

Caviar Photo corbis

The age-old saw goes “health is wealth”; and it has always
been true that opulence and living the high life mean
precious little if you lack the vitality to enjoy it. This goes along way in explaining the presence of an Integrated Wellness
Center (IWC) on one of the floors of Kuala Lumpur’s luxury
shopping centre Starhill Gallery. Money and well-being arenecessary bedfellows if you want to make the most out ofyour life.

by Katzefoods more definitive of indulgence than caviar, a precious essence
that delivers antioxidants and protein-rich nourishment to the skin. It
is to this end that the award-winning Spa Village in the Ritz-Carlton
Hotel Kuala Lumpur offers its decadent Re-hydrating Caviar Facial,utilising European beauty treasures by Kerstin Florian. Formulatedwith extracts of Sevruga Caviar, the Bupleurum Chinensis herb,
and coenzyme A, this ultimate anti-ageing skin treatment promises
immediate results and radiant luminosity. For those with targetedareas, the caviar eyes and lip treatment is recommended, but for the
truly discriminating patron, only an upgrade to the Ultimate Caviar
Facial will do, as it includes a post-treatment matrix sheet, formed
from collagen, and couperose ampoules, a serum for continued use
over the following few days to prolong the facial’s effects; so this isn’t
just about instant gratification. Spa Village KL; +603-2142 8000

Way to Glow Whether you have a day to spare or just an hour, indulging in a
facial or treatment can be the ultimate way to pamper yourself. And with time being
the precious commodity it is today, the motto that ‘it’s all in the experience’ which
Escential’s Urban Retreat adheres to, makes for very palatable logic. This deliciously
private hideaway features two separate lounges, private spa rooms, separately zoned-in
temperature and sound controls, en-suite showers, and a beauty hub – enough nooks
and crannies for anybody in search of a place to become cocooned in a warm, restful
womb of regeneration, as you escape the bustling cityscape beyond. Escentials Urban
Retreat, Starhill Gallery; +603-2148 3288
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style | scents

made toOdour
The ‘esCential’ Guide to the season’s best
new fragrances Jennifer Chooby*All available at Escential, Starhill Gallery

Corset for life Jean Paul Gaultier, the man who
gave us Madonna’s conical bustier, now revisits another icon:
his famous Classique bottle. The latest incarnation of thishour-glass figure is “tattooed” with exquisite lace, to suit thefluctuating winds of fashion. Rather appropriately, the scentof Classique was conceived just like lace, with a motif of Rose,
Orchid and Vanilla repeated over and over again into infinity for
an intense lingering fragrance.

Although Natalia Vodianova hassadly ceased to be the face of Calvin
Klein, it seems fitting that she bowsout in the wake of her campaign forCalvin Klein Euphoria. After all thefragrance is a distillation of sexinessand fantasy, the same qualities
which Natalia wholly embodies. And
what does seduction smell like?
A contrast between exotic fruits
like Pomegranate, Persimmon andseductive florals like Black Orchid andChampaca Flower, for a rich, creamy,
seductive signature.

Tongue in chic Guerlain
has pulled out all the stops
with Insolence. Not only was it
created by famed “nose” Maurice
Roucel (Hermes’ 24 Faubourg
and DKNY’s Be Delicious), thestunning bottle was designedby sculptor Serge Mansau andthe icon for the fragrance is noless than two-time Oscar winner
Hilary Swank. An unconventionalfragrance of exuberant violet
notes paired with red berries, it
has hints of orange blossom androse with sensual iris and tonka
bean resins for a luxurious finish.
Following L’Instant, Insolence isthe next instalment of the newly
heralded Guerlain generationof perfumes which reinvents its
classic image.
Vera good Although most women are familiar with Vera Wang’s
exquisite bridal couture, the designer renowned for her taste and refinement
is poised to teach menfolk a thing or two about class. Vera Wang For Men is amasculine, seductive, aromatic oriental designed to elicit desire, emotion andpassion. Beginning with an unexpected burst of freshness created by green
mandarin leaf and crisp yuzu zest, it is then layered with the enveloping
embrace of nutmeg, leather and anise, and finished with a smooth blend of
sandalwood and warm tobacco. A distinguished fragrance created expressly
for today’s cosmopolitan man.

086

T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

Generic spa treatments begone! At all of
the world-renowned Spa Villages, five
dotted around the Malaysian Peninsula,and one on the magical Indonesian islandof Bali, a unique selling point is thateach draws inspiration from healing
traditions and local ingredients of theregion it lies in. YTL Life gets ready forlots of luxurious pampering as it samples
the signature indigenous therapies ofeach establishment

photo choen lee

Living the high life

holistic
HEALING

087

The bustle of Bukit Bintang is only a car horn away, as I
stand amidst the lush greenery of the city’s best urban
retreat, located within The Ritz-Carlton Hotel. This havenof tranquillity surrounded by landscaped pools is the Spa
Village Kuala Lumpur, a celebrated city oasis where timehonoured rituals can be experienced in a modern setting.
While the spa menu offers beauty and body treatments fromaround the region, including Balinese and Thai massage,
what I want most to experience is something unique to our
local culture. Thanks to a heritage of beauty treatments
passed down by generations of Malaysian women, it’s only
fitting that the most luxurious therapy here takes its namefrom a Malay princess of historical legend.
The Tun Teja treatment consists of six steps and begins with
‘Urutan Kebayan’ (Ladies’ Traditional Princess Massage), a
massage using natural oils of ylang-ylang, clove and ginger.
Traditional Malay ‘urut’ (massage) techniques are known tobe quite firm, but this combination of long kneading strokes
with acupressure works to improve circulation. It’s not long
before I loosen up as the therapist’s soothing movements
begin to ease my muscular tensions from top to toe.

Royal
Treatment

The ritual then continues using a rice scrub to soften andsmooth the skin, with natural aromatherapy in scented
ingredients of sandalwood and patchouli acting to relax mymind and body even further. By the time this ‘Lulur Cendana
Cangi’ (Sandalwood Body Scrub) is complete, I’m ready forthe therapist to gently slip me into the floral bath waiting
outside in the private landscaped courtyard.

by Lena Ng

Floral baths are common in most Malaysian cultures,
where fragrant flowers, lime and scented oils are added toceremonial baths. You could of course choose to include
your partner with the Hang Tuah treatment package. But
I’m happy enough to enjoy alone the luxurious decadenceof sipping on herbal tea while reclining in a huge bathtub
filled with milk, jasmine, rose petals and herbal extracts:
the ‘Siram Panca Cangi’ (Royal Herbal Bath) and ‘Santapan
Junjung Puteri’ (Herbal Tea) portions of the treatment.

Ultimate pampering may once have been reserved for theprivileged few, but in this modern age, those of us who
most deserve it can now enjoy, not only a special, but royaltreatment too.

ALSO TRY…
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herbal steam to flush toxins from the body, it’s only thecleansing heat of the steam that keeps me from drifting off
to sleep. The ‘Wap Cindai Berahi’ (Scented Body Steaming)
also has natural extracts that leave me glowing andrevitalised, before getting ready to face those honking carsin the outside world once again.

At the end of this amazing three-hour experience, the mostrewarding part is the sense of relaxation and time spent on
yourself. Sophie Benge, author of the best-selling ‘TropicalSpa’, says “every woman can improve her body by upping
the respect that she pays to it. This is achieved by taking
time for herself – a vital part of life that most of us ignore.”

Reflecting the city’s diversity and clash between the old and new, the Spa Village Kuala Lumpur also offers the signature Peranakan
treatment, where Qi-Gong massage techniques are a part of the therapy along with traditional beauty ingredients such as mulberry leaf
and rice. But for those keen on a truly modern scientific twist, caviar facials by Kerstin Florian are the ultimate in luxurious beauty care
to soothe and hydrate skin.

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Heavenly
Haven

When 19th century English explorer William Lawson said,“What was paradise? But a garden, an orchard of trees andherbs. Full of pleasure, and nothing there but delights,” hemust have envisioned what would have been the Spa Village
Pangkor Laut today.
Spread over four acres on a bay at the private Pangkor Lautisland, this world-famous spa has won numerous awards time
and time again. And with its open courtyards, lotus ponds,
herb garden and a reflexology path all set within gorgeous
grounds, it isn’t hard to see why so many have come for thepromise of paradise and so few have wanted to leave.

by Chua Siew Ching

This was my exact sentiment as I sat sipping cooling ginger
tea on a gazebo in this heaven on earth. Restfulness is easy
to come by amidst the lush greenery, the stunning blues ofthe sea and the vastness of the clear blue sky.
This promise of respite at the Spa Village Pangkor Laut is
not a myth. An upscale oasis, it is a resplendent combinationof age-old and modern spa treatments. All about true
Malaysian healing, the treatment programmes available here
target both physical and spiritual well-being.
I am trying the recommended Ayurvedic treatment, a oneof-a-kind treatment customised especially for Spa Village
Pangkor Laut. Prior to my session, the spa’s Ayurvedic
Specialist – who hails from India – does a thoroughconsultation to understand my body’s needs better. By
asking a series of questions, he is able to recommend theproper medicated oils and ingredients for my session.

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Ayurverdic treatments known as Abhyanga and Siro Lepam
are recommended, and they begin with the application ofprescribed oil on the head followed by a traditional Indian oil
massage and herbal paste for the scalp and hair.
Every treatment begins with Spa Village Pangkor Laut’s
legendary Bath House Ritual, which consists of experiencing
various Asian bathing traditions. It starts off with a soothing
footbath followed by an invigorating Chinese Foot Pounding
with a light bamboo hammer. Then the Malay Bath Housefor the traditional ‘circulating’ bath where water cascades
over me from a series of raised urns and envelops me witha sense of calm. Next is a Japanese-style cleaning with a‘goshi-goshi’ cloth followed by a dip in the heated Rotenburu
pool. Finally, I succumb to the signature Shanghai Scrub
before I proceed for my actual treatment. I’m almost too
relaxed as it is.

My Ayurvedic therapist – an extremely petite lady from
Kerala with more than 10 years experience – leads me to abroad wooden slab with gutters all along its sides. This is my
massage table and, as I later learn, it was first pre-soakedwith essential oils and was specially imported from India forthis very purpose.
You know how they say looks can be deceiving? Well, myrather petite therapist is somehow capable of immensestrength as she begins to massage my body with longsweeping strokes. The sensation of the liberal use of slippery
oils (hence the gutters all along the table) and the strong
herbal scent might take some getting used to at first, but
as Indian classicalmusic wafts gently
i n t h e ba c kg ro u n dand the determined
manipulation of mybody continues, I amsoon drifting, my bodyl o ose n i n g u p w i t hevery stroke.
Just as I am in a nearcomplete trance (and I
have lost track of timehere), the massage isover and the therapist
then proceeds to give
my body a thoroughscrub before coating
my hair with a herbal
paste. The treatment
finally ends with ashower in a privateroom and as I walk out,
I truly feel completely
renewed and restored.
Like many of Spa Village Pangkor Laut’s programmes, theAyuverdic treatment can be conducted as a continuous
course for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. To achieve the best
results, you are advised to take heed of the diet and otherrestrictions recommended by the specialist. At the sametime, taking part in the morning Yoga classes will maximise
the benefits of the treatment.
Now I know what William Lawson meant by “Full of pleasure,and nothing there but delights”.

ALSO TRY…
The Campur-Campur Body Treatment
Blending a variety of Malay and Thai massage techniques, this treatment uses touch, tone and aromatherapy for a sensational
experience. Aside from a massage by a skilled therapist, a traditional steam pouch filled with herbs is also used to press alongside thebody to loosen up knots in your muscles. Relax as the scent of lemongrass and pandan leaves fill the air.

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When your backdrop is lush rainforest and rolling tea
plantations in the lee of some of Malaysia’s highest peaks,
tranquillity is easy to come by. Cool breezes and mist falls
combine to give Cameron Highlands an ethereal quality,
especially when the sun burns through, turning the mist
to rising steam. It is no wonder, then, that an air of quiet
stillness and contemplation surrounds the Spa Village
Cameron Highlands.
At an altitude of 1,500m there’s no need for air-conditioning,
and as a result you can taste the air with its occasional
scents of tea, strawberries and légumes. And while you may
come out smelling good enough to eat, the use of locallygrown produce in the spa treatments is no gimmick.

by Matt Armitage

The area is home to some of Malaysia’s oldest orang asli
(aboriginal) tribes, including the Semai, whose traditions
and remedies are reflected in the treatments at Spa Village
Cameron Highlands (though there is also a full range of
Asian and European sourced therapies available).

Being cowardly, I opt for a relatively gentle level of pressure.
As with all the massage therapies at Spa Village Cameron
Highlands, the therapists here will advise an optimum levelbut the ultimate decision is yours. The oils are infused with amelange of local herbs and spices, and when a scented mask
is placed on my eyes I’m out in an instant; the next thing I
know I’m being asked to sit up and move across to the steam
bath where the next part of my ritual begins.

Having chosen the Tok Batin Mystical Tradition treatment,a Semai inspired mixture of massage, steam bath and bodyscrub designed to help me get in touch with my inner warrior,
I prepare for my mystical journey by lounging about in oneof the spa’s comfortably appointed day rooms, listening to
the soothing sounds of a 30-foot long ornamental fountainthat serves as the spa’s external focal point.

Comprising of a signature blend of Malay herbs and pandan
leaves brewed in an attached rice cooker, the 15-minutesteam session leaves my skin glowing in preparation for
the Lulur Batin Scrub. Using a blend of rice, turmeric andblack tea leaves, I’m slowly scrubbed with the warm mixture
before being wrapped and left for a few minutes to calm
down and relax.

As I ease myself into the tea-infused warm water of the spa’s
signature ritual Tea Bath, replete with a variety of therapeutic
leaves and herbs, I’m served with a tray of what at first looks
like a snack. But instead of tucking in I’m instructed to rub
the raw sugar and lime wedges into my elbows and knees
and to place the tea bags on my eyes. Though the glass of
herbal lime juice, I’m told, is actually for drinking.

After a few minutes the therapist returns and brings me backto consciousness with a gentle head and face massage, andthen it’s over to the shower. As the leaves begin to wash away
I feel a little like a tea bag, and even later, the aroma of tea
and herbs remain as I return to the reception area for moretea, and those lovely delicate fragrances float in on the breeze
once more.

ALSO TRY…
all photos jimmy khoo

Altitude
Sweetness

The spa is equipped with six treatment rooms, six bathhouses and two outdoor cabanas, and with the emphasison romance, most are equipped for couples to be spoiled
simultaneously. As such the Tok Batin treatment has acorresponding configuration for women and is recommended
for newlyweds. Which might explain why the masseuseassures me that my Warrior Massage should restore
my vitality: following traditional Malay ‘urut’ (massage)practices, the 75-minute massage uses accu-pressure points
and some liberal use of the masseuse’s elbows to improve
circulation and soothe tired muscles.

Fresh Strawberry Escapade
Cameron Highlands Resort is justly proud of its homemade strawberry jam, but as the Fresh Strawberry Escapade shows, they’re morethan a filling. Prized through the ages for their ability to relieve symptoms of depression, as well as the purifying effect they exert on theliver and kidneys, the highlight of this treatment is the edible Strawberry Body Polish, a mixture of yoghurt, oatmeal and strawberries
that leaves your body tingling and smelling like afternoon tea.

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ALSO TRY…
Since Balinese heritage is an exotic blend of Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and European influences, it is only fitting that treatments at
the resort pay homage to these roots. This is evident in Campur-Campur, which combines the techniques of Malay and Thai massage
with Balinese touch, tone and aromatherapy. Warm pouches of lemongrass and pandan leaves are pressed all over the body to induce
relaxation, so much so that it is not unusual to fall asleep during this treatment.

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095

It seems rather appropriate that I am watching the famous
Malaysian icon P. Ramlee singing and dancing on the
television screen on the ceiling as I am lying face up andhaving a hair care ritual (which includes washing, combing
and a scalp massage) performed on me. After all, I am at the
Spa Village Malacca, located in the new Majestic Malacca,
the very first ‘Classic’ property belonging to YTL Hotels –the luxury resort specialist and world-renowned creator ofsublime spa experiences – and the whole P. Ramlee thing
just seems to fit.

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At the Spa Village Malacca, all treatments begin with this hairritual, a nod to the region’s Peranakan heritage and inspiredby the culture’s elaborate 12-day wedding ceremony. I don’t
have much hair on my head, but I enjoy the scalp massage
very much as it readies me for the three-hour session I am
about to undergo.
I have decided to try out the establishment’s signature‘Suam-Suam Panas Experience’. Even though the pretreatment questionnaire determines I am of warm bodytype, and thus should instead opt for the ‘Shiok Shiok Sejuk
Experience (see sidebar), but the idea of being scrubbed
down with gula melaka (or palm sugar, a Malaccan culinary
staple made from the concentrated sap of coconut flowers)
is hard to resist. As they say, when in Rome… so when in
Malacca, ‘Malaccan sugar’ seems the way to go.
My experience begins with the next part of the treatment
where I find myself being gently slathered all over with amixture of honey and gula melaka. Gula melaka, apparently,
isn’t only delicious to eat, but also helps replenish vitamins
and minerals in the skin, aids in healing skin tissue and is
exceptionally good for dry skin.

Sugar
and Spiceby Eugene Ng

main & gula melaka photos chuan Looi Interior photo alvin liew

“Mmmm, I smell delicious,” I joke to my gentle, soft-spoken
therapist. She returns a smile and continues to carefully
work the slightly abrasive concoction all over my body, evensitting me up to do my back. As I lie back down, I realise just
how sticky I am. I mean, I’ve been in sticky situations before
but never this sticky.
This body scrubbing goes on for quite a while (around 45
minutes) and I find myself drifting off as I gradually submit
myself to the wills and skills of Jasephine. But even as mymind floats about in a semi-conscious state, I remember
thinking, in some deep twisted recess of my mind that any
moment now another therapist would walk in the door witha giant plate of glutinous rice, roll me around in it, and turnme into some sort of Nyonya kueh.

But I run out of time to write the next chapter of my Roald
Dahl-inspired dessert story in my head for I am woken up
and directed to the shower where I am told to wash the
mixture off my body. I’m just glad I didn’t stumble and fall
against a wall… I might still be stuck there now.
I return to the massage table, un-sticky now, and readyfor my nutmeg-rice rolling massage. The smell of nutmeg
ointment conjures memories of my grandmother and mychildhood when I used to attempt to give her back massages
using the oil. Nutmeg oil is particularly effective to reduce
aches and wind from the muscles and I have been working
hard recently.
As Jasephine begins the massage, I slowly find myself
drifting off again. The massage goes on for at least an houror so and I am lulled into a deep sense of relaxation. In fact, I
can barely remember the hair mask and facial portion of mytreatment and I jump up with a start when Jasephine gently
wakes me up and informs me that my very first three-hour
spa experience is over. “Has it really been three hours?” I
ask incredulously. She nods coyly, a small smile taking overher face and she tells me to relax by the bay window seatas she goes to get me a glass of Melaka fruit tea, another
Malacca Spa Village specialty.
A s s h e l ea d s m e
out of the therapy
room, I tell her that
I really enjoyed thisthree-hour longspa experience anda d m i t t h a t t h e rewere moments where
I didn’t even reallyknow where I was. “Ofcourse,” she laughs
gently, “you wereactually snoring.”
Undernormalcircumstances, I
m i g h t h ave b e e nembarrassed, but I
float downstairs andwalk out into theevening sun, feelingat peace with theworld and feelingalive in Malacca.

ALSO TRY…
Shiok-Shiok Sejuk Experience (Cooling)
The counterpoint to the Suam-Suam Panas Experience, this treatment is for those with a tendency to suffer from ‘heatiness’ andcomprises a Yoghurt-Guava Leaves Body Scrub, Egg Rolling Body Therapy, Limau Kasturi-Yoghurt Hair Mask and Bird’s Nest
Facial with Starfruit Mask.

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I am led to a stone bench to undergo the ritualistic Mandi
Bunga (or Malay Floral Bath) to be purified and blessed
before the treatment begins. From a large petal-laden jar
of water, my therapist scoops up the scented liquid in acontainer and gently pours it over my head, at the sametime wishing me good luck and health as part of the ritual.
Unaccustomed to bathing in cold water, I find myself
invigorated and cleansed at the impact of the water. Aftera changing into a dry sarong, we proceed to the glass-clad
treatment room that allows natural light in yet is secluded
from prying eyes outside.

FlowerPowerhelen oon

Elegant timber chalets styled after ancient Malay palaces
nestle against an endless stretch of golden sand caressed by
the South China Sea. The tranquillity is punctuated only by
the whisper of the wind rustling through the casuarinas insymphony with the soothing songs of the ocean.
This is the stuff of ancient legacy, the art of Malay healing
tradition at its best: inspiring purity of spirit and health. It iscalled ‘Sucimurni’, the philosophy of Tanjong Jara Resort inTerengganu on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

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The Spa Village, tucked away in a sequestered corner ofthe resort, is a cluster of walled-up miniature villas usedas treatment rooms for traditional Malay spa therapies.
Each villa is set within its own compact garden of herbs andflowers with a large outdoor bath used for ritualistic flower
baths post-treatment. Butterflies flutter softly in the sun
while yellow birds sing their hearts out among the overarching tree branches shading the Spa Village. A perfectsetting for a session of pampering that I owe to myself after
being frazzled by the tedious 15 hours’ journey from London
to the resort.

Sprawled face down, I surrender my body to the expert
hands of the therapist, a tiny girl with fingers of steel andthe strength of an ox. Having ascertained my preferenceof medium pressure, she begins with long kneading strokes
homing in on the muscles and joints to gently ease away
all aches. She applies the scented blend of Roselle, ginger,
nutmeg, galangal and karoteno oil, packed full of vitamins
A, C and E, to rejuvenate the body while simultaneously
nourishing the skin.
Next, I feel a cool cream being applied, a blend of Roselle,rice and coconut oil designed to exfoliate, soften and tone
the skin. The delightfully silky texture makes me tingle. The
treatment lasts a mere 100 minutes, which flies by, but how I
wish it would go on and on. Alas, all good things must cometo an end.
I float off the spa bed and walk on air to the relaxation area
where I am served a refreshing Roselle tea, its maroon tint
apparently evident of its high concentration of antioxidants.
As I sip my tea in total bliss, my jetlag evaporating as I
slowly come back down to earth, I raise my cup and toast to
paradise found. Well, as close to it as it gets.

ALSO TRY…
all photos Alvin liew

byI have booked in for the spa’s latest Asam Roselle Treatment.
The Roselle (Hibiscus Sabdariffa L) was introduced to
Malaysia from India more than three centuries ago and thespecies has thrived in the warm tropical climate ever since.
The dark red flowers – rich in vitamins, fruit acids, calcium,iron and potassium – have long been active ingredients intraditional medicine and local delicacies. It makes a delicious
drink that tastes not unlike blackcurrant juice. It benefits thekidney system, lowers blood sugar levels and has diuretic
and anti-inflammatory properties and aids in detoxifying andcleansing the body. Its natural collagen reputedly assists invitamin absorption thus contributing to anti-aging and therevitalisation of the skin.

Tuam Pasir Heated Sand Therapy (100 minutes)
A therapeutic treatment using heated sand, dry roasted in a hot frying pan, infused with fenugreek and black seeds to cure a varietyof ailments. The heated sand is packaged into a cotton pouch, which is then used as a pressure massage. The treatment is greatly
beneficial for muscular pain, varicose veins and superficial vascular disorders in addition to revitalising blood circulation and recharging
energy levels.

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‘Ice Cube’ watch with satin
straps Chopard (Starhill Gallery,+603-2148 3050/3189); Anais
pendant earrings in whitegold (as antennae) and Cinna‘Pampilles’ pendant earrings
in white gold with turquoise
Boucheron (Starhill Gallery;+603-2143 2669)

‘Sweety’ chalcedony ring (6.84ct)
surrounded by 45 diamonds (0.16ct)
and 84 black sapphire (1.34ct) and set
in white gold (7.27g) Korloff (Starhill
Gallery, +603-2141 2881); ‘Cluster’ yellow
diamond bracelet set in 18k white gold
Mondial (Starhill Gallery; +603-2144 2667)‘Goccia’ necklace featuring1014 round brilliant diamonds(36.84ct) set in 18k white gold
Facet Fire(Starhill Gallery,+603-2144 1872); Aquamarineand diamond brooch La Putri

All photos Courtesy of BLU(Starhill Gallery; +603-2144 2340)

A stunning jewellery
piece from the ‘Follow
Me’ range

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Satellite of Love

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Co-Axial
Chronograph Red Gold Collection: selfwinding chronograph, 45.5mm diameterwith semi-matte black dial, polished andbrushed 18ct red gold casebody, unidirectional rotating 18ct red gold bezel
with black aluminium ring and water
resistant up to 600m. Omega, Starhill

Gallery; +603-2144 0035

All photos Courtesy of Korloff

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blu is the Colour

blu Planet: 36mm diameter withadventurine dial, stainless steel case,domed steel, Swiss-made mechanicalautomatic winding and water resistant
up to 3 ATM. blu boutique, Starhill

Gallery; +603-2148 4328

All Along theWatchtower

Jaquet Droz Les Douze Villes(Hommage à la Chauxde-Fonds): self-winding
mechanical movement,
double barrel, 22ct white gold
oscillating weight with slate
grey and ‘guilloché’ opaline
silver centre in 18ct white goldcase and water resistant up
to 30m. Jaquet Droz, Starhill

Gallery;, +603-2143 1322

Home on the Range

Bvlgari Assioma AA48C14SLDCH:
innovative quadrangular case, brassardoise dial with satiné soleil effect,
diamond treated applied brass rhodium
plated luminescent hands, indexes andnumerals ‘12’ and ‘6’, 48mm polishedstainless steel curved case and water
resistant up to 30m. Bvlgari, Starhill

Gallery; +603-2143 2669

THE Y TL LU XURY M AG A Z INE

095

technology

Linden Lab has a different take, styling itself as a virtual
realtor, and renting out server space to real world tenants.
A basic Second Life user account is free but occupants canrent their own virtual islands from Linden for a monthly fee,using the supplied 3D tools to create anything that takes
their fancy. As creating homes and furniture takes somedesign and coding skill, an economy has sprung up to supply
users with goods, ranging from clothing for your avatar to
appliances for your home.

And universities from Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic to
MIT are establishing virtual campuses for remote access tolectures and teaching facilities. Imagine that!
Not that there aren’t potential specks on the horizon. The FBI
is said to be concerned at the possible misuse of Second Lifeand other virtual worlds by criminals and terrorists seeking
to launder money, and there are ongoing issues concerning
legal jurisdiction over in-world activities, but those issues
aside, virtual reality is here to stay.

Rather than the gameplay of
M M O R P G s , S e co n d L i fe a n d i t scompetitors – There, Active Worlds,
Habbo Hotel – are social and leisurebased. And big global brands are now
wanting a piece of the pie.
Thanks to a system for converting
US dollars to and from in-world
currency the Linden Dollar (L$), users
can hang out at coffee shops, malls,
gigs, galleries and spend their virtualmoney on anything from the latest
fashions from American Apparel tothe latest shoes from Adidas.

Actuarial
Reality

And while it’s exposure rather thanrevenue that most brands are looking
for, there is a healthy in-world economy
running at around US$8m per month.
For most operators it’s little more thanpocket money but some, like Second
Life property developer Anshe Chung,have turned it into a real world businesswith a multi-million dollar turnover andmore than 30 employees.

Tired of your life? Then enter Second Life, where virtual reality
is not just a leisurely escape into a whole new world, but has
become a booming business big brands are bursting to buy intoby Matt Armitage

But forget the holo-specs and contact suits that frequently
pop up at technology fairs. The Hollywood-inspired visionof our future will likely remain something of a curio for theforeseeable future (but has probably been mapped out by
Nintendo, judging by their enjoyably immersive Wii console).
We already have a fully functioning virtual reality and people
are making a lot of money from it.
Established at the tail end of the first Internet bubble in the late
1990s, at a time when broadband speeds were unable to keep
pace with developers’ imaginations, a site called Doobeedoobriefly became a global phenomenon. Predating MySpace108

and Facebook and the term ‘social networking’ by almost a
decade, Doobeedoo was a straightforward meeting place forpeople from across the world, consisting of instant messaging
linked to a cartoon-like avatar.

But the big money is in providing
Second Life services from the outside.
US start-ups Mediatronica and Electric
Sheep provide programming andmultimedia services to brands wishingto establish a Second Life presence,a n d a s M e d i a t ro n i ca C TO G re g
Deocampo asserts, the company does
not accept Linden Dollars.

In VR terms it was pretty basic, but its instant messaging
capabilities were years ahead of the curve, and though thesite never managed to turn its traffic into a profitable trail,
its influence still echoes in everything from MSN Messenger
to AOL’s IM functionality. More importantly, current online
worlds like the popular Second Life have adopted the avatarled social interactivity of Doobeedoo and placed it into thekind of 3D online framework familiar to players of Massively
Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG).
From World of Warcraft to Everquest, MMORPGs have amassive following and while character points and virtual
objects can be traded for real world cash on Ebay, they havea simple revenue model: you pay a subscription fee to thecompany that operates the game. Second Life operator
T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGAZ I NE

Photo corbis

Since the mid-1990s, virtual reality (VR) has been touted
as the next big technological breakthrough, an assumptionthat TV and movies have been force-feeding us ever since.
Star Trek had its holo-decks for a quick holiday from thealienation of life in deep space, while The Matrix revolved
around the concept of an enslaved human population living‘real’ lives in a mental cyberspace.

For corporations like IBM, which has
the largest presence in Second Life,the environment has become a testing
ground for its next generation businesspractices, allowing the company
to hold conferences, meetings andworkshops that allow participants tointeract without incurring the cost or
inconvenience of leaving their desks.
T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

109

Cool Bananas Mobile phones say something very
definite about us as individuals: busy professionals clutch
pocket PCs and smartphones, tethered to their ability to bringorganisation to a chaotic schedule. So-called fashion phones
are less serious, indicating the user has either opted out ofor is not yet ready to join the rat race. In between the two
there are dozens of permutations containing combinations ofcamera, camcorder, music player and web browser. As well as
making phone calls.
So, what of the humble landline? Traditionally home phones
have been ugly, functional items for which we try to finda place that’s accessible and unobtrusive. And while thefunctionality of mobile phones has seen them develop intomini-computers in the space of a decade, our desks andsideboards are still dominated by a machine whose biggest
evolution in 100 years has been to go wireless.
Until the BeoCom 2, that is. Bang & Olufsen’s typicallymodernist reinvention of the genre blurs the line between
ear trumpet and sculpture. Not a word usually associated:on Review B&O BeoCom 2with the genre, the BeoCom 2 is crafted from a single pieceof aluminium, its cylindrical shape ergonomically contoured
to both the hand and the head. Yes, it slightly resembles
a banana, but a banana you can see being used as thecentrepiece of a particularly minimalist living room.
Its wireless DECT circuitry is boosted by Bang & Olufsen’s
trademark sonic wizardry, leaving incoming voices crisp andnatural sounding and transmitting your voice with perfectclarity. A natural complement to B&O’s range of home theatre
and sound systems, the BeoCom 2’s killer app is that you canuse it to adjust the volume of any adjacent B&O AV gear andstop the kids from drowning out your calls with Spongebob.
Compliance with PSTPN and ISDN telephone systems means
it’s also compatible with the Internet Telephony protocols now
common in many office-based systems and with up to eight
handsets supported by a single base station, the phone also
serves as an intercom system. Though quite why you’d letanyone else have one is beyond us; we’d keep it to ourselves.

B&O, Starhill Gallery, KL; www.bang-olufsen.com

Exceptional Vertu The

touch Me Again Applehas once again reinvented its iPod
touch as a PDA. While wowed by its
web-browsing abilities, we were alittle let down by the lack of a mailapp and its limited PIM functionality,
especially as Apple was somethingof a trailblazer in the area with thenot-so-successful Newton’s in the
1990s. Not any more. The latest
models all come with Mac Mail andNotes as well as revamped Contacts
and Calendar apps and some handy
widgets that access Google Mapsand track your stocks. And with theflagship model boasting a 32GB
Flash Memory, the touch has justbecome king of the PIMs. Apple

products are available at Machines,
Lot 10, Jln Bukit Bintang, KL;
www.apple.com

T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGAZ I NE

T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

thing about Nokia’s bespoke Vertu range
is that there’s no possible argumentfor needing one. They exist simply for
those who want ridiculously refinedand stylish objects. The 3G Ascent Ti is
no exception, and if anything is rather
subdued compared to its bejewelledcatalogue mates. Hewn from titanium,
with sapphire glass protecting against
scratches on the screen, camera lensand flash, the 3G Ascent Ti also has an‘ear pillow’ (the bit where the speakeris) for more listening comfort, and ismade from space rocket grade ceramics,
not to mention its hand-tooled leather
reverse. With 4GB of onboard memory
and world phone voice and data
functionality, it’s a rugged and desirable
business phone. The real clincher
though is the phone’s data protection
system. Wherever you are in the world,
the Vertu Fortress system will wirelessly
back-up your entire calendar andcontact info to a secure storage facility
in an ex-military underground bunker in
the UK. Vertu at Swiss Union Fine Watch,

Starhill Gallery, KL; www.vertu.com

Pocket Envy As a kid,
bigger was always better; and backthen, he who had anything morethan a four-blade Swiss Army
Knife was king of the class. As anadult you realise that engineeringand function are more important,especially given that you’ll rarely
need that awl or tool for looseningstones from a horse’s hooves. With
the sleek, minimal form that is
the hallmark of Porsche’s famed
Design Studios, the P’3714 Pocket
Knife features a locking screwdriverthat won’t snap back on yourfingers, scissors with ‘micro-teeth’,corkscrew and tin opener housed
in a sleek ruthenium casing. And
marking the fact that you’re reallygrown-up? Its most used tool
will probably end up being the
integrated cigar cutter. Porsche
Design, Starhill Gallery, KL; www.
porsche-design.com

111

design & architecture

A Phare to
Remember

Nobody at Home If you were todrape a cloth over a chair, and somehow
freeze that cloth then take the chairaway from underneath it, you would get
the Nobody chair. Designed by Danish
firm Komplot for HAY, the Nobody chairreferences the “shadow” of a chair. It is
produced in one single process, the thermopressing of the polymer fibre used (PET
felt mat) without the need for a frame. No
additives the likes of glue or resin, not evenscrews or other reinforcements were usedin the design. The chair is very light andstackable, its material is 100% recyclable
and its design is already the recipient ofseveral “Best of” awards. Not bad for a
nobody. www.komplot.dk or www.hay.dk

Innovative and dynamic, the Phare Tower will not only change
the Paris skyline in 2012, it will also be a new take on thepractice of modern structures responding to their geography
and environment Abdul Aziz Draim
bySelected from a pool of 10 international architects, Santa
Monica-based Morphosis delivered a winning designthat is informed by a commitment to sustainability andurban connectivity. The project’s programme, design andengineering are integrated into an innovative vision for a
21st century tower that sees a sinuous and sensuous form
emerging confidently from its site.
Phare Tower follows a scheme that synthesises La Défense’s
disparate programmatic, physical and infrastructuralelements through a series of adroitly scaled spaces to bringcoherency, vibrancy and a sense of place to the area. With
every intention not to create an autonomous and isolatedbuilding, the designers developed a hybrid structure wherecirculation is meant to flow smoothly from the grade transit
hub below, through the CNIT (Center of New Industries
and Technologies) and into public spaces. Glass-enclosed
112

escalators transport visitors from the CNIT connector up
to Phare Tower’s impressive 60m high lobby, itself a publicplaza in the air.
As smart as it is beautiful, the building is also designed to
produce a sustainable architectural performance. Both its
form and orientation respond effectively to the path of thesun. While the flat, clear-glazed north façade maximises on
the interior exposures to year-round natural daylight, thesouthern exterior, with its curvilinear, double-skin surface,minimises heat gain and glare. Functioning at all times,
this double-skin capitalises on energy efficiency to bringincreased daylight and natural ventilation into the workspace,creating an environment of great comfort and quality.
Additionally, a wind farm located at the topmost level of Phare
Tower works to power the building’s natural ventilation systemthrough the use of clean, alternative energy. This system
cools the building for a whole six months without having torely on external or supplemental energy sources. A dynamic
structure, Phare Tower is optimistic and sublime, responding
to the needs of its geography and environment with a highly
innovative take on structure and performance.

www.morphosis.net
T H E Y T L LU XURY M AGA ZI NE

www.anglepoise.com

Kids’ Play Yves Behar’s XO Laptop for non-profit organisations,
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), is putting other laptops to shame.
Designed as an educational tool specifically for school-aged children indeveloping countries, the XO OLPC is robust, high touch and expressive.
Protected from dust by the Nigerian green bumper surrounding it,
the XO is opened by releasing the dual latches on its side, latches
that also function as antennas and covers for the laptop’s USB ports.
Revolutionary in design, unlike other laptops the motherboard for the
XO is placed behind the screen, not underneath the keyboard. The
screen is attached to a 180-degree swivel, allowing the XO to function inthree different modes: laptop, e-book or gaming mode. Plus, the laptop
is roughly the size of a textbook and no heavier than a lunchbox. All thisand more at only US$100 with no compromise on technology, softwareor even style. Apple, eat your heart out. www.fuseproject.com

renderings and line drawing unibail-morphosis

Fluid yet arrestingly strong, the Phare Tower stretches tothe sky like an architectural beacon that signals the vibrantprogress of the redevelopment of the La Défense business
district just outside of Paris. Scheduled for completion in2012, the 68-storey office tower measures 300m in heightand covers 175,000 gross square metres of floor space.

Fun begins at Fifty Not toolong ago, traditional draughtsmen would
rely on Anglepoise® lamps to help shine
some light on their work. But since thedawn of computer software, the pen
and paper and the use of lamps, havesomewhat become redundant. Which is
why the brand has launched Anglepoise®
play, a range of fun Anglepoise®
products designed especially for ayounger crowd. Its latest offering is theAnglepoise® Fifty™, a quirky little design
by Anthony Dickens. Fifty pays homage
to the original 1932 Anglepoise®, now
frozen at a fifty-degree angle and madeto look like a playful archaeological relic.
Playful enough even to keep you fromgetting bent out of shape about work.

TH E Y TL LU XURY M AG AZI NE

113

wine

a life inwines

Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) Francis Yeoh describes the relationshiphe has cultivated with the chateau mouton-rothschildover the years and how drinking and collecting finewines has become a passion
by Niuh Jit Aun

text edited by yung ro han

photography by leon

Wine has a habit of intertwining itself
with human lives and stories. It has an
unavoidable cultural presence: ranging
from the Passover to the Eucharist;from Ancient Greece, where libationsof wine were poured onto graves as asign of mourning; to America, where
there is a tradition of buying a case ofwine from a baby’s birth year and thengiving it to them on their 21st birthday.
A similar practice is to be found in
olden day China – where parents used
to keep jars of rice wine undergroundupon the birth of their child, usuallya male heir. The wine was to be drunkon the day of their child’s wedding andensured that no matter how poor theywere, they would at least have a goodwine to drink at the wedding.

near as impressive as his hoard of Mouton-Rothschild in thecellar of Shook! – a fine dining establishment at the Starhill
Gallery. This restaurant features a stylish and modern open
concept with its four open kitchens whipping up a choice ofthe finest Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Western cuisines.
The Mouton-Rothschild collection at Shook! is a verticalcollection – which, for the uninitiated, means a collectionof consecutive vintages from a single estate in both large
format (i.e. 1.5l Magnums) and normal size (0.75l) bottles.
The Shook! collection ranges from 1945-2002 and wasbought in its entirety at an auction. Apparently the wine
cost more than it did to set up the restaurant itself.
The story of the Tan Sri’s relationship with the MoutonRothschild is as good an example as you will find of the way
wine can become intertwined with the narrative of a person’slife. When he first started off in the construction industry,
the Tan Sri drank a range of wines and with little attention
to quality.

Since then, the Tan Sri has devoted much of his winecollecting energy on the Mouton-Rothschild. According tohim, “buying good wine today is like buying art”. And thisis especially appropriate for the Mouton-Rothschild, given
the close relationship that this chateau has with art. The
labels on their wine bottles feature specially commissioned
paintings by artists, including some of the greatest of the20th century: Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky,
Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, and many others. Even PrinceCharles has been roped in to paint one of their labels (the2004 vintage).
For the Tan Sri, collecting is about much more than justbuying and drinking. He goes for a more holistic approach.
Consequently, he immerses himself in the art of wine-making
and he takes tours of distinguished vineyards to learn about

Apparently, the Mouton-Rothschildcollection at Shook! cost more than it
did to set up the restaurant itself“Back then, I thought all wines were the same and the reason
was you would look at the menu from right to left; first you
look at the price, and then you look at the wine,” he laughs.
“In any case, those wines were all house pouring brands
anyway. You only remembered the price (of the wine), and it
was cheap, and it didn’t taste that great.”Thus when he first encountered the 1982 Chateau MoutonRothschild, it was a revelation. Here was a wine that reallymade him understand the meaning of the word ‘vintage’.
The year 1982, of course, was already significant to the Tan

the finer points of viticulture and oenology.
His advice to budding wine collectors? “Have fun doing it.
Immerse yourself in the whole process and buy the best you
can afford. After all, life’s too short to drink bad wine.”
Presumably, though, it’s also best not to force your children
to drink those wines on their weddings. They’ve got theirown children to think about, after all.

Shook! is located at Starhill Gallery; +603-2719 8535/6

ALSO TRY…
There are many iconic world producers of red wines; but the five first growths (premier grand cru)of Bordeaux – Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild,
Chateau Latour and Chateau Margaux – are consistently the most sought after by wine connoisseurs.

Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) Francis Yeoh, the man
who heads the billion-dollar enterprisethat is YTL Corporation, jests that hetoo would like to keep up with thistradition by celebrating his children’s
weddings with great vintages from his
own wine collection. But he fears that“because the wines are so preciousand expensive, [my children] will betelling the same story and passing it on
to their own children… so no one will
actually ever get to drink it!”

Chateau Mouton-Rothschild is the exception among the first growths in that it was not originallyclassified as a first growth in 1855 when the classification began but was elevated to first growth
status in 1973 by Jacques Chirac, France’s then Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
after determined lobbying by Mouton-Rothschild’s then owner, Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild is currently owned by Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and has over
200 acres under cultivation. Its First Wine, or Grand Vin, is typically 80% Cabernet Sauvignon,
10% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot but this composition may vary slightly
depending on vintage. A few of the vintages considered ‘great’ for Chateau Mouton-Rothschild are
1945, 1953, 1959, 1982, 1986 and 2000.

This would be a shame, especially if the
Tan Sri’s private collection is anywhere
THE YTL LU XURY M AG A Z I NE

Sri because this was the year that he got married to the late
Puan Sri Rosaline Yeoh. “You see, when you have a vintage
marriage, God blesses you with vintage wine.”

THE YTL LU XURY M AG AZ I NE

115

dining

Come Dine
with Me

Bespoke automobiles, bespoke tailoring, bespoke beauty
treatments. Now, ytl hotels brings the concept of bespoke dining
ytl hotels
into its world of luxury Lena Ngby

all photos

Intimacy is the orderof the day at the Spa
Village Pangkor LautSpa HutRomance is in thecool air of Cameron
Highlands Resort with
yet another luxury
dining location

Romantic andprivate beach dining
experiences can befound at Pangkor
Laut Resort (picturedhere) and Tanjong
Jara Resort

Pangkor Laut Resort andits sister Pangkor Laut
Estates. offers exclusive
dining options, with evena 24-hour butler service
to cater to your every
culinary whim

The rolling tea hills of
Cameron Highlands
provide a dramatic
backdrop for a spotof afternoon tea

118

THE YT L LU XU RY M AGAZ I NE

THE YTL LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

119

Is there really such a thing as originality? Or is all art
merely the sum of what came before? Yung Ro han

books

Stealing Beautyby

15 Minutes

with… Kevin Cape

Westlife: Paragonof plagarism

YTL Hotel’s Corporate Executive Chef talks finedining, healthy eating and how Malaysian foodwill one day rule the world Lena Ng‘Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal’ said TS Eliot,
author of that most celebrated of literary Frankensteins: The
Waste Land. This poem was all about the stitching togetherof scraps of old stuff: a quotation from The Divine Comedy
here, a chant from The Upanishads there. There were tracesof original content, but they were only flitting. For the mostpart, Eliot simply paraded his lack of newness.

by

120

How does healthy food tie in with fine dining?
The global food trend toward healthy food is wonderful.
It means eating closer to nature; using the freshest
ingredients and the most natural preparation methods. Fine
dining and healthy food are absolutely synonymous today.

So how do you periodically mix things up withfood trends? Not periodically, all the time! I don’t believe
in letting things stagnate. I think you just have to be constantly
aware of what’s going on. Take the whole trend in fresh food,for example. I always use the best of fresh ingredients. And
more and more people are becoming increasingly aware ofwhat they are eating.

What do you think about the local food scene
here? The local food scene is absolutely vibrant. Malaysian
cuisine is so wonderfully diverse and offers so many
opportunities. I believe that Malaysian food is a secret waiting
to be discovered by the world. Just as Thai cuisine has. And
I believe that our YTL restaurants will be a driving force inbringing this secret to an international audience.
THE YT L LU XU RY M AGAZ I NE

Eliot was not the first, nor was he the last, to grapple with thissense of belatedness. Ever since the Romantics at the turn of
the 19th century, literary artists have been admitting to theparalyzing fear that all the best stories have already been told
and that all the best phrases have already been used. All thatwas left to do was to make inferior copies.

Photo corbis

What sparked your interest in food from thispart of the world? I was very much classically trained,
so I spent a long time doing French cooking. But I havealways had an interest in Asia and I love creating interestingcombinations. I take Asian food and put a little twist on it –looking for fresh, interesting new ways of doing things.

what about vegetarians? Well, I actually tell mystaff to really look at vegetables as major ingredients. Like a
tomato, which can be very nicely cooked. Slow roast it for 10hours, put it in some filo and bake it. It comes out pure andlovely. I actually like vegetarian food in Asia where there isa great heritage of vegetarian cuisine. In certain parts of theworld, vegetarian food is considered boring, but I believe thatwith a little imagination one can create true delights without
having to use meat.

The paradox is that for much of the last 100 years The Waste
Land (1922) has been touted as being one of the most originalpieces of work ever produced. The poem’s very originality,
you see, resided in its questioning of whether originality waseven possible: whether anything could ever be ‘new’.

photo leon

With over 35 years of culinary experience, Kevin Cape is a
man who comes up with great food ideas on the spot. He was
the first British Executive Sous Chef at the famed Connaught
Hotel and long-time Executive Chef on the Eastern & Orient
Express between Singapore and Bangkok. Kevin has worked
in some of the best places around the world, and here in KL as
YTL’s Corporate Executive Chef, the energetic Brit is always
keen to talk about his love of food.

But should originality really be rated as an artistic meritin its own right? The first thing to consider is that pureunadulterated originality would be nothing but gibberish:
you would not be able to understand something if it had noconnection with previous experience. Secondly, human beings
tend to find considerable aesthetic pleasure in repetition:
just look at the five-year-old who demands to hear the same
bedtime story every night. Examples are even more rife in
THE YTL LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

music: how many will have realisedthat the main contributing factor tothe catchiness of Sean Kingston’s
recent hit ‘Beautiful Girls’ is that it
shares the same bass line as Ben E.
King’s ‘Stand By Me’ (1966)?
As it is, it can be hard to think of a time when recycling wasn’t
the main mode of literary production. At the fountainhead ofWestern Literature, we find Homer who was less an individual
genius, and more a master collator. Shakespeare was aninveterate pilferer and Chaucer shamelessly translated
popular French tales without attributing them. In more recent
years, James Joyce transposed Homer’s Odyssey to 1920s
Dublin in his Ulysses; while Angela Carter teased out theinherent sensuality of fairytales like Red Riding Hood in her
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (1979).
Not that all these examples of recycling should be taken as
license for plagiarism. For instance, there is a big difference
between, on the one hand, Jimi Hendrix’s intense reworkingof Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower and, on the other,
Westlife’s carbon copy of Michael Bublé’s Home (itself, hardly
a work of stunning individuality). No one is impressed by aNatasha Hudson, supposed model-turned-poet, who stole
directly from Roger McGough; but a whole world fell prostrate
before a JK Rowling who served up a mish-mash of Celtic
and Classical myths in her Harry Potter books. It’s all about
whether you can get away with stealing.
121

The independent filmmaker making difficult, morally complex,
offbeat movies is finally enjoying a renaissance among moremainstream audiences Matt Armitage

Tartan titles to look out for:I’m A Cyborg (a.k.a. Sainogujiman Kwenchana)Affecting and whimsical comedy from South Korea about
the unfolding love affair between two patients at a mental
hospital. Starring Asian superstar singer Rain and winner ofawards at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival

by

The 1970s is regarded as something of a golden age forfilmmaking. Talented writers and directors like Martin
Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Peter Bogdanovichchallenged a studio system hooked on blockbusters andcheesy exploitation flicks and built up a body of work that
included movies like Apocalypse Now, The Conversation,
Taxi Driver and The Last Picture Show, all intelligent, wellscripted and well-crafted movies that tackled difficult or
offbeat subjects but still appealed to mainstream audiences.
However, when Michael Cimono’s Heaven’s Gate essentiallybankrupted venerated studio United Artists in 1980, theauteur was effectively brushed aside, replaced by superstar
producers like Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, andthe 1980s became known as the decade of so-called highconcept movies like Top Gun or franchises like Die Hard
whose premises could be summed up in a single line.

Paranoid Park
Gus Van Sant’s 2007 Cannes winning Paranoid Park carries
on the director’s obsession with the lives of troubled teens.
Tense and unforgiving, the movie tells the story of Alex andthe circumstances that lead to him killing a security guard.
Shot in a gritty, non-sequential narrative style.

And that legacy has largely dominated the cinema
experience ever since. Look at last year’s big earners: someof 2007’s highest grossing films included a picture inspiredby a toy (Transformers), an amusement park ride (Piratesof the Caribbean: At World’s End), not to mention a raft ofvideo-game titles like Tomb Raider, Resident Evil and Hitman
making the switch from console to celluloid.

The Phantom Carriage (a.k.a. Körkarlen)
Victor Sjöström’s 1922 silent film is notable for being one of
the first pictures filmed in colour, as well as being hailed asa forerunner of today’s horror genre. This updated edition isissued with a brand new score from US underground ambient
rockers Sunn O.

But there are signs that the high concept is grinding to a
halt. Partly due to the risk factor of investing hundreds ofmillions of dollars on special effects at a time when cinema
audience figures are tailing off, and partly due to the waningof public interest for these vapid studio vehicles.

Festival Season

If anything, 2007 gave strong signs that indie directors havefinally crossed over to the mainstream. Despite the trend ofmajor stars taking on roles in indie flicks a few years ago,the films themselves rarely crossed over from the film fest
ghetto with their attendant cult viewing figures.

World cinematic events not tobe missed

Finest Tartan
While Hollywood may be experiencing something of arenaissance in auteur filmmaking, the last two decades haveseen a thriving market in foreign-language, art and indie
movies emerge. Liberated from the financially catastrophic
art house circuit by the emergence of DVD and on-demand
cable transmissions, it has extended the life of small
productions and allowed word of mouth to turn them into
the kind of cult or sleeper hits that allow a movie to recoup
its costs or even turn a small profit.

Now, multiplex billboards read like those very festivals. In
recent months we’ve had Jason Reitman’s (Thank You For
Smoking) sleeper-hit Juno and David Fincher’s (Fight Club,
Se7en) lengthy exploration of the Zodiac serial killer myth,
Zodiac, all performing strongly in a mainstream market.
But it’s the film titles themselves that are the biggest
indications of a change in public tastes. It’s unthinkablethat even two years ago a major studio would have released
The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward RobertFord, especially when the film’s writer-director Andrew
Dominik had only one other film to his name, the low-budget
Australian production Chopper (2000).

Leading the pack is Tartan Video, a UK based distributor
that specialises in European and Asian cinema. As well as
reissuing classics like Ingmar Bergman’s philosophical taleof a knight who plays chess against the Grim Reaper, The
Seventh Seal, and ensuring they remain part of the popular
consciousness for future generations, the company iscertainly partially responsible for current levels of interest in
Asian directors through its Asia Extreme offshoot, includingSouth Korea’s Chan-wook Park (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance),
Hong Kong’s Wong Kar-Wai and John Woo, whose Hard
Boiled franchise enabled actor Chow Yun Fatt to become aninternational star.

Now, cinemas are full of them. No Country For Old Men
by Fargo directors Joel and Ethan Coen, and Paul Thomas
Anderson’s (Boogie Nights) There Will Be Blood, to namebut two. But more than the SAG, BAFTA and Oscar award
nominations these films are picking up, the viewing public isshowing its support for these dark, morally complex movies
while the high concept blockbusters play in the next hall toempty seats.

Martin Scorcese:master ofchallenging the
big studio system

Which still doesn’t quite explain why so many of us rushed
out to see Die Hard 4.0 (a.k.a. Live Free or Die Hard) in its
first week of release.
T H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGAZ I NE

Photo corbis

film

Auteur Worldly

Bale. Not to mention Paul Verhoeven’s exploration of Second
World War Holland, Black Book. www.tartanvideo.com

In recent years it has also released some of the mostcelebrated and sometimes controversial independents
movies including Sundance winner The Woodsman and Brad
Anderson’s The Machinist, featuring an emaciated ChristianT H E Y T L LU XU RY M AGA Z I NE

Bucharest International Film
Festival (April 14-20)
Now in its fourth year, the festival
reflects the growing influence ofRomanian cinema on movements
in Europe. Concentrating on new
European films and directors, thefestival is quickly establishing itself as one of European
cinema’s landmark occasions. www.b-estfilmfest.com
Roger Ebert’s Overlooked Film Festival (April 23-27)
Now in it’s 10th year in the not so-exotic Champaign, Illinois,
leading US film critic Roger Ebert founded this five day
spectacular as an attempt to bring some much needed attention
to movies and genres that fall outside the Hollywood machine.
www.ebertfest.com
Barcelona Asian Film Festival (April
27 – May 6)
Barcelona, with its bustling street culture, isan ideal location for an Asian film festival thatplaces as much emphasis on animé and shorts
as on the work of new and celebrated Asianfilmmakers. www.baff-bcn.org
Cannes International Film Festival (May 14-25)
The biggest date on the movie calendar, France’s Cannes IFF
is an explosion of big stars, directors and the year’s top movies.
As famous for its parties, fashion and paparazzi, the festival
is unparalleled in its ability to make or break new films. www.
festival-cannes.org

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art

For
Nature’s
SakeRiver of Dreams

A new watercolour exhibition explores the relationshipbetween humans and the mighty Mekong River Sam Yen
byFollow a river, and you’ll
find the ocean. Follow ariver, and you’ll also findan ocean of history – asilent chronicle of humancivilisations as they ebb
and flow. It is hard to
imagine Paris without the
Seine, New York without
the Hudson or London without the Thames.
Running from the lofty Tibetan plateaus through sevencountries, before giving way to the fertile Mekong Delta, theMekong River houses some 18 million people on its banks.
Derived from the local Tai language for ‘the mother of allrivers’, a further 90 million people rely on the river, either
through its 1,200 endemic species of fish or its irrigation ofvast tracts of rice fields.
Malaysian artist Chan Fee Ming, born in Dungun, Terengganu,
has a special relationship with the Mekong. The self-taught
artist first met the great river in the early 80s, as part of asojourn to north-east Thailand, where he immediately fell inlove with the rich traditions of the Thai and Lao tribes of thearea. His interest piqued by the fascinating old kingdoms ofyore and the rustic cultures that have developed along theriver’s banks, Chan began a decade-long journey to chart124

the Mekong’s course, moving from the more familiar tropical
downstream to the river’s origins in the rugged highlands ofYunnan and snowy Tibet, all while capturing the scenes hesaw in his trademark watercolour style.

Continuing a
tradition thatbegan in 2003
with the ‘Games
People Play’exhibition, the
6th annual
Art for Nature
exhibition in May
is scheduled topose questions on
the subject of thedelicate balance
between ecologicalconservation andeconomic growth.
Sponsored by
Hijjas Kasturi
Associates, withproceeds goingtowards supporting WWF Malaysia’s nature conservation efforts,the ‘Shifting Boundaries’ exhibition will feature the talents ofartists such as Abdul Multhalib Musa, Ahmad Shukri Mohamed,
Bayu Utomo, Chang Yoong Chia and Chong Siew Ying. May 18

to June 1, 2008, at the Rimbun Dahan Gallery, Kilometer 27, Jalan
Kuang, Kuang, Selangor; +603-6038 3690, angela@rimbundahan.org
or www.rimbundahan.org

Less quaint landscapes and more personal portraits of a
traditional lifestyle under threat, Chan’s painted observationsof the people spawned by the Mekong forms the subject ofhis ‘Mekong: Exploring the Source’ exhibition - his second
showcase dedicated to the region. Moving from the lowlandsof Vietnam to the Guangxi highlands, Chan sees each of his
paintings as short stories, Polaroids that capture momentsof everyday life that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Chan is also currently working on producing two pieces forthe upcoming Beijing Art Fair in April, as well as tackling a
subject closer to heart – the ‘lost’ kingdom of Langkasuka
in Terengganu and Kelantan. However, the Mekong remains
a subject that the painter finds himself returning to over
and over again, captivated by the poignant relationshipbetween Mekong and man; a relationship that he hopes will
spark some appreciation, even if only just a little, from thoseviewing the paintings.

March 6 to April 5 2008, at the Valentine Willie Fine Art
Gallery, 1st Floor, 17, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, KL; +6032284-2348, email info@vwfa.net or visit www.vwfa.net
T H E Y T L LU XU RY MAGA Z I NE

Body to Soul Ludwig Wittgenstein, theAustrian philosopher, once commented that “thehuman body is possibly the best picture of thehuman soul”. Peer at exquisite renderings ofthe human figure by some of Malaysia’s leading
artists, including Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, Hamidi
Hadi, Hamir Soib, Jolly Koh, Ching Kong Yee, Kim
Ng, Chong Choon Woon, Marvin Chan and Zulkifli
Yusoff; and you might be allowed a glimpse into
the tragically complicated human psyche at thethird instalment of the ‘Mind, Body and Soul’exhibition, or ‘MBS III’. Activities relating to thepractice of life-drawing will also take place overthe course of the exhibition. April 7 to 25, 2008, atthe Wei-Ling Gallery, No. 8, Jalan Scott, Brickfields,
KL; +603-2260 1106/7, weiling@weiling-gallery.com
or www.weiling-gallery.com

Ich Bin In Berlin Throw 10 international photographer guests of the German Foreign Office and the Goethe Institutein Berlin for 10 days and creative juices will flow copiously, resulting in this spontaneously planned exhibition. Entitled ‘Out
of Berlin… passthephoto’, this “photographic chain mail from around the world” brings together scenes of Berlin, from thelanguid to the serene and the poignant, as seen through the eyes of 50 photographers, including Beat Presser (Switzerland),
Mandy Lee Jandrall (South Africa), Gilbert Hage (Lebanon) and Malaysia’s own Alex Moh, who acted as the curator andorganiser of the exhibition. March 17 to April 27, 2008, at The Annexe@Central Market, Jalan Hang Kasturi, KL; +603-2142 2011, passthepicture@gmail.com or www.centralmarket-kl.com.my

TH E Y TL LU XU RY MAG A Z I NE

125

ytl Hotels | The Estates at Pangkor
Lautytl Hotels | Pangkor Laut Resort

Voted the world’s best resort, multiple
award-winning Pangkor Laut Resort
promises the privileged visitor
an experience of exclusivity andelegance. Its home is the private
island of Pangkor Laut, blessedwith pristine beaches bathed in thewaters of the Straits of Malacca.
The accommodation is luxuriously
appointed and the resort boasts
unparalleled hospitality and attention
to detail. On the gastronomic front,
guests can enjoy a wide range of
cuisine, whether dining at the new
Feast Village at Fisherman’s Coveor by the sea. Add the tropicalsun, luxurious surroundings andthe services of the Resort’s worldrenowned Spa Village – which
combines the healing arts of India,
China and Malaysia – and it is
no wonder that this is the choice
holiday destination for internationalcelebrities and the most discerningof holidaymakers. Tel: +603-2783
1000; www.pangkorlautresort.com

Intimate Experiences
Enjoy leisurely sunset excursions thatprovide the perfect setting for a romantic
evening. Cruise around the island on
board the Resort’s large traditional‘tongkang’-style teakwood boat which
will anchor at Emerald Bay where you
will witness one of the world’s mostbeautiful sunsets. From there the Captainwill sail off to a quiet cove where you’ll
be served a delicious four-course dinner
at a table set only for you.

In a small secluded cove near
Pangkor Laut Resort rest the eight
wonders that make up The Estates.
Each of these individually crafted
enclaves is reminiscent of the
traditional South-East Asian way ofliving of days gone by, when an‘estate’ was made up of a number of
special purpose buildings scatteredamidst gardens of astounding beauty.
Comprising either two, three orfour bedrooms, each Estate offersa private infinity-edge pool, as well
as discreet living, dining, bathing
and sleeping pavilions in various
adaptations of Malay architectural
traditions. There is also a private
vehicle and driver assigned to each
Estate should guests decide to leave
the seclusion of their villa to dine in
one of the Resort’s restaurants or togo for a treatment at the Spa Village.
The Estates is truly the perfect luxury
hideaway. Tel: +603-2783 1000;
www.pangkorlautresort.com/estates/

Emerald Bay
A centrepiece of the Resort is themagnificent Emerald Bay, consideredby many independent international
travel consultants as one of the mostbeautiful beaches in the world. Herethe beach is kept as pristine andnatural as possible. This intimate
bay remains as it has been foreons, providing the perfect place
for swimming, sunbathing or simply
spending time together.

Rainforest Revelations
There are three jungle treks through therainforest that are accompanied by ourexperienced resident naturalist. The
walks are free of charge and offer afascinating insight into the spectacularvirgin rainforest that is estimated to beover 2 million years old. Some of theinteresting wildlife you may spot on theisland includes crab-eating macaquemonkeys, tropical monitor lizards andyellow pied hornbills.

Privileged Tranquillity
Reflecting a South-East Asian aesthetic,
each villa at the Estates offers complete
privacy to its privileged guests and iscrafted to provide refined eleganceand luxurious comfort. Polished tropical
hardwood floors are accented by
textured fabrics that add warmth to theelegant bedrooms with their podium
beds; bathrooms and vanity areas are
wonderfully spacious, and crafted withfine attention to detail.

Integrated into the Environment
Each and every individual Estate is aunique experience - tailored to blend
comfortably and stylishly into its naturalenvironment. In fact, the entire Resort
was built with integration in mind,
so that it not only blends in with theenvironment, but actually becomespart of it. A variety of wildlife roam
the area so don’t be surprised to findyourself dining with a peacock or
waking up to the call of monkeys.

Sterling Service
Every Estate is assigned an EstateManager, at least two dedicatedattendants and a Chef, all of whom
will aid in unobtrusively addressing
and coordinating every aspect of each
guest’s tenancy. During meal times,
guests can give specific instructions, orbe as adventurous as they want, as all
our chefs’ culinary skills span a wide
range of both local Asian specialties
and Western cuisine.

ytl Hotels | Tanjong Jara Resort

ytl Hotels | Cameron Highlands Resort

An evocation of the elegance andgrandeur of 17th century Malay
palaces, Tanjong Jara Resort is the
only luxury resort that sits along
Malaysia’s beautiful East Coast
beaches. Built on a 17-hectaresite that blends in with its natural
surroundings, the 99-room Resort isan embodiment of the gentle Malay
arts of service and hospitality. Witha philosophy based on the conceptof ‘Sucimurni’ (which emphasises
purity of spirit, health and wellbeing), Tanjong Jara is the perfectplace to escape and rejuvenate. The
Resort offers four different luxurious
accommodation options, eachcommanding stunning views of theSouth China Sea and appointed
in a fashion fit for a Malay king.
Tanjong Jara is surrounded bysleepy fishing villages, shadedby coconut palms, alongside ameandering river teeming withwildlife – providing guests with anauthentic taste of the region’s spirit
and culture. Tel: +603-2783 1000;
www.tanjungjararesort.com

The World’s Most Innovative Spa
The Spa Village Tanjong Jara wasrecently awarded ‘The World’s Most
Innovative Spa’ by UK’s Tatler Spa
Awards, a testament to the uniquenature of the Malay healing culture
found only on the east coast of
Malaysia. Ancient Malay healing
traditions are honoured through thesignature Asam Roselle, ‘Panglima –Warrior Massage’ and ‘Syurga Tujuh– Seven Steps to Heaven’ treatments.

Set amidst tea plantations and rolling
hills, this tranquil boutique hideaway
promises visitors all the splendour,romance and nostalgia of Cameron
Highlands’ grand colonial heritage.
Cameron Highlands is Malaysia’s
largest hill resort and is the only placein this tropical country where you canfind tea plantations and strawberries,
while enjoying a temperate climate.
Largely unchanged since its colonial
heyday, this ‘little corner of Englandin Asia’ is still dotted with Tudorstyle cottages and is a place wherescones and afternoon tea will notseem out of place. The Resort itself
is representative of all this: withtall French doors, timber-beamed
ceilings, plantation shutters and evena fireplace adding old-world charmto the surroundings. It also houses
a Spa Village as well as an 18hole golf course and 56 luxuriously
appointed rooms and suites which
weave in the wondrous colours andtextures of Jim Thompson’s famed
Asian silks. Tel: +603-2783 1000;
www.cameronhighlandsresort.com

Diving off a secluded Island
Just off the Resort, approximately
45 minutes by speedboat is Tenggol
Island which is part of the fabulous
Terengganu Marine Park. Famed for
its untouched coral gardens and rare
species of marine life, it has over 20
dive spots for both the beginner andexperienced diver. The Resort alsooffers its guests the chance to gain their
PADI Open Water Diver licence whileon holiday.

A Unique Cooking School
Culture is an integral part of the Tanjong
Jara Resort experience, and one unique
way in which this manifests itself isthrough its cooking school. Guests
can enjoy cooking lessons which will
introduce them to the culinary arts of the
Malay, Chinese and Indian residents of
the Malaysian archipelago. Malaysian
cuisine is an adventure of flavours andthe master chefs at the Resort bring theexperience alive for guests.

The Spa Village
Today, Cameron Highlands is stillhome to many tea plantations, being
Malaysia’s largest tea-producing
region. The treatments at the Cameron
Highlands Spa Village feature healing
therapies based on produce from thesurrounding jungles and ancient tea
rituals. This authentic blending of culture
and product, along with the tranquil
ambience of the lush highlands, makes it
a unique and therapeutic healing retreat.

High on Golf
The Resort sits alongside the only
18-hole golf course in the area. The
well-manicured course comprises
luxuriant green fairways with welldeveloped trees, fine sand bunkers,
tricky greens and forgiving rough. At
5,000 feet above sea level, it has been
carved with precision out of the foliage
and forests of the area. Tree-covered
mountains also provide a spectacular
backdrop to this stunning course.

Taking Tea
The Resort takes its tea-time very
seriously and the Jim Thompson Tea
Room is a cosy retreat and the perfect
spot for this time-honoured English
tradition. Savour finger sandwiches,
light-as-air pastries and home baked
scones as well as fresh Cameronstrawberries. For a local twist, try thescones with exotic local fruit like banana
or mango. Complementing this spread isa wide selection of quality Cameron teas.

ytl Hotels |Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali

ytl Hotels | The Majestic Malacca

The key to every YTL Luxury Spa
Resort is the marriage of luxurious
accommodation and sterling service
with beauty, tranquility and a senseof sanctuary. The Spa Village
Resort Tembok Bali is all that andmore. Inspired by the Spa Village
Pangkor Laut, this latest jewel in
YTL Hotel’s crown embraces thesame healing ethos of celebrating
local culture, honouring the ancienthealing traditions of the region andinfusing each visit with the essenceof the surrounding location. Set in alandscape of great natural beauty,
this 31-room luxury spa resort offers
guests the best of Balinese massage,
wellness and spirituality therapies
which seek to restore not just the
body and mind, but also to replenish
the spirit through a range of carefullydesigned programmes. The seclusionof the resort also offers guests theopportunity to get away from thestresses of the world and rejuvenate
within a place tailor-made for thatvery purpose. Tel: +603-2783 1000;
www.tembokbali.com

Following the Path
Each guest is invited to select a Discovery
Path based on an analysis of their needs– choosing from Balance, Creativity or
Vigour – with each offering a combined
range of tailored treatments and activities
designed to restore equilibrium to bodies
and spirits. Those who wish to improvetheir personal skills in the art of Balinese
massage can join the Spa Village
Academy and undergo private training
with a group of skilled therapists.

The Majestic Malacca is the first
luxury hotel and spa in the historic cityof Malacca. Faithfully restored andlovingly refurbished by YTL Hotels, the54-room Majestic Malacca resonateswith historical significance even while
it has been thoroughly updated tocater to the needs of today’s upmarket
traveller. Architecture, décor anddining all reflect the legacy of thisancient city’s history, and take guests
on a luxurious journey into the past.
The Majestic Malacca also houses
the newest Spa Village which offers
luxury-spa seekers such delights as thewarm-energy treatment of Malaccan
palm sugar and honey scrub and a hotnutmeg and rice rolling body massage.
An icon of Malacca’s past has now
become something to be desired in thepresent. Tel: +603-2142 8000; www.
majesticmalacca.com

Meditate upon the Stars
Unique to Tembok Bali is the Starlight
Gazing experience, where youcan enjoy the hypnotic pleasureof stargazing while floating on
the Resort’s infinity pool. You do
this listening to Ultra Meditation
music, designed to induce the brain
into a synchronized theta stateof consciousness, found to aid in
expanding and enhancing memory
and learning capabilities.

Cuisine Designed to Rejuvenate
Seafood is drawn daily from thelocal ocean, fruit purchased fromlocal farmers, and only the freshestof ingredients are used in every dish.
With captivating views of the Bali Sea,
set just above the slate-hued beach,the open air Wantilan restaurant offers
ever-changing flavourful regional andinternational cuisine. And organic
products, as available, are the first
choice ingredients.

The Peranakan Spa
The award-winning Spa Village opens
its sixth wellness centre in The Majestic
Malacca. Adhering to the brand’s
philosophy of honouring the healing
traditions of the local region, the Spa
Village Malacca is the world’s only
spa to base its therapies on the healing
heritage of the Baba-Nyonya culture
and offers treatments which uses a local
specialty gula melaka, also known aspalm sugar.

Dining Sensations
Malaysia is a country that is world
renowned for the diversity and depthof its culinary options. And nowherein the country is this more evident thanthe multicultural mix that is Malacca –the unique merging of cultures in thishistoric city has resulted in a novel
marriage of cuisines, both Chineseand Malay, known as Nyonya food
– which is truly a feast for both thesenses and the palette.

A Haven of History
In this small town that was once
occupied by the world’s major colonial
powers of the Portuguese, Dutchand English, The Majestic Hotel rests
peacefully on the banks of the Malacca
River. Reflections of this historic trading
port resonate within the intimacy andluxury of this beautiful hotel, designed toprovide experiences that are anchoredin the past, but woven together withevery modern convenience.

ytl Hotels | Spa Village

ytl Hotels | Eastern & Oriental Express

YTL’s multiple award-winning Spa
Village brand has developed aninternational reputation within
the luxury spa market and grownfrom strength to strength over theyears. Besides the original Spa
Village Pangkor Laut, there are
now five other Spa Villages – Spa
Village Kuala Lumpur, Spa Village
Tanjong Jara, Spa Village Cameron
Highlands and Spa Village Resort
Tembok Bali and the Spa Village
Malacca. What’s unique about all
the Spa Villages is that each draws
inspiration from the healing culturesof its particular region and blends
traditional therapeutic remedies witha modern methodology. Whether in
Pangkor Laut, Kuala Lumpur or Bali,
the Spa Village is a sophisticatedand rejuvenating experience, notjust because of the quality of its
services but simply because the Spa
Village is more than just a place: it’sa philosophy. Tel: +603-2783 1000;
www.spavillage.com

Spa Village
Pangkor LautPaying homage to thethree major culturesof Malaysia, ancient
Chinese, Malay andIndian treatments
drawing from thecountry’s abundance of
natural resources havegenerated international
acclaim and accolades.

Spa Village
CameronHighlands
A unique haven forrelaxation wheretea is the foundationof the experience.
Located in the cool
upper reaches of the
Malaysian Highlands
amidst dense jungles
and rolling tea hills.

The Eastern and Oriental Express isn’t
just a train service. It’s an expressionof the heart. A confirmation of
the indomitable spirit of humanendeavour. A priceless pilgrimage –into the heart and soul of Southeast
Asia. Where nostalgia reigns andtimelessness begins. On what isregarded perhaps as the most exotic
train journey in the world, the routeand its stops have been designed togive passengers maximum comfort
and convenience, with the entire
journey crafted to provide theluxurious experience of a lifetime.
At its maximum length, The Eastern& Oriental Express is a quarter ofa mile long and has 22 carriages.
Inside it is a haven of comfort, styleand luxury. Tel: +65-6392 3500;
www.orient-express.com

Spa Village
Tanjong Jara
The new Spa Village
Tanjong Jara is a
sanctuary of wellbeing anchored in
the ancient Malay
way of life. It featuresunique restorative
treatments handed
down by authentic
Malay healers.

Spa Village
Kuala Lumpur
With treatments
anchored in thecultural diversity andrich healing heritageof the region, KL’s
most stylish urban
retreat combines
ancient practices witha host of the mostblissful spa therapies.

Spa Village
Malacca
The newest addition to
the Spa Village family,
it is also the only spa
in the world to baseits treatments on the
Peranakan culture,
which is native to
Malacca and is a crossbetween Malay andChinese traditions.

The Perfect Vantage Point
The air-conditioned carriages are perfectvantage points from which to tour theregion. The Restaurant Cars, Saloon Car
and Bar Car are located in the centreof the train while the Observation Car
with its open deck area is located at thevery end. It is an ideal spot for watching
South-East Asia go by as you trundle
along the train’s magnificent route,passing through several Malaysian statesand South Thailand.

Stately Accommodation
The interior walls of the compartments
are panelled with cherry wood andelm burr, with decorative marquetry
friezes and intricate design inlays.
The delicate embroidery work on
the pelmets was done in Malaysia,
and the bespoke carpets hand-tuftedin Thailand. While guests dine atnight, the steward transforms thecompartment from a living room to a
magical bedroom.

The Finest Cuisine
Chefs on board the E&O Express areinternationally renowned for their ability
to create a tantalising variety of Easternand European dishes, using the finest
fresh seasonal ingredients. The service
is also top of the line and equals theworld’s finest restaurants. Each morning,a breakfast of freshly baked croissants,
coffee or tea, juice and fruit is delivered
to your compartment to be enjoyed inluxurious privacy.

ytl Hotels | JW Marriott Hotelat Starhill Gallery Kuala Lumpur

ytl Hotels | The Ritz-Carlton
Hotel at Starhill Gallery Kuala Lumpur

The JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur
was designed with the businesstraveller in mind. Located in thecity’s business district, this five-stardeluxe hotel is the ultimate venue
for meetings and functions. Facilities
include 47 flexible meeting room
options (including a grand ballroom)
within the property, the adjoining
Starhill Conference Centre and the
newly built Carlton ConferenceCentre at The Residences at The
Ritz-Carlton, KL, all of which areconnected via link-bridge. There isalso a Business Centre providing
a full range of business services.
Rooms feature ample workspace,a plush high-back executive chair,broadband connection and otherstandard communication services(two-line speaker phone, fax modem,
voicemail). Tel: +603-2715 9000;
www.marriott.com

Starhill Gallery
Today’s truly outstanding cities blend architecture and design,
art and fashion, music and culture with a state of mind. And
Starhill Gallery, integrated with the hotel, is an effortlessly
elegant and cosmopolitan environment that reflects theessence and spirit of Kuala Lumpur and its people. Delivering“A Gallery of Rich Experiences”, seven luxurious floors offer
quality and exclusivity crafted for those who seek experiencesout of the ordinary. Here, the world’s premier retailers present
a palette of unique personalised shopping experiences, making
it easy to combine business and pleasure at the JW Marriott.

Based on the philosophy that
great service should never merely
be reactive and compliant but
anticipatory and spontaneous,
The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur is
Malaysia’s only 5-star luxury boutique
hotel offering a full personal butler
service. Its location in the heart ofthe city’s prestigious Golden Triangle
district makes for easy access to thetrendy Bukit Bintang area: Starhill
Gallery, one of the city’s premier
shopping centres, is linked to thehotel via an enclosed sky bridge.
With 365 elegantly appointed
guestrooms (including 110 suites and1 penthouse), 24 meeting rooms,
three exceptional restaurants and anaward-winning ‘tropical’ Spa Village,
The Ritz-Carlton is regarded as one of
the city’s finest business hotels wherecombining business and pleasure is
as effortless as the masterly service
it provides. Tel: +603-2142 8000;
www.ritzcarlton.com

Feast Village
On the lowest level of Starhill Gallery, guests can enjoy aunique dining experience at the Feast Village, where 13
restaurants are brought together to create a multi-ethnic
culinary experience like no other in the world. Design draws
from nature here; walls are asymmetrical and serve not toseparate, but rather provide peaceful enclaves where people
feel at rest. Rice paper from Japan combines with slate andikat from Indonesia, granite from China, silk from Thailand,
and timber from Myanmar to create an essence of Asia. The
Feast Village is truly one-of-a-kind.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences
An entire all-suite wing makes up the second tower of the
Ritz-Carlton complex. Sumptuous two and three bedroom suites
designed and decorated to the finest international standards
offer guests a unique standard of accommodation. Each suite
includes a dining room and lounge area as well as a gourmetstyle kitchen where guests can self-cater or use the private
catering services provided by Starhill Gallery’s Feast Village.
Guests may choose to have the Complex’s Executive Chef
prepare a private dining experience – and every suite comeswith its own private butler. It’s a home away from home.

The Carlton Conference Centre
A 30,000 square foot, 25 meeting room, three-level facility
connected to the hotel at levels 1 and 2. This classicallydesigned, yet state-of-the-art facility allows The Ritz-Carlton, KL,to host events from 10 to 400 guests. The Conference Center
also connects via enclosed sky bridge to the upscale Starhill
Gallery, a KL city landmark featuring some of the world’s most
exclusive brands and dining experiences. Guests can alsochoose to hold functions in the Meeting Suite, the Member’sLounge or at the adjacent Pool Deck, which is perfect for
unwinding after an intense day’s meeting.

viva la diva

Indian Oddities
Our favourite Lady gets her winter jollies
from an Indian summer
by Lady Cristal Champers

Spring has sprung. The peach blossom trees are rhapsodies
of champagne pink blooms. The advent of spring signals
new beginnings and the air is charged with energy. At arecent polo match, the air is also thick with insincere cries of“Oh darling, is that new?” and “oooh where did you winterthis year?” zeroing in on uplifted bosoms and faces so tightwith botox that everyone – including the gentlemen – look
perpetually surprised. Lady Prunella’s newly enhanced pair
was premiered with such prominence that it could havesheltered the whole polo team should the heavens open.
To escape the wretched winter (it is de rigueur for us upperclasses to spend the holidays in warmer climes), Lady
Prunella and I have decided to embark on an adventure ofa lifetime in India to retrace our colonial ancestry and their
grand journeys. Rumour has it that my great aunt Victoria
had a bit of a rumpy-pumpy with a maharaja, and when her
son was born, he was just a tad too tan and too good looking,for her own husband made a wart-hog look like Errol Flynn.

she could easily master a camel ride. Alas, the camel only
understood Hindi and a command in upper class English –stern as it was – cut no ice. Her ladyship is left clinging onto
the beast’s flea-ridden neck as it hot-foots it into the sunset.
Thankfully, a knight in shining armour shows up… well, more
a turbaned toothless camel herder… but she was grateful to
get off the camel which spat at her for good measure. I could
have sworn it was the reincarnation of her first husband. It
was the bad breath that gave it away.
But enough! I must now go investigate the loophole of‘adopting’ my fit and dishy Indian cabin steward who would
make such great arm candy at polo matches and cocktail
parties. Am I thinking that aloud? Oops! Oh Lady Champers,
you are naughty.

We travel in style on board the luxurious Deccan Odyssey
train ensconced in a presidential suite, and are waited on
hand-and-foot by a delicious-looking cabin steward. I
intend to adopt him – a one up on Madonna – thoughadopting a 21-year-old might prove tricky. We hire
several ‘coolies’ (as the porters at the railway station
are still called) to cart our several LV bags onto thetrain. After all, one has to wear suitable attire for eachoccasion and there are several occasions to be attired
for – breakfast, excursions, afternoon tea and dinner.
Leaving the train for the real world each day is a reality
check and Lady Prunella ends up wanting to adopt all thestreet children she set eyes upon. Just as I am thinking she
is as compassionate as Mother Teresa, she turns roundand says, “They would make such great help (subtext‘slaves’) at my homes and farms; I’m sure they would
be delighted to come and work for me.”136

Illustration EDWARD MAK

India is all heat and dust and most unkind toheavy make-up and highly lacquered coiffures.
But after three glorious weeks, we still leave
with a heavy heart and fond memories,
especially of Pru’s tricky encounter
with a camel. As an accomplishedh o rs ewo m a n , s h e h a d a s s u m e d
THE YT L LU XU RY MAGA Z I NE