Tag: Cartier

Lovin my Bags now at Palm Strip

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After dreading about having to trot all over town to Lancel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and mending a zip at Burberry, I was hoping for an easy way out to tackle my annual chores with bags when I opened my email and found out I can take all my bags to one place and get it sorted…how deja vu is that!

The news I received was that Lovin My Bags, the world’s first system of handbag and leather restoration has entered the Middle East region with its first boutique launch in Dubai. The new boutique was inaugurated by ‘Aiisha Ramadan’, a leading Arab fashion designer and hosted by ‘Shereen Mitwalli’; TV presenter, & international events moderator.

Most high-end bag owners already know that Lovin My Bags specializes in the very first system of handbag cleaning, restoration and leather care products developed to prolong the life and beauty of luxury designer handbags with professional care….except that they didn’t exist here before and they always ended up having to lug stuff back to the brands themselves.

Naturally, finding a professional service to refurbish bags in this part of the world has been challenging. With the launch of Lovin My Bags, luxury buyers have the safest and quickest option to restore their belongings. Due to such extreme climates, there is a big issue of dye transfer from Abayas, Jeans & other materials and Lovin My Bags has engineered products & services specifically to address such issues.

Dhiraj Munjwani, Partner & Director of Lovin My Bags Middle East showed  me some of the products they will be using as a way of assuring me that my bags were in good hands.  He explains how leather needs protection, cleansing, moisturizing, conditioning and miracle products to keep it looking its best and his team treat handbags as ‘Souls’ that require constant rejuvenation, pampering and love.

I recall last year on my way to London, we got diverted to Vienna because of a threat and all our suitcases got checked…my Lancel got damaged in the process and it took the Airline 5 weeks to find someone who could sort it out. In the end they gave up and paid me the original cost of a Lancel suitcase. With Lovin my Bags, the running around is not necessary anymore.

These guys specialize in cleaning and restorations services for all designer brands including Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Balenciaga, Dior, Cartier, Chloe, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, amongst all others….check them out!

ART DUBAI + JOHN JONES ART ON PAPER AWARD + SIKKA AND MORE

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I loved 'Aquarium' by Beatriz Milhazes at the Cartier enclave in Art Dubai

The last two evenings have been awesome with me doing whistle stop tours of the galleries at Art Dubai after work.

Its awesome to see so many familiar faces and art enthusiasts lapping it up….my favourite area this year has to be the Cartier enclave. I didn’t want to leave as it was like a mini paradise set up to entice us and although I am not such a great fan of most Cartier jewellery, I have to say they really know how to pull the crowds with the ambience they have created at this years Art Dubai.

One hot news that has emerged is that the judges of the John Jones Art on Paper Award have selected artists Hassan Sharif (UAE) and Luis Camnitzer (Uraguay) as dual recipients of the inaugural award. The two artists are shown on the stand of New York gallery Alexander Gray Associates…. I went to see their gallery amongst others and they have some super talented people this year featured at the stands.

This Award was conceived by master framers John Jones Ltd. and Art Dubai to recognize the potential for excellence and innovation for works made on paper.  Sharif and Camnitzer will be given the opportunity to present a dedicated exhibition in Dubai between March 2012-2013, and in addition to the artists receiving a cash prize, the winning works will be acquired by the John Jones Contemporary Art Collection in London.

I also came across the information on SIKKA and the ArtBus concept which I think is a superb idea for people who really want to see all the art scene that Dubai has to offer without worrying about transport, parking etc….diva likes this idea heaps.

To make it more interesting,  the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture commissioned UAE-based artist UBIK, to design the SIKKA ArtBus. The ArtBus, organised by ArtintheCity and thejamjar, in partnership with the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, serves as a convenient guide for visitors to various art fairs, galleries, educational and interactive talks, and other art events taking place in Dubai. Another bus acts as a complimentary ArtBus shuttle, taking passengers to and from SIKKA 2012, until March 24.

SIKKA 2012 is held at the historic Al Bastakiya, the vibrant cultural nerve-centre of Dubai….there is so much more to enjoy in terms of Art in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi that I don’t know where to start and where to stop…..all I can say is that the UAE totally rocks when it comes to the Art scene this month. There is no place in the world I would like to be in right now, my home country Fiji Islands included (Fiji is a paradise and the way the world should be so me saying that in March I reckon UAE is more fun than Fiji means a lot).

 

The Cartier area at Art Dubai