Sigfried and the others...

... And so came the sun!

Finally, after days and days of grey skies, rain and fog, today we had a wonderful sunny day...

And Punta del Este is a fabulous place with sun, and an awful one with lousy weather.

As any other place, one might say. But I don't agree...

Why?

Because it is my theory that everything men did in this place is mediocre, while everything Nature did here is grandiose.

And with the sunny weather, along came the turists and visitoris. Brasilians, Argentines, Paraguayan and celebrities...

That's a new category of visitors for Punta del Este. And I mean top celebrities as those who go to St. Tropez, St. Barth, Miami or Marrakech. The first one to show up was Kevin Bacon, with wife Kyra Sedgwick. But his visit was a matter of timing... he is in fact shooting in Argentina.

It is said that Uma Thurman is in José Ignacio; so is Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova; that Bruce Willis is to arrive on January 4th to be DJ in a private party.

And I found out today that Richard Gere is, not exactly in Punta, but in Minas, Lavalleja. It seems that that particular place in Uruguay has a Budist temple (more like a retreat, actually) near Aguas Blancas, 30 km from town. Gere is a loyal follower of the Dalai Lama and the Budist religion. He was even seen doing some groceries at the Ta-Ta supermarket.

Monday night I went to have dinner at Marismo, an open-air restaurant beyond José Ignacio, which is my absolute favourite place in the East. Tables under the stars, lit only by candles, a campfire in the middle and your feet sunk in the sand. Small menu: only six or seven options to choose for starters, main courses and desserts. It's worth the 35 km to go and return from my house!

And just that very Monday at Marismo I run into Alfredo Etchegaray having dinner with a couple from Las Vegas: he was very blond and was wearing a white jacket with golden drawings.

I don't know why but he reminded me of Sigfried of Sigfried & Roy, the famous illusionists from Las Vegas, the ones with the white tigers! I never got to see them, and I never been to Vegas... but in that dark night at Marismo, I thought of Sigfried.

And it was him!

So I was told later...

Sigfried, having a canle-lit dinner at José Ignacio...

Reflections in Punta del Este...

So Summer 2010 here in Punta began today!

Why today?

Because tonight we had the Lacoste Party at La Huella. A classic. It is always THE social gathering that initiates Summer's social season here. Weather though was not an ally... fog so thick to cover the first three floors of the tallest building at La Barra. Heavy rains most of the day, grey skies and stormy seas.

But we went to the party all the same.

At 10 pm we drove the 35 km that separates José Ignacio from la Punta, we sunk our 14-cm-heels in the wet sand and walked with determination towards the Parador La Huella.

(A note: for quite some years now, the very best of Punta del Este seats at José Ignacio. The best restaurants (La Huella, Marismo, La Caracola, etc.). The best parties. It's all kilometers and kilometers away if you live at la Punta, as myself.)

Anyway, I got the see our all time friends... In fact, I guess we went for them, the socialites that made what Punta is now. Franco Macri, always cheerful. Alfredo Etchegaray, an Uruguayan that did a lot to promote his country around the world. Pancho Dotto, Cecilia Zuberbuhler, Pablo Santamarina, Wally Diamante, Christiano Rattazzi, and many others that have their houses, or work or come to Punta del Este for summer.

Many many beautiful girls... dressed exactly as I was, to my great surprise! Minidresses (mine was a grey blue sequined one from Topshop) and "booties" (a mixture of short boots and high-heels sandals). I wore ones from Burberry's Summer 2010 Collection, that a good friend of mine was kind enough to bring them to me in his luggage.

And, above all, the must-have black leather jacket.

If you don't have one, do not come to Punta. It's not a matter of pure snobism... It's simply because it's chilly at night and it's rather damp. 85% of the girls tonight were dressed this way.

Except for my sister... she wore a sophisticated green long Lanvin. Very chic.

Lots of food, and drinks, and even a rock band from Colombia.

All in all, we stayed for 40 minutes. Why so little?

Because I had already ate at home before going, a number-one rule to attend any party. Two reasons:

One, to avoid eating things that are not on my diet.

Second, because eating ruins your lipstick. And that doesn't look good.

Then you get to smell like fish or grilled brochette... and that is not ok in a country were you kiss everyone just to greet them.

And another good reason for leaving so early was that once you spoke about the awful weather, the high prices of everything here in Uruguay, the trips you made during the year and whether you are dating or not... then there's not much more to do...

So you turn back, step again the wet sand, drive the 35 km towards home... and at least you have something to tell on your blog...

And you go to bed, wondering... Will it be sunny tomorrow?

Nutcracker at Opera Bastille

Cold Sunday afternoon in Paris, 2ºC and some snowflakes dancing here and there...

Christmas coming nearer by the second...

What a great opportunity then to go see Rudolf Nureyev's Nutcracker at the Opéra Bastille!

It was a special matinée organized to gather funds to support the educational programs "Dix mois d'Ecole et d'Opéra" and "Reve d'enfants, " and also to allow handicapped children to enjoy a spectacle of these unique characteristics.

And it was such a lovely afternoon!

The magic of Tchaikovski's music, the incredible perfection of Nureyev's choreography (created specially for the Opéra National de Paris in 1985), the profesionalism of the corps de Ballet, the Etoiles, Kevin Rhodes' musical conduction and the costumes... What can I tell you?

Fantastic the silvery white ones of the first act, the red ones of the second act and the golden yellow ones of the grand finale. I was quivering with excitement!

Such a pleasure for both ears and eyes...

Of course, tout Paris was there, starting with model Inés Sastre, acting as godmother to the event. She went with her new boyfriend, journalist and TV host, Jean-Luc Delarue. Together they've become one of the most exposed couples in show-biz. There were also many European Princes and Princesses and many important businessmen, always eager to support good causes.

But above all, there was plenty of children, all amazed and with their eyes clouded with fantasy, an effect this eternal piece has provoked and will continue to do so years and years on...

The day Alain Delon kissed my hand...

... and that day was today, in Paris.

My favourite actor in my teens, the Samurai, Rocco from Rocco and his brothers, Fabrizio de Il Gatopardo, Borsalino, the hero from A plein soleil, from La piscine, the number one actor in France, the unique, never matched, kissed my hand... mine!!

So the story goes like this. Alain lives in Paris, and so do I. He goes to the same restaurant I usually go. In Marrakech I even ate at a lunch party he attended. And I saw him once in Punta del Este, when Roberto Giordano flew him specially from France for one of his runway shows...

And today as I was having lunch at 154, a small restaurant at Boulevard Haussmann, near the Museé Jacqmart-André, with some friends... oops... there he was, right next to our table, with a woman who looked like some kind of secretary and another man.

Absolutely ashamed, I couldn't even look at him... But I could see that he was gorgeous in spite of being 75, with a grey suit, a tie-less light blue shirt, a suntanned face and his hair... another story...

White but dense, cut untidily, but with straight locks... only women can understand this.

Did you know that a picture of him, taken in 1966, is now being used in the Eau Sauvage fragance by Dior add?

All of Paris is wall-papered with those adds.

I grew up watching his movies.

I remember vividly my joy when, at 13, I saw La prima notte de quiete, by the Italian director Valerio Zurlini... I can still see myself going out of the tiny and only cinema in Montepulciano, on a rainy Sunday...

So, back to today, he and his party finished having lunch before we did, and before leaving, he stoped by our table and greeted my friend. And then he turned to me, took my right hand and with his deep blue eyes, he looked at me and said: "Vous etes très belle, je vous felicite."

And he kissed my hand.

Believe me, I almost fell from the chair!!!

So he went on: "What do you do?"

"Nothing," I said stupidly...

He kissed my hand again with his unique smile and he left, followed by the gaze of all of us there, walking his personal walk, that neither life nor age, could change.

I know, I know, he tells every girl what he told me... That's Alain Delon, a legend...

But... who cares?

December 1st in New York City...

It's cold, as usual around these days of December...

First thing in the morning, today I went to get a pair of ear-muffs, great American invention.

Just in case you don't know, it's a head-band, of black or brown velvet, that has two round cushions, of fake or real fur (who cares?), to protect the ears from the cold wind that blows untamed from the Hudson River.

The advantage of ear-muffs opposite to hats is that they protect you from the cold without ruining your hair-do.

NYC during Christmas' eve is such an event... legendary, actually. So many traditions, that do not seem to diminish with the recession.

Everything kicks-in in Thanksgiving, the last Thursday of November and one of the most important celebrations of the year. From then on, retailers create different events to attract shoppers... for instance, Black Friday, were sales begin, specially in house apparel, bedding, etc. Then, there's Cyber Monday, were customers are bombarded with promotions and discount coupons to shop online, specially electronic and computer stuff.

And today, December 1st, it was Ladies' day... discounts in all labels and designers, ranging from 40%  to 50% off.

Bergdorf & Goodman was a runway of women in fur coats and Hermès bags fighting over Christian Louboutin booties.

I do have experience in Pre-Christmas sales, so I do not think I could say that recession brought less enthusiasm or less display of Holiday decorations...

On the contrary, I was struck (as usual, really) by the fantastic window display of Bergdorf... Such an ode to fantasy and immagination, luxury... so against recession!

Magic at Bergdorf

NYC is NYC, recession or not.

To prove it, enough to grab a bite at Cipriani on 5th Ave., one of the hotests spots in town.

By 7 pm it was already crowded.

Next to my table I had Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood producer and Tycoon from Miramax, having dinner with his two small daughters... He was having a milanesa steak with spaghetti... Pasta with meat? An heresy for an Italian like myself...

I walked back home some blocks on 5th Ave... It was so cold... but I had my ear-muffs on...