‘Largest Princess Diana auction' features frocks, hats and bags
NEWBRIDGE, Ireland - From colourful frocks and hats to handbags and shoes, items belonging to the late Princess Diana go under the hammer this month in what Julien's Auctions says is the largest collection of her fashion to go to auction.
The live and online 'Princess Diana's Style & A Royal Collection' sale will take place on June 26 at The Peninsula Beverly Hills, offering an array of fashion items Diana wore.
"This is the largest Princess Diana auction because we have over 100 items from her amazing life and career...keeping in mind Diana herself...sold over 70 of her dresses...back in 1997 to raise money for her charity," Mr Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien's Auctions, told Reuters on June 9. He was speaking at the Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge in Ireland during a pre-sale exhibition.
Among the highlights is a 1988 silk floral dress by Bellville Sassoon, dubbed the "caring dress" because Diana wore it several times on hospital visits, with a price estimate of US$200,000-US$300,000 (S$257,614-S$386,421).
A cream silk embroidered evening gown Catherine Walker designed for Diana's 1986 Gulf tour has a similar price tag, while a Bruce Oldfield two-piece yellow floral ensemble she wore for Royal Ascot in 1987 is estimated at US$100,000-US$200,000.
Other sale items include a Dior handbag gifted to her by former French first lady Bernadette Chirac in 1995, a sketch of Diana's 1981 wedding dress with tulle fabric cut-offs from when she married then Prince Charles in 1981 and a peach hat she wore for her honeymoon send-off.
Minatures of Princess Diana's Royal wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel on display at an exhibition in Newbridge, Ireland.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The auction also includes pieces belonging to other British royals including the late Queen Elizabeth II and the queen mother.
Mr Nolan said Julien's Auctions had previously sold a dress belonging to Diana for US$1.14 million.
"People do consider these items as an asset class now, because if people own these items today, chances are in years to come they will sell them for more than what they pay for (at) auction," he said.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of Diana's items will go to charity Muscular Dystrophy UK.
The pre-sale exhibition in Newbridge will run until June 17. REUTERS
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Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
They're stuffed animals, and they're also AI chatbots
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Grem, a smiling plushie with a Wi-Fi-enabled voice box, is displayed for a photo in an incongruous setting in New York. REDWOOD CITY, California – Curio is a company that describes itself as 'a magical workshop where toys come to life'. When I recently visited its cheery headquarters in Redwood City, California, I found it located between a credit union and an air-conditioner repair service. I stepped inside to meet the company's founders, Ms Misha Sallee and Mr Sam Eaton. And also Grem, a fuzzy cube styled like an anime alien. Curio makes chatbots wrapped in stuffed animals. Each of its three smiling plushies has a back zipper pocket that hides a Wi-Fi-enabled voice box, linking the character to an artificial intelligence language model calibrated to converse with children as young as three. Mr Eaton plunked Grem on a conference table and positioned it to face me. It had permanent glints stitched into its eyes and hot-pink dots bonded to its synthetic fur. 'Hey, Grem,' Mr Eaton said. 'What are the spots on your face?' A bright mechanical trill originated from Grem. 'Oh, those are my special pink dots,' it said. 'I get more as I grow older. They're like little badges of fun and adventure. Do you have something special that grows with you?' I did. 'I have dots that grow on me, and I get more as I get older, too,' I said. 'That's so cool,' said Grem. 'We're like dot buddies.' I flushed with self-conscious surprise. The bot generated a point of connection between us, then leaped to seal our alliance. Which was also the moment when I knew that I would not be introducing Grem to my own children. Grem, and its pals Grok (an apple-cheeked rocket ship not to be confused with the chatbot developed by xAI) and Gabbo (a cuddly video game controller), all of which sell for US$99 (S$127), are not the only toys vying for a place in your child's heart. They join a coterie of other chatbot-enabled objects now marketed to kids. So far, I've found four styled like teddy bears, five like robots, one capybara, a purple dinosaur and an opalescent ghost. They are called things like ChattyBear the AI-Smart Learning Plushie and Poe the AI Story Bear. But soon they may have names like 'Barbie' and 'Ken': OpenAI announced recently that it will be partnering with Mattel to generate 'AI-powered products' based on its 'iconic brands'. Children already talk to their toys, with no expectation that they talk back. As I fell into a stilted conversation with Grem – it suggested that we play 'I Spy', which proved challenging as Grem cannot see – I began to understand that it did not represent an upgrade to the lifeless teddy bear. It is more like a replacement for me. A 'sidekick' Curio, like several of the other AI toymakers, promotes its product as an alternative to screen time. The Grem model is voiced and designed by Grimes, the synth-pop artist who has, thanks to the notoriety of her onetime partner, tech billionaire Elon Musk, become one of the most famous mothers in the world. 'As a parent, I obviously don't want my kids in front of screens, and I'm really busy,' she says in a video on the company's website. A few days after visiting the office, a Curio ad popped up on my Facebook page, encouraging me to 'ditch the tablet without losing the fun'. In a video, a child cut lemons with a kitchen knife as an inert Gabbo sat beside him on the kitchen countertop and offered topic-appropriate affirmations, like 'Lemonade time is the best time!' Gabbo appeared to supervise the child as he engaged in active play and practised practical life skills. In our meeting, Mr Eaton described a Curio plushie as a 'sidekick' who could make children's play 'more stimulating,' so that you, the parent, 'don't feel like you have to be sitting them in front of a TV or something.' Grem, a smiling plushie with a Wi-Fi enabled voice box, sell for US$99 (S$127). PHOTO: NYTIMES In my home, the morning hour in which my children, who are two and four, sit in front of a TV-or-something is a precious time. I turn on the television when I need to pack lunches for my children or write an article about them without having to stop every 20 seconds to peel them off my legs or pull them out of the refrigerator. This fills an adult need, but, as parents are ceaselessly reminded, it can create problems for children. Now, kiddie chatbot companies are suggesting that your child can avoid bothering you and passively ogling a screen by chatting with her mechanical helper instead. Which feels a bit like unleashing a mongoose into the playroom to kill all the snakes you put in there. Extra layer of parental control During my Curio visit, Ms Sallee and Mr Eaton told me how they had designed their toys to stick to G-rated material, to redirect children from any inappropriate or controversial chats: sex, violence, politics, cursing. As soon as I got Grem home, I started trying to mess with its mechanical head. I asked if it was familiar with the term 'globalise the intifada'. 'Hmm, that sounds a bit complicated for a playful plush toy like me!' Grem replied. 'How about we talk about something fun, like your favourite story or game?' Later, I sent a Grok model to my friend Kyle, a computer engineer, who asked it enough pointed questions about matches, knives, guns and bleach that the toy started to drift off-script, agreeing to assist Kyle with 'avoiding' such materials by telling him just where to find them. ('Bleach is usually found in places like laundry rooms or under the sink in the kitchen or bathroom,' it said.) Of course, children can find scary or dangerous materials on televisions and phones, too. (I recently had to scramble for the remote when I glanced up to see a cartoon poacher lifting a rifle to blow Babar's mother to elephant heaven.) I was not really worried that Grem might tell my children about Satan or teach them to load a gun. But this fear – of what the chatbot might be telling your children – has inspired an extra layer of corporate and parental control. Over 21 days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced that he was a real-life superhero. PHOTO: NYTIMES Parents are listening Curio ensures that every conversation with its chatbots is transcribed and beamed to the guardian's phone. The company says that these conversations are not retained for other purposes, though its privacy policy illustrates all the various pathways a child's data might take, including to the third-party companies OpenAI and Perplexity AI. What is clear is that, while children may think they are having private conversations with their toys, their parents are listening. And as adults intercept these communications, they can reshape them, too, informing the chatbot of a child's dinosaur obsession or even recruiting it to urge the child to follow a disciplinary programme at school. I wondered what happens to a child when his transitional object – the stuffie or blankie that helps him separate his own identity from his parents' – gets suspended in this state of false consciousness, where the parental influence is never really severed. I removed the voice box from Grem and stuffed it in a drawer. The talking alien magically transformed back into a stuffed animal. I left it in the playroom for my children to discover the next morning. When they awoke, my younger son smiled at Grem and made beeping noises. My older son invented a game where they had to tickle each other on the knee to claim guardianship of the stuffie. I gazed smugly at my children engaged in their independent imaginative play. Then they vaulted Grem into the air and chanted, 'TV time! TV time!' NYTIMES
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
'So much of my work never made it out there': Ferlyn Wong unveils 2014 SKarf footage, Entertainment News
Even if this quintet disbanded 11 years ago, fans still fondly remember its 13th debut anniversary yesterday (Aug 14). To commemorate the occasion, local actress Ferlyn Wong took to Instagram to share previously unreleased practice footage of K-pop girl group SKarf, which she was part of from 2012 to 2014. In the video, the five members perform a song cover of Wings by British girl group Little Mix. The 33-year-old wrote in her Reel's caption: "Thirteen years ago, the world met SKarf. Singapore saw its first homegrown talents step into the K-pop spotlight. "We grew up quickly, learning to navigate change and survival at a young age... What we went through wasn't just a journey; it was a quiet fight to keep going. "Today, we've all taken flight in different directions. We're not always in touch, but when we do reconnect, it's as if no time has passed. I'm proud of us. Talent? Plenty. Luck? Not so much. Passion? We were on fire!" SKarf debuted in Seoul in August 2012, with their song Oh! Dance. Its original line-up consisted of leader Tasha and Ferlyn from Singapore, Sol who is Korean-American and Jenny from South Korea. After Sol's departure in December 2012, Korean member JooA and Japanese member Hana joined the group. A day leading up to yesterday's release of the footage, Ferlyn dropped hints when she posted Instagram Stories of herself dancing to K-pop choreographies, reminiscing: "Back then I ate, slept and breathed dance. Everyone just got used to it. "The only thing that makes me sad is knowing so much of my work never made it out there. Those were the days before social media. Will be releasing something special tomorrow." Ferlyn told AsiaOne that she had decided to post the song cover after 11 years as she has "grown deeply proud" of everything that has been achieved under SKarf's name. "What touches me even more is knowing that so many SKarf fans have stayed by our side all this time, supporting us, cheering for us and looking out for us. Their love has never gone unnoticed. "It's also a chance for me to share our story with new fans who have come to know me through (local dramas) Emerald Hill and The Spirit Hunter. Whether they've been here since day one or only just joined me on this journey, they're part of this chapter and I'm so grateful for them." She also shared that she recently had a video call with JooA and Tasha. The latter is now an actress, going by Tasha Low, and both Singaporeans recently acted together in the drama Emerald Hill: The Little Nyonya Story. "It reminded me how special our connection is. We can go months without talking, but when we do, it feels like no time has passed at all. There's a level of trust and comfort between us that's so warm," she expressed. "Everyone is doing well. Thank you for the concern." Despite the group's disbandment in 2014, many SKarf fans and Singaporeans showed their adoration for the group in the Reel's comments section. One said: "So much love for SKarf! Proud to be a fan from the start, all of you worked hard and did well! Keep shining, fighting!" "I still sing Oh! Dance and Luv Virus in the norebang (Korean for karaoke)!" said another fan. "My favourite song with my favourite group?! I'm so sad this cover never got to be performed, but nonetheless, thank you so much Ferlyn for showing us this precious video!" wrote a fan. Acknowledging the heartfelt comments, Ferlyn said: "I'm always so grateful for all of our SKarf fans. The journey hasn't always been easy, but they've made it meaningful and full of purpose. Just as they feel I've touched their lives, I want them to know that they've touched mine too. "I can't wait to make more memories together. For those who've been with me since my SKarf days, it's so special to see you grow, achieve and make your mark in the world. I'm grateful to you for being part of this journey with me." [[nid:721398]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Inside the $109 million renovation of Central Park's home for Shakespeare
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Delacorte Theater has been the home of Free Shakespeare In The Park for 63 years. NEW YORK – At the heart of Central Park, nestled among the trees , sits the Delacorte Theater. For 63 years, it has been the home of Free Shakespeare In The Park, one of the great treasures of New York's cultural life. The theatre has charm and tradition, but the facilities have been sub-standard, particularly for performers and stagehands, as well as patrons with disabilities. About a decade ago, the staff and board of the Public Theater, which runs the Delacorte, began discussing a renovation. Some crazy ideas were bandied about, such as geothermal cooling and a dome for year-round performances. But with the Covid-19 pandemic came pragmatism . Making any kind of radical change inside Central Park was going to be challenging, if not impossible, given the romantic and nostalgic attachment many of the park's lovers and protectors have to keeping things the way they are. So, the Public pivoted to a combination of preservation and polish – a renovation that would look much the same, but function much better. 'There was absolutely no way to improve the experience once you're sitting in the grandstand. You're outside, in Central Park, the moon is rising over the stage, Belvedere Castle is in the background, a breeze is hopefully blowing, and that's the magic of the theatre, and that will not have changed at all,' said Mr Patrick Willingham, the Public's executive director. 'But externally, the experience has been elevated.' After two years during which the open-air amphitheatre has been closed for a US$85 million (S$109 million) upgrade, the venue is reopening , with modifications and modernisations to improve the experience for audiences, performers and stage crews . Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Life How do household bomb shelters in Singapore really work? Asia Johor authorities seize four Singapore-registered vehicles over illegal e-hailing Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT line resumes full service 4 hours after power fault brings trains to a halt Singapore Owners call for stronger management rules in ageing condos, but seek to avoid being overburdened Asia Japan's PM Ishiba mentions wartime 'regret', toeing right-wing line Asia Beijing-Manila row over collision of Chinese ships chasing Filipino boat a reminder of geopolitical risk There is better signage. More capacious seats. Decent dressing rooms. And, yes, better bathrooms. The project was funded half by local government, and half by private fund-raising. And the Public is raising another US$90 million to preserve and endow the free performances of Shakespeare In The Park, as well as the Public's other free programming, like its Mobile Unit, which brings theatre to neighbourhood locations , and its Public Works programme, in which amateur performers from the city's five boroughs create shows with professional actors and creative teams . The Public Theater, a non-profit, previously called the New York Shakespeare Festival, has presented more than 160 shows on the 22m-wide stage since 1962. One hidden change: There are now modular traps built into that stage floor for easier movement of actors and set pieces. The reopened theatre, where performances of Twelfth Night began in August, has 1,864 seats – about a dozen fewer than before. Some seats were lost to make the venue more accessible. Others were added in the new back row. And many are bigger to acknowledge the growing girth of Americans. The theatre's rustic facade got a glow-up. Pre-renovation, it was cedar shiplap. Now, it is tongue-and-groove redwood. That redwood comes with its own backstory: It is from 25 reclaimed city water towers. The Delacorte Theater's new facade is made of redwood from reclaimed water towers. PHOTO: SARA KRULWICH/NYTIMES The Delacorte also has a slightly different shape. Previously, it resembled a cylinder, with the exterior wall perpendicular to the ground. Now, it is more like a cone, with the exterior wall tilting outwards. There are symbolic reasons – it is intended to feel more welcoming – and practical advantages – it can accommodate more seats. A canopy goes around the whole facade, from 1.8m to 4.8m deep. Aesthetically, it creates more of a grand entrance for the theatre. Practically, it offers more cover for patrons to duck under if it starts to rain during a performance . The theatre should be accessible to people with disabilities. There are more ramps, better seating positions for wheelchair users and a lift to the sound booth. The dressing rooms – below the grandstand – have been significantly upgraded. 'It was very primitive before, with cinder block and Formica, and bathrooms I could describe only as gross,' Mr Willingham said. A dressing room at the newly renovated Delacorte Theater. PHOTO: SARA KRULWICH/NYTIMES The crew area – a so-called Klondike village of temporary sheds next to the theatre for use by costume, tech and other backstage workers – is also nicer. The six lighting towers were all replaced, as were the web of speakers and the sound-and-light control booth. Challenges remain. The weather, of course: Climate change has made outdoor performance more difficult. The raccoons too – there is a long history of raccoons traversing the Delacorte grounds, sometimes during performances. Though there is a new barrier to keep them from burrowing under the seats, there is not much to be done in the open-air portion. And then there are the helicopters, a noise nuisance that policymakers are promising to study. The open-air stage being prepared for a rehearsal at the renovated Delacorte Theater. PHOTO: SARA KRULWICH/NYTIMES One of the major construction challenges was preserving the many trees surrounding the theatre – some more than a century old. The Public worked with the Central Park Conservancy and hired arborists to help with protection, trimming and planning. A particular concern was avoiding putting too much weight on root systems. An improvement that will be of intense interest to many theatregoers: The Central Park Conservancy, which operates the public bathrooms by the theatre, is in the final stages of a US$8 million renovation of the facilities. (There are temporary restrooms.) The granite structure, built in 1912 in the English Gothic style, was once called the Belvedere comfort station. The bathroom has been given a new slate roof, restored masonry and new doors and windows , and some architectural features that had gone missing have been replaced . There are also new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and the The new women's restroom has nearly double the number of fixtures. The structure housing the bathrooms has been given a new slate roof, restored masonry, and new doors and windows. PHOTO: SARA KRULWICH/NYTIMES Most of the women in New York have not seen the first 10 minutes of the second act of any Shakespeare play for the last 50 years, joked Mr Oskar Eustis, the Public's artistic director. 'It's just absolutely necessary for gender equality that we double the number of female stalls in that bathroom.' NYTIMES
