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Daily Mail
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The ambitious sisters from 'new money' who rocked 1990s NYC high society... and bagged themselves royal husbands
It's no secret that there is a societal fascination with sisters. From the socialite Schuyler sisters in the 1700s, to the reality TV star Kardashians today. There's athletes Serena and Venus Williams, and models Gigi and Bella Hadid. In the 1990s, New York City was enamored with a trio of sisters who dominated the city's social scene, and eventually dazzled their way down the aisle with three of the world's most eligible bachelors. They were known as the Miller Sisters, and their pictures were plastered all over magazines – shots of them sitting front row at runway shows or photographs of them sipping champagne on luxury vacations. The trio are the daughters of Robert Warren Miller, an American–born British businessman who co–founded DFS Group, known colloquially as Duty Free. He married Ecuadorian–born María Clara 'Chantal' Pesantes Becerra, and together, they had the three stunningly beautiful girls. According to Kristen Richardson – high–society expert and author of The Season: A Social History of the Debutante, the 1990s were a very interesting time to observe high society. 'It [the 1990s] had a feeling of transition, because you had the traditional upper class, recognizable on both sides of the Atlantic, which was disintegrating, and you had the rise of new types of money – entertainment money, the beginning of tech money... and the scale of money became much bigger,' Richardson explained. 'What happened to the old money in the 90s was, not only did their fortunes become less significant, but the cultural value shifted and made them less relevant,' she continued. Speaking about the Miller sisters, Richardson noted that they were not old money, as their father was a duty–free billionaire. They were new money, and they had no problem flaunting their wealth – although they did so with taste and elegance. Richardson chalked the public fascination with them being mostly due to the fact that they were sisters with a massive amount of money, as well as their good manners and taste, which was more rare during that time. 'They were ambitious,' she said. And their ambitions certainly paid off. Pia Christina Miller, now 58, is the eldest of the sisters. She was born in New York City, spent her childhood in Hong Kong and later attended Institut Le Rosey – a private boarding school in Switzerland. She briefly attended Barnard College in New York and later studied art history at Georgetown University. The eldest sister married Getty Oil heir, Christopher Getty, in 1992 in a lavish 300–guest Bali wedding. They said their vows on a mountaintop, while Indonesian children dropped rose petals on them. Pia's wedding, shockingly, was much more intimate and low–key than the weddings of her younger sisters. The middle sister Marie–Chantal, now 56, was born in London, and attended school in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Paris and New York. She began a degree in History of Art at NYU – having interned with Andy Warhol while still in high school – but her higher education efforts were cut short, naturally, when she was proposed to by the prince of Greece. Marie–Chantal met Pavlos of Greece (an exiled crown prince and of son of Greece's last king, King Constantine II) when one of her friends – New York investment banker Alecko Papamarkou – set them up on a blind date. 'We clicked,' the Princess told Vanity Fair in 2008. 'It was love at first sight. I knew that he was the person I would marry.' Pavlos – who is also of Danish royal blood through his mother, Queen Anne–Marie – proposed to Marie–Chantal on a skiing holiday in Gstaad, Switzerland, at Christmas. The pair's London wedding was the event of the social season, the New York Times reported that the occasion sent a global message, 'the display of class, social clout and uptown style are back in fashion'. Valentino scored the ultimate job of designing not only the bridal gown, but 61 other outfits – including dresses for Queen Sofia of Spain, the Infanta Cristina, Princess Rosario and Empress Farah Diba. 'I have never been to such a beautifully arranged wedding – the flowers, the tables, the tent,' Valentino said of the extravagant 1,200–person event. Nuptials took place at a mansion in the English countryside – where giant marquees recreated the Parthenon and 100,000 flowers were flown in from Ecuador. The youngest Miller sister also married into royal blood. Alexandra, now 52, was born in Hong Kong, and eventually attended Parsons School of Design and Brown University, where she studied costume design and art history. Despite being the youngest, Alexandra made her romantic catch before her older sisters. In 1987, 14–year–old Alexandra was walking home to The Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side when she encountered the dashing 17–year–old Prince Alexander von Fürstenberg in the elevator. Alexander is the son of the Austro–Italian aristocrat and Fiat heir, Prince Egon von Fürstenberg and fashion designer, Diane von Fürstenberg. They didn't officially start dating until Alexandra was 18. The pair got married in a glorious ceremony at St. Ignatius Loyola Church on New York's Park Avenue in front of 650 guests. Alexandra stunned in an off–the–shoulder white satin with a bouffant skirt and a long white tulle veil falling – the work of Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. However, of the three marriages, only one survived. Marie–Chantal and Pavlos are still married with five children – four boys and one girl. Alexandra and Alexander Von Fürstenberg had two children together – a girl and a boy. Pia and Christopher Getty had four children – one girl and three boys – together, but their marriage also ended 13 years after saying 'I do'. While, in comparison to today's socialite–types, the Miller sisters appear to reflect the notion of quiet luxury, Richardson holds that in their heyday they were not understated. 'They were in every magazine, all day, every day, for years... at every party,' she explained. She continued, 'I think we see them now and compare them to like the Kardashians and they seem understated, but my definition of understated is invisible... and they were not invisible.' Luckily, we don't have to imagine what the Miller sisters' social media accounts might look like had they been young in today's generation, because each sister had a daughter of their own – and they're now best friends. If you look at Isabel Getty, 31, Princess Marie–Olympia of Greece, 29, or Talita Von Fürstenberg, 26, on Instagram then you will see a highlight reel of Mediterranean getaways, British music festivals, grandiose family Christmas celebrations and endless events. Talita is an annual attendee of the Met Gala and Isabel a regular at Royal Ascot. But despite the Miller sisters' former wild ways, they appear to be stricter with their own heiresses. 'Olympia says I was the strictest with her – the poor thing,' Marie–Chantal told Avenue in 2021. 'When she would go on sleepovers, I would say, "Prove it to me that you're at your friend's house" and she'd have to take a picture. 'When I was her age, I was in New York with Andy Warhol. She reminds me all the time. She'd say, "It's ironic that you're so strict with me when you were out and about, completely able to do whatever you wanted."' 'I guess that's the way it is — you learn from your experiences. I had a lot more independence young, and therefore I am stricter and more worried because the world is a different place,' she said. While these women's Wikipedia pages may describe them as 'socialites', Richardson isn't sure such a thing exists anymore. 'I don't even know if there are female socialites now,' she said. ' I think the expectation, historically, was that a female socialite would be very charitable... would essentially draw attention to causes. 'The party needed to have some degree of virtue at some level to justify its existence,' she continued. Now, with social media, socialite–types don't need to be out supporting causes to make themselves look good, because they can do damage control and sculpt their image from the comfort of their private luxury yacht.
Otago Daily Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Shock as flagship Queenstown store to close
Duty Free Shoppers (DFS) Group's flagship Queenstown CBD store has sunk. The international retailer is pulling the pin on its high-end T Galleria store, which sells luxury brands across two floors of the redeveloped O'Connells building. DFS Group's new-concept store — occupying about 1800sqm — opened less than three years ago. In an email seen by the Otago Daily Times , an Auckland-based buyer for DFS New Zealand tells business partners: "It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the news that as part of a strategic review of our global store network, DFS has made the decision to end our operations in Australia and NZ." The email says the last day of trading for DFS Australia's Sydney store will be September 10. For the Queenstown and Auckland stores it is September 30. DFS Group has stated it is intensifying its focus on its Asian heartland and said its first-quarter performance was "again held back by prevailing international conditions". It faced particular challenges in its Macau and Hong Kong "heartlands", including modest levels of visitor traffic from mainland China to Macau and foreign exchange strains, and was also retrenching in Europe. When DFS Group, hailed as the world's leading luxury travel retailer, signed on to take over two floors of the O'Connells building in early 2021, during Covid and when it was still under redevelopment, it was seen as a major coup for landlord Skyline Enterprises and Queenstown. At the store's opening in October 2022, a DFS Group Oceania vice-president told the Otago Daily Times the group "follow where the travellers go", and Queenstown had long been a desired location. He was also grateful to Skyline for its support. Skyline chief executive Geoff McDonald said DFS Group pulling out of its 15-year lease was "a blow". "Look, you feel for them. They've actually been great partners, really." To have secured DFS for two floors during Covid "was obviously ideal at the time". Mr McDonald said he found out DFS was leaving about two weeks ago. "We were quite shocked, like everyone else, but the more we thought about it, we thought there's some opportunity in this for us. "Our view is it's sad and disappointing, but one door closes and another one opens. "We think there's an opportunity to look at a kind of mix of brands in there that will appeal a bit more to locals." Mr McDonald said he could not count on one tenant taking the entire space again. "Some of the existing brands might want to stay and then without doubt we'll be looking to bring others in." It would also look for international brands. There was also a chance for a retailer to take street frontage and occupy the level immediately above. "We aim to obviously get a couple of key tenants and then the others tend to follow." Mr McDonald said the CBD was becoming more attractive for retail.
Business Recorder
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Experts caution against unchecked use of AI
KARACHI: Experts on Tuesday cautioned against the unchecked use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, warning that while it offers many benefits, it also poses risks to cybersecurity, financial systems, and individuals' privacy. Highlighting $100 billion impact of technology on the global economy during a conference titled 'New Age Innovations: Create Impact in an AI-Driven Future', held at a local hotel, speakers urged responsible use of AI and warned users about inherent data biases. Former Chairman of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Prof Dr Atta-ur-Rahman said that despite limited resources, the country has made remarkable achievements in science and innovation. 'Universities are not about good buildings, but good minds,' he stated, reminding the Islamic world of its declining presence in science and technology, noting the lack of a Muslim Nobel laureate in the sciences. He urged Muslim nations to abandon superstition and embrace modern scientific developments. He told participants that AI, when combined with quantum computing, can solve problems in minutes that would otherwise take billions of years. He also highlighted AI's use in education, medical advancements, treatments, and innovations such as neuro and chips to aid the visually impaired. Sohail Jawaad Syed, Executive Director at DFS Group, State Bank of Pakistan, discussed the country's digital payment landscape. He noted that while global adoption of digital payments is increasing, many Pakistanis still rely on physical transactions such as cheques. He said that 82 percent of account holders still prefer cash or cheque transactions due to a lack of understanding of digital banking. He urged the government to develop policies that promote digital payment systems to improve transaction efficiency. Expressing concerns, he advised users to interact with AI cautiously, citing data biases. He emphasised that AI poses significant cybersecurity threats, calling them 'really scary,' and added that it could also infringe on human privacy. He called for proper regulations to manage these risks. German Consul General in Karachi Dr Rüdiger Lotz praised the organisers for enhancing public understanding of AI. 'We have to ensure we use AI, and not the other way around,' he remarked. He also described AI-generated information as 'biased' and urged users to verify content critically. He said AI technology still lacks objectivity and should remain a tool—not a decision-maker—for humans. Dr Ani Atanasova, CEO and Co-founder of Pixelhunters, UAE, speaking online, stressed that AI cannot replace human creativity. She explained that AI generates content from existing data, whereas human creativity is boundless and includes emotion— something AI lacks. She acknowledged AI's benefits in education, helping students innovate and enabling technologists to train AI with human behaviour patterns. However, she pointed out that trust in AI-generated content remains a challenge. Yasmin Hyder, CEO of New World Concepts Pakistan observed that the post-COVID era has rapidly transformed marketing, branding, and HR management. She said the conference aimed to explore AI as a powerful innovation tool. Dr S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director of the Institute of Business Administration Karachi, provided a critical perspective on how institutions and societies must adapt to the AI revolution. He addressed AI's socioeconomic implications and emphasised the importance of policy, education, and governance in achieving inclusive, sustainable outcomes. Asma Shaikh, Acting VP and Director General HR at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China, shared insights on how organisations can prepare their workforce for the AI era. She highlighted the importance of future-ready leadership, agile teams, and inclusive talent development. Naz Khan, Principal Country Officer at the International Finance Corporation Pakistan, focused on AI's transformative potential in agriculture, energy, and infrastructure. She emphasised how technology can drive inclusive economic growth and tackle challenges like climate change and poverty. Atyab Tahir, Co-founder and CEO of HugoBank, discussed how AI is revolutionising the banking and financial services sector by enhancing customer experience, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. Qashif Effendi, EVP of SBE Holdings, Canada, presented on 'Boosting Sales with Generative AI,' showing how AI can optimise marketing and sales through better customer targeting, content creation, and campaign management. Dr Zainab Samad, Ibn-e-Sina Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Aga Khan University, spoke on 'How AI is Affecting Health and Wellbeing.' She detailed AI's impact on diagnostics and patient care, while also addressing how constant use of new technologies may affect brain function and social behaviour. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Associated Press
24-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Claim Your Golden Delights With DFS
Indulge in Extraordinary Rewards & Experiences This May Golden Week HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 April 2025 - This May Golden Week, let DFS —the world's leading luxury travel retailer, elevate your shopping journey with curated moments of self-delight. From tranquil moments in our Fragrance Wonderland and family adventures in teamLab Future Park, to exquisite gifts for loved ones and unique treasures that reflect your personal style, every experience across DFS network is designed to surprise and inspire. Enjoy exclusive rewards, limited-time perks, and joyful discoveries from April 25 to May 6— only at DFS. MGW25 Generic KV EN+SC Hong Kong & Macau: A World of Multi-Sensational Delights Immerse yourself in a symphony of sensations at DFS Hong Kong and Macau, where every moment is designed to ignite your senses and create lasting memories. Okinawa: Discover Your Island Delights! Enjoy everything that Okinawa has to offer as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of DFS Okinawa, Naha City. Join us in marking this milestone with unique experiences, curated treasures, and moments that honor two decades of unforgettable journeys. North America: Turn Airport Time into Me-Time Make the most of your pre-flight moments at DFS stores in John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport—where airport time becomes your time. From last-minute indulgences to thoughtful pre-planned picks, discover a travel retail experience designed around you. Make Your Golden Week Shopping More Rewarding This Golden Week, enjoy more value with every purchase at DFS. We have partnered with leading payment providers to bring you exclusive offers across our global destinations—designed to make your travel shopping even more delightful. DFS CIRCLE Members, Enjoy Even More Feel extra special as a DFS CIRCLE member with exclusive benefits including bonus points, member-only offers, and elevated experiences across all DFS locations. Not yet a member? Sign up at to unlock a world of privileges. * Terms & Conditions apply. Prizes vary between stores and are of limited quantities only, while stocks last. Visit for more details. + Payment promotions and in-store happenings schedule vary between stores, please see store for details. Hashtag: #DFS The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ABOUT DFS DFS: Your Personal Guide to The World of Luxury DFS Group is the leading luxury travel retailer. Established in Hong Kong in 1960, DFS Group continues to be a pioneer in global luxury travel retail, offering its customers a carefully curated selection of exceptional products from the most desired brands. Its stores are present in major global airports and downtown locations. DFS Group is privately held, and majority owned by the world's largest luxury conglomerate, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), alongside DFS co-founder and shareholder Robert Miller. DFS Group focuses on creating inspiring omnichannel retail experiences for its customers and is headquartered in Hong Kong SAR. For more information, please visit
