Cricket

The visiting Kiwi cricketers had a taste of Kandyan hospitality last week when they went up to the Asgiriya hills for a three day warm-up match. Mirror photographer Kumara Dayawansa Nanneththi snapped these candid pix at Le Kandyan hotel of the New Zealanders and the Lankans who were led by Master Blaster Sanath Jayasuriya.

Brief glimpse of Parisian haute couture

By Yvonne Gulamhusein

Yves Saint Laurent, the world's most celebrated fashion designer, cruised over the Lankan ramp when eleven lovely Paris models, led by Lankan Perine Fernando displayed his creations, at the Colombo Hilton this week. "Mode de Yves Saint Laurent" presented a Pret-a-Porter and haute couture collection of beautiful fabrics, ingeniously put together.

The show had everything from eveningwear to elegant pant suits. The collection of delicate yet sensual clothing in fluid, silky, diaphanous evening fabrics was embellished, beaded and embroidered in a feast of fashion. The fashion show ended with the bridal by Y.S.L. The only discordant note in an otherwise professional presentation was the music, which was often out of sync with the models.

"Yves Saint Laurent celebrates his 40th anniversary as a designer this year," said Perine Fernando, "This genius is a legend in the fashion industry today and every model taking part in his fashion shows considers herself very fortunate and privileged". Y.S.L. was once a prodigy of the legendary Christian Dior working and designing in his ateliers until C.D. died.

Opening the show Perine appeared on stage looking great in a tangerine chiffon saree matched with sleeveless blouse.

Speaking fluently in English, three lovely models gave a brief informal interview to The Sunday Times. The reed-thin models all dressed in casual clothes, were ready for a rehearsal. Erika aged 25 of Japanese-Italian decent lives in Milan, Gunel aged 20 from Moscow, lives in Paris and Daphnee who is French aged 18 lives in Paris. For them modelling is a dedicated business - They wake up around 9 a.m. and their routine would be first to call their agency and get their casting for the day. Usually they take one modelling job a day. In Paris and Milan there is a lot of work, but there could be slow periods too, they said. Their work could vary from commercial photography to TV which is quite strenuous and means working late into the evening. They travel extensively to different places flying all over the world, at least twice a year. They were very excited to be in Sri Lanka, they said and had dined at Beach Wadiya the night before, which they praised very much.

Their modelling here was for charity and they came to Sri Lanka as friends of Perine Fernando. Other models in the Y.S.L. team were Sonia Cole, Jade Brown, Agnieszka Szablonska, Filippa Edberg Sueden, Helen Munro, Gurmit Kure, Gameliyana Shelby.

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