Christmas Charity Sale

Yesterday, my friend Maryam from the American School of Dubai, hosted a Christmas Open House event in support of Al Noor Hospital for Children with special needs  http://alnoorspneeds.ae/

It has been a fun day, filled with new and old friends, Christmas treats and festive music.

Maryam is a great organizer and everything she does turns out a success!

She was kind enough to think about my work and invite me to present Dr. Vranjes Firenze to her friends. Together with me, she putted together 3 other vendors: Hayet Zerelly, a talented jewelry designer who creates silver moroccan very original pieces (FB page: hayet. jewellery), the Sweet Connection (http://www.sweetconnectiondubai.com/Welcome.html), a gluten free kitchen that makes delicious cakes, biscotti, breads and even pizzas for all who have intolerances and allergies - and believe me, everything is tasty and you don't even realize it is gluten free! And finally an organic soap producer that even makes cool spa candles that you can use as massage oil once the wax is melted. :) 

This was my Dr. Vranjes corner. Each single person who came to the event left with either a diffuser, a room spray, a linen kit (alcohol-free bed linen and towel spray, scented ceramic disc for drawers and scented papers for closets) or a scented candle. My friend Nisha also got the first carparfum available in the UAE!!!

 Here is Hayet's jewelry display. Together with her creations, she brought some cotton sarongs and table clothes. It was nice meeting her and she gave me some interesting ideas on how to get develop my activity in the future. I now definitely need to visit the Object & Element space in Al Quoz https://www.facebook.com/objectsandelements?fref=ts.

  

Maryam's kitchen was the perfect place to display all the delicious and good-looking healthy food created by Sweet Connection.
I need to confess that, being there almost all day, I think I had all the sample of their cakes and cookies. Simply divine!!!

It has been a great day and I wish to thank everyone who took the time to come, support us and support Al Noor center for children with special needs. Maryam had a great idea organizing this and it was the perfect way to say goodbye to many friends before the holidays and meet a lot of new amazing people!


THANK YOU for a great day!!! 

Gaijin Bebe': Chic Lady 2012

Gaijin Bebe': Chic Lady 2012: In October I visited "Chic Lady", a yearly show held at ADNEC (Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center in October). My client Mona was exhibiting ther...

Chic Lady 2012

In October I visited "Chic Lady", a yearly show held at ADNEC (Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center in October). My client Mona was exhibiting there with her beautiful shop "Creme de la Creme" . Her first Dr. Vranjes order arrived just in time to display some of our products which blended beautifully with the shop's floral decoration.

The space was a loyal reproduction of the original shop's atmosphere: a romantic rococo style that with unique flower arrangements and a wonderful selection of European brands personally selected by the owner of the shop during her travelling. 

Every visitor was captured by the beauty of the "LOVE" sign, made out of fresh flowers, and the astonishing swan decoration, created using candid white roses' petals. 

 

It was a privilege for us to be part of this event with Creme de la Creme.

From our range of Dr. Vranjes' fragrances, Creme de la Creme selected 2 scents "Collezione" (collection) and a novelty 2012:

-The timeless "Rosso Nobile" in its decanter gift packaging, one of the world's favorites, featured in the most prestigious 5star hotels in the world (the Hermitage of Montecarlo, the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo and the Salviatino in Florence).
- Calvado's, a sophisticated scent inspired to the precious distillate, created by blending the purest essences of apples and combining them with aromatic notes of tannins of oak wood and fresh floral scent which call to mind landscapes in the Normandy region.
- Cuoio & Radica, a pure design for the sense of scent that is increasingly becoming one of the #1 in the Gulf region: the elegance of orange blossom, violet leaves and freesia is cleverly combined with the virility of cedar, briar woods and patchouli leaves which blend with the surprisingly notes of leather, amber and vanilla.

Creme de la Creme introduced its new brand with a visual presentation of Dr. Vranjes Firenze: the Duomo cathedral with its unique cupola represents the made in Italy- made in Florence origin of the maison and a picture of Dr. Paolo Vranjes at work in its laboratory reminds us how these artisanal fragrances distinguish themselves from the other industrial fragrance productions. 

Chic Lady 2012 for me has not just been an occasion to visit a client. Talking and sharing thoughts with Mona (the lovely Emirati lady who owns and runs the shop) quickly become a chance to meet a new friend and understand more about the local culture and its fascinating mysterious world. 

The exhibition was visited and held mostly by local women and I was given the opportunity of a small wonderful intrusion in their exclusive world. The exhibitors displayed everything for the arab woman: from precious abayas, sheilas to make-up, decorations and wedding dresses. 

I found myself intrigued by the evening fashion shows. Below you can see some pictures of those moments.

I was attracted to it, but at the same time I couldn't avoid feeling a certain discomfort. There was something that was just not right for my western perspective, a screeching detail that I could not just figure out...

...I knew there was something.....

...and as I fell in love with each of these abayas I finally realize what it was:

This fashion show has the power to fascinate and amaze me while actually covering pretty much the whole body of the models. My deviated western perspective was expecting something provocative and extreme from a fashion show. I realized I needed a little cultural adjustment in order to appreciate this different way of presenting beauty.

Each woman wearing an abaya is charming in her own way. Just like enchanting can be the simple gesture of fixing a sheila around their head and discovering the precious details of these traditional yet fashionable clothes.

Thank you Creme de la Creme for the great opportunity to be part, even for just a few hours, of this magic lustrous world of amazing women. 

Not just a 5 star Hotel ...

Representing Dr. Vranjes in the UAE doesn’t only mean the chance to visit beautiful  shops inside the greatest malls or the fancy boutiques of beach road. Working and researching for this sophisticated brand, is giving me the opportunity to visit some of the most amazing hotels in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Vranjes’ fragrances are, in fact, often selected by 5* Hotels to scent their entrance halls, their corridors and their most luxurious suites.

In my hotel-mission last week I visited two quite unique places:

The St. Regis Hotel in Abu Dhabi- Saadyat Island - and the Kempinski hotel in the heart of Dubai.

The St. Regis, born under the Starwood Hotels' family and named after its notorious predecessor in  NYC, has a mystique atmosphere thoughtfully created by Mediterranean architecture and contemporary interior design, enhanced by a very smart use of natural elements by a South African design group. The ambience is calming and sumptuous at the same time. It is hard to believe that you’re 15 minutes away from the capital city of the UAE and a 50 minutes drive from the even more chaotic Dubai.

This is the view that captures each guest right at the main entrance of the hotel. Guests will remain in complete admiration of the landscape, while sipping a cup of arab coffe nicely served by local customs and waiters wearing traditional outfits.

The splendid outdoor area is naturally developed on the seaside where guests can have breakfast early in the morning while, if lucky, dolphins perform an exclusive dance show for them, in the uncontaminated waters of the Saadyat protected area. (Below a picture of Mika and Lily playing at the shoreline of the St. Regis Saadiyat - curtesy of Marwan) 

 The main restaurant is attached to the external side and has a perfect marine touch, with turquoise decorations and shell-shaped lamps on the walls. The service looks flawless while guests consume their certainly eye-catching tempting meals (it's 2 pm and I still haven't got anything to eat, I'm hungry!!!). For this space I couldn't avoid picturing how a 5 lt. Duomo bottle of Dr. Vranjes Acqua fragrance would beautifully complete the decor of the restaurant:

These are some details of the St. Regis interiors. I particularly liked the selection of chandeliers for the many different spaces of the hotel: This one is the main actor of the lobby. It literarily dominates the huge space of the hotel entrance.

From the beach restaurant going back inside this quite unique stairway takes shape around another beautiful chandelier.

The high ceiling of the "55th street/5th Avenue" restaurant (I remember this venue is named after the address of the St. Regis in New York) is spectacular. The bubble-falls chandeliers overlook a wonderful dining area, perfect for a fancy dinner!

I completed my visit of the St. Regis drinking a good espresso at one of the cozy bars with Siham from Selva Middle East and Marwan, a manager of the Starwood Hotels group. He was nice enough to give me the contact of the person in charge of all hotels' decorations and housekeeping. An Italian lady who I'll definitely get in touch with once she'll be back from her holiday. I believe Dr. Vranjes fragrances will add a final touch to make this outstanding hotel even more special!!!
Over the weekend Marwan invited me and a couple of friends to go to Cavalli's club in Dubai.
It was the first time for me at this Fairmont's fancy spot, but we had a blast and everything at the club was un entertaining show: from the bartender freestyle playing with bottles and fire, to the DJ playing along with a psychedelic saxophonist and the drums installation right in the middle of the dance floor!!! Here a moment of that night with beautiful ladies Caira, Olga and Vanessa. Thank you Marwan for having us!!!

The Kempinski hotel is the second venue I visited last week.
This hotel is located in a very special position of Dubai. It's the venue directly connected with the Mall of the Emirates, a perfect spot for both turist visitors and people on business trips, as it is close to everything and has easy access to transportations, shopping and sightseeing.

Hotel manager Anwar nicely met me to discuss Dr. Vranjes fragrances for the hotel. We had a nice conversation and he liked our fragrances, especially the warm energizing notes of the "Fuoco" scent. Good tastes Mr. Anwar! This woody spicy fragrance is perfect for a work room. It stimulates concentration and it's indicated for spaces used by smokers! (and he's a smoker).

After our meeting, Arwan arranged a tour of the hotel for me. Lovely miss Judith showed me all the Kempinski suites and deluxe rooms. Needless to say, I was shocked and impressed discovering that this hotel, located in one of the hottest cities in the world, can offer a real "mountain-snowy experience"!!! Some of its rooms, the "chalet suites" face the surreal indoor ski slopes of the Mall of the Emirates. The temperature in the room is quite chilly and looking at the snow outside you immediately feel like lightening the fireplace, relax on the couch covered by a fluffy blanket and drink a cup of hot cocoa!!! The interiors and decorations of the rooms revoke the typical chalets accommodations of villages in the Alps, but if you've never been on the Alps,  this is definitely an experience that will offer you a close reconstruction. Great for children in the region who actually never saw real snow!!! 

The only advantage of the whole thing is that, if you're too cold or sick of the snow, you can always get out and head to the beach in 10 minutes for a tropical sun tan!!!  

Our Fuoco fragrance would merge beautifully with this spacious living room, as the materials used are mainly woods.

The executive rooms and standard rooms go back to a more local atmosphere. The view is either the Burj Al Arab or the hotel's outside pool area. After a time machine trip to St. Moritz, now you feel like you're back to Dubai. Each room is elegant and spacious. Big tables enable the business traveller to work in the living room, while other suites are spacious enough to host entire large families.

For the executive rooms, I'd select Dr. Vranjes' Cuoio and Radica (leather and wood).

This is an essentially masculine scent of leather and briarwood. The elegance of orange blossom, violet leaf and freesia are expertly combined with the virility of cedar, patchouli leaf and briarwood, blended perfectly with the surprisingly soft notes of leather, amber and vanilla. I'm sure this scent is going to be one of our best sellers in the Gulf region! 

My visit ended and I couldn't avoid the temptation to walk through the connecting hallway and go for a stroll in the Mall of Emirates. (These are the side effects of my job: I too often end up conceding myself a little shopping tour before I go back to work!)

I look forward to build a partnership between Dr. Vranjes Firenze and these amazing hotels.
I'm sure it will be a perfect mariage, just as it's happening with luxury hotels all over the world in Europe, the US and even in Japan!!!

Dr. Vranjes' first home in Abu Dhabi

This week I returned to Abu Dhabi in Dr. Vranjes- business mission!

Thanks to our relationship with the Italian design furniture store Selva Middle East, I was asked to bring a few of our fragrances in the showroom apartment of  Eastern Mangroves Residences, a new TDIC luxury residential project in Abu Dhabi. 

This image below shows the picturesque setting of this residential project, located along a stretch of Abu Dhabi protected eastern mangrove district. Simply a magical holiday atmosphere at a few minutes drive from the heart of the city. 

The entrance of the TDIC showroom apartment and leasing office:

The sophisticated furniture in the pictures below are all from Selva Middle East.

Siham (Selva's showroom manager) and I drove together on Sunday morning to reach this gorgeous space and make sure everything was ready for us to display our promotional pamphlets, and (in my case) to find a proper location to the Dr. Vranjes vases I brought.

For the classic spacious living room, I selected our biggest sumptuous vase: the 5 litre cathedral bottle of Rosso Nobile.

The moment I opened the fragrance tank to pour it into the vase, the whole apartment was pleasantly invaded by its scent. Rosso Nobile's (Noble Red) notes of orange blossom enhance the floral bouquet of violets and magnolia, while hints of plum complement the essence of forest fruits, strawberries and rasberries at the heart of fragrance. The aroma of seasoned wood with a hint of smoked birch give it a final decise personality making it one of my Dr. Vranjes' favorite fragrances! 

The living room has direct access to the marvelous patio and a stunning view on the water. I think I could live here for a couple of years!!!

For the entrance, I picked another amazing Dr. Vranjes collection scent:I Giardini di Firenze - Boboli. 

For Florence, Boboli Gardens embody a beautiful piece of history. Situated behind the spectacular Pitti Palace in the centre of the city, the gardens represent a wonderful example of the 16th Italian gardens and they have the power to bring us back at time when Tuscany was ruled by the Medici dynasty. Oh boy, I miss my Firenze!!! 

Dr. Vranjes was capable to evoke those ancient memories and atmospheres reproducing the beauty of that natural vegetation made of cypress trees, citrus fruits and roses. 

Going to Abu Dhabi was, as usual, a great experience and (as always since I work for Dr. Vranjes Firenze) it was rewarding to see how much people in the showroom apartment appreciated the fragrances. Alina, Arwa and Grace, the three lovely girls who work in the office of the Eastern Mangrove Residence, contacted me right after my visit to know more about the fragrances. 

I'm so glad they liked the scents I selected for them and I hope this triple partnership between them, Dr. Vranjes Firenze and Selva Middle East will be fruitful for everyone!

  

Once our work at TDIC was done, Siham and I had a meeting at one of the most beautiful hotels I've seen in my life!!! ...but I don't want to anticipate now...I'll tell you more about this in my next post.

bye bye a tutti!