Friday, February 1st, 2013
If you know your Chloe from Chanel and Marchesa from Missoni; pronounce Givenchy: ‘jhee-von-shee’; drop the ‘H’ in Hermès; and revere Anna Dello Russo as much as Anna Wintour – then we have a guide for you. Sartorialists rejoice, as we take you around the world for a year of fashion weeks.
The Big Four
New York City
Autumn/Winter: 7–14 February 2013, and Spring/Summer: September 5–12 2013
Every February and September the world’s fashion-forward converge on the Lincoln Centre, in Manhattan’s artsy Lincoln Square, to witness America’s most iconic and up-and-coming designers debut their latest collections at New York Fashion Week. This February, more than 75 designers will showcase their handiwork at official events, with names like Charlotte Ronson, Zac Posen, Badgley Mischka, Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren and Diane von Furstenberg all taking on the runway. Fashion zealot or not, fashion week is a great time to visit The Big Apple, as the city is abuzz with quintessential New York City energy and high drama.
Getting there: Together with partner airlines Delta Air Lines and Virgin America, Virgin Australia operates flights to New York City, from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Where to stay: ON THE AVE complements fashion week’s vibe, with stylish and contemporary facilities just 15 minutes’ walking distance from the Lincoln Center.
London
Autumn/Winter: 15–19 February 2013, and Spring/Summer: September 13–17 2013
Sporting sore heads from wrap parties, the fashpack moves across the Atlantic, without even a day’s reprieve, to Somerset House for London Fashion Week. Following firmly on the coattails of NYC, London showcases twice a year (February and September), with more than 5,000 visitors – ranging from buyers to TV crews and journalists and A-listers – in attendance. This February more than 60 catwalk shows and 30 presentations and salon shows fill the official schedule, while 45 shows will take place off schedule. Iconic UK names like Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith and Burberry will flaunt their wears alongside avant-garde heroes like Christopher Kane and Henry Holland, and Australian innovators like sass & bide, Antipodium and Dion Lee.
Getting there: Together with partner Etihad Airways, Virgin Australia operates flights to London from Sydney and Melbourne.
Where to stay: Situated in the heart of London’s vibrant Covent Garden, Kingsway Hall Hotel offers comfortable and deluxe accommodations, a mere 9 minutes’ walk from all the action of London Fashion Week.
Milan
Women’s Fashion, Autumn/Winter: 20–26 February 2013, Spring/Summer: 18–24 September 2013, Men’s Fashion, Spring/Summer: 22 – 26 June 2013
Fashion is such big business in Milan that womenswear and menswear are dedicated separate week-long events. This year’s men’s event has already passed with names like Prada, Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana heralded as standouts. Come late February, the world’s biggest names are set congregate in the Italian hub once again to showcase their take on women’s runway and ready-to-wear looks. All the big Italian heavy-hitters will be present – including Gucci, Versace and Valentino, to name a few – alongside the world’s most innovative up-and-coming labels. Considered to be the most intrinsically stylish city in the world, Milan Fashion Week is highly revered and respected by those in the fashion know.
Getting there: Together with partner airlines Etihad Airways, Virgin Australia operates flights to Milan from Sydney and Melbourne.
Where to stay: On a private street, situated in the cultural and commercial heart of a city, the Bulgari Hotel (of Italian design house fame) is one of Milan’s hottest locations during Fashion Week.
Paris
Ready-to-Wear, Autumn/Winter: 26 Feb–6 March 2013, Spring/Summer: 24 September – 2 October 2013, Men’s Fashion, Spring/Summer: 26–30 June 2013, Couture, Spring/Summer: 1–4 July 2013,
Paris is the fashion capital of the world, and consequently Paris Fashion Week is the hottest ticket item on the fashion calendar. Couture Week has just past, and saw Kanye West sit front row at Lanvin, Jessica Alba don all black for Christian Dior, Olivia Munn support Donatella Versace, and Diane Kruger pull off Parisienne chic at the Chanel. Ready to Wear womenswear is next on the agenda, and will see France’s most iconic fashion houses – such as Isabel Marant, Balmain, Céline, Dior, Chloe, Louis Vuitton and Chanel – inundate the Carrousel du Louvre. Fashion Week is an exciting time to be in Paris, at the city’s boulevards come alive with all things fierce and fabulous.
Getting there: Together with partner airlines Etihad Airways, Virgin Australia operates flights to Paris from Sydney and Melbourne.
Where to stay: A favourite of Alber Elbaz and Carine Roitfield, and located just around the corner from Vogue Paris, and a mere 15 minutes’ walk from the Louvre, the Hotel De Crillon is a hot Fashion Week haunt.
Closer to Home
Tokyo
Autumn/Winter: 17–23 March 2013, Spring/Summer: October 2013
A frontrunner in all things progressive and out-of-the box, Tokyo has been steadily growing a reputation as a fashion powerhouse. Just weeks after Paris, the adventurous of the fashion set move from Europe to the east, to witness the radical innovations of Tokyo Fashion Week. Last season’s event saw intricate neon and leather laser cut garments, models caring manikins wearing dresses, and toe print textiles on pantsuits, command the runway and wow crowds. This March a who’s-who of Japanese designers – such as Alice Auaa, Beautiful People, G.V.G.V., Yasutoshi Ezumi, A Degree Fahrenheit and Yoshio Kubo – will line up at the Hikarie shopping tower in the trendy precinct of Shibuya. The focus will be just as much on fun and fantasy as it is on fashion.
Getting there: Together with partner airlines Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia operates flights to Tokyo from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Adelaide and Perth.
Where to stay: Featuring an elegant decor, pleasant ambience and comfortable accommodations, just 5 minutes’ walk from Hikarie, Shibuya Excel Tokyu is the perfect base for Tokyo Fashion Week.
Sydney
Annual Event: April 8–12.
Australia’s biggest fashion event, Australian Fashion Week (Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Sydney), has been responsible for launching names like Ksubi, Josh Goot, sass & bide, Romance Was Born, Dion Lee, and a whole host of prominent antipodean fashion labels. In recent years the event has also garnered attention from international celebrities like Whitney Port, Dita Von Teese and Erin Wasson, as well as prominent bloggers like Susie Bubble, Bryan Boy, Rumi Neely and Elin Kling. This year’s event features a new venue (Eveleigh’s Carriageworks) and new dates (moved forward a month), and is set to again showcase the best of Australia’s home-grown talent.
Getting there: Virgin Australia operates flights to Sydney direct from all Australian capital cities and most major regional ports, and from international destination such as Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, Nadi and Bali.
Where to stay: Nestled between the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, with water literally lapping at its edges, Park Hyatt offers the ultimate Sydney experience, just 15 minutes’ drive from Carraigeworks.
Friday, December 7th, 2012
To inspire you and help you discover the world in all its glory, we have scoured the globe to fashion a series of World’s Top lists.
This week, as the end of 2012 draws near, we bring you our top five New Year’s Eve destinations.
Sydney Harbour, Sydney | Australia
It is claimed Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are the most elaborately planned and the most exquisitely executed in the world. Families, friends and revellers gather by and on the harbour to witness Sydney welcome the New Year before most cities on earth, with one of the world’s greatest firework displays. This year’s event is co-curated by pop princess, Kylie Minogue, and highlights the theme of “embrace” against a backdrop of the glistening harbour and iconic Harbour Bridge.
Flights to Sydney: Virgin Australia operates flights to Sydney direct from all Australian capital cities and most major regional ports, and from international destination such as Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, Nadi and Bali.
Hotels in Sydney: Our hotel partner, HotelClub offers great hotel deals in Sydney.
CentralWorld, Bangkok | Thailand
New Year’s Eve in Bangkok has become synonymous with CentralWorld’s annual celebration. Each year locals and visitors gather in and around the shopping mall (the third largest in the world) and its beer gardens to welcome in the New Year with a flamboyant countdown, an incredible fireworks display and exciting performances by popular local artists. This year’s event is themed “Big Hug, Big Fun” – an apt message of what to expect in Bangkok on New Year’s Eve.
Flights to Bangkok: Together with partner airline Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia operates flights to Bangkok via Singapore from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Adelaide and Perth.
Hotels in Bangkok: Our hotel partner, HotelClub offers great hotel deals in Bangkok.
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo | Japan
On any given day of the week prominent Tokyo landmark, Shibuya Crossing is abuzz with pedestrians, flashing neon signs and giant television screens. On New Year’s Eve the entertainment district causes sensory overload with fireworks, festive chants and revellers dressed in colourful costumes. Akin to Time Square in New York City, Shibuya promises a night to remember – surrounded by restaurants, nightclubs and hotels, all packed with merry-makers ringing in the New Year in extravagant fashion.
Flights to Tokyo: Together with partner airline Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia operates flights to Tokyo via Singapore from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Adelaide and Perth.
Hotels in Tokyo: Our hotel partner, HotelClub offers great hotel deals in Tokyo.
Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas | USA
It’s a no-brainer… Sin City is a must-experience New Year’s Eve destination. Revelry is a way of life in Las Vegas, and New Year’s Eve sends the city into overdrive. The strip is shut off to cars and turned in to one giant street party, complete with fireworks, music and light shows. Party-goers fill the casinos and nightclubs, as Hollywood’s biggest names host the world’s most ostentatious New Year’s Eve bashes.
Flights to Las Vegas: Together with partner airlines Delta Air Lines, Virgin Australia operates flights to Las Vegas via LA from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Hotels in Las Vegas: Our hotel partner, HotelClub offers great hotel deals in Las Vegas.
Champs-Elysees, Paris | France
Could there be a more appropriate setting in which to ring in the New Year than midnight in Paris? The City of Light shines brighter than ever, ushering in the New Year with a spectacular showcase of festivities. Kids roam the Champs-Elysees selling fireworks. Landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe are lit up for all to see. And thousands of Parisians fill the avenues, toasting with flutes of French champagne and offering well wishes of Bonne Annee!
Flights to Paris: Together with partner airlines Etihad Airways, Virgin Australia operates flights to Paris via Abu Dhabi from Sydney and Melbourne.
Hotels in Paris: Our hotel partner, HotelClub offers great hotel deals in Paris.
Celebrate this New Year’s Eve in spectacular surrounds, we have a aircraft to take your there. Discover where we fly.
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Fall in love with the city of light with V Australia’s one-stop flights to Europe. Thanks to our partner Etihad, you will be saying “Paris je t’aime” in no time at all.
Food in Paris:
Visit Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses for the best baguette in Paris!
A typical day in Paris, I am sad to learn, does not start with a buttery chocolate croissant. Instead, mid-week breakfast usually comes in the form of a warm baguette, dipped in black coffee or served with butter and jam. Anyone who has tried a baguette in France can attest this was equally good. In fact, the French, take their baguettes de tradition so seriously that in 1993 they enacted the ‘French bread law’ which basically results in you enjoying the best bread you’ve ever had. A visit to Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses, will have you convinced. (38 rue des Abbesses in the 18th arrondissement)
Food it seems, along with fashion forms a generous part of the social fabric of France. The French take their time, both in preparing their meals and consuming them – evident in their four-course-lunches and six-course-dinners. A fantastic way to savour some sophisticated French cuisine is to dine at lunch. Many of the cities restaurants offer a set lunch menu or formulas at a fraction of their dinner menu prices. La Table Lauriston is a great example of how to enjoy some bourgeois classics in opulent French surrounds, without breaking your holiday budget. (129 Rue Lauristin, 16th)
Paris (thankfully) is a city best explored on foot, perfect justification for my two-crepe-a-day addiction. A visit to world famous food market, Richard Lenoir, does little to help. Open Thursday and Sunday, the bustling slice of Parisian life is the place to go to pick up fresh produce, bread, cheese and cured meats. With my treasure in tow it was time to enjoy one of Paris’s many parks and gardens, a boating picnic at Bois de Vincennes in the cities east, almost too French for words.
The sights
With so much history and so many cultural pockets to the city, it’s hard to know where to start. A visit to the Eiffel Tower seems as good a place as any and with seven million people visiting the iconic landmark each year – they can’t all be wrong. Dusk is a magic time to take it all in and there are lift and stair options that will get you to the very top.
A must see: The Eiffel Tower at dusk
A trip to Napoleon Bonaparte’s final resting place at the Church of St Louis goes hand in hand with the almost too conveniently located Saxe Breteuil markets. Spend Saturday morning immersed in all things French. From fur and carpets to cookbooks and crockery – visiting a market is the quintessential Paris experience that simply can’t be missed.
Busy with worshippers, the Notre Dame is perfect on Sundays. Inside, three beautiful stain-glass rose windows and a 7800-pipe organ will leave you more than impressed. A healthy climb up the 387 steps of the North Tower offers breathtaking views of the entire city, a one-of-a-kind tourist experience.
Bastille Day Celebrations in Paris
Along with architecture, Paris has more than it’s fair share of museums. A trip to the Louvre to ponder Leonardo’s Mona Lisa or across to Marmottan Monet to see a wealth of impressionism will have even non-enthusiasts in awe.
No city boasts such a hedonistic blend of food, fashion and art quite like Paris. It’s easy to see why year in, year out Paris remains the number one tourist destination in the world. Having barely touched the surface of what it’s like to be in Pairs, there’s no better time to see what all the fuss is about.
Take advantage of V Australia’s fabulous fare offers and arrive in time to celebrate Bastille Day on July 14. Along with our partner Etihad, we’ll take you to Paris in style.
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V Australia and our partner Etihad Airways, fly to Paris and for a short time only we can offer the following:
Sydney to Paris from AUD$1935* Economy Return
Book online or visit your travel agent before the 18th April PLUS when you book economy tickets through your travel agent, you can receive a free upgrade to premium economy (conditions apply, see your travel agent for more details)
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