Masters of Excellence ends on a high note

Held under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning and Economy, the elite lifestyle exhibition was organised by Emotion Events and supported by Al Dar, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Abu Dhabi Motors, Beauty Palace and Etihad Airways.

"No question about it, it's the best exhibition I've attended. The quality of the luxury items on display, the execution of the fashion shows, and the organisation of the gala dinners, Masters of Excellence was a class all of its own," one guest was quoted as saying at the conclusion of the highly successful event.

Impressing even the most discerning of people, Masters of Excellence lived up to expectations and firmly put Abu Dhabi on the world map as one of the most important destinations for showcasing exclusive and prestigious luxury lifestyle brands.

Each night, a lavish gala dinner was organised with celebrity 3 Star Michelin Chef Pierre Gagnaire preparing a sumptuous feast for the VVIP guests. This was preceded by the much anticipated fashion spectacle featuring haute couture fashion from the UK, US, Italy and France.

Noted fashion director Bernard Trux was at his usual best, mesmerizing the audience with brilliantly conceptualised fashion shows.

But the real stars of the night were the stylish fashion creations of noted designers Valentino, Christian Lacroix, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and Giles Deacon. The fashion finale featured French fashion designers Givenchy, Ungaro and Lacroix, along with elegant jewellery pieces from Chopard. Known for their fashion flair, the French designers mesmerized the audience with their flamboyant collection, bursting with colours using intricate fabrics and showing elegant cuts.

"We had four nights of fantastic haute couture fashion," said an obviously delighted Denis Muller, CEO of Emotions, the company that organised the entire exhibition. "Equally captivating were the elegant jewellery and time pieces, as well as luxury and table ware that appealed to the elite crowd. We had Swiss artisans who came over to showcase their skills in designing exquisite jewellery and watches, including Vianney Halter, Alexis Garin, Dick Steenman, Thomas Prescher, and Antoine Preziuso.

Parmigiani, David Morris, Graff, Chopard, Piaget, Harry Winston, Bulgari, Boucheron, Tiffany, De Grisogono, and Chanel joined an enviable list of classic and famed jewellery and watch brands that captivated the fancy of exhibition guests, who also showed a very enthusiastic response towards the tableware and art de vivre house exhibits, featuring luxury brands such Hermes, Puiforcat, Haviland, Saint Louis, Christofle, Baccarat, Bernardaud, Daum, Villeroy & Boch, Jean-Louis Coquet, Lalique, Nymphenburg Porzellan, and Ercuis-Raynaud to name a few.

The culminating exhibit featured the world's most luxurious yachts, such as Rizzardi, Primatist, Atlantis, Azimuth, Ferretti, Pershing, Elegance Yahcts, Marquis and Formula. Elegantly berthed at the spanking and extravagant Marina facilities of the Emirates Palace, the multi-million dollar luxury yachts amazed audiences with their lavish amenities and captivated the fancy quite a few interested guests.

Muller says he's already planning for the exhibition's return next year, without doubt inspired by the tremendous success of this year's event. "An event of this nature and magnitude will be difficult to replicate, let alone surpass. But we promise 2007 will see an even better Masters of Excellence," Muller ended.