LONDON: From chichi Lambrettas and Vespas, to modern-day electric versions of what we tumbled from as kids, scooters are definitely the coolest accessory in Britain this summer. Pooh-poohed as a passing fad last year, sales of all two-wheeled scooters are booming, with the one-time, Italian-made 'Lammies' taking pride of place in the revival. For the reconstructed Mods, the biz is now the Zip: one luminous yellow model was recently spotted outside the Ritz in London. The portable, rechargeable electric two-wheeler can be picked up and carried like a skateboard, and has a maximum cruising speed of 48 kilometres per hour. No numberplate, helmet, licence or even road tax are required. WHO MAKES IT COST Fuel costs are low as the Zip handily plugs into a wall socket for recharging. The new scooter is not just a hit with the trendy set, it is also in vogue with arthritic pensioners no longer able to ride bicycles.
sue quinn PARIS: The French capital is in the throes of an Indian summer. Beauty salons are offering elaborate henna tattoos to complement tanned hands and legs - as originally modelled by Kashmiri princesses. Meanwhile, popular boutiques such as Kookai and Morgan are offering vividly dyed summer frocks in diaphanous muslin that evoke images of Eastern bazaars and the smouldering starlets of Hindi films.
Fashion stylists are heading in droves to Passage Brady, the Indian shopping arcade near Gare du Nord which sells exquisite sari fabrics and jewellery at rock bottom prices. This month's Marie Claire magazine boasts a 12-page Indian-themed fashion shoot. Even the popular British chain, Marks and Spencer, is wowing Parisian palates with its imported range of cool curries, and chicken tikka sandwiches are gracing the most well dressed picnic hampers.
Film stars and politicians flock to Le Maharajah restaurant on trendy Boulevard Saint Germain to eat haute cuisine-style Indian food. There is no foie gras masala on the menu ... yet.
anita chaudhuri NEW YORK: The latest exercise craze to hit New York is 'Strollercize', the brainchild of personal trainer Elizabeth Trindade who, Pied Piper-like, leads processions of mothers with their baby buggies through exercise routines all over Central Park.
Trindade, AGE whose solo clients include Henry Kissinger, came up with the idea after she had her first child and couldn't go to the gym without a baby-sitter. 'Get right down on that left leg. Now hold your right foot and streeeeeeetch that leg up and out behind you. Use the handles for support,' she shouts militaristically. The babies seem thoroughly entertained by mummy's contortions.