VETERAN Hong Kong choreographer Kiki Fleming was ushered out of the territory with a lively party last Tuesday, well-attended by the city's fashion and social groupies. The surprise bash, thrown by Fleming's former partner Marianne Cartier at Club '97, almost didn't happen: Fleming decided at the last minute to organise a party for herself and set about arranging venues and caterers and calling friends before Cartier gently diverted her attention to more pressing matters - like packing boxes.
'Don't worry about a thing,' Cartier told Fleming. 'You must have lots to do. I'll take care of it.' Fleming was, in the end, suitably surprised and was pleased to have been able to spend one of her last nights in Hong Kong with dozens of the beautiful models she has worked with in recent years, as well as friends and clients from Gucci and Fendi. Hairstylist Kim Robinson was there, as was drag queen Greg Durham who did a little performance in Fleming's honour, and party-goers Daniel Perel, Sheila Arora, Regine Allman-Brown and Richard Da Silva. The territory's fashion design contingent - everyone from Flora Cheong-leen to William Tang and Roberto Conte - were also on the guest list.
By the end of it, Fleming happily admitted she was glad she hadn't gone through all the bother of arranging the do herself - and invited all and sundry to her guest-house at her new home in Italy. 'My door is always open,' she said.
Driving ahead This now leaves Marianne Cartier, a former in-house model in Paris for Chanel and Christian Dior, in the driver's seat. Still operating under the name Cartier-Fleming International Ltd, the French choreographer and show producer has tied up her first few deals in her new solo act: at the end of March there is the Leonard fashion show in Shanghai, sponsored by the Chinese Government, to which city officials and 'the cream of Shanghai' will be invited. Daniel Tribouillard, who runs Leonard in Paris, is also looking at the possibility of having another catwalk show in Hong Kong in September.
Cartier has spent the last couple of weeks shopping for clothes for what she regards as one of her most challenging fashion shows to date - one where the dresses come second to the shoes.
Working on behalf of the Spanish Trade Commission and a big shoe fair being organised by them in April at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Cartier is now on the lookout for models who don't just look good, but who can also dance and act. These multi-talented mannequins are required to participate in catwalk shows designed to showcase 250 pairs of Spanish shoes: Cartier is planning one 'mise en scene' using two tai-tai characters in a shoe shop. One model might appear in a huge plexiglass hat affixed with patent pumps and suede boots, while another model will be draped with shoe-boxes, head to toe.
