When a 167-square-metre Salvatore Ferragamo store was unveiled in Macau last week, Angela Leong On-kei (below right), the fourth wife of casino tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun (centre), was the first customer. Ten minutes before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Ms Leong was selecting a handbag with the help of nervous saleswomen.
Sources say it took her almost an hour to choose the one she wanted, which proves that even though she could buy every handbag in the store in the blink of an eye, she is, in the end, just a woman.
Although Ms Leong and Pansy Ho Chiu-king (below left), Mr Ho's daughter and heir apparent, seldom appear at the same occasion, the Ferragamo debut was an exception. Ms Ho told CitySeen that luxury brands such as Ferragamo will be a quintessential part of a shopping mall to be built in the Nam Van area, near the Macau Tower.
The Ferragamo store is at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which is 50 per cent owned by Mr Ho. The boutique targets gamblers who win at the Sands next door and walkers in search of a little bit of extravagance.