Actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph. - File Photos

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

And so, the word is, former United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to pay an official visit here as a guest of the American Embassy, to attend an official event at the new U.S. Embassy building on Bamboo Avenue. It is expected to be named in his honour!

Wait for this one as it promises to be one fab-fest and then some as all stops are being pulled to make this one a show-stopper. In fact, there's even talk of trying to get current U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to attend!

The die is now cast and it is official. Tony Blair will demit office in June, another political casuality of the rush to war with Iraq. His Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescod, is slated to pay a visit very soon. All of this, however, might now be in the balance, as with Prescod expecting to announce that he too will throw his hat into the ring and go up against Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) Gordon Brown, for the chance to succeed Tony Blair to Britain's top political job, the intended visit might too fall victim of the conflagration that is the Iraq debacle!

FASHION

On another note, no doubt that the celebrated actress, model and singer, Sheryl Lee Ralph, will be in Jamaica later this month to lend her support to the benefit being hosted by her mother, fashion designer Ivy Ralph, for the St. Margaret's Anglican Church, on May 27.

Dubbed an Evening of Fashion, Food and Fun, tickets are a mere $1,500 per person and Jamaica's dream girl willjet in for the occasion to give it her sass, style and cachet to make it one fine outing.

BIRTHDAYS

And speaking of fabulous people, on Wednesday, it was all about the lovely Tara Playfair-Scott, who celebrated her birthday at a chic little do organised by friends to mark the occasion. Luvs, the buzz is it was all that, a party for the beautiful people and nothing but!

Robbie Epstein celebrated his on Sunday, with wife, the lovely Odette, taking care of business. Come tomorrow, however, it will be a day for fine partying as the oh-so-elegant Carole Fullerton will celebrate her special day; as will Attorney Seyon Hanson, and, according to his companion, Marsha Wilson, it will be all about the love!

And so let the celebrations begin, with champagne toasts all around and Beluga treats, my dears!

Then my dears, if y'all have not seen them yet, fashion designer Bill Edwards has deployed a number of super billboards at strategic points across the city to announce the arrival of his fab new line for the summer, and baby-dolls, what a fab line it is too!

Available at better stores across the island, the line is chic, smart, boasts the ease of the continental, while retaining the flair of the island, and so you know we are talking fabness here and nothing but!

Well my daahlings, to celebrate the arrival of the summer collection and expansion, his belle, the fabulously charming Janet Farrow, threw a snazzy little dinner-party in his honour last Saturday, at her oh-so fab Jacks Hills residence.

In fact, it was a dinner with a two-fold celebration, as it was also the occasion of the third anniversary of the marriage of international financial consultant Brent Ciurlino and his dish of a wife, the absolutely gorgeous Dr. Kim Brown.

ANNIVERSARY

My dears, if y'all missed the absolutely fabulously breathtaking wedding ceremony and fabfest that was the Ciurlino and Brown wedding in Ravello, Italy, then y'all missed one fab international outing, as this one was all that and then some. At this time three years ago, it was all about the picturesque Ravello and the Jamaican and American social invasion that took over the fab historic little town and the downing of oodles and oodles of champagne, lemon cello, and cassis and celebratory carrying-ons that made it a memorable affaire.

Well, the champagne was very much in play last Saturday night, and precious few speeches as the hostess, Ms. Farrow, not only knows how to and does throw a fab do, but as she was at the wedding in Ravello, she proved the 'hostess with the most-ess', as she not only managed to meld two separate and fabulous milestone events into one fine shindig, but also managed to contain the do to a short-list of friends, and in so doing made for a marvellous dinner-party!

With two of Kingston's leading and finest waiters Richard Douglas and David Gordon doing the honours, guests were treated to a champagne prelude that segued into a five-course dinner, prepared by none other than Ms. Farrowherself, and climaxed with some to-die-for crepe-suzettes; after which guests simply basked in the glow of each others company - the men, with cigars, the ladies, with a cuppa tea or coffee.

My dears, it all made for one fabulous Saturday-night/Sunday-morn, as indeed, somewhere in between the sips, tastes, thrills and spills, the Mona moon crested above the Blue Mountains, her radiance so brilliant, it was as if she too was adding her blessing on the proceedings unfolding in posh Jacks Hills.

And when we say it was a short-list, indeed it well and truly was, as those making the cut were Honorary Consul of Iceland, Robert MacMillan and Maree Sigurdsson; businessman Ian Wong and his fabulous wife Brenda Wong; Cathy Ann Pike; the oh-so-charmingly lovely Nevine Heaven; plus a few others.

Oh, and expect the Bill Edwards collection to hit a runway near y'all, soon!

Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair. - Reuters Photos

United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

Carole Fullerton

Bill Edwards - Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer