williams: Serena Williams leaves tennis just as she played – on her own terms

वह एक प्रतीक है। एक व्यक्तित्व। एक एथलीट जो अपनी पथप्रदर्शक बहन के पदचिन्हों से बहुत आगे निकल गई है और एक मठ, ज्यादातर सफेद खेल पर राज करने आई है। उसने वहाँ रुकने से इंकार कर दिया।

टेनिस से संन्यास लेने की अपनी योजना की घोषणा करते हुए, सेरेना विलियम्स ने मंगलवार को कहा कि वह एक माँ, एक फैशन निर्माता, एक उद्यम पूंजीपति और बहुत कुछ को प्राथमिकता देने के बजाय अपने जीवन को खेल से कहीं अधिक केंद्रित करेंगी। वह अपने भविष्य को डिजाइन करेगी जैसा वह फिट देखती है।

वह ओह-सो-सेरेना है।

उसने हमेशा इसे अपने तरीके से किया है, हमेशा अपनी शर्तों पर काम किया है। इसने उसे विशेष, विशिष्ट रूप से कुशल और प्रिय बना दिया है – और कभी-कभी आलोचना भी की है। इसने हमें सबसे महान एथलीटों में से एक बनने में मदद की है – एक अश्वेत महिला जो अमेरिकी शुरुआत के सबसे विनम्र से एक स्टार के रूप में विकसित हुई, जिसका चुंबकीय आकर्षण खेल की सीमा से बहुत आगे तक पहुंचता है।

मंगलवार को जारी वोग पत्रिका की कवर स्टोरी में उसकी घोषणा, कि वह इस महीने के अंत में यूएस ओपन खेलने के बाद टेनिस छोड़ देगी, वह उस उत्कृष्ट व्यक्ति के अनुरूप है जो वह बन गई है।

यह भूलना आसान है कि उनकी चैंपियनशिप यात्रा, जिसमें 23 ग्रैंड स्लैम एकल खिताब शामिल थे, मार्गरेट कोर्ट द्वारा बनाए गए 24 के रिकॉर्ड से सिर्फ शर्मीली, 1999 में यूएस ओपन में जीत के साथ शुरू हुई। 17 साल की उम्र में, सेरेना बन गईं 1975 में आर्थर ऐश के बाद ग्रैंड स्लैम एकल खिताब जीतने वाली पहली अश्वेत खिलाड़ी और 1958 में एल्थिया गिब्सन के बाद किसी स्लैम में विजयी होने वाली पहली अश्वेत महिला।

विलियम्स एथलेटिक महानता की पहचान बन गईं – और कम से कम दो दशकों तक लिंग और नस्लीय समानता की आकांक्षाओं को आगे बढ़ाया।

रास्ते में, उसने दुनिया को सीमाओं को तोड़ने और मानदंडों को खत्म करने की अविश्वसनीय शक्ति दिखाई। हाल के वर्षों में विलियम्स के संघर्षों को देखते हुए, वोग लेख, एक प्रथम-व्यक्ति खाता, प्रतीकात्मक रूप से प्रतीकात्मक लगता है, भले ही यह लंबे समय से अपेक्षित था। उसने अपने इंस्टाग्राम अकाउंट पर, ईएसपीएन पर या मैच के बाद के समाचार सम्मेलन में इस खबर को नहीं तोड़ा। नहीं, विलियम्स वह करती है जो वह चाहती है, जब वह चाहती है, जिस तरह से वह चाहती है।

बेशक, उसके पास स्पीड डायल पर वोग के टेनिस-प्रेमी संपादक अन्ना विंटोर हैं। बेशक वह घोषणा करेंगी कि वह दुनिया की प्रमुख फैशन पत्रिकाओं में से एक के माध्यम से टेनिस से ब्रेक ले रही हैं।

सेरेना विलियम्स ने कभी भी टेनिस को अपनी पहचान नहीं बनने दी।

सेवानिवृत्ति की खबर के साथ, उनकी यादें लहरों में आ जाती हैं। ओह, वह कैसे मनोरंजन करना और शो करना पसंद करती थी। क्या इसी ने हमें आकर्षित नहीं किया? उसके पास एक आदत थी, एक भूख थी, एक इच्छा थी जो देखने की मांग करती थी। पहले दौर के मैच या दबाव वाले फाइनल के लिए ग्रैंड स्लैम सेंटर कोर्ट पर उसे आगे बढ़ते हुए देखना अपने सबसे अच्छे मनोरंजन में था। उसने इस समय बहुत से लोगों को आकर्षित किया, उन लोगों को साथ लाया जो अन्यथा कभी टेनिस मैच नहीं देखेंगे।

वे नए प्रशंसक, और कई आजमाए हुए और सच्चे टेनिस प्रेमी, जिन्होंने वर्षों तक इस खेल को देखा था, जब वह संघर्ष करती थीं या खुद को उस भयंकर तरीके से विवादों में घिरी पाती थीं, जिस तरह से वह कभी-कभी ऑन-कोर्ट डेकोरम के मानदंडों को तोड़ती थीं।

2018 यूएस ओपन को कौन भूल सकता है, जब वह चेयर अंपायर के साथ गर्मजोशी से भिड़ गईं, जिन्होंने नाओमी ओसाका को हारने के अंत में पहले एक अंक और फिर एक पूरा खेल डॉक किया? टेनिस में उनके करियर का पूरा स्पेक्ट्रम – दर्जनों दिल दहला देने वाली जीत और कभी-कभी कष्टप्रद उतार-चढ़ाव – टेपेस्ट्री में बुनते हैं जो सेरेना विलियम्स हैं।

जब हम सेरेना, या वीनस विलियम्स की बात करते हैं, तो रेस को कभी भी छूट नहीं दी जा सकती है, जो कि यह सब शुरू करने वाली बड़ी बहन है। उनका कालापन और उनका शारीरिक कद एक टेनिस की दुनिया के खिलाफ था, जहां केवल कुछ ही समान रूप से समान दिखते थे, शोस्टॉपिंग महसूस करते थे।

ऐश और गिब्सन अच्छे खिलाड़ी थे जो कभी-कभी महान थे। ब्लैक कैमरून के पिता और श्वेत मां के बेटे यानिक नूह ने 1983 में फ्रेंच ओपन जीता। अन्य अश्वेत खिलाड़ियों, पुरुष और महिला, ने टेनिस पर संक्षिप्त लेकिन महत्वपूर्ण निशान बनाए।

विलियम्स बहनों की तेज़ निरंतरता के साथ कोई भी खेल में आगे नहीं बढ़ा या उस पर हावी नहीं हुआ।

सेरेना ने उपक्रम के लिए एक साहसिक अवज्ञा जोड़ा, जैसा कि उनके पिता रिचर्ड विलियम्स ने भविष्यवाणी की थी, जब वीनस टेनिस के दृश्य पर पहली बार छप रही थी, तब भी यह सेरेना होगी जो टेनिस इतिहास में सर्वश्रेष्ठ बनेगी।

क्या आप कल्पना कर सकते हैं कि जिमी एवर्ट, क्रिस एवर्ट के पिता, कोच और टेनिस प्रतिष्ठान के सदस्य, अपनी बेटी के बारे में ऐसा ही कह रहे हैं जैसे वह 1970 के दशक की शुरुआत में दृश्य पर फूट पड़ी थी?

सेरेना विलियम्स ने जो कुछ भी नहीं किया वह परंपरा से सीमित था। उसने यथास्थिति की अवहेलना की और नेट पर लगातार, पोलैक्सिंग शक्ति और स्पर्श के मिश्रण के साथ खेला, जो उम्र के लिए एक सेवा और एक मुक्केबाज की फौलादी इच्छा से सक्रिय था।

केवल अभिजात वर्ग के अभिजात वर्ग ही अपने खेल के तरीके को बदल सकते हैं। आधुनिक बास्केटबॉल पर स्टीफन करी के प्रभाव और बाहरी शूटिंग के साथ इसके निर्धारण के बारे में सोचें। या टाइगर वुड्स का गोल्फ पर क्रांतिकारी प्रभाव। मिश्रण में विलियम्स डालें।

दूसरों ने उसके सामने एक शक्ति का खेल खेला – जेनिफर कैप्रियाती, उदाहरण के लिए – जैसे करी से पहले अन्य 3-बिंदु निशानेबाज थे। विलियम्स ने खेल को नई ऊंचाइयों पर पहुंचाया। वह 1999 के यूएस ओपन के फाइनल में मार्टिना हिंगिस के खिलाफ गई थीं, जिन्होंने चालाकी से खेलकर और पुराने गार्ड द्वारा बताए गए हर कोण का फायदा उठाकर रैंकिंग के शीर्ष पर पहुंचा दिया था। विलियम्स की शक्ति, गति और धैर्य के बाद हिंगिस को 6-3, 7-6, टेनिस कभी भी पहले जैसा नहीं रहा।

न केवल विलियम्स के खेल के बारे में सोचें बल्कि उनकी शैली के बारे में सोचें – कैसे उन्होंने विक्टोरियन युग के बाद से टेनिस में संहिताबद्ध फैशन और उपस्थिति के पुराने मानदंडों से परे कदम रखा।

विलियम्स ने अपने पूर्ण स्व के रूप में दिखाया, उसके बाल लट या मनके या कभी-कभी गोरे थे। कोर्ट पर, उसने हर रंग के आउटफिट पहने: नीला, लाल, गुलाबी, काला, तन, आप इसे नाम दें। उसने टेनिस के जूतों के वेश में स्टड, सेक्विन और जूते पहने थे – या यह दूसरा तरीका था?

उसने ऐसे कपड़े पहने जो बहते और झूलते हों, या जो गर्व से उसके पेट और मजबूत कंधों को दिखाते हों। उसने 2002 के यूएस ओपन और 2018 के फ्रेंच ओपन में पेरिस की चर्चा में फुल-बॉडी कैटसूट बनाया।

“मैं इसमें एक योद्धा की तरह महसूस करती हूं, एक योद्धा राजकुमारी” विलियम्स ने फ्रेंच ओपन में संवाददाताओं से कहा, जैसा कि उन्होंने फिल्म “ब्लैक पैंथर” का उल्लेख किया था।

“यह एक सुपर हीरो बनने का मेरा तरीका है,” उसने कहा।

ज़रूर, उसके फैशन पर ध्यान देना सतही और ज़रूरत से ज़्यादा लग सकता है। लेकिन इस संदर्भ में नहीं। अश्वेत महिलाओं के शरीर और फैशन की अक्सर उन तरीकों से कड़ी आलोचना की जाती है जो आमतौर पर श्वेत महिलाएं अनुभव नहीं करती हैं। इसके अलावा, टेनिस उन खेलों में से एक है जो बहिष्कार और एकरूपता की परंपरा से बंधे हैं। विलियम्स ने वह सब उड़ा दिया।

यहाँ एक और तरीका है जिससे उसने पुरानी सीमा से परे छलांग लगाई। याद करा दें कि विलियम्स ने दो महीने की गर्भवती होने पर 2017 ऑस्ट्रेलियन ओपन जीता था। फिर याद रखें कि वह प्रसव पीड़ा में लगभग मर गई थी। फिर एलेक्सिस ओलंपिया को जन्म देने के बाद उनकी वापसी को याद करें। वह चार और प्रमुख चैंपियनशिप फाइनल करेंगी।

उसने उन सभी को खो दिया, सच है, और कोई भी करीबी मैच नहीं था। लेकिन विलियम्स अपने सबसे अच्छे वर्षों को पार कर चुकी थीं, उनके पक्ष में एक बच्चा और व्यापार जगत की ओर इशारा था। और गर्भावस्था से उनकी वापसी ने महिलाओं के पेशेवर टेनिस में एक महत्वपूर्ण नियम परिवर्तन में मदद की – खिलाड़ियों को जन्म देने के बाद तीन साल तक उनकी गर्भावस्था पूर्व रैंकिंग के आधार पर टूर्नामेंट में प्रवेश करने की इजाजत दी।

अब, विलियम्स ने यूएस ओपन में अपने आखिरी मैच के बाद अपने जीवन के इस चरण को समाप्त करने की योजना बनाई है, चाहे वह पहले दौर की हार हो या फिर सभी बाधाओं के खिलाफ एक और: दौरे पर मुश्किल से कदम रखने के बाद, यह सब जीतना, 40 साल की उम्र में। पिछले साल भर में।

वह आसानी से दूर नहीं जाएगी। उसने यह स्पष्ट किया क्योंकि उसने घोषणा की कि उसने उसे “विकास” कहा है, जिसमें एक और बच्चा पैदा करने की कोशिश करना शामिल होगा। उसने कहा, उसके प्रयास, उसके टेनिस करियर को जारी रखने के विपरीत थे, एक तथ्य यह है कि उसने नोट किया कि पुरुष पेशेवर एथलीटों को संघर्ष करने की ज़रूरत नहीं है।

यह उनके करियर के अंतिम चरण की तरह लग रहा है, लेकिन हमें विलियम्स द्वारा कभी भी आश्चर्यचकित नहीं होना चाहिए। मुझे आश्चर्य नहीं होगा अगर शायद एक दूसरे या अधिक बच्चे के साथ, वह फिर से पेशेवर दौरे पर आती है, यहां तक ​​​​कि खेल की लाइमलाइट के सिर्फ एक और काटने के लिए भी।

अगर सेरेना विलियम्स चाहती हैं, तो वह करेंगी। इतना हम जानते हैं।

यह लेख मूल रूप से . में दिखाई दिया
न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स.

Originally published at Pen 18

Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé & Lisa’s Best Style – WWD – Pen 18

As the most popular all-girl group in the world, it’s only natural that the members of Blackpink have some of the most fashion-forward getups too.

Since their rise to fame, Lisa, Jenny, Rosé and Jisoo have worn some of the most exclusive creations by illustrious brands such as Valentino, Michael Kors and Prada to attend events, shows and parties over the years.

While Blackpink has its roots in South Korea, the group’s global fame has accelerated over the years, and they have become an international pop sensation. Since its debut in 2016, the group has broken several records, with traction on social media and YouTube, and artists signed high-profile brand deals.

Currently, all four members are mostly associated with French luxury fashion houses, with Lisa as an ambassador for Celine, Jenny for Chanel, Rosé for Saint Laurent and Jisoo for Dior.

Over the years, Rosé and Lisa’s style was more edgy and punk, with outfits paired with dark colors and boots, while Jenny and Jisoo adopted a more girly and feminine style with mini skirts and dresses.

Blackpink performs at the Sahara Tent during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Weekend Two.

Rich Fury for Coachella/Getty Images

One of the group’s more memorable outfits came in their performance during Coachella’s first weekend in 2019, each wearing black, white and silver ensembles, fashioned with embroidery, sequins or lace detailing to complement each other . The following weekend, he also wore a similar look.

In recent years, Jenny, born as Jenny Kim, has opted for simple yet chic looks while attending Chanel’s shows and events, for which she has been an ambassador since 2017. In 2019, she wore a cropped powder blue tie-front top. The jeans were accessorized with a purple tweed cardigan by Chanel and a mini flap shoulder bag from the brand.

In 2021, while attending Chanel’s show for her spring 2022 collection during Paris Fashion Week, she wore a red two-piece set by the French label, which featured a cropped tank top with three buttons in the front, and a pair of red two-piece sets by the French label. There was a mini skirt with a pearl belt. and matching red Chanel flap bag. She also wore the brand’s layered statement necklace.

Jenny at Chanel Spring 2022 at Paris Fashion Week.

Stephen Fugere / WWD

Born of Lisa Morale, known for her more punk-rock glam, saw several extraordinary fashion moments this year alone.

In June, she attended the Bvlgari Gala in Paris, along with Anne Hathaway and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, wearing a bright yellow two-piece skirt set by Pinkong. Later that month, she wore a black sequined halterneck top and black shorts to attend the Celine men’s spring 2023 show in Paris, creating chaos while running alongside V of BTS and Park Bo-gum Was.

Anna Hathaway and Blackpink’s Lisa at the Bvlgari Gala in Paris.

Stephen Fugere / WWD

Rose, born Chai-young “Roseanne” Park, has also experienced a particularly eventful last year with Saint Laurent, which she has been an ambassador for since 2020.

In September 2021, she made waves with rapper CL, becoming two of the first K-pop stars to be invited to the Met Gala. Rosé walked the red carpet in a mini bowtie dress by Saint Laurent, along with the brand’s creative director, Anthony Vaccarello.

Rose at the Saint Laurent pre-Oscars party.

Lexi Moreland / WWD

In April, at the Saint Laurent pre-Oscars party, Rosé wore a black bodysuit and a strapless see-through glitter mesh dress with a feather-trimmed hem, which she paired with black platform boots.

This year, Jisoo, born Ji-soo Kim, stunned in some of her most fashion-forward outfits yet.

At the Dior Fall 2022 show in March during Paris Fashion Week, the singer wore a bright yellow plaid dress over a short-sleeved white button-down top and a black tie, inspired by Cher Horowitz from the 1995 film “Clueless”. Reminds me of the iconic form of ,

Jisoo at Dior’s Fall 2022 fashion show.

Stephen Fugere / WWD

Then, in April, during Dior’s first show in Seoul, Korea, she opted for a timeless look, a black midi dress with lace detailing on top and a skirt that flowed down to her ankles. She paired the look with the brand’s signature Lady Dior bag.

Click through the gallery to see some of Blackpink’s more fashion-forward moments from the past few years.

Originally published at Pen 18

Nicola Peltz Debuts Brunette Hair in Fendi at Power of Young Hollywood – WWD – Pen 18

Nicola Peltz Beckham has a new look.

On Thursday, the actress debuted her new brunette hair on the red carpet of the Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event in Los Angeles. She wore a look from Fendi, a checkered-printed cotton asymmetrical strapless bustier, paired with a waist belt paired with matching low-rise trousers.

Usually blonde Peltz Beckham dyed her hair brown last month, and was rocking a haircut that included messy short bangs.

For the night, she was styled by Leslie Framer, who also works with the likes of Jennifer Connelly, Lee Seydoux, and Charlize Theron.

Nicola Peltz Beckham attends Variety’s 2022 Power of Young Hollywood Celebration, presented by Facebook Gaming.

John Kopaloff/WireImage

The “Transformers” actress, daughter of billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz and former model Claudia Hefner, attended the event with her husband, Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, the eldest child of English football legend David Beckham and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.

Thursday’s event, presented by Facebook Gaming, celebrated Variety’s 2022 Young Hollywood Influencers list, honoring 50 actors, musicians and content creators aged 25 and under. “Euphoria”‘s Angus Claude, Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, Halle Bailey and Becky G are this year’s cover stars.

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham participate in the diversity power of Young Hollywood presented by Facebook Gaming.

Michael Buckner for Variety

In April, the couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at the Peltz Beckham family estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where nearly 600 guests attended the wedding.

For the wedding, Peltz Beckham chose a custom dress by Valentino, designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli himself, while the groom and his immediate family, including his father and his brothers Romeo and Cruz Beckham, wore a custom suit by Dior. was worn.

According to multiple outlets, some of the stars on the guest list included Venus and Serena Williams, Gordon Ramsay, Eva Longoria, Jordana Brewster as well as Victoria Beckham’s former Spice Girls bandmates Mel C and Mel B.

Originally published at Pen 18

premier league: Football: Erling Haaland’s will to win impresses Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has said he has been stunned by Erling Haaland’s desire to succeed after the new Manchester City striker announced his return to English football by scoring twice in his Premier League debut last weekend.

City beat competition from across Europe for Norway after scoring 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund.

But any doubts over Haaland’s ability to fit into Guardiola’s system came early from his match-winning performance in a 2-0 win at West Ham after City played no natural striker after winning the Premier League for the past two years. It’s over.

“He is an extraordinary player,” Guardiola said at a pre-match press conference ahead of Bournemouth’s tour of Etihad on Saturday.

“You don’t need to tell it, everyone knows it, but we’re only together a few times. He’s an incredible competitor, and he wants to win.”

Haaland has repeatedly talked about the need to improve his game in his first few months at City and Guardiola is looking forward to developing his new exciting quartet of attacking options.

Argentine international Julian Alvarez also arrived at the Etihad this summer, while academy graduates Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are expected to get more playing time this season after the departure of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling.

“I want to improve these players. Erling can be a better player and I think he has the will to do that,” Guardiola said.

“I’ve never seen a player who at 21, 22 years old – maybe (Lionel) Messi – finished business.

“Always you can improve and we will try. When he (Halland) is gone, we want him to say he is a better player than he came.”

Guardiola also confirmed the arrival of Sergio Gómez, although the club has not officially announced his signing from Anderlecht.

An alleged £11 million ($13 million) fee has been imposed between clubs with the Spanish under-21 international set to add depth to both full-back positions.

And Guardiola dismissed suggestions that Gomez could be sent on loan this season.

“He’s going to be with us,” said the city boss.

Originally published at Pen 18

cwg 2022: 12 out of 12 medals, but WFI unhappy with CWG show, to review performance

The national federation is not happy that four Indian women wrestlers could not take advantage of the weak zone in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games and missed out on gold medals.

All the 12 Indian wrestlers returned with six gold, one silver and five bronze medals at the Games.

Among the women, only Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik won the gold, while Anshu Malik, who was also the gold medal favorite, returned with a silver in the 57kg category.

Pooja Gehlot (50kg), Divya Kakran (68kg) and Pooja Sihag (76kg) won the bronze medal despite a weak field.

Only six wrestlers participated in the 50kg category. Pooja lost her match to Madison Bianca Parks of Canada before winning the bronze play-off.

There were eight wrestlers in the 76kg category while there were nine wrestlers in the 68kg category, where smaller players such as Bangladesh, Mauritius, Cameroon, Tonga and New Zealand were part of the field.

The only worthy competitor for Divya was Nigeria’s Blessing Oboruddu, a Tokyo Olympic silver medalist.

Divya failed to score a single point and the latter could barely present a challenge for her to win the bronze medal by defeating Cameroon’s Garib Blandin Nyeh Ngiri.

Interestingly, Divya is seeking ‘respect and support’ from the Delhi government even though she started representing Uttar Pradesh from 2018.

However, the biggest disappointment for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is that the talented Anshu Malik could not win the gold in 57kg.

Anshu had a good final opponent in African champion Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye, who is seven years older than the Nidani woman.

A WFI official said, “It was not a great performance by our women wrestlers. If you are not winning such a weak zone, what does it reflect on your performance.”

“We are going to sit down and review the performance with the wrestlers. Anshu couldn’t even strike a proper attack against a very old opponent. Wrestlers should think about it.

“India is certainly a powerhouse in the Commonwealth Games, but I don’t think it reflects properly in our results,” the official said.

However, there is little WFI can do about it. All the wrestlers won the trials and made it to the Indian team.

Vinesh Phogat (53kg) and Sakshi Malik (62kg) ended up topping their categories despite contrasting fashions.

Vinesh dominated all three of her bouts against hapless opponents, while Sakshi erased a 0-4 deficit in the final against Ana Paula Godínez González before pinning Canada.

In men’s events, Bajrang Punia (65kg), Ravi Sahiya (65kg), Naveen (74kg) and Deepak Punia (86kg) won gold, while Deepak Nehra (97kg) and Mohit Grewal (125kg) won the gold. Won bronze medal. each.

Meanwhile, the WFI is set to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Rohtak on August 25 and will allot next year’s junior and senior championships.

“The trend was to allocate these events at the end of the season to the nationals, but this leaves little time for the state associations to prepare, so we will do it early this time.”

Originally published at Pen 18

Sir Ralph Halpern, Scandalous Topshop Retail Tycoon Dies at 83 – WWD – Pen 18

london – British high street tycoon Sir Ralph Halpern, who helped transform the country’s booming retail industry in the ’80s and ’90s, died on August 10 at the age of 83.

He was instrumental in founding Topshop in the mid-’60s and was chief executive officer of the Burton Group from the late ’70s to the early ’90s, which owned Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and the department store Debenhams. And there was Harvey Nichols.

Halpern was born in Austria to Jewish parents who fled the Nazi regime in the 30s to emigrate to England with no luck. His mother, Olga Halpern, was a fashion designer in Vienna and his father, Bernard, was a retailer and banker.

The family lived in north London, moving from Belsize Park to Hampstead. Halpern attended the private school St Christopher’s in Hertfordshire, which has a completely vegetarian diet for students and staff, thanks to funding from the Theosophical Society. Notable alumni of the school include restaurant critic AA Gill, The Rolling Stones manager Prince Rupert Lowenstein, and professional golfer Neil Coles.

Halpern began his career in fashion at his father’s textile firm and then joined the department store Selfridges as an apprentice for £5 a week.

He left the company to join Peter Robinson, a chain of department stores owned by the Burton Group that did not exist until the late 70s. Halpern rose through the ranks from managing the Burton branch in the north of England and then moved to London as merchandise manager at Peter Robinson, where he met Joan Donkin.

Jenny Halpern and her father, Sir Ralph Halpern, attend an event at Winfield House in London on September 13, 1989.

Tim Jenkins / WWD

The couple married in 1967 and divorced in 1999. They have a daughter, Jenny Halpern Prince, founder and CEO of PR agency Helper.

“Our father left an irreplaceable mark on the spirit of entrepreneurship and on the UK retail landscape. And he did it in a very special way, in a very special way,” Prince said in a statement. And his mantra of JFDI (just f-king do it) has been instilled in our culture at an all time helper. He was my hero and he will live on forever through me and my family.”

As CEO, Halpern built the Burton Group as the dominant force on Britain’s High Street. The group rode the wave of Britain’s economic boom as a result of deregulation of the stock market and reported quarter-on-quarter profits and sales growth. The smooth-talking, dapper Halpern ruled Burton with a firm grip, slyly shunning criticism at press conferences with the occasional arrogant smile as the executive team praising him on the front line on his success. I will sit

In the mid-80s he called on business tycoon Gerald Ronson, one of the “Guinness Four” in the Guinness stock-trading fraud scandal, which led him to buy Debenhams in a £566 million deal, which Mohamed al- Fayed’s House of Fraser. group. Debenhams also owned the department store Harvey Nichols, a competitor to the Al-Fayed House of Fraser, which was owned by Harrods. Halpern helped revitalize Harvey Nichols, firmly establishing it as the second major department store in the British capital after Harrods; The then less glamorous Selfridge was definitely in third place.

Halpern was one of the highest-paid CEOs in the UK – he was the first to earn more than £1 million a year. The market value of the Burton Group grew from £50 million to £1.8 billion over the course of three decades.

Even a scandalous affair and extravagant headlines could not slow him down. In 1987, Halpern was caught in an affair with 19-year-old model Fiona Wright, who sold her account of romantic entanglement to Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid newspaper News of the World. The tabloids happily revealed several innocuous details about the affair, including Wright rubbing Halpern’s anti-baldness cream on her head and bragging about her love life by saying that he would “five times a night”. It was only a matter of time before the tabloids started referring to Halpern as “Five Times a Night Burton’s boss”.

During that impromptu affair, Halpern was living with his former secretary, Laura Bloom, whom he married in 2003 and divorced in 2007. He and Bloom were in the tabloids again in the year 2000, when they had a child, Sammy, when Halpern was 61 years old. ,

Despite the affair, Burton’s shareholders continued to support Halpern as the group’s profits and sales continued to grow strongly. A year before the affair, Halpern was knighted by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for his services to the retail industry.

However this run did not work out. Burton began to struggle with other competitors such as Next, and in 1991, the board pushed him into early retirement at age 50 as the cost of Burton’s estate skyrocketed. He left with a £2 million golden handshake and was succeeded by American executive John Horner. The new CEO sold Harvey Nichols and went on to tighten up Burton’s operations, including changing its name to Arcadia Group in 1998, turning Debenhams into a separate listed company. Horner would eventually be ousted in November 2000 by his former mentor, Stuart Rose. In 2002, Arcadia was acquired by Tina Green, who made her husband Philip its president.

Halpern’s business acumen marked an important era in the British retail industry – one that was at its peak with peers, such as Primark founder Arthur Ryan; George Davis, founder of Next; Sir Richard Greenbury, who took Marks & Spencer in their first £1 billion profit, and Habitat creator Sir Terence Conran.

Halpern is survived by his daughter Jenny, son Sammy and grandchildren Charlie, Sambelle and Marcus.

Originally published at Pen 18

pcb: After a week of logjam, star Pak cricketers sign PCB’s amended central contracts

Top cricketers including skipper Babar Azam, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan have agreed to sign the revised central contracts of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after a week-long standoff between them and the board. According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the group of players signed off for the Netherlands tour on the condition that they will once again discuss some other clauses in the contract with the board after the Asia Cup in September.

Senior players have raised objections to certain aspects of the contract.

The report said, “These range from questions surrounding the NOC process for participation in foreign leagues to finding out more about image rights at ICC events, and sections relating to signing up participation fees and individual endorsements at ICC events.” Are included.”

The PCB announced 33 central contracts this season, split between white and red-ball players for the first time in 2022–23.

As per the board’s standard practice, while copies of the contracts were handed over to the players at the start of the pre-tour camp in Lahore, several players from the lower tiers signed on the dotted lines but the senior stars did not. immediately.

Apart from Babar, Afridi and Rizwan, this group also included Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Ali. The players sought more time as they wanted to discuss the specifics of the contracts with their advisors and lawyers, as there is no player body in the country.

In the past, Pakistan cricketers have rarely disputed any aspect of their central contracts and returned them straight away.

Historically, the Pakistan Board has never formally interacted with cricketers while drafting contracts on their behalf.

Hence, this new development can be seen as a marker of sorts in the equation between the board and the cricketers.

As per the central contracts, the monthly retainer amount and match fees were not among the points of contention. All the players will get a match fee of Rs 1 lakh. 838,530 PKR (approx US$3800) for one test, Rs. PKR 515,696 (approximately US$2300) for an ODI and PKR 372,075 (approximately US$1700) for a T20I.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s top red-ball contract is PKR 1,050,000 (approximately US$4700) per month and PKR 950,000 (approximately US$4300) for the corresponding white-ball contract.

Originally published at Pen 18