WHAT began with a whimper ended with a bang as the Singapore Fashion Festival came to a rousing close last Sunday as the last few fashion brands ramped up their partying efforts.

The first to take the stage was the Glitter by Francis Cheong show sponsored by Lee Hwa Jewellery last Thursday.

And glittery the night was - not only did Lee Hwa showcase some $3 million worth of jewellery, the guests also came prepared for a showdown of bling with their own personal collections.

For all their effort, it was no surprise that the gems were doing double duty - the same tai tais were later seen heading down to Icon Magazine's Opera Ball.

Given that it was Fashion Festival week, what better way to throw an after party than to organise a shopping party, which was precisely what British fashion label Topshop did the very next day.

Banking on the popularity of the brand with local youth, the trendy store was smart to sell tickets for their show which included entry into their after-show parties held at its Wisma Atria store itself and at The Cannery's Fashion Bar.

At the former, guests sipped their champagne and nibbled on shrimp and fish fingers as they were treated to an exclusive 20 per cent storewide discount (excluding Topshop Unique) for two hours, causing a delightful ruckus amongst guests and envy amongst those who couldn't get in.

After all that exciting shopping and eating, the only downer last week was the festival's closing party at The Cannery's Barfly last Sunday.

Although buzzing with the media, fashionistas, tai tais and models alike, many were spotted leaving rather early.

Arguable, it could have been because it was a Sunday night but a more likely reason would be the conspicuous lack of free alcohol - each invited guest was entitled to only one free drink.

You don't need to be an industry player to know that a lack of alcohol is a surefire way to kill any party. The organisers should have learned a tip or two from Wing Tai (the company that brings in Topshop).

However, all was not lost, for the people at Dom Perignon more than made up for this when they threw a super exclusive dinner party at The Oriental on April 2 to celebrate the launch of the Dom Perignon Vintage 1999. Only 14 guests were lucky enough to experience the magnificent dinner party and what an indulgence it was from the beginning to the end.

The hotel's garden suite was transformed into a beautiful Dom Perignon themed room with seductive soft candlelight.

Like the wine itself, the menu of the night was definitely premium and included, amongst others, caviar, Thai langoustine soup, granadilla and culatello ham lovingly prepared by French chef Pascal Tingaud who was specially flown in for the event.

By the end of the night, guests all seemed to be floating on air which could have been a result of one too many glasses of Dom Perignon or the Montecristo cigar that was served with dessert - likely both, as they enjoyed the night view and cool breeze on a candlelit garden roof top terrace.

One thing's for sure though, just for that one day, there was no such thing as Monday blues.