Vanity affairs: in some European circles it's not a real party unless it costs a few million and Beyonce sings.(extravagance)

W, October, 2005 by Conti, Samantha

Friends and relatives of Philip and Tina Green were understandably curious when the couple sent out invitations earlier this year to the bar mitzvah of their only son, Brandon. After all, how were the retail magnates--the owners of Topshop, Miss Selfridge and British Home Stores, whose fortune is estimated at 4.9 billion pounds (nearly $9 billion)--going to outdo the party that Tina had thrown for Philip's 50th birthday?

The guests are still talking about that 2002 extravaganza, and for good reason. It was held in Cyprus, lasted three entire days and cost about $9 million. The invitations hadn't even specified where the party would be. "They chartered a flight and told us what sort of weather to pack for," says one guest, the wife of a major financier. "Most...