I bought in the Puerto Banus in 1972, it was new ,the floor had rocks, just a shell for one hundred thousand dollars for a 99 year lease called a tres-paso (free-hold in Spain is when you own the space). You can sell the lease however. I was offered half a million for it 10 years later. I wish
I had sold it. I had to put in everything, floor, bathroom , on top of that. I went to a bank in Marbella , I did not have enough money also had to make a spring/summer collection for New York and show it to the press Eugenia Sheppard and Earl Blackwell did my public relations with Celebrity Service. Joe Norban owned it and them, in those days she was the boss, if she said you had the goods you were in, if not you could FORGET IT , you were a bum!!The bank in Marbella said yes we will loan you the 100 thousand bucks, I had my letter of intention from Joe Norban and the de Saint-Maux family were bankers from Belgium and in on it but the kicker was, you have six months to pay it back.. Terry Von Pantz and Adnan Khashoggi found out about my deal. Because, after I spent the money on the boutique and dresses for New York, I had no money to fly over and stay at the Sherry Netherland Hotel where Joe Norban lived . Joe Norban was going to sign me to a contract for his Lynn's cheap dress stores, I was broke !! and worse yet I owed money for the fabric and the construction workers all done on credit. So, Adnan bought for ten thousand cash in dollars, he sent Lamia his wife in, I dressed her, and later the bodyguards came over with the cash in an envelope, from the yacht with the money in one hundred dollar bills. Terry called Avon in New York and her daughter in law and told them to buy the rest and copy the designs for there cheap dress line. I paid back that bank. Over the next twenty years Terry came in with her house guests one of them was Kansas City money Mrs. Muriel Kauffman , she bought "off the rack". Adnan Khashoggi came in with the Sultan of Brunei who was only four years older than me and they had with then some of his harem girls he had 40 of them, they cleaned me out, HAREM GIRLS CAN SHOP -- they left me with a Hermes Bag full of cash $$. I had to close for a week, while I made more dresses. Mobutu King of Zaire came in with Adnan too with his three wives and they just took the silk chiffon off shelves I kept it on and wrapped it around them and that was that, but they took it all, he drank pineapple juice and champagne. The C.I.A. was always around I knew who they were they were so obvious asking questions only about Adnan all the time.. That Iran Contra Affair was when the most spying went on. Also his first wife Soraya was in a lot and other quests like Elizabeth Taylor, Farrah Fawcett.. in 1993 Spain had a recession and I went under he left a ten thousand dollar bill on his tab, I was happy to eat that however. He had his own problems with money ..... In 1985 black was big in New York and I put the collection in little black dresses and everyone said that is ok for a city like New York but this is a glitz and glamor, seaside resort white and color is King here. However the gamble paid off. The young women bought them and wore them at night .. When I signed my deal with Avon, Terry von Pantz said to me "Deal with the mass and you will eat with the class" . My liquor bill per month in the Puerto Banus was more than any bar, in the Puerto Banus except two Paolo's restaurant and "Bar Menchu" .. she was the queen, like Regine in Paris ... One was on my right and the other my left .. the best restaurant and the best private night club , bar! I had amazing foot traffic.
