May | 2012 | Quite Continental

Tending Bar: The Seven Year Itch

28/05/2012 § 2 Comments

While I may not be much of a cook, I do quite enjoy tending bar. With an exceptionally warm Memorial Day Weekend (what thunderstorms?!?) and friends visiting from out of town, I took the opportunity to make my first pitcher cocktail of the season. A bit bubbly, a bit tart, and completely refreshing, I’m calling this gin-based concoction of mine The Seven Year Itch. To make it, you’ll need:

1 1/2 cup of gin. I used Brooklyn Gin.
1/2 cup elderflower liqueur. I used St. Germain.
1 cup club soda
1 large handful of fresh raspberries
1 handful of fresh mint, additional sprigs for garnish
1 lime
1 lemon
ice
large pitcher, wooden spoon or muddler, cocktail glasses

First, take all of the fresh ingredients and add them to your pitcher.
Take care to wash everything and slice up the lime and lemon.

Muddle, muddle, muddle.

Next, add a good amount of ice to the pitcher, and then pour the liquors and the club soda over the ice. Serve immediately to avoid the club soda going flat and the ice melting.

Voila! Garnish with a raspberry and a mint sprig.

So, what’s with the name?

One of the most iconic Marilyn Monroe movies — yep, the white dress/subway grate one — The Seven Year Itch was directed and co-written by Billy Wilder and was released in 1955. Featuring an exceptionally hot summer in New York (ahem), the story details the overactive imagination of publishing executive Richard Sherman (a role that Tom Ewell originated on Broadway), who has been left to his own devices in the city while his wife (yep, of seven years) heads off to Maine for the summer with their son. Settling in for a long, hot few months, Mr. Sherman is surprised to find his upstairs neighbors have sublet their apartment for the summer to a model (Monroe). Proper Wilder-esque hijinks then ensue. It’s a lovely little film and one of my very favorites. And when I thought about what I wanted to call my cocktail, I immediately thought of Marilyn’s dress, crisp and fresh in the hot city night. Perfectly fitting, no?

Cheers!

Improper Bostonians

22/05/2012 § 5 Comments

I’m off to Boston for a few days on business, and I thought it would be the perfect time to share this set of photos I discovered in the Life Archive. They were taken in 1949 at the original Filene’s Basement, then called the “Automatic Bargain Basement” for the automatic schedule of its discount percentages (pegged to the number of days the item had been on sale). Created in 1909 in the basement of Boston’s flagship Filene’s department store, Filene’s Basement was eventually spun off as its own entity and outlived the department store until it too became defunct in 2011. Fun fact: it’s actually where the term “bargain basement” originated.

Sadly the gorgeous original flagship store at Downtown Crossing in Boston, built in 1912 and where these photos were taken, was largely demolished in 2007 after Filene’s went out of business. Because only the building’s facade was landmarked, developers were free to gut the interiors of the building, which also dated back to 1912. When those developers lost funding, the building was just left gutted — a huge, gaping hole with the facade looming like the ghost of sales past. (I haven’t been to Downtown Crossing lately to see if anything has changed at the site — has anyone?)

In these photos, Life photographer George Silk captured the annual $11 suit and topcoat sale at Filene’s Basement. Just like today’s sample sales, customers started forming a line for the 8:30am sale at 6:30am, and made a mad dash as soon as the doors were flung open. In less than three hours, 5,000 garments were sold. In the article, entitled “Improper Bostonians” (which you can read here), Life delightedly informs us that a 200-pound woman fainted and had to be carried away, a blind man was nearly trampled and a man posed as a salesman and swiped someone’s $11!

Nice to see sample sales haven’t really changed all that much in over
60 years, even if the customers do look a little more refined!

Taken by George Silk for Life Magazine, via the Life Archive.

Rabbit Hole || Vogue Spain Archives

17/05/2012 § 7 Comments

A newly released cache of vintage beach photographs taken for Vogue Spain?
Don’t mind if I do…

Hop further down the rabbit hole here.

Field Notes || Brimfield Antique Show

13/05/2012 § 1 Comment

Had a lovely time visiting the Brimfield Antique Show on Friday with Lani! Luckily, we had lovely weather to match. Unluckily, the week’s rain had kept away a lot of the other antique hunters for the better part of the week, resulting in a very crowded and lengthy drive in, but we didn’t let that get us down!

As to be expected of the Northeast’s (and perhaps the country’s?) largest antique show, Brimfield doesn’t really offer many deals. The Brimfield dealer is savvy, picky even. They know that somewhere, someone is wandering around in the fields that would be willing to pay their inflated prices, either because they don’t know any better or because they just don’t care about the cost. And for good reason, as the creative services and design teams of some of the biggest mainstream Americana brands (Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie and Fitch) regularly sweep through Brimfield looking for inspiration (and pay top dollar for it).

That said, going to Brimfield is still a lot of fun — there’s great food and even better people watching. There’s also some truly weird stuff out there. It’s definitely my favorite Brimfield pastime to play “Didn’t you tell me you needed _______?” In which the blank is filled in with the weirdest thing within sight, e.g, a Liberace pillow, a 5 foot-tall tea kettle, and the like.

Canadian yacht club plaques from the 1930s.

My Brimfield kit included:
wellies, a waxed cotton parka, and a Boat and Tote bag

The fonts! So good!

Butter dishes and Somersize. Best product placement ever.

Lani is excited for…

…some amazing lobster rolls.

Love my new leopard and zebra!
They join a thrifted elephant in my burgeoning apartment menagerie.

Happy Mother’s Day

12/05/2012 § 4 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers out there,
and especially to my own fabulous mom.

Also, if you’d fancy reading a post I did for the Rugby Ralph Lauren Style
blog about three style lessons I learned from my mom, you can find it here.

Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection by Samantha Pleet F/W ’12 Lookbook (Styled by Me!)

07/05/2012 § 19 Comments

It’s here!

Very happy to share with you some of the looks I created for the Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection by Samantha Pleet F/W ’12 Lookbook! As I mentioned in my behind-the-scenes post last week, the lookbook features an amazing collection of shoes by the lovely Brooklyn designer Samantha Pleet for Wolverine 1000 Mile, an American footwear company that has been in existence since 1883. Based in Rockford, Michigan, Wolverine 1000 Mile is probably best known for their handsome workboots, worn by the hardworking people who built America’s railroads, highways and skyscrapers.

It is the first full-range shoe collection designed by Samantha Pleet, who best known for her whimsical apparel collections that frequently feature menswear-inspired details. Her venture into footwear is especially apropos, considering her genealogy, with a great-grandmother who owned a shoe store and a grandfather who was a shoemaker. The shoes made their debut at New York Fashion Week, at Samantha’s runway show, to great success.

I was ecstatic to be brought onboard to style the lookbook! Working closely with Samantha and the great folks at Wolverine, I created a collection of looks inspired by the same amazing group of women who inspired Samantha’s designs. Composed of vintage clothing from the amazing guys at Brooklyn Dry Goods, gorgeous accessories supplied by The Shiny Squirrel, some of Samantha’s own designs and even some of my own vintage pieces, I hoped to show how versatile the Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection by Samantha Pleet can be.

And, if I may quote myself (weird, sorry!) from the lookbook:

It was important to me to honor the spirit of adventure and independence and while creating looks for the modern woman, no matter if her adventures take her on safari in Kenya or on the subway downtown to the office. As a girl who wears men’s shoes on occasion, I really love the subtlety of the Samantha Pleet x Wolverine 1K Mile collection. Samantha doesn’t simply design men’s shoes for women, she combines the best of both worlds and has created something nuanced, nostalgic, but completely modern.

Last, but certainly not least, I had the privilege of working with the exceptionally talented photographer Mikael Kennedy, who took these amazing photographs.

Head here to view the lookbook!
I hope you like it! I would love to hear your comments!

The Blixen boot.

Karen Blixen is the fearless romantic, the Out of Africa writer who left her native Denmark to establish a coffee plantation in Kenya. When I think of Karen, I think of genteel safaris, of imported finery in the wilderness, with plenty of khaki and well-worn leather. As I mixed vintage pieces with Samantha’s designs I felt as Karen must have, pairing romance with rough-and-tumble. For the Blixen boot, I wanted each of these sides to show through – with one look reading more conventionally feminine and the other a bit more tomboyish.

The Earhart boot.

Amelia Earhart is travel personified. She wanted to go everywhere, see everything – an adventurer for adventure’s sake. When I think of Amelia, what immediately comes to mind are the trappings of an aviator, e.g., fleece-collared bombers and silk scarves, two of her personal signatures. Here we stayed very close to Amelia’s own aesthetic, but the look is softened a silk blouse and romantic hair.

The Nesbit boot.

Evelyn Nesbit is the chameleon. From humble beginnings, she reinvented herself as a chorus girl, actress and muse – so I really wanted to show versatile the beautiful kiltie boots she inspired Samantha to create.

The Nesbit oxford.

The Nesbit kiltie oxford is a true year-round, day-to-night shoe that will take you from the office, to the weekend, and everywhere in between. The tomboy in me loves their dandy details with a dress or with cuffed trousers and no socks.

The Bonny boot.

Anne Bonny is a woman to be reckoned with, as she was one of the most infamous female pirates in history. For this look I embraced the flamboyance of what Anne might have worn herself, pairing vintage ruffles with one of Samantha’s amazing capes. I love the colors of this boot – it really widens your palette possibilities when creating outfits.

For updates on the Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection by Samantha Pleet:
Blog || Facebook || Twitter || E-mail

For more information on apparel by Samantha Pleet:
Site || Twitter

All photographs by Mikael Kennedy, courtesy of Wolverine 1000 Mile.

Behind the Scenes || QC Styles the Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection by Samantha Pleet Lookbook

04/05/2012 § 2 Comments

Big news!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of styling the Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection by Samantha Pleet Fall/Winter 2012 lookbook, and I am very excited to let you know that it will be released this upcoming Monday! I’m especially proud of everyone’s work on the finished product and can’t wait to share it with you next week!

In the meantime, your exclusive look behind the scenes:

Casting in Samantha’s atelier.

Getting ready for our first shot of the day with model Anna: (from left) Christina Vernon from Wolverine, photographer Mikael Kennedy, designer Samantha Pleet and Marshall Davis from Wolverine

Anna’s gorgeous vintage jacket is courtesy of Brooklyn Dry Goods.

Photo courtesy of BPMW

Me putting the finishing touches on model Victoria,
with gorgeous accessories supplied by The Shiny Squirrel.

Shoe-palooza! The entire collection is so gorgeous, isn’t it?
You can imagine my dismay at not being the sample size.

Hair by Kristin Sky Olsen.

Our amazingly talented photographer Mikael Kennedy, was a joy to work with!

Also of note, Mikael just returned from an epic trip across the country with fellow photographer Sean Sullivan, founder of the blog The Impossible Cool. Called Ramblers Bone, they documented their journey in breathtaking, wanderlust-inducing photographic detail that you must check out immediately.

Accessories by Ax + Apple, Elizabeth Knight Jewelry,
Species by the Thousands and Cursive Design; courtesy of The Shiny Squirrel

Binder clips are a stylist’s best friend.

Photo courtesy of BPMW

Me and Anna. Sidenote: Did you notice my straight hair?!

Marshall’s expert shoe-tying technique.

Shoot at the BPMW showroom.

Don’t forget to check back in with me on Monday for the lookbook reveal!
So excited!

For more information on the Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection
by Samantha Pleet, head here.

**UPDATE 5/7/2012**
See my post on the lookbook here.

New Addition || Put A Horse On It: Life Magazine, 1937

01/05/2012 § 5 Comments

This weekend while on a walk in my neighborhood, I stopped by one of my favorite shops in Tribeca, Philip Williams Posters, on a bit of a lark. While the store is best known for its collection of vintage posters, my attention was drawn from the window by what looked like a massive stack of magazines. Once inside, I simultaneously realized that they were Life Magazines and that my afternoon was pretty much sealed.

You already know how much I love Life Magazine: I collect them, I read virtual copies on Google Books and wander for (way too many) hours in the online archive. Coming at this cache of vintage media from multiple directions sometimes provides the opportunity for the kind of pleasant surprise I had this weekend.

First off, you put a horse on anything and I will at least give it a second look. You put one on the cover of a Life Magazine from the 1930s and mention it’s a polo pony? Dead. Before even cracking this baby open, I knew it was coming home with me. But when I did, I realized I was already familiar with the photos inside as they were part of a set that I had discovered in the archives a few weeks ago — and trust me when I say there is nothing in there tagged “polo” that I haven’t already seen.

I especially love the advertisements.

The feature is about George H. “Pete” Bostwick (August 14, 1909 – January 13, 1982), steeplechase jockey, horse trainer, 8-goal polo player and grandson to Jabez A. Bostwick, a founder and treasurer of Standard Oil Company of New York and partner of John D. Rockefeller. Pete’s favored game, high-goal polo, was a pastime of the wealthy in the 1930s, but Pete made an unprecedented, egalitarian move: he invited the public to watch him and his friends play at Bostwick Field on Long Island, charging only fifty cents for admission. It was an immediate hit.

These photos were taken 1937 in Long Island by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Because relatively few actually made it into the issue, having access to the archive allowed me to really enjoy even more photos than were published. This is about to be a long post, so I must apologize in advance if you don’t enjoy looking at black and white photos of horses, polo or people in their Sunday best. I will apologize, but I’ll think you’re kinda crazy.

A 28 year-old Pete Bostwick, center.
“There is no use sitting in school when one
can sit on a horse and go somewhere.“