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.“
Pete Bostwick: lover of polo, beer and cable knit sweaters.
If you’d like to read the feature yourself, you can find it here, via Google Books.
Philip Williams Posters || 122 Chambers St., Tribeca || 212.513.0313
Field Notes || Herb Ritts: L.A. Style at the Getty Center
30/04/2012 § 1 Comment
New York is a vertical city, and its skyscrapers are climbing ever higher (case in point, just today my next-door neighbor One World Trade claimed the title of tallest building in New York). All that height, especially in the canyons of the Financial District or parts of Midtown, can feel a bit oppressive at times to someone like me, who grew up in one of the most horizontal cities in the world. For comparison’s sake I could give you some facts and figures about square mileage and population — essentially: LA is larger, while NYC is more populous — but nowhere is this “horizontal-ness” illustrated better than from the observation pavilions of the Getty Center.
Known for its impressive views from the Pacific to Downtown, the Getty Center is one of the best places to take in the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles (if it happens to be a clear day). Designed by Richard Meier, the Center also houses a large portion of the Getty art collection and has been the setting for a marriage proposal or two…thousand.
Familiar vistas aside, I also made the trip to the Center to catch the Herb Ritts retrospective, L.A. Style. Best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and fashion editorials, equally impressive are Ritts’ nudes and his exploration of the concept of gender. A compact exhibition, complete with large-scale prints, vintage magazines and a screening of his music videos (e.g., Janet Jackson’s Love Will Never Do (Without You), Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game), L.A. Style is an excellent collection of some Ritts’ most iconic images, taken in the 1980s and 90s.
Herb Ritts: L.A. Style at the Getty Center
April 3 – August 26, 2012
The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Open Tuesday – Sunday
The Grand Tour || The House Where Satchmo Played
29/04/2012 § 3 Comments
Most homes of a certain age in Los Angeles usually come with old Hollywood stories of former residents. This Spanish beauty in Westwood, owned by good friends of mine, is no different. Home to Spencer Tracy and his wife for a time, and host to an intimate concert by Louis Armstrong, this estate has a charmingly eccentric layout, complete with original tile work, exposed beams, hardwood floors, interesting built-ins and one of the only SoCal basements I am personally aware of.
A relatively recent purchase, the owners are still hard at work with renovations but I twisted some arms and was allowed to take a few photos of their progress thus far. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
Field Notes || A Long Los Angeles Weekend
29/04/2012 § 3 Comments
As I mentioned last week, I scooted off to Los Angeles to surprise my family and enjoy a long weekend in my hometown. Armed with an exceptionally affordable rental car that I had to fill with exceptionally expensive gas, I bopped around from Manhattan Beach to Porter Ranch, and from Santa Monica to Downtown. And while I will admit that while I am on the East Coast I frequently have moments when I miss driving, a few minutes of sitting on the 405 definitely cured me of that for awhile…but it didn’t keep me from visiting some great places.
Breakfast at the counter at John O’Groats, a westside institution.
Don’t miss their biscuits.
Drinks at the Beverly Wilshire.
Manhattan Beach.
Where the car is king, you can’t help having so many good sightings…
A very foggy Sepulveda Pass.
An evening in Beachwood Canyon with Lizzie: dinner at Franklin & Company,
browsing at Counterpoint Records, peeking in the doors of the Villa Carlotta.
Cole’s, originators of the French Dip sandwich.
Bourbon drinks at Cole’s with Nick.
Breakfast at the Fountain Coffee Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
A very stylish makeover, courtesy of my nieces.
An excellent travel companion: Bag by The San Fernando Mercantile Company
All Dressed Up…in Los Angeles.
23/04/2012 § Leave a comment
Richard Gere adds Armani to the echelon of California style with its debut in American Gigolo (1980), which I recently revisited thanks to Lizzie’s suggestion. A seminal moment in menswear, it marked the introduction of a new Italian aesthetic that became characteristic of the decade.
**Update 5/4/2012 — The blog Clothes on Film did a fantastic rundown of the costuming, which you can find here.
I especially love how the film captures the westside at that moment when the 1970s were turning to the 1980s, and watching a 30 year-old (and let’s face it, beautiful) Gere as he navigates the city as one of its “best boys.” Other high points include the Blondie-infused soundtrack, Lauren Hutton, and the fact that Gere’s character lives in Westwood, which is where I lived before moving to New York.
Portrait by Herb Ritts, 1980.
Part of “L.A. Style: Herb Ritts” at the Getty Center. Details here.
Also: just a quick note to let you know I’m in Los Angeles for a few days! I wanted to surprise my parents, and they read this thing, so I couldn’t mention it beforehand. Happy to report my sneak attack was successful!
Milwaukee’s Finest?
19/04/2012 § Leave a comment
Bird’s Eye
18/04/2012 § 2 Comments
Even though I did manage to snap these pictures on a business trip this week,
I have been chasing my tail a bit, so I hope you’ll excuse my recent silence…
A few tidbits I’ve enjoyed in the meantime:
Video treats: a very whimsical Hermès “Petit H”
and a snippet from A.Y. NOT DEAD F/W 2012 featuring Dree! Hemingway!;
Opinion: What Mad Men Shows About American Pop Culture
“The 40-Year Itch” by Adam Gopnik {via The New Yorker}
Endorsed: the ladylike naughtiness of the Mimi Holliday by Damaris
Sea Breeze lace thong {via Net-a-Porter};
Men’s style file: Dean at his best {via A Headlong Dive}
and Jackie Robinson off the field {via To Take the Train};
Aesthetics: a rumination on stripes {via Little Augury};
Travel: a Tuscan farmhouse I must. visit. immediately. {via Designtripper}; and
Just finished: Bright Lights, Big City — so NYC in the 80s, so excellent.
Back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, promise.
xoxo. M.
Quite Continental 