Girlcrush || Solange in South Africa
13/12/2012 § 1 Comment
When it comes to the Knowles sisters, it shouldn’t surprise you that I’ve been a fan of big sister Beyoncé from the very start. You just knew that those other – and oft rotated – Destiny’s Children weren’t long for this world, that B was itching for her Diana Ross moment in the spotlight. Now, I definitely love me some divas, but you have to admit that there’s something sort of conventional (and maybe even a bit boring) about the establishment: big hair, red carpet beauty, belted ballads, an affinity for sparkles, etc.
Which is why I think Solange, the younger Knowles, is so much more interesting. A frequent experimenter with her own personal style and something of a slowly burning girlcrush, Solange has officially evolved into the Knowles sister I’d much rather hang with. She pretty much sealed the deal with her video for “Losing You,” which was brought to my attention by a good friend who noted that Solange appeared to be channeling me. Shot in Cape Town, featuring some very dandy Sapeurs (an interesting group of men I mentioned awhile back), as well as a wardrobe that you know I fell in love with immediately, the synth-y groove of the song is almost like an added bonus. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Video directed by Melina Matsoukas.
Photo taken by Daniele Tamagni, via Pitchfork.
Where Do Santas Come From?
11/12/2012 § Leave a comment
In the early 60s, America’s “No.1 Santa” (of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade fame) set up shop in Albion, New York and created the country’s only school of its kind, to certify Santas for department stores. These photos, taken for Life Magazine by Alfred Eisenstaedt of the graduating class of 1961, were too good not to share. After paying $75 and attending a five-day course, newly-minted Kris Kringles received a Santa’s Helper degree, well-armed with the history of Santa Claus, practice applying makeup and selecting costumes, and how to be properly jolly — even if they found a crier or a beard-puller on their lap. If you’d like to read the original article the photos were shot for, you can find it here.
All photos via the Life Archive.
A Prayer for the Wild at Heart
04/12/2012 § 1 Comment
Mixing equal parts Isak Dinesen, Amelia Earhart and Katharine Hepburn, the campaign for Maiyet FW 2012 is exactly the sort of thing that my African safari dreams are made of. Featuring the Daria Werbowy in Chyulu Hills, Kenya, photographer Cass Bird has gorgeously captured the free-spirited — yet refined — essence personified by the collection’s deft combination of luxe textures and tailored details. And can we please talk about that wide-brimmed fedora, and how badly I need it in my life? Such perfection…!
For more, hop over to Maiyet.
Atelier || Lotuff Leather
30/11/2012 § 3 Comments
As I previously mentioned, a few weeks ago I was pleased to accept an invite from Lotuff Leather to visit their workshop in Norwalk, Connecticut. I was very excited to seize the opportunity to meet the fine folks behind the brand and witness firsthand the craftsmanship that goes into every single piece of leather that bears the Lotuff name. Fair warning: this is about to be a bit of a photo-palooza, but there was just so much to see and love – I hope you will indulge me!
Lotuff, a New England-based luxury leather goods brand founded by brothers Joe and Rick Lotuff nearly four years ago, is a brand you need to firmly place on your radar. The Lotuffs, along with creative director Lindy McDonough and a whole host of highly skilled craftsmen and women, take great pride in producing some of the very finest leather items made in America, using techniques honed over decades – and in some cases, generations – of combined experience. A men’s brand at heart, the all-leather bags, briefcases and accessories that Lotuff creates epitomize the elegant meeting of timeless style, functionality and quiet craftsmanship.
Not only was I inspired by the passion I heard from Joe and Lindy as they discussed their values and goals for Lotuff, but they also deeply affected my personal concept of “luxury” – calling into question some of my own assumptions about the true worth of some of the high-end bags I have lusted for in the past. My day in Norwalk reinforced the notion that luxury is not achieved by the mere application of a name or a high price point to an item. But rather, an item is properly considered luxurious in relation to the process, materials and skills that go into its creation — and seeing up close the massive amount of pride that each of the Lotuff craftsmen and women pour into their work brought this into sharp focus.
While this fuller concept of luxury appears to have taken hold in some #menswear circles, it is interesting to note that the majority of women continue to be fine with paying top dollar for cheaply manufactured status accessories. Indeed, it is difficult to decouple this tendency for status from womenswear’s obsession with fast fashion. For those of us who find ourselves frequently left wanting by the “it bag” of the moment, the premiere women’s collection by Lotuff is a godsend. And my leather-scented day spent trying out all the gorgeous prototypes? Heaven indeed.
For more information, visit Lotuff Leather.
Please say hello to my new best friend… In. Love.
If you are in New York City this weekend (30 Nov – 2 Dec),
be sure to check out Lotuff in person at this year’s Pop Up Flea.
Pop Up Flea
Friday, Nov 30th 3pm – 9pm
Saturday, Dec. 1st 11am – 7pm
Sunday, Dec. 2nd 11am – 6pm
Drive-In Studios
443 W. 18th Street (nr. 10th Ave.)
Lotuff Leather for the Ladies
16/11/2012 § 2 Comments
Very excited to share with you Lotuff Leather’s premiere offering from their very first women’s collection, released this week! Just in time for the holidays the Zipper Satchel #9 is a limited edition bag in sumptuous, hunter green vegetable-tanned leather, that comes with a hand-braided leather tassel, a removable leather pouch, and a detachable shoulder strap. Befitting a truly unique piece of superior craftsmanship, each bag bears its own serial number, and can also be monogrammed. I definitely hope that Santa is listening.
Lotuff, a New England-based luxury leather goods brand founded by brothers Joe and Rick Lotuff, is a remarkable collective of exceptionally skilled craftsmen and women dedicated to making quality things by hand with the best practices and finest materials available. A men’s brand at heart, Lotuff has offered some of the very finest American-made all-leather bags, briefcases and accessories for nearly four years now, and the move into the women’s space is best viewed as a continuation of that tradition.
Guided by creative director Lindy McDonough, the Lotuff women’s collection is quietly elegant and timelessly stylish – the diametric opposite of the “it bag.” Rather, your Lotuff bag is meant to be carried a lifetime and then passed on to younger generations, and this longevity is ensured by the American workmanship that went into its creation. I especially love the collection’s nuanced menswear influence and the casual sophistication evident in the preview lookbook – these bags intend to seamlessly carry you from the office to the weekend and back. Perfection.
I recently had the immense pleasure of spending a lovely day at Lotuff’s Norwalk, Connecticut workshop. It’s not every day that I get to spend time talking to gifted craftspeople about heady topics such as commitment, precision and passion, so when the folks at Lotuff Leather invited me to do just that, of course I leapt at the chance. Stay tuned — I’ll be sharing my visit with you next week.
For more information, visit Lotuff Leather.
On the Docket: George Bellows at The Metropolitan Museum
15/11/2012 § 2 Comments
Very excited that the retrospective George Bellows, the first comprehensive examination of the great American realist painter’s career in nearly fifty years, opened today at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Perhaps best known for his depictions of boxers and early 20th century New York, Bellows has long been a favorite of mine. I’ve included here some of the iconic works on display (which you can click through to appreciate in greater detail), but I am most looking forward to making new discoveries in his oeuvre, particularly in the area of lithography.
Of the nearly 120 works on display at the exhibition, approximately a third are devoted to scenes of New York. Some, like the Cliff Dwellers (1913) below, offer insight into tenement life in Lower Manhattan with rich detail — did you notice the street car on its way to Vesey Street? Bellows was a member of the Ashcan School, a realistic artistic movement in direct response to American Impressionism and its celebration of light. Darker in tone and unafraid of dealing with the harsh realities of poverty and the unsavory characters of urban life, Ashcan School art challenges the viewer with its journalistic pursuit of truth. Fittingly, Bellows’ canvas Up the Hudson (1908) holds the distinction of being the first Ashcan painting acquired by the Metropolitan, in 1911. The artist was only 29 at the time, making him one of the youngest artists represented in the museum’s collection.
George Bellows is on display at The Metropolitan until February 18, 2013, after which it will travel to the Royal Academy of Arts, London (March 16 – June 2013).
George Bellows
November 15, 2012 — February 18, 2013
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Hold Fast. Let Go.
14/11/2012 § 10 Comments
As I mentioned last week, I still have yet to return home due to damages my apartment building suffered during Hurricane Sandy. I have been removed from my normal routine and neighborhood, but I recognize that compared to some, I have lost very little. I am very sorry to have been an absentee parent these past few days, and I wanted to let you know that your emails checking in on me have been a particularly bright spot for me in this stretch of time. Thank you! xo
That said, I have found these past few weeks difficult. Personally, when I feel like I have a sense of control over things, I feel the most secure. Having to leave my home has forced me to cede a certain amount of that control, and that has been disconcerting. But I believe that this also speaks to a larger concept that I have struggled with throughout my life: the concept of letting go – the process of detaching myself from an outcome, a routine, a person, or a relationship that I have invested my time, my money or my heart (or even all three) into.
In the early post-Sandy days, I realized that I was hanging on to a lot of frustration at being displaced and also at not being able to do anything about it. It bled over into other areas of my life, causing me to feel sullen and wanting to retreat – all because I felt like I had lost my sense of control over my living conditions. That’s it! I hadn’t really lost anything at all! Well, maybe aside from a few trips to my local — yet overpriced — bodega. And maybe my perspective.
So, this past week I have tried my best to keep in mind that this change is only temporary, to trust that I will be home soon, to embrace a new neighborhood and to be very thankful that I have the help of some truly lovely friends. It isn’t every day that I get the opportunity to step outside my usual box and since I haven’t lived on the Upper East Side since 2008, I’ve spent a lot of time simply walking around the neighborhood. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed visiting a few of my old favorite places like the Ralph Lauren mansion, Sant Ambroeus and The Frick, discovering new (to me, at least) gems like the Lexington Bar and Books and Creel & Gow, and I actually forced myself to get out and run in Central Park over the beautiful fall weekend we had. Changing my perspective was hard work, but I’ve been feeling much, much better.
Taking a step back to look at the bigger picture, there is something very, very easy – and very dangerous – in the refusal to let go of negativity. It’s what a good friend described to me as being “comfortably sad.” You get comfortable with being sad or frustrated, because you aren’t quite sure what it would feel like to try to let that go and move forward. If you’re at all like me, that can seem a bit like jumping out of a plane without being completely sure that you’ve got your parachute – and your two backup parachutes, too. But the thing is, if we hold on to anger or sadness or regret or pain, we prevent ourselves from moving forward. We prevent growth.
This can obviously apply to personal relationships as well, and I know I’ve definitely been guilty of this myself. Holding on to a relationship that isn’t really working or miring yourself in the pain of a relationship that has ended, can sometimes seem like the easier path – better the devil you know. True, it is a way to avoid dealing with any new feelings or facing the fear of the unknown, but you’re also completely foreclosing your opportunity to be truly happy. It isn’t easy, don’t get me wrong. It is a painful process, but it’s nothing compared to the pain of a life spent unfulfilled. I want you to know that you are worth that risk. I want you to try to let go.
The first step, is knowing when to say when. I oddly found inspiration in an old nautical term, illustrated in the picture above, from a 1940 issue of Life Magazine (which you can view here). The traditional sailor tattoo “hold fast” written across the knuckles, is a good luck charm – one of many such symbolic tattoos worn by seamen throughout the years – to ensure the bearer’s steady grip as he worked onboard. A “fast” refers to a line (or rope) that has been secured. However, “hold fast” – or rather, it’s Dutch origins hou’vast or houd vast – also gave rise to the nautical term “avast,” meaning to cease, or to stop. One term, two very different meanings.
What I chose to take away from this nautical history moment, is that the same hands that can hold fast to something – or someone – are just as capable of letting go. And while there definitely are things in life that are worth fighting for, not everything is. What I hope you’ll realize, is that there is just as much strength in the surrender.
Hold fast. Let go.
Vote!
06/11/2012 § 4 Comments
Wherever you are, regardless of whatever party you belong to,
I hope you make time today to vote.
**Also, please pardon my silence lately! Thanks to Sandy I am still unable to return home, unfortunately, and am a bit off of my regular schedule. That said, I am very thankful to be safe, with wonderful friends, and for the fact that I have lost relatively little in comparison to others. I have also been so blessed with caring thoughts and emails from so many people, from all circles of my life and even from some people that I’ve not yet had the pleasure to meet in person, but rather have reached through this blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You’re all the cat’s pajamas, truly.
You can read more about the trials and tribulations some of the buildings
in my neighborhood (Lower Manhattan)are currently facing here.
Photo of Caroline & John Kennedy in Hyannis Port on Election Day, 1960.
Taken by Paul Schutzer, via the Life Archive.
Masqued Class
31/10/2012 § Leave a comment
From my temporary refugee perch on the UES, and on Halloween no less, I felt this elegant masked ball in Paris in 1946 was particularly apropos to share with you today. Featuring several minor royals and creations by seminal postwar French designer Jacques Fath — and a few pictures of Fath himself, even in a mask! — these ensembles take fancy dress to dizzying couture heights. Doesn’t it just make you itch for a pair of opera-length gloves and a set of crown jewels?
Photos by David E. Scherman for Life Magazine, via the Life Archive.
While these pictures are a sorry excuse for missing out on the usual Halloween festivities, I’m still very hopeful that New York will come together for the kids this evening. I’m planning a UES constitution of my own, to try to help spread the spirit. So many New Yorkers are still without power, and the annual Halloween parade in the Village has been postponed, but the city has been working hard to come back online as soon as possible after Sandy — and we’ve made some amazing progress already.
If you would like to help, please make a donation to the American Red Cross. You can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief.
Be well! Happy Halloween!
Après Sandy
30/10/2012 § 2 Comments
Just a quick note to let you know that I am safe and sound after Sandy passed through New York last night. The city definitely feels like it is reeling from a massive shock. I had been forced to evacuate from my apartment on Sunday because I live in one of the low lying areas (my building’s lobby is still currently flooded), but as it turned out, I needed to relocate again today, due to the massive power outage in Manhattan below 34th Street and the fact that we lost water and cell phone service as well. I have since settled into my old neighborhood — and quasi-ancestral homeland — The Upper East Side.
After being plunged into the dark last night when power was lost, and with virtually no way of hearing the news, my friends and I settled in for an eerily zen-like few hours by candlelight, while Sandy howled outside. Being in the middle of a huge event, without any access to the outside world, was disconcerting and I am thankful that I was with friends.
By now you have probably seen the devastating pictures of the damage. If you would like to help, I urge you to make a donation to the American Red Cross.
I hope you are safe and well, wherever you are.
Quite Continental 