In the pursuit of an elegant life I often turn to elegant periods in history.  Recently I found a lovely set of French Antique silverware from the Belle Époque (circa 1870s).  Each piece of silverware has a French coat of arms emblazoned upon it, and each has the makers marks of The French Minerve or Minerva on all, 1st titre designating .950 silver content (higher than the .925 standard for sterling silver). Silversmith marks for Maison Cardeilhac (Emile Cardeilhac, Paris c. 1851-1904).  I just can't wait for my next dinner party when these charming antiques will be used by me and my guests and may even invoke that period known as the Belle Époque. 

 

Modern Spanish manufacturing have fallen victim to globalization, cheap Chinese labor, and a strong Euro, yet quality and a refined style can not be made for cheap in China.  Spain has always been known for a style which is both influenced by their culture and their history.  While the trend moves towards cheap mass produced products and cheap imitations, one modern Spanish car designer appears to be fighting that trend.  Their name is Hurtan Automobiles and their automobiles are like a dream from some golden age of classical autos.  Their automobiles have a retro style and an aesthetic which seem to capture some bygone age when playboys roamed the Riviera with golden hair starlets.  These handmade cars are certainly worth a look even if they are unaffordable for most.  They stand as a representation of the way cars should be; hand manufactured quality and classic aesthetic beauty.  I want one so very badly. www.hurtan.com

 

Economic times are tough, but as the old saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.”  A recent purchase of bespoke shirts from a new designer in Paris has left me very pleased with both the quality and style of the finished products.  The shirt maker is known as Lipioni Couture and I had the good fortune to meet the owner in Manhattan recently.  This company is located in Paris, has the shirts handmade in Italy, and is now looking to get a contract with Sax Fifth Avenue in New York. If you ever run across this company then I highly recommend you purchase a shirt or two.  Their quality is really top notch although they were a bit slow on delivery however, quality can not be rushed, so they are worth the wait. 

 

The Soldier,
by Rupert Brooke

If I should die, think only this of me: 
That there's some corner of a foreign field 
That is forever England. There shall be 
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; 
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, 
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam; 
A body of England's, breathing English air, 
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. 
And think, this heart, all evil shed away, 
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less 
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; 
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; 
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, 
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.


Rupert Brooke died April 1915

A recent jaunt to New York City afforded me the pleasure of a stay at the historic Algonquin hotel and cabaret.  The Algonquin is renowned for its association with that literary circle of the 1920s known as Dorothy Parker’s Algonquin Round Table also known as The Vicious Circle.  It was here that writers and editors meet for gin soaked lunches which flowered into a daily exchange of ideas, opinions and often-savage wit that has enriched the world's literary life and its anecdote collections as well. George S. Kaufman, Heywood Broun and Edna Ferber were also in this august assembly, which strongly influenced writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. John F. Kennedy was once quoted as saying, "My greatest regret is that I wasn't a member of the vicious circle."

Lobby of the Algonquin

Matilda the Algonquin’s cat who walks freely about the lobby greeting guests, but mostly sleeps. 

Yours truly, sipping a G & T and enjoying the atmosphere and history. 

In our overly politically correct times it is so refreshing to see some clips from the 1930s film series, The Thin Man.  Nicholas Charles a.k.a. Nick and his lovely high society wife spend their days in the detective racket and their nights in the bars.  It is humorous to see them drinking almost non-stop while they solve crimes.  I doubt that such a film could be made in our modern P.C. times. It is enough to make me want a strong drink!