Celebrate with Savoir Faire!

In celebration of the 100th post on Savoir Faire I have decided to celebrate with some champagne!

Of course we can raise a glass of champagne, however here are few different champagne like ways we can celebrate.

First we can douse ourselves in Caron’s Royal Bain de Caron. Originally launched in the early 20’s as Royal Bain de Champagne, the story goes that it was created for a Californian millionaire who ordered it so that it could be used as a substitute for the real champagne that he liked to pour in his bath. This order which could have been motivated by the excessive strictures of Prohibition is so Gatsbyesque that it reeks of savoir faire. So, if you would like to relive a Fitzgeraldean moment, pour some in your bath! One source mentions that William Randolph Hearst is the millionaire in question and that it was meant to be used by "his wife" whatever that might mean concretely (Millicent Hearst or Marion Davies?).

With the legal battle over YSL’s Champagne in 1993 Caron changed the name to Royal Bain de Caron, however it is still contained in the original Champagne like bottle.

Those damn champagne lobbyists take the fun out of everything!!

If you want to indulge and celebrate in another way this Lollipop is the ultimate extravagance, for those who have everything. It is made by hand with genuine 24 carat Californian gold flakes and flavoured with…. You guessed it! Champagne!

Then you could also listen to Sailor’s “A Glass of Champagne”. This is a real throwback to the seventies, and I just love it. With a bit of a stretch of the imagination I think that the piano in this was supposed to mimic champagne bubbles.

Feeling creative?? The Champagne Chair Contest run by Design Within Reach in Washington DC is an annual event to make the best miniature chair using only the foil, label, cage and cork from no more than two Champagne bottles. Displayed in little plexiglass cubes, the champagne chairs display some pretty impressive craftsmanship.

And for the ultimate champagne glass the Hoffman Series B champagne glass by Josef Hoffmann was first produced in 1912. The cup features clear mouth blown mat crystal with hand painted enamel. I can think of nothing better to drink my celebratory champagne out of, and of course I will raise my glass to all my devoted followers!

Savoir Faire Quote of the Day

" Fashion is what you adopt when you dont know who you are"

so said Quentin Crisp who knew exactly who he was.

Savoir Faire with Jacques Doucet

Earlier on I did a post on that wonderful arbiter of savoir faire, Paul Poiret, however where would Poiret be without Jacques Doucet. Doucet was practically a mentor to a young Poiret, and influenced him for the rest of his life, from his design aesthetic to what art he should purchase. Poiret had done ‘time’ with Doucet and remained a lifelong friend even after opening on his own.

Born in 1853, he was renowned for his elegant dresses of diaphanous, translucent materials in superimposing pastel colours. An enthusiastic collector of eighteenth-century furniture, objets d'art, paintings and sculptures, many of his gowns were strongly influenced by this opulent era. A designer of taste and discrimination, Doucet valued dignity and luxury above novelty and practicality and therefore gradually went out of popularity during the 1920s. By far his most original designs were those he created for actresses of the time. Cecile Sorel, Rejane and Sarah Bernhardt. All often wore his outfits, both on and off the stage.

A passionate collector of art and literature throughout his life, by the time of his death he had a magnificent collection of Post-Impressionist and Cubist paintings (including "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", which he bought direct from Picasso's studio, which Poiret subsequently bought and hung in his bedroom), as well as two libraries of manuscripts by contemporary writers. It could be said that Doucet was a catalyst for the beginning of the Art Deco period, when he decided to sell all of his classical collection of furniture through a huge auction sale that took place in 1912. This event was as large and as important as the recent Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Berge sale that took place in February 2009.


Legrain Lamp owned by Doucet.

Dubrujeaud Comode also owned by Doucet

He was one of the first to promote the new “art deco” style emerging in Paris after World War 1, and his new studio apartment was furnished by some of the best designers of the period. For example the doors leading into the main salon were Lalique! How fabulous is that?

Although in the 1920s he was aging and his couture house merged with another lesser firm, and eventually closed, he never lost touch with foreseeing the needs of the French luxury goods market.
While little-remembered today, in his time he was equaled to the likes of Charles Worth and Jeanne Paquin and even now is remembered by fashion historians as one of the great old masters of fashion design.

Savoir Faire Quote of the Day

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented.

So said Dame Edith Sitwell (and I think she is right)

Savoir Faire on the Southern Route

Travelling across the Atlantic in the 1950’s by either Cunard or The French Line was to spend 5 days of unhurried and unrivalled luxury surrounded by savoir faire. The North Atlantic that was, and it could have been a rather drab affair if one was to venture out on deck.

However there was an alternative and that was with all the savoir faire and la dolce vita of the Italian Line through the Mediterranean to New York. As opposed to the North Atlantic liners, the Italian Line Ships were outdoor ships with large lidos swimming pools and plenty of deckchairs in the sun.





During the 1950’s Bob Peake who had his hand in doing more advertisements than he probably cares to remember, did some wonderful ads in true Peake style, that epitomized life aboard the Italian liners for those that could afford it. These are wonderful graphic representations that capture the sprit of an era that we can only dream about now.

Dressing for dinner was not a problem, as one of the ship’s obliging stewardess’ (or your own maid) was there to assist as you donned your latest couture.


Gallantry was alive and well as you greeted the ship’s captain maybe after dinner. Every night one dressed for dinner and did it with style. God knows what happens these days on ‘formal nights’ on today’s cruise ships.



Arrive in New York relaxed, tanned with a touch of la dolce vita!

Some Upholstery Savoir Faire

I love upholstery fabrics and some of my favourites come from Lorca of France. They have brilliant colour combinations and wonderful quality that just reek of savoir faire. They use past references out of history to name their collections which hint of the exotic past they draw their inspiration from.

Even though my current decor could not support any of these wonderful colour combinations, they have been filed away for future reference.

"Porfiro Stripe" by Lorca one of my favourites especially when teamed with this Louis chair. The combination purple and green stripe is just stunning and elegant.

“Dampierre” the combination shocking pink stripe below, reminds me of Schiaparelli’s colour palate.

“Aventina” - An Italian girls' name. This design is a floral velvet jacquard on a plain background.

“Bragadin” - A 15th century pirate. This is a large regular stripe in colours which exactly match Aventina.

This pure silk below was discovered in the workshop of a sari printer and the colours chosen are traditional Indian ones. The appearance of being unevenly printed is deliberate so as to imitate the handmade quality of the original.

“Goa” named after the former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India. This design is woven in pure silk. Multicoloured narrowed bands of satin contrast with plainer two-tone stripes; black, chocolate and caramel contrast with cream and off-white

So whip out the satple gun, upholster and sit on some savoir faire!

Savoir Faire has been Tagged!

Ok, so I have been tagged by that arbiter of style and savoir faire TJB at Stirred, Straight up with a Twist, to list 7 of my personality traits as indicated by my blog. Well I have spent some sleepless nights pondering this impossible task, and have come up with the below.

I have a bit of thing for exceedingly strong creative women, which is evidenced by the numerous posts on Helena Rubinstein (my favourite) and Elsa Schiaparelli. However I can readily dismiss other women such as Coco Chanel and Elizabeth Arden (who some would put in the same category) as mere trifles (see trait # 2). I am sure that a psychologist would have something to say about this one.

I am selective. I pick and chose what interests me, and to some it would appear fickle, however there is some rhyme and reason behind it (not sure what it is though)

I have always believed in that it is the journey not the destination that counts, hence the proliferation of posts on travel and the social aspect of getting there! However once there I can change my mind.

Things always seemed better in the past, which is not to say I don’t live in the present. People tended to have more style and savoir faire and were real personalities (except for TJB). Celebrities nowadays bore me.

I am a social being, and thrive on human contact, whether it is cyber or face to face, so all of you who read my blog, list yourself as a follower!

I love beautiful things, line and detail, and the aesthetics behind things. Mind you again I am very selective. See point # 2.

I am a visual person and must have copious amounts of pictures to illustrate my blog.